whilst chilling on a train i got an email from this guy vincent who is “v” about maybe doing a release for him and i checked it out and damn it sounded good… folk-spectral-ether drone… a real nice blur of field recordings, various instruments and far out vocal… after many disasters with masters and file downloads, and months on this is finally coming out… its one helluva hazy starry summer night trip.” limited to 50 copies in envelopes with pasted on paisley embossed paper, and insert.
deep space cosmic whisperings, prog spirals and sonic exorcisms minced into a dense narcotic fog of melodic guitars, bowed strings, keyboard mutilations and spectral murmurs, slowly creepy from the speakers to flood the room with trance vibrations, occasionally lifting itself up into clatterings of drum and bone, or prayer like voicings. there is a visual quality to this music, a narrative flow, like bearing witness to strange events, creepy and portentous – more sweet mystery sounds. nice full color covers.
the richest hues, soaked in heavy decay. the brightest tones, steeped in analog fuzz and digital fog. the sound of one hand waving away the smoke from a burning bush. this new cd-r from (vxpxc) stacks layers of analog and digital keyboards with looping guitars and voices, and peppers the whole mix with a slew of acoustic instruments (from banjos to accordions to violins). this cd-r is protected from the forces of nature by a black plastic clamshell perfectly matched with industrial photos by andrew smrz… quite limited.
brand new cdr from trio of grant capes, justin mcinteer and tim goodwillie recorded in la. wavering multi instrumental folk-psyche-drone jams across 4 tracks, total bliss! again comes in the same lightweight paper as the wwvv with fold out all over artwork by darryl norsen. limited to 110 handnumbered copies. this was previously intended to be a cassette, but the band decided they wanted a cdr instead… very limited.
after their monster 3xcdr set from earlier this year, we just knew that one day the los angeles-based (vxpxc) would steal our little hearts. on this, their final session of 2005, these boy wonders extricate spacious, intricate compositions from the spiral galaxy drones of yesteryear. a vast array of instrumentation provide the perfect canvas for these majestic spells. this is music that grows from the roots, falling head-first into the icy tendrils of the new dawn. their voices pierce the organ murk and guitar expanses like lonesome souls begging to be freed. this is magical toward oblivion.
the 1972 debut album by turkish ethno psych-rockers 3 hur-el. the three hür-el brothers, onur (bass), haldun (drums, percussion) and feridun (saz-guitar + vocals), were one of the very few turkish groups at the time not playing covers, but only self-penned compositions. having played together for their whole life (other projects included trio istanbul, biraderler, alizeler, and oguzlar, and all three brothers were members of the selçuk alagoz orchestra), they formed 3 hur-el in the late 1960’s, releasing two wonderful albums as their all-too-brief recording legacy. feridun created the double-neck saz-guitar (a combination of electric saz and electric guitar in the same body), and haldun’s drum set was an assemblage of darbukas (a turkish percussive instrument also used in north africa and the arabian peninsula) in different sizes, made by the copper masters of the beyazit bazaar in istanbul! the hür-el debut is a brilliant set of turkish ethno-influenced folk-rock with a psychedelic progressive feel, some great electric guitar and fantastic eastern percussion. this very rare album is now available again on vinyl (the cd version on world psychedelia also in stock), with remastered sound from the original mastertapes. includes an insert with detailed liner notes and photos.
this is the second album by turkish ethno psych-rockers 3 hür-el, originally released in 1976 on the diskötur label. comprised of three brothers, onur (bass), haldun (drums, percussion) and feridun hürel (saz-guitar, vocals), they were one of the very few, if not the only, turkish groups at the time not doing any covers, but only self-penned compositions. hürel arsivi is an absolute killer of an album and easily one of the top turkish psych records ever released. it has a more western feel, with brother feridun here infected by a fuzz-virus and his own two-arm guitar (one for guitar, one for saz). also there’s much more heavy drums than percussion, in an astounding blend of psychedelic rock and traditional turkish instrumentation, and of course, plenty of distorted fuzz guitar and electric saz. includes an insert with detailed liner notes and photos.
the first public appearance pairing christian henjes and juergen gleue (inspired by and with names derived from lsd-25, they would become ch-39 and jg-39) was in 1976, at the dada nova (a space occupied by otto mühl’s aao commune) in midtown hannover, germany. dada nova would be a space of enduring clash. from the subtlety of a shat upon organ to the ejection from communal meetings by bodily force, the aao would display that the presence of the 39 clocks was one of their constant grief. known for pranksterism and the destruction of the clubs in which they would perform, friction in every form would continually follow the band. in 1979 they were thrown out of a show in kassel at dokumenta (their sounds had disturbed joseph beuys). they created an outrage (they wrote a tune with the title “art minus idiots”) at the filmtage hannover with their avant-garde super 8 movies made under the disguise of director zachius lipschitz. rumour claims that at a hannover show at the cafe glocksee, they played the vacuum cleaner and a circular saw instead of guitars, and there was even a knife throwing incident in bremen. inspired, then, clearly, by protest in the broadest and most romantic sense (they wrote a tune with the title “radical student mob in satin boots”) their’s was a sound attuned to classic american punk / nuggets. although, this is not bomp rock; theirs was a thrust that purposed deconstruction and reassembly in the most modern sense. this collection was put together with the non completeist in mind (originals of some of these records are as rare as italian underwear), intending to display the general 39 clocks vibe, but also some of their more curious wrinkles. and as the clocks were always interested in where they were going and not where they’d been, the chronology here is strictly reversed. diedrich diedrichsen wrote the first review of the band (in spex), and we at destijl are very pleased to have had him scribe liner notes.
50 foot women is a san francisco-based duo with jessi leigh swenson and elaine barry kahn. swenson is known for her trance-forming work with the believers and duck, kahn is a wild card. combined, they create and destroy small forms with the ease of kettle fish.
a two part experimental acoustic guitar offering funneled through a train load of pedals and effect and then ejected from a marshall 1/2 stack performed by michael gibbons of bardo pond (and all things philadelphia and psychedelic). recorded by myself in 2007 at the worlds nosiest book store bigjar in philly. the cd edition comes housed in a slightly taller sleeve with two color silk screen work by alan sherry of siwa on a heavyweight 140lb paper. the front cover is die cut with an inserted picture from the performance printed on vellum, all hand glued and assembled by myself. edition of 500… nice one & beautifully packaged.
cosmic jewels and meditation jams by the musicyourmindwillloveyou tribe. 6majik9 creates a path of sound experiments in the australian bush and brings us some moody soundscapes of short acid melodies. come with the guru in this psychedelic and tribal journey – limited to 93 copies.
interviews with book of am, ed yazijian, geoff mullen, ghosting. art and words by ilyas ahmed, juan arkotxa, tara burke, darrell buxton, tom carter, cybele collins, sara czerny, bart de paepe, paul grimes, jani hirvonen, phil legard, samara lubelski, leslie mackenzie, marja mikkonen, thurston moore, roberto opalio, zachery reno, matt valentine. silkscreened coverfrogs by colleen kinsella… very sweet little read! recommended.
a middle sex? who the fuck are a middle sex i hear you cry… one of the best out there bands in the uk that nearly no one knows, totally ruling manchester duo of phil and karl. fluxing between minimal scrape and pound rhythms to noisy tumbling weird jamzzz using there trashed guitar, drums and electronics, with the odd weird vocal splatter thrown in. this is fresh from the jungles of manchester… it really gives me a jungle vibe – you’ll see what i mean. colour sleeve, edition of 55.
another hot jammer from the session in the fall 2007 from the trio of steffan deturck, jan-m. iversen and sindre bjerga. blissful drones, crackling electro-accoustics… this should have been out last year, but we didn’t want to flood the market haha.. small edition on 1-sided “ecological” tapes…
the band abstract truth existed only for a very short time, but it was a time of super-creativity. they exploded on to the durban music scene early in 1969, released 2 studio albums during 1970 on emi, which we have here. the 3rd album cool sounds for heads is only a compilation of these 2 lps. ken e. henson on guitar & vocals / peter measroch on piano, organ, flute, harpsichord & vocals / george wolfaardt on bass, flute, drums & vocals / sean bergin on sax & flute. silver trees is a milestone in south african music among bands like freedoms children, astra and third eye. musically it follows the same routes as uk bands like bloodwin pig, traffic, spooky tooth and many others. progressive underground of the best kind, with organ, guitars, flutes, sax and great vocals, sometimes with zappa-style guitar solos… from south africa, 1970. edition of 500 numbered lps, matte heavy gatefold sleeve, 180gm pressing.
ken e henson on guitar, vocals and sitar / robbie pavid on percussion / brian gibson on bass & vocals / sean bergin on sax & flute. excellent early ’70s melodic wistful freak-rock, blended with african sounds featuring assorted instruments: keyboards, flutes, electric guitars, saxophone, percussion, etc. a refreshing approach with an eastern touch. if you like uk bands such as quintessence, if and blodwin pig, this album goes in the same direction. it is more trippy/stoned and acoustic than the silver trees album… from south africa, 1970. edition of 500 numbered lps, glossy heavy sleeve, 180gm pressing.
acid mother’s temple’s glorify astrological martyrdom is sure to appeal to the myriad amt fans who have made crystal rainbow pyramid a new fan favorite. professionally recorded mega riffage for a super defined clean sound. kawabata and company deliver this focused rock explosion full of hyper repetitive heavy hooks and freaked out pitched up vocals. cover art by seldon hunt… tour only lp, very limited stock.
mysterious woods bootleg. four beautiful acoustic versions of “rain on”, “twisted tongue”, “to clean” and “the number”. one sided, white label twelve inch with a pasted-on cover image. very limited, origins unclear… awesome little document and sure to not hang around long. recommended.
rich in energy culled from the land surrounding, an eternal glow emanates from its center. from the place that gave birth to the mighty keijo comes aekie. the sound of groaning trees sparks new life on this album as aekie, who is an integral member of vapaa, takes flight in the summer rain. when the room gets uncomfortably quiet, he fills the air with humming drones fit for a king. in the darkness, he moves majestically. in the light, he is born. numbered edition of 115 copies.
over the last few years brandon nickel has been honing his sound and making a name for himself with the, as of recent, very impressive isounderscore label. not afraid to embrace technology, aemae sounds is at times restrained, and at times a whirling maelstrom of ones and zeros, yet always carefully constructed, each release taking months of editing and re-editing. here the sound falls into the later, more intense mode of aemae, and a fitting way to retire the name, as mr. nickel is using his own name to perform under. comprised of edited live material, yet the heightened composure is still evident. the a-side is a lot of gear, screaming at each other more or less really, digital mulch. the flip offers a slightly more restrained sound, and could be visually compared to a sheer obsidian cliff on a foreign planet where the air is ten times the density of our own planet, the geological formation slowly rising along the horizon until it falls off the edge. silver offset ink on metallic black stock, 2-panel j-card. edition of 111 copies on hi-bias chrome tapes.
a new collection of material culled from recordings made in 2004 through 2007, mostly at the blueberry studio space in brattleboro vt. aethr myth’d members and some local guests in a sprawling unformed free process. this disc was made to be available on the band’s recent east coast usa tour, limited to 200 hand assembled copies. next planned shows will be at various random stops in europe.
afcgt = 3 parts a-frames + 2 parts climax golden twins. this is a vinyl release of their self release cdr that was limited to about 75 copies. those lucky enough to have heard that cdr, along with those who have caught one of this beast live in the past year know just what to expect. not quite as robotic and structured as the a-frames, not quite as loose nor remotely as mellow as the twins ever are. raw, noisy, dirty, psyched out punk rock. this record is in the red all the way through, and by the end your speakers should be nearly as blown out as the amps used to record these tracks. this is a supergroup set to lay waste to all other supergroups. pressed in an edition of 550 on 180 gram white vinyl. packaged in a tip-on style gatefold jacket with silk-screened art.
debut release from this mystery industrial-psych unit with triangle points resting in greenpoint, bushwick & ridgewood, nj. imagined soundtracks for malaria-induced fever dreams. full color paste-on covers, limited to 215 numbered copies.
age of disinformation is a lucid nightmare supergroup featuring members of dallas/denton/ft. worth area ensembles great tyrant, zanzibar snails, yells at eels, tidbits, subkommander & aphonic curtains. at midnight on may 23, 2008, surrealist impresario aaron gonzalez assembled a 6-piece ambient group called age of disinformation, billing the event in advance as “an improvisation on the current state of psychological and spiritual breakdown as it relates to viral ecosystems of economies of information.” those were the only instructions the incoming players received. the end result: a 47-minute cloud of transmogrifying cadmium clouds with mercury lining, mutated voices meshing with dark electronic scree tempered by beautifying moments of translucent cognition, paving the way for the formation of the eternal unimind. the way to evolution is …. disinformation? limited edition 200 cdr, featuring design by nevada hill based on a collage by aaron gonzalez.
i’m going to keep this short and sweet. ilyas ahmed is incredible. born in pakistan and raised in new jersey, he now plies his trade in portland, oregon. “between two skies” and “towards the night” is where it all began. released in criminally limited editions of 50 copies each, both albums are now fully remastered by pete swanson and repackaged in beautiful gatefold jackets from stumptown printers. also included are extended liner notes from david keenan. i think he sums up both these albums best: “call it abandon, a facility for letting go, for moving on; either way ahmed’s music is *gone*. and all we have are the recordings, scattered notes to prove that he once existed and felt it all as deeply and miraculously as any of us. and right now, from wher ei’m calling from, i wouldn’t ask for anything more.” ahmed’s original voice is a welcome addition to an oversaturated aural world. he has gone on to put out numerous self-released cdrs as well as a new cd/lp on time-lag. but in the beginning there were these. what “between two skies” and “towards the night” make crystal clear is that his vision and his voice were there from the very beginning… much needed reissue of these two great cds. sweet packaging too. highly recommended!
portland, or. bedroom wanderer ilyas ahmed emerges from the shadows and offers up his first new batch of songs in some time. over a year in the making, ‘goner’ sees ahmed telescoping his previous acoustic wanderings into fuzzed out rockers and a hypnotic set of beautifully tight knit nocturnes. the whole things kicks off with a massive rush to the head called ‘earn your blood’ which has ilyas effortlessly channeling any number of stoned out trajectories found in a topanga canyon ditch circa mid 70’s. massive waves of hiss still penetrate the mix, and so do the smeared vocal trails, it’s just that it’s all a little more in focus this time around. the comedown into ‘exit twilight’ with grouper at the helm is a haunting broadcast that will for sure knock around in your skull for days. edition of 1000 cd’s in an offset buff case with maroon ink… awesome.
jason ajemian is perhaps best known as 1/2 of the magical born heller (w/ josephine foster). ajemian also plays in a number of excellent jazz ensembles throughout chicago (like dragons 1976). but on”love songs invade your mind too,” ajemian steps to the forefront and does nothing but impress. over the course of nine tracks, ajemian shows that true power of a love son. now, these aren’t your typical sappy affairs, these are songs extracted from deep within ajemian’s smitten soul. using little more than upright bass and voice, ajemian’s stark incantations are deeply affecting. ajemian’s approach here couldn’t be simpler. but his talent and ability morph these pieces into something grandiose and magnificent. you don’t find honesty like this anymore. 100 copies.
ajilvsga is brad rose and nathan young, and blood nocturnes is their second full-length disc of prehistoric freakouts documented for a postmodern age. from twin-guitar-noise bonfire immolation roaring at midnight on the open plains, to tranced-out percussive acoustics recorded in secret deep in the bowels of the earth. don your ceremonial animal skins and join the ruckus. five tracks, 38 minutes.
near passerine devotionals is a new, vinyl-only label residing near toronto, ontario, canada. for our debut release, npd is proud to deliver this mammoth caustic-drone masterpiece from oklahoma’s native sons, ajilvsga (brad rose – he who runs the digitalis imprint, and nathan young – not the wolf eyes guy). trading in their guitars for synthesizers, this prolific duo has unloaded a pair of rocket blasts that are sure to flip your skull. the a-side is ear-meltingly delicious, slowly ramping from deepest drone to sheets of piercing skree. the flip takes the pummelling even further, incorporating a sinister rhythm and ghost-vox from brad’s wife, eden. it’s the soundtrack to your beheading… we feel that this is some of the best ajilvsga action yet! and it’s on vinyl!! comes sheathed in a 12″x18″ poster on heavy stock silkscreened by the mighty vgkids; artwork courtesy of evan caminiti (barn owl)… limited to only 300 copies.
with their third release for peasant magik, ajilvsga push their sound even further. huge slabs of densely layered scum continuously churn while rose and young summon shards of electricity from the high heavens. edition of 100.
the consistently mind numbing crushing noise project from nathan young and brad rose (the north sea, digitalis), like a black swarm of god knows what tearing your mind apart. if you dug the north sea cassette we released last year, you should def check this shit out. limited to 100.
finland’s akisa is back with another dose of dark and heavy jazz-inspired soundtracks to the end of the world. this is music with no hope. no light. no anything. when all is lost, this is what we’ll be hearing as we march in chains toward the fire. the combination of saxophone and guitar melts in your ears like a slow-acting poison. fists full of feedback reach up and rip out your hair while a distant voice beckons like a death siren of the cosmos. this shit just freaks me out in such a good way. so fucking bizarre.
this lp was recorded in new zealand in 2004, and is the duo recording of new zealand guitarist donald mcpherson and japanese guitarist tetuzi akiyama. a beautiful meeting of 2 virtuoso acoustic guitarists, both thoroughly schooled in the vast world of improvising. donald mcpherson, a native new zealander has been playing the guitar since the tender age of 12, studied at the otago art school in the ’80s. and in the ’90s he released a number of extremely limited lathe-cut folk records. this record finds tetuzi and donald playing melodic folk improvisations that grow and morph into compositions that on each listening uncover some new layer of beauty. both playing on acoustic guitar, they have a level of communication and understanding of each other’s playing that allows a musical connection to grow and blossom into a full-length recording of delicate melodic mayhem – 180gm vinyl, heavy fold-around covers with insert, hand numbered edition of 550.
the second release highlights the improvisatory aspect of van wissem’s activity, but as is always the case with him, the approach is not so easy to categorize. hymn for a fallen angel pairs van wissem with another rigorously iconoclastic artist, japanese guitarist and off-site alum, tetuzi akiyama. van wissem improvised to a recording of akiyama that he had entered into garageband, a program which allowed him to “see akiyama’s notes coming.” the result is something like a duo improvisation in which the participants are separated in time, with one player given the benefit (or burden) of precognition. this is austere, yet open music that unfolds slowly and laterally, with van wissem’s lute and akiyama’s bottleneck guitar tightly echoing one another or sounding together in strange clusters of tones that are allowed to decay slowly into deep chasms of silence. full of spectral chords, microtonal glissandi, and iron concentration, hymn draws firmly from the work of both artists in forging a sound world that is as barren as it is deep. tetuzi akiyama – martin hd-28 guitar, bottle neck. jozef van wissem – baroque lute, bottle neck, edits… beautiful stuff. edition of 500. nice silver on black cover art.
the japanese guitarist tetuzi akiyama performs an improvised set as a duo with canadian percussionist jeffrey allport on july 1, 2006. this recording is of the first and only time these two well-regarded improvisers have ever played together. living on opposite sides of the pacific, this show became an opportunity for allport and akiyama to each perform some of their most advanced techniques in improvised music with a player whose style was truly compatible. allport approaches every side of his drum, the rim, the snares, the steel clamps, and of course, the skin to produce a challenging repertoire of sounds that defy the drum’s gambit, segues from tibetan drones to electronic clicks and cuts, distant steamships to nearby popcorn. akiyama’s preternatural improvisations along the neck and body of his guitar meditate patiently on each bluesy sound, almost as if his fingers were playing along the surface of a slow-moving river. every note that akiyama plays becomes a sensational interruption causing ripples, splashes, and oxbows in the flow of the music. performed live at a sold-out western front, vancouver’s oldest and most significant artist-run venue, akiyama and allport propose a rich new vocabulary for music. two tracks on vinyl mastered by toshimaru nakamura. this lp documents an unprecedented collaboration between two modern masters of far left improvisation.
tetuzi akiyama has been a major player on the free music/improv scene in tokyo for going on 20 years. pre-existence first came out on cd as a part of the great ’wooden guitar’ series from locust. akiyama’s playing here is one of a minimalist approach, discovering and investigating the empty spaces between each note. he does not follow the takoma guitar school style of finger-picking, but a far more warped primitive country blues feel, with a meditative quality. you never know where you are going to be led with his guitar, down roads rarely traveled. with his dense tapestry of sounds, akiyama evokes emotions that at times are uncomfortable, but of real beauty. open your ears and let the music take you far far out there? 180gm vinyl, heavy textured covers, and hand numbered to 550. awesome.
this 7″ from scotch tapes features san francisco noise/ psych band, al qaeda. its a collaborative affair with side a getting help from mike watt (the minutemen), gabe serbian (the locust, holy molar) and chris carrico (aarktica) while side b features weirdo hip-hop act, occassional detroit. it comes packaged in incredible art by kevin yuen who has recently done tour poster art for the likes of sunn o))). its limited to 324 copies and is pressed on silky smooth green/aqua marbled vinyl. al qaeda recently toured in support of this 7″ with watt, serbian and rob crow (pinback) making appearances on stage with them.
2nd release following debut on foxglove. more bone less meat less muscle more sinew fewer thoughts less synaps some time less space – color paste-on art with insert. nice.
one half of a two cd-r set. cut from a number of recording sessions from a year or so leading up to ‘alps III’ as well as outtakes from those recordings. california kosmische. edition of 100.
one half of a two cd-r set. cut from a number of recording sessions from a year or so leading up to ‘alps III’ as well as outtakes from those recordings. california kosmische. edition of 100.
electronic reverberations. pounding metallic crashes. sonic wails calling for the end of something we’re not sure of just yet. keep listening as all hope for a better tomorrow quickly crumbles into a venomous pile of tape hiss and radio transmissions from the planet we used to call earth. we’re truly fucked. colour photocopied artwork by sarah taylor. photocopied insert. spray painted cassettes. hand stamped and numbered edition of 100.
altar of flies hails from the snowy world of mjölby, sweden. this moniker of mattias gustafsson (not to be confused with the broken face’s mats gustafsson, or the saxophonist of the same name), and throughout “trapped under watter”, this swede swims in metallic waves of ecstatic drones. gustaffson concocts washes of noise and feedback and bends them into shape, stretching the limits of each stolen note. this music is as thick like syrup, and just as fucken sweet. packaged in covers designed by the always impressive mattias frisk.
amanaz was formed in 1973. 3 songs are in the native language bemba, and 9 songs in english, recorded in kitwe, the 3rd biggest city in zambia up north. musically is goes in the same direction as blo, the witch and question mark, but this album is way cooler and stoned with amazing fuzz guitar all over which sounds like an african version of early cream. the cover make it look very traditional but after a few spins you are aware that this one is very special. it’s soo cool, so tight produced and easily to compare with uk underground albums with a touch of african beats. still completely unknown, so this album has not been scored yet by the collectors scene. a real surprise… new edition of 300 on 180gm yellow vinyl. great album!
the mystic worlds of valerio cosi and the solo joint collide as amber lions……one long track navigates through a dreamworld of saxophone, synth, strings and more strings all glazed in a mercurial fog. magnificent. 3″ cd-r edition of 90.
explosive subtle motion and jarring delicateness collide and co-mingle through these two long sides of classic colored seven inch vinyl. here we find much more than just a single demonstration of west coast melding of east coast minds, there is something else in the water? full color covers in shiny plastic sleeves, limited and color vinyl.
restock… a lot of crazy shit can happen to a man when he goes solitary in a ramshackle catskill mountain home for an extended stretch of time-especially for a city kind of guy. but if amen dunes’s 12 tracker dia is one possible outcome of the guy alone-in-a-cabin- story, then a little tape saturated brain frying is something we should all live comfortably with because this is a batch of seriously raw & inspired loner psych grit that owes a debt to the diy soundz of the george brigman s of the world. that was 2006. these days the lone wolf behind amen dunes -damon mcmahon calls a small two room apartment overlooking the temple of earth in north-central beijing home, where he watches old men fly kites and sing opera every morning. who knows what’ll come out of that. 180gm vinyl.
amolvacy is aaron moore from volcano the bear, dave nuss from no-neck blues band, and sheila 16 of the laboratory theater group, nyc. the band creates compositions from its improvisations centered around strong elemental percussion, radical theatrical vocals, and classical acoustic instruments. recurring themes in amolvacy’s texts are the pain of relationships, the affirmation of the feminine in myth, the hero’s journey, and continuous need to flame the passions of the heart. “a la lu la” specifically addresses the gap of language in facilitating accurate communication, a gap that only music at its most primal can fill. the back of the album features text by jose da fonseca & pedro carolino, two portugese who in 1855 created an english phrasebook titled “english as she is spoke,” but who faced just one problem: they didn’t know any english. the linguistic train wreck that ensues mirrors the play of language, sound, and unintentional humor on “a la lu la.” clear vinyl in custom die-cut sleeve.
so concludes “lover go from hence”, a tale of tumultuous romantic upheaval on the new amolvacy record ho ho kus. here we have hearts wrenched from guts and firmly planted in the dirt; but also sprouting new romance, seduction, and… the church? and the french??? francois rabelais wrote garantua and pantagruel – a major influence on this album – in the early 16th c. to caricature the faux morality of his time. amolvacy offer ho ho kus in the same cantankerous spirit, but this time perhaps to parody their own morality. love, marriage, sex, affairs, betrayal, and loneliness are all exposed in naked vulnerability and placed on the chopping block for emotional dissection. lead vocalist sheila donovan (ex-tall boys) is a longstanding member of the laboratory theater company in nyc, and her partners are aaron moore of volcano the bear and dave nuss of the no-neck blues band. together they are the amolvacy family. all things were shared in the making of this record, nothing hidden, no secrets left untold… clear vinyl, elaborate die cut sleeve, quite limited.
(one) side is amon düde (avarus) / the hoopo (hetero skeleton) doing some plundered gamelan and david hasselhoff rapping about the jungle… the other side features new sparkling anthems by nuslux (roope from avarus, pylon, maniacs dream, lal lal lal, etc..)
captured live on the most patriotic of holidays, improvisations edited down into 8 pieces, quirky and mystical, clattering drums that sound from another world, saxophone, and a thick cloud of electronics. surreal. packaged in marbled cream art paper, with a color transparency, riveted together in three places, each looks unique, and color labels. edition of 80 hand stamp #’ed copies on hi-bias chrome tapes.
caethua and debbie diaper have been teaming up off air well before thursday and tend to use those nights of their radio show inside outsider sounds to wind down after the week has just flown by. put to tape and assembled in the last months of their sorely missed studio, walking on ice. layers of loops and vocal sound forms, a.d. illustrate for the listeners a spelunking holiday that goes on a little too long, just a little bit further, the mouth is just around that corner. a small light illuminates a small cavern just fine…… what did you see? featuring andy neubauer of impractical cockpit, doggerella decided upon, flak mask, curtain call, uke of spaces….. etc, and caethua of sports, uke of spaces corners and sax wand fame. 300 pressed. screen printed on painted recycled jackets.
tenebrae is theo’s fourth long-player and second with amish (also see dearly beloved, [ami-025]), marking the return of his patently unique songwriting, which includes a variety of regionalist folk-stylings — the mountain music one discovers along the appalachian trail; a southern gothic lyricism; northwestern eco-spiritualism; and above all, the music discovered in the woods just beyond a tent revival. angell’s densely hermetic iconography reflects an artist well-versed in myth, the avant-garde filmwork of kenneth anger and stan brakhage, and the ethno-poetics of brion gysin. oh, and theo’s singing voice is unquestionably one of the most expressive and expansive in outsider folk today. theo grew up in rural oregon, was home-schooled along with his siblings by his minister father, which provided him little exposure to mainstream pop culture; the tunes on tenebrae reflect these conditions, documenting both a reverence for and rebellion against isolation and spiritual absolutes. to that end, the title song, which is the latin word for darkness, references a religious ceremony that involves the extinguishing of candles in advance of holy week. the album’s song-cycle reworks various primitive musical forms to new and celebratory ends, twisting these styles into a unique brand of folk-psychedelia. for this outing, the tabernacle hillside singers include, among others, matt valentine, p.g. six, tom greenwood and samara lubelski. tenebrae highlights again theo’s unique poly-vocal pyrotechnics and will no doubt prove to be one of the most beautiful records of the year… comes in a heavy mini-lp style gatefold sleeve, with foldout insert.
what can i say about theo angell? he’s an artist, a musician, a filmmaker, a shaman. he lives and works in new york city, but plies his trade all over the country. angell is perhaps best known for his work in hall of fame and jackie-o motherfucker, and also as part of samara lubelski’s live band. but with the release of “auraplinth,” all that will change. this is theo angell’s opus. this is his masterwork. it finds him at his absolute peak and delivers an album unlike anything else. he uses his voice to etch out a detailed map of the stars, made up of dirt and bone, proving the organic nature of the cosmos. “auraplinth” is an amalgamation and invention, joining foundation with the ether. both of these forces are constantly at work throughout these 15 tracks. his voice is molded into every possible form. at times it reverberates above a river of folk-inspired melodies, while at other moments, he creates a bed of sound with wordless vocal moans. that voice is the glue that holds this great document together. on “auraplinth,” theo is once again joined by the evolving cast of characters known as the tabernacle hillside singers. this time it includes cynthia nelson (ruby falls), dan brown (hall of fame), & josh stevenson (magneticring). packaged in full-color, heavy duty gatefold jackets with original artwork by christian holstad (the front cover image is actually from a victorian death mask of theo himself), complete with full lyric sheet. the album is mastered by yellow swans’ pete swanson… nice one!
theo angell: introduction to thlowlth fissure – thlowlth is an entity who was birthed in 1996 during a seance in answer to the question “what is dark and green and fills our mouths when we’re not thinking?”. fissure was latter attached as a sire name denoting a lineage of tone splitting and throat separation. this collection reveals thlowlth’s close relationship with the moog synthesizer. el nino came through in ‘97 in response to the catastrophic growing pains of our tilting weather system. the desire was to conjure the sound of a detached electrical power plant hurling over the humid southern states. within this hurtling mass is a moment of sadness and loss at the sight of one’s home floating down the street. the storm moves on. in moog killer, also recorded in ‘97, we have painful vocal drones alongside sine waves. this uneasy alliance turns into an epic battle with the wild bull! it’s a story with tension, violence and tender resolution. “all change, feels strange, even better, better than before.”voxcual is a moog imitator is simply one long vocal improvisation recorded in the late fall of 2001, with reverb. goodwillies: revenant sun – these are the ur-songs, remnant fruit bodies of 1999-2005. my thick skull’d realize, that sound through: answering machine, telephone (land and cell and land), cardboard tube, a wahl two-speed vibrator, tears & semen divided by bee’s wax, and electronic voice phenomena laid up into a deep deep hallowed angelino unemployment in the paradise of a green, too too green, late middling late to early, too early ending-beginning of an echo park scene-thing and the sweet sweet a.c. of fax monica’s salvian closed curtains & windows, & sweeter east los fatherhood compound-coupled-tripled with the growth of a soft cult, sleep cult, a turn in silence and its ancillary friendships, alas black is black even, pink, come back shadows in heat, rub on me; a pirated copy of sound edit 16 version 2 does make, music? long, long before i knew, before i blew, the jasmine of a banana-dill-mint vapour, with more than, much much more than, more, than a little help from my friends, & a greater family and greater still where they meet, again, in pink. heaven is for quitters, reincarnate. for elves protect & fairy kiss, you.
kokura was recorded under dark skies and howling winds, deep in the bowels of a japanese club as the country shook outside. kokura is the fruits of a collaboration between acid mothers temple/mainliner main man kawabata makoto, argentinean guitarist anla courtis (reynols) and japanese underground musician rokugenkin. based around hushed, mellow guitar drones and hypnotic, yet restrained guitar wails, kokura is the first fruits of their labors and captures the sound of life beneath a hurricane. like sunn o))) on half volume! – limited edition of 400.
two live pieces recorded in christiania free town, denmark february 07. immensely mind melting repeato-madness from ex-reynols sound thinker playing mouth harp on one side and bursting deep psychedelic mutant tones on homemade violin on the other. edition of 50, with full color artwork by j.h.
a talisman, a living mandala. recorded in buenos aires, 1992-93 (!) and now brought to life by the chants of birds, this is anla courtis ‘ornitology’, a poem about the secret forces of nature and the most sublime forms of communication hidden in the forest. earth, water, wind and fire the elements that are all living inside these three gems, starting with a spectral ballad, “quetro”, and exploding into the second track, ‘escua’, 16 minutes of epic guitars flying over an endless sea of visions. the last track, ‘tersina’, is the final redemption, and it comes through as a primitive-electronic assault! pure magic. 140 grams vinyl, limited to 105 copies only, screenprinted artwork (by canedicoda), half of the covers come in yellow with green print, half in green with dark print.
limited edition reissue of rare and sought-after uk psych-folk album from 1971 by a band formed by tiger taylor (ex-eire apparent); their album makes one think of how the byrds would have sounded had they been british. it’s a folksy/psychy album that is really hard to find as an original deram lp; the record combines melodic folk tunes with guitar-drenched rockers; great singing and delicious original songs make this a must for fans of melodic acoustic rock; features a great version of ’so you want to be a rock ‘n’ roll star’ with some cool fuzz guitar work.
following their acclaimed debut here on -house of alchemy- and two stellar discs on phantom limb (vol.5) and foxglove (vol. 3) comes volume 2 in their mangled and distorted un-series. this air is thick this time around, musty even. prisoner children run the castle halls making these strange sounds, deranged echoes, lost in a maze. electricity flows through this one, via frayed cords. percussion jars you from stasis, leaving you only to gasp for cool crisp air. and then things really get unwound. cd-r edition of 123…. sweet oversized foldout covers with photo.
volume five of this duo’s phenomenal acoustic guitar manipulations, this is actually only their second release. following the critically acclaimed debut release on the house of alchemy, this album finds the brothers in a much more communicative and realized state. for fans of six organs of admittance and clipse alike… sweet sounds and more nice packaging too.
about to drop some other serious albums on nnf and stunned, this tape features side-long blissworks that will gravitationally-bind you to anything with a clear boarder. features the new drummer for pocahaunted and robedoor playing with his brother and others. thick and enjoyable.
you don’t need a cassette description to school you on the knowledge that blood is thicker than water, but if that’s what it takes to make the lesson stick, so be it. or, if you want a shortcut, just peruse the discography of connecticut-bred brothers cy and ged gengras. they’ve been harvesting jams together under the antique bros banner for, shit, almost four years now, and in that span have trawled through a thousand different hybrid strains (creep-folk, math-psych, chaos improv, etc). but the inter-family familiarity hasn’t bred contempt (take that, old proverb); on the contrary it’s spawned a secret psychic/musical language the rest of us ain’t privy to. and, despite a hefty local bias (ged’s an la/nnf hero, drums for pocahaunted, robedoor, and vibes), we can still say with honesty and confidence that season’s feast is easily our fave antique b full-length to date. the ragers are dense and bearded, the acoustic passages evocative and hazy, the ambient lulls sticky as fresh resin. there’s a flow and a focus here that’s rare within the ab discog, and it makes for more meat on the bones, more flames in the fire. if yr already a fan, you’re in luck; and if you’re new to the antique canon, this is the place to start. pro-dubbed tapes with hand-typed/stamped labels in bags with full-color art by amanda. edition of 100.
the antique brothers have made a lot of racket in the past year, earning praise and accolades from the likes of the wire and the terrascope. but such love is deserved. cyrus and ged gengras are at the head of the latest generation of psychedelic troubadours, leading their clan out of the desert and into the sonic abyss. what sets these brothers apart is that despite the amazing quantity of music they’ve produced, there’s no repition or lax quality to be found. from acoustic, folk-tinged scrunches and vocal exorcisms to flickering drones and blues-inspired fuzz, “hospital daze” finds the brothers gengras poached on vicodin and whirring away through the end of time.
oklahoma free form folk by way of the far east turns to spiritual out-jazz and back again. gorgeous. ghosts linger in the dusty halls where this music echoes. edition of 123.
anyone who read our deep water interview with norman, ok’s anvil salute knows what big fans we are of the group. and lucky for us, they’ve returned to the acres to grace us with their ironically titled fourth full-length disc, a full hour of gloriously unwinding instrumental great plains folk rock. both their most focused and most varied work to date, it takes in everything from angular modal epics to sweetly melodic miniatures to ethnic-infused psychedelic drones, all seemingly rendered live via lovely you-are-there room-fi acoustics. heed that rooster’s crow…
those of you lucky enough to have heard not not fun’s “free beasts” cassette compilation may remember apple snails from it. that’s all i had to hear from them to know that i wanted more! apple snails cover the first side and are about as close as you can get to folk drone (is that possible?). lots of slide guitars and dark drones that will leave you with an amnesia induced trip. side b belongs to the mighty acts of god, which is a lovely lady, niwi. electric guitar is the main instrument used, with others guitars and keyboards(?) soaking through that create this very vibrant transcendent feeling, that honestly, the first time i heard, left me speechless. red cassettes with ‘grid’ labels, and fabulous artwork by the even more fabulous jeremy earl of fuck it tapes. edition of 100.
following up releases on crocomodile and an exquisite split cassette w/ the mighty acts of god on dnt, jeffrey mitchell’s apple snails take a whole new approach on “only a macadam road,” and the results are stunning. it’s full of ambient drones that sound like they were born in the northern lights. the road is bathed in darkness, but tiny fragments of light seep through the murk every so often in the form of acoustic melodies and glockenspiel bursts. it’s music that transports you far, far away. we’ve been working on this one for what seems like forever… so long in the making that the inserts actually say foxglove132, but good things certainly come to those who have waited for this apple-eyed gem.
a glorious split from foreign land brothers and sisters. the a side’s got vincent caylet, a french-man who has been dropping little fog clouds for the past few years as one half of monks of the balhill and sittin’ solo as “v” and the pistil cosmos. now as archers by the sea he works out a set folk songs, overflowing with precious melodies and covered in layers and layers of heavenly memory-clouded reverb, warm tape hiss, and in-the-red muffles. over the course of these five tracks he pulls it all together into ear-filling dense beauty. on the flip side are kawrelia soul collective, a family of russian/finnish folks with a room full of pots and pans and an affinity for making kitten noises. delay-stuttering acoustic lullabies, coos and squawks, junk percussion, and the great feeling of the open air. water-colored and handwritten tape labels in a embossed sewn-felt pouch with an insert and a painted-tied-pouch of shells found on the banks of the gatton rocks swimming hole. edition of 50.
armaggedon was one of the best and rarest early ’70s german heavy progressive rock albums. it was originally released on the legendary kuckuck label in 1970 and nowadays it is regarded as one of the finest heavy rock albums of the early ’70s. it contains great originals and an excellent version of spooky tooth’s ‘better by you, better than me.’ this album, is a perfect example of the early ’70s german progressive krautrock scene and should be part of every serious ’70s progressive rock collection. english lyrics.” also includes a cover of jeff beck’s “rice pudding.”
if you’re already ready for more manic teenage improvised art punk from finland here it comes! unlike those pre-teenagers in the demars, armas huutamo is the real thing! they are right in the middle of their teens! that means you can hear all the beautiful anxiety, creative energy and forever growing new pubic hair the age involves. the awesome songs presented on this 7″ have been picked from 50 other songs the duo made during the hyperproductive summer of 1998.
cult new wave band the art museums tell sordid tales of artists, lovers, and poseurs. bay area psych burnouts josh alper and glenn donaldson converged in san francisco in the summer of ‘09 to record anglophile jams on a tascam 388 tape machine (state of the art home-recording circa ‘85). rough frame is their debut lp for the woodsist label. they would make a hi-fi studio record if they had the money, but reviewers would probably still say it was lo-fi. the art museums are into: art, poetry, whaam! records, and films about mods. the art museums are not into: flared trousers, drip coffee, or dirty sneakers.
latest basement clacker from the nav. blown tape levels, idiot rock n roll (with moron mantra drumming) and the shimmering of a sexy mile-long windchime in space. it s a bit like smearing sugar all round the inside of your mouth and going into the park to hand out fireworks. and its not even xmas yet! holy fuck.
the latest in ashtray navigations’ ongoing vinylization of our out-of-print cdr catalogue has this amped-up mindbender from 2007… yes, the one with the cute little doggies on the cover. except now they’re on the label and the vinyl is pink. and there is no cover, just a pvc bag so it matches the red culture reissue. one side featuring a thick dinner of swirling tambouras, electric sitars and synths blasting out of tiny battery amp speakers wrapped in buzzing tinfoil (a description of the methodology here and not just the sound!). one side of clubfooted samba rhythms and twin guitar sustain overload which offers a key as to why ashtray navigations’ set at thurston’s atp a few years ago was roundly condemned as “santana” in certain circles. ashtray at its heaviest and most monolithic, though those words are often apply, i guess. pink vinyl lp. limited to 250 copies… very limited stock.
the jodido triangular live sound of ashtray navigations ( – lamf) caught upstairs in one of leeds’ very most exotic wallpaper dens. the walls dripped honey and yet we did not make too much of a mess. features melanie delaney (sculptress) and phil legard (xenis emputae travelling band) as well as the usual. very ‘eavy, very ‘umblin’ – clear packaging, as always.
now into his 10th year operating under the ashtray navigations moniker & with releases on such esteemed labels as menlo park, jewelled antler, siltbreeze, american tapes, celebrate psi phenomenon etc, phil todd continues to conjure up his own unique brand of rural psychedelic folk musik. with his prolific output unde various guises (anna planeta, a warm palindrome, inca eyeball, target shoppers, dogliveroil, green monkey, tea culture etc etc – ) not to mention his previously longrunning label & distro – “betley welcomes careful drivers”, phil todd has been a tireless champion & exponent of fucked-up rock, avant-folk, mangled pop, allout noise, indeed “outsider” art in all its forms. for “electric cointelpro” we are treated to 4 superb tracks of organic drone & inspired electric gtr aktion. an excellent addition to an ever-expanding resume – xeroxed/stapled transparent covers.
it’s a big pleasure for me to release the new full-length album from leeds-based underground legend ashtray navigations, featuring 9 new tracks recorded in studio during 2008 and dedicated to the memory of the great american composer martin denny, father of exotica! “exploding blue floor” is one step ahead into phil todd’s hallucinatory travel into the galaxies of the unknown. a cornucopia of what he has been doing for more than 15 years with unique dedication and passion. passion is in fact, the first word that came to my mind listening to this music where acid guitar riffs, concrete sounds, delicate acoustic passages and vintage warm electronics, live in absolute symbiosis. power to the imagination, breaking down the walls between song and improvisation, structure and freedom, melody and noise. just like looking inside a kaleidoscope, this will be the perfect soundtrack for your daydreams! blue-night coloured vinyl, artwork by phil todd and silkscreened by canedicoda, with insert. edition of 242 copies.
….and a new one from easter 2009. believe it or not, these are the first 2009 ashtray navigations recordings to be released, so there. and this is quite definitely the last in the “painted clamshells” series of cdrs (this time they are mostly yellow, fact fans). sort of a response to a review which described ash nav as “obviously heldon-influenced”…news to me, but i decided to go for it and prove the reviewer right. but imagine a bunch of early 70s frenchmen playing all of their psychedelic records, all of their ocora records and all their prog/fusion at once whilst angry drum machines beamed in against their will from an alternate future blast out very mutated hip-hop beats. apparently mr. r.pinhas was an attendee at a paris ash nav gig and is said to have remarked “i thought they only had pop music in england these days”. this release may prove him right also. this is also the first ashtray release to be almost all digitally recorded….and you’ll be surprised how fucked up it sounds – gawd bless technology for giving us so many options. our most fun-packed cdr for a while. limited to 100 copies.
green-colored vinyl. recorded in leeds, june 2007. originally released as cd-r limited to 100 copies. “classic ashtray navigations, two hallucino-kinetic tracks each side.”
this newest candle burning outing from the long going uk psych project headed by mr. phil todd continues the quest for the farthest possible cosmic frequencies through fx, guitar, synth, and saz on a bed of field recordings. some tracks in here almost enter the pantheon of new age music! edition of 200 copies.
double cdr! two tracks each exceeding 40 minutes. snakestrings (i.e. disc 1) is a trip through strings and soundboxes, phil todd plays esraj, kemence, electric sitar and guitars until the electronic instruments rebel and propel the whole thing into psychedelic overdrive. hollywood taught you to kiss (i.e. disc 2) is based around another todd/crowley/legard trio excursion. dedicated to sun ra and andy warhol respectively. limited to 99 numbered copies.
five blasts of guitar/drums action with electronic gush cerebration. business as usual then. great back cover snap of mr.legard and mr. todd in the shadow of the trunk. ms. delaney took the picture. only one of these people appears on the record. can you guess which? like i say, life is predictable stuff. limited to 100 – color covers.
a quickly happening dvd release from tokyo artist ai aso whose probably most well know outside of japan for appearing on michio kurihara’s solo cd’s and handling the b side of a lavishly packaged 2007 split 7″ with wata from boris fame. the chamomile pool dvd documents concert footage from ai aso from 2007 in tokyo. hypnotically delicate, angelic and minimal in structure ai, accompanied by her band, and with guest appearances by wata and kurihara, for a portion, craft her unique blend of songwriting and psychedelic musicianship. produced by atsuo, of boris, and edited and directed by ryuta murayama of foodunited (responsible for boris dvd’s, greenmachine, stupid babies gone mad). to date represent ai’s first non-japanese release. offset printed dvd disc face comes housed in a heavy stock diecut letterpress printed fold cover. pressing of 600 copies.
wheezing skyward born machine groans and gasped tremolo root to a kinetic pulse, while distant melody zones ascend to circulate around the bass flex on this face chewer by neil campbell. on the flip is the first vinyl cut by glockenspiel, flocculent tones weave with tom rub and bowed metal harmonics, drifting on the back of a drum dub to the heart of a snow-blind haze of feedback, amplified string scrape and analogue electronics. spin at 45. art by noah campbell.
content this time around is highly nitrous, with much overloaded top-end twinkle. check for some particularly screwy (and often barely-recognisable) versions of tracks set for release on qbico and important records later this year, taking the demented recent asc live persona and twisting it further with heavy collage/layering techniques. offset this with remedial drumbox stumble and mysterious processed tracks and you know there’s only one hotel you can be checking into. edition of 150 in colour asc corporate house-style. 7 tracks, 42 minutes.
more jams culled from sessions both live in the field and at home, again sometimes touching on alternate-universe takes on tracks destined for lp and cd issue. huge chord swathes, babbling ectoplasm rituals, crunching delay unit swing, weird time tricks, scattershot beats, all propped up with shards of the patented asc heavy tonal foundation. edition of 150 in colour asc corporate house-style. 8 tracks 44 minutes.
recorded live at stuart arnots place by neil campbell and arttu partinen (avarus) on june 16, 2006. amazing textured paper custom covers with hand stamped paste-on art & insert. numbered edition of 150 copies.
new single by neil campbells ever-evolving solo project, astral social club. neil (a band, vibracathedral orchestra) with assistance from karl bauer (axolotl) unleashes two electronic psychedelic noise jams with distorted loops, cascading feedback, and the sound of hypnotic drones recorded in space. 500 pressed.
featuring two tracks of fearless sonic bliss and two long journeys to a state of sustained ecstasy astral social club’s “plug music ramoon” was recorded in one day on analogue 2″ tape. the lp combines percussive sticks and bells, resonant electronics, keyboard odysseys and some experimental vocal work from helmsman campbell. whilst club member john clyde-evans’s laptop contributions provide much of the backbone groove of the album, stewart keith adds light and shade on a variety of keyboards and toys. together they weave a rich tapestry of sound and noise. but it’s campbell’s dense guitars that thicken the very stem of these four tracks and leads his astral social club to conjure up his visions. this limited edition 12″ comes housed in a gorgeous hand-printed silkscreen sleeve. limited edition of 500.
neil campbell & mel delaney. rec. west yorkshire, winter 2008/09. new asc effort on qbico, a duo this time. this is the social club for astral spirits… red & pink vinyl.
philadelphia drone crew featuring rafi & paul from death chants. lush psychedelic moves morphing into some nice synth/mumble creep out. 3 tracks in 30 minutes recorded at black dirt studio. cover art by jeremy earl. limited to 100.
space hymns echoing in swirling psychedelic synth patterns, zoned guitartones and out-there primitive percussion. featuring members of death chants and muntjac. devotional raga wrapped in appropriate silkscreened offering. 80 copies.
a vision artifact of ancient future harmonies and inner cosmosis. supreme inner cranial reverbational reflections of where you are. unspoken language and incorporeal communion. recorded by jason meagher at black dirt studio, vinyl pressed at rti, housed in custom stoughton gatefold jackets lovingly adorned with screen printing, color photo and hand drawing. hand numbered ed. of 320… total zoner of a full length from paul & rafi’s post death chants duo. way deep vintage/future sound voyaging. other-worldly tones & moans. a recommended trip for fans of sus & jakob, angus maclise, and all stoned-avant sound art.
cassette version of the above lp. two long midnight fireside all acoustic jams from sparrow (prisma, the bummer road, etc.) nemo (drona parva, time-lag records, etc.) and the three members of visitations. tranced percussive strings, ghost vocals, and creaky rhythms and wrapped up in each other. limited to 60 copies with color transparency sleeves and no info.
4th vinyl release on the label, and the first wax for this maine crew after a cassette release on sloow tapes. two long midnight fireside all acoustic jams from sparrow (prisma, the bummer road, etc.) nemo (drona parva, time-lag records, etc.) and the three members of visitations. tranced percussive strings, ghost vocals, and creaky rhythms all wrapped up in each other and slowly unfolded… numbered edition of 299 with stamped labels and full color paste-on art front & back. zero info.
limited edition of 200 on heavy transparent vinyl, housed between two thick perspex plates with four interchangeable translucent paper inserts, hand numbered with photographs of real found numbers, bound with white 10/0.1 electrical cable and sleeved in a thick pvc pocket. all pieces apart from the title track have been reworked and re-edited from the companion compact disc, released on riot season records – damaged in-the-red stereo electric guitar/drums/electronics assult. totally wild and blasted sounds, and one of the most amazing packaging jobs we’ve ever seen. can’t beleive we scored more of these, so grab one now before its too late.
here is another unknown us beauty. recorded in 1968 august played a lot in small clubs. the clubowner gave them the chance to record an own album. they played it straight onto tape with no overdubs in a couple of hours. only 100 copies or less where pressed. the music reminds me a lot of lazy smoke. it has that pepper style but the sound is more rough. beautifull compositions played in a garage style – recorded usa, 1968. 180gm vinyl, heavy covers, numbered to 450.
so delicate, the sounds that unfold here. brad rose and ville mosquiitto return as autumn galaxy with another discharge of aural marvel. they tip-toe around one another, laying out a finely-crafted set of music that manages to be both dense with texture and startlingly fragile. fractured sound-scapes, shattered banjo and endless buzz are just some of the elements at play here. cd-r edition of 123.
shimmering blankets of glass sound lay fallen upon concentric ears this spaced gorgeous collaboration between brad rose and ville moskiitto unfolding slow in delicate patterns very pretty – great stuff packaged in a lovely metallic gold cover with color paste-on art and a full color insert.
here is your introduction to phase two. while there is a certain degree of continuity in the approach, ii is a noticeable extrapolation of the avarus sound. the albums six tracks span collage-esque pieces of audio junk to deconstructed song forms to subtly dense instrumentals. waves of stretched electronics, distorted clank and warbling bass throb create layers of chaotic wreckage until a sudden collapse reveals an underlying stasis. unnoticed patterns now conscious pull the listener into another time/mind continuum. step into the g-a-p. the lp is presented in a full cover printed sleeve with suitable “found” photo art – for you to figure out what its all about – limited to 400 or so copies… slightly bumped corners, reduced price.
all-new exclusive avarus! fourth secret eye full-length and tenth release overall from this incredible finnish band that pretty much defines modern psychedelic kraut improv. primitive, primal and tribal, desolate and mournful, dreamy and pastoral, motorik and hypnotic. buzzing, clattery, droning, stumbling krautrock flecked with shimmering free-noise, avant ambience, delicate folk fuckery, and chaotic caveman psychedelic space rock. avarus iv starts where the rasvaaja lp ended. the iv, too, consists of tomas regan’s careful high-quality recordings. on the iv avarus makes and even longer dive in the warm and clear pond, into which the water is poured from both kraut and space rock, and from micro music and slapstick. the recording was made after the us tour, which guarantees the firm harmony satisfying the most demanding listeners. the delicate talent and the hilarious team spirit guarantee a recordful of heart-warming harmonies and surprising turns delighting an unprejudiced mind. the wondrous adult rock of avarus is born from an uncompromising love for music. the finished recording deserved a fantastic cover, too. this in mind, the graphic visionaries amanda and pauliina spent their summer holidays swimming, drinking beer, and drawing their kaleidoscopic davy crockett epos inspired by music. lp only – 160 gram virgin vinyl, pressed in czech republic, direct metal mastering, full-color labels and jackets, all-exclusive new jams. limited to 200 copies… sure to go quick, so don’t miss out if you’re a fan.
long touted as the forefathers of finnish freeform psychedlic music, avarus, a collective bearing members from the anaksimadros, kemialliset ystävät, maniacs dream, and more, document their first tour of the united states on “kirppujen saari”. the sounds contained show a departure and growth from typical avarus recordings. the a side long track begins with a psychrock romper complete with full “band” instrumentation, slowly it deconstructs itself into the abstract electric/acoustic stylings and sonic spattering familiar to their previous work. slowness builds into full on clatter filled walls of vocals, toy keyboards, horns, strums, and other acoustic junk, creating a unique and massive drone. the opposing side is pure acoustic drones composed of vocals, horns, and tribal beats. room filling ambiance, corner clatter, and morphing silence also find a way to unobtrusively build themselves into the piece. in an edition of 350 lps on coke bottle clear vinyl with printed labels by bart of sloow tapes and proprinted full color foldover art by the band… nice one!
when you go to finland, a country where 95% of the population is inbreed, chances are that you will meet at least 7 members of the avarus family! you can smell them from a mile away, they’re the adults raising their kids on homebrew white spirit, continuously producing the kind of farts you can’t hear though the stench is worse than the ones that sound like a brassband. behind every finnish tree there is a member of avarus humping another avarus member, and rarely a kemialliset ystavat member (the other 5% of finns). the governement of finland is not proud of this sick family, they try to keep it silent, rarely give interviews to press from other countries and make sure planes hardly fly out. though for some reason arttu partinen, roope eronen and tero niskanen made it as a trio in a small boat to the usa. the only instruments that made it were a few balloons and a crappy casio. on arrival they found a microphone, a drum and more toys, climbed the wfmu building and played the craziest session ever! like a bunch of children discovering the 50’s euro avant garde scene, the 60’s psychedelic free jazz and pre-punk scene, the 70’s sound poetry and punk scene and the 80’s disco scene in one afternoon!! this lp sounds like a mix of all of that i guess. limited to 300 copies, comes in a psychedelic duo coloured cover by dt.
restock of 2005 release, last copies… xmas 2004, brooklyn. brian sullivan and nate nelson of mouthus meet up with karl bauer of axolotl for some sonic celebration and let the tape machine roll. two side-long psilocybe-inspired scoops of shimmering and stumbling drone / zone / sludge ragas. better dust off your bib. full color printed photo-collage covers, insert.
originally released in 2005 as a limited edition cd-r on yellow swans’ jyrk label, this three-way collab now gets a proper run on wax. recorded in oakland at the huffin house before the swans made the retreat back to portland. despite the weight of these players when they rock alone, this jam really never gets into full on white out territory. instead, it’s loaded to the brim with wavy neon distortion and soothing low end that occasional drops out into huge washes of emptiness. the opening passage of gms guitar flecks sympathizing with karl’s string wash is alone worth the price of admission. red vinyl with lime green splatter. edition of 500.
karl bauer and eva saelens (axolotl and inca ore respectively) are two like minded bay area psychers operating on two opposing levels. axolotl marks the a side with skyward streaking drones and ethereal loops tinged and focused, ringing with the joyous bliss of upward passage. an endless array of vocals, electronics, and violin looping and looping, building and growing: stasis. inca ore makes her craft from an earth bound level. oneness with her surroundings, roots firmly planted. eerie incantations and meandering harp play foreground to layer upon layer of looped vocals and murky ambience, charting your way towards forever. in an edition of 450 white purity colored 7″s in black and white pro-printed collage fold-over sleeves by eva with a numbered insert.
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brand new hand-numbered edition of 552 12 inch ep from this great new european label gipsy sphinx that also just released the vanishing voice ‘nordic visions’ set. here karl bauer uses violin, vocals, electronics and percussion to assemble swathes of hypnotic, tripped-out noise that falls somewhere between terry riley’s circular, pulsing explorations, sonic boom’s radiophonic workshop gargles and swirls, and burning star core / vibracathedral orchestra’s wall of sound. the a-side is an ecstatic fog with the b-side the gentle star-gazing come-down – limited/numbered to 552. from the fine folks who brought you the vanishing voice nordic visions lp. nice paste-on art packaging too.
new psych damaged batch of nocturnal hookum from karl bauer. zoned out crackling, tones and sweet sk-1 blowout all brewed up into a sweet load of tingling psychic non-songs and grot beats.
northern europe 1867: a winter so harsh, a spring so cold and a summer so late. a dead harvest. the failure of the crop meant starvation and thousands and thousands of people died. bark bread, lichen gruel and families slowly fading away. this bleak period, ended in 1869, resulted in that more swedes than ever emigrated to northern america and other places for a better life. based around those years, gothenburg’s ättestupa here creates an absolutely terrific soundtrack to this misery with their new 3-song ep. exploring the dark past of their native country sweden, this is a well-executed journey into the neverending well of hopelessness. into the struggle of nature and mankind. you’ll recognize the sound from the rtb lp from last year and the abisko tape, but here they are taking everything up a notch. the unique production is getting close to perfection, a raw and disgusting thick sonic bliss with a continuous crunch. a sharpened blend of noise, kraut and black metal with a crude melancholic atmosphere. vocals buried deep under the soil and guitars being more prominent. organs, screeching metal junk, tape loops. pounding drums. the recording reeks of bad times and tremendous coldness and it’s hard to grasp for air. no hope and definitely no joy. recorded during the first three months of 2009. limited to 330 copies on black vinyl.
this is the follow-up to the self-titled debut lp that came out last year on release the bats. this time the music is even more grey and pale, three tracks wrapped in near-suffocating bleak atmosphere. dealing with the dark rural sweden of the past, this is music with folk tones in its veins, and played with callous hands. this is the spirit of the 19th century farmhands who never took the easy way out and abandoned their soil to go west. it’s grim up north. 165 copies, on type ii chrome tape.
north of the church, only the worst of mankind was buried. under the dark soil you could find people who had ended their own lives. murderers. thieves. here in the shadow, the poor souls were gathered for their last rest. begraven mot norr, the second album from ättestupa, is themed around funeral customs and death processions in the past centuries of rural sweden. the first lp was described as a mix of folk tones, 70’s german prog, noise and black metal, and via the att korsa den flod som kommer dränka oss alla tape (abisko) and 1867 12″ (dnt), that mixture was refined. with begraven mot norr, ättestupa returns with their most accomplished and complex recording so far, a natural progression from änglamakerskan (their praised contribution to the utmarken compilation 10″). opening with an eerie violin over a rushing river, the bleak tone is immediately set. set to a backbone of monotonous drumming, guitars and organs take the freezing lead. abrasive electronics interesects with field recordings and a sparse and elegant use of acoustic instruments. the chant-like vocals lure somewhere in the background, working as an instrument on it’s own. often based on scrap metal junk abuse and tape loops, the droning interludes from their recent live sets are incorporated and work as perfect passages between the sinister arrangements. the overall atmosphere is more melancholic, paving itself through different shades of grey with a calmer and more distinct sound than before. recorded between summer 2009 and spring 2010. 2 tracks, 35 minutes. mastered by viktor ottosson. comes with a a1 poster. 521 copies. covers printed on 350gsm paper with black-printed inside. black innersleeves.
debut by trio of stephen o’malley (sunn0))))), daniel o’sullivan (guapo), and vincent de roguin (shora). taking its title from the iliad, the music here is deep and cosmic, completely unlike anything you’d expect from such heavyweights. more in the tradition of “spiral insana” and “cyborg” than anything, the tracks float along in a masterful collage of activity, where careful scene changes highlight o’sullivan’s classic but artfully placed rhodes bombs, de roguin’s organ, and o’malley’s guitar. extraordinary effort has gone into editing, mastering, and shaping these pieces; these are not tossed off improvisations or “side-project” orphans. housed in cd and lp jackets hand-printed by alan sherry/siwa. lp was cut by john golden, expertly pressed at rti. first vhf vinyl in 7 years! – very limited press & very limited stock.
third earth shattering outing for vincent de roguin (shora), stephen o’malley (sunn0))), ktl) and daniel o’sullivan (guapo). for faking gold and murder, the core trio is joined by percussionists nicolas field and alex babel, as well as renown guitarist alexander tucker and the inimitable david tibet. faking gold is heaviest outing, driven by a weighty low end and the full fury of babel and field’s free-wheeling drums. the trio’s electronics, guitar, rhodes, and organ ride the waves of sound in a tightly-controlled blare, leaving plenty of space for tibet’s declarations of the mystical and supernatural. tibet is on top form here, rising out of the tempest at just the right moment, almost plain-spoken in places and grounding the squall at times, voicing the apocalypse at others… brooding, primeval, dark alchemical epics are full of a ferocious intensity, sounding more like a starlit night being ripped open by lightning than a musical group. intelligent and primal, like a demonic workshop, battering up pandemoniums and dreaming of gold and murder, @thenor are spectacular.- david tibet, cover design by nicola todeschini and vincent de roguin. deluxe lp is 180 gram, pressed at rti, in letterpress cover on heavy black art stock by stumptown, with custom gold on black inner. cut by john golden. a fantastic sounding and looking item… beautifully done release.
700 press of all-time killer garage lp from 1968, illinois. ‘minister to a mind diseased’ and ‘tables of grass fields’ are the two cuts that grab me, but the whole lp is killer from start to finish. exact cover reproduced here and glossy. just a 700 pressing — will sell out quickly. in conjunction with gearfab, void records brings you this mammoth release! … much needed new reissue of the gem.
marking the vinyl debut of a couple of so maine’s favorite improvisational psych outfits, this split 33rpm 7″ runs amok with some murky kraut-leaning grooves. bad bus’ side builds from loose tom drumming and echoey vocal moans into a locked-in bassline stomper. tempera’s track buzzes its way through lo-fi live loops, beats backing aetherial vocals, a complete electro mindgroove. hand-stamped black 7″ vinyl record held in a hand-ripped, machine-stitched patchwork record sleeve. hand-numbered to 300…loose 7inch from the tryst haunt subscription series.
the second bad drumlin grass record is the first vinyl release on milvia son records. way back in july of 2006, sensei rebel chose the bands schizophrenic inaugural cdr (birth/afterbirth) as his ambient pick of the week. forsaking the drone (at least temporarily), bad drumlin grass presents two solid sides of junk n roll instrumental freakouts that careen into the void like cigarette cherries dropping into the fake beard of a paranoid neo-folkie where, like sonny bono, they just sit there and *burn*. these are not the lost hams rehearsals tapes. imagine richard thompson and garth hudson rehearsing for 10,000 hours and touring with this heat. this record is the exact opposite of that, except for being recorded live without overdubs. 300 copies for the world.
the first recordings by meg baird under her own name. meg has been singing and performing since she was a kid with her sister laura as a charter member of the traditional folk duo the baird sisters, though she is currently best known as one of the ‘female larynxes’ of the communal philadelphia band espers. or we should say, best known as the siren-voiced singer for same. or, perhaps, we could let nick carraway describe the quality of her voice for us: ‘the exhilarating ripple of her voice was a wild tonic in the rain. i had to follow the sound of it for a moment, up and down, with my ear alone before any words came through. we asked meg to record something with a country-waltz flavor, and she courteously obliged us with a graceful and bittersweet cover of ‘waltz of the tennis players’ by the under-appreciated ’60s folksters fraser and debolt. the mushrooms are growing in every new boot print, my, my, my.’ for the b-side, she recorded an alternate version of ‘dear companion,’ a track from her forthcoming lp. it’s an ancient melody, an aching lament sung ‘in the style of the chapel,’ with meg whisper-singing right into your ear, or maybe just to herself as she folds the laundry and does the dishes. you can see things more clearly when you shut your eyes – lovely color covers, heavy vinyl, very limited, and oh so beautiful.
one of the more unexpected – if worthwhile – byproducts of the 21st-century underground american folk revival is a renewed interest in solo acoustic guitar music. spare, haunting, pastoral sounds have a struck a new chord, and the words john fahey and takoma are hip again. just check the mighty tompkins square and strange attractors labels for the proof in the pudding. matt baldwin, raised in california’s rustic pacific grove, educated in the alternative mecca of berkeley, sits in the center of this quiet, swirling scene. he is the visionary wildcard of today’s solo guitar music, the ambitious fever dreamer, the serpent in the grass. towering tall with long blonde locks, he conjures from his axe dark and mystical realms. he calls his music ‘new age,’ and he may not be joking. featured on tompkins square’s 2006 berkeley guitar lp, baldwin now steps into his own with his debut solo release. unlike many of his peers, he looks beyond the traditions of fahey (whom he calls ‘a teacher,’ not a god). he brings portentous and progressive elements into his music, alongside a dreamy country lilt. he covers krautrock legends neu! (‘weissensee’) and metal vikings judas priest (‘winter’), and culls inspiration from prog heroes yes on closing epic ‘rainbow.’ his music comes on like a creeping moss, verdant but threatening, comforting yet unsettling. it will work its way inside you… limited vinyl version. heavy covers.
you all may not be familiar with the project, but it’s william sabiston of (part-time) axolotl fame. dude is a wild percussionist who’s collaborated with tons of folks, but most recently in a group bulbs. i’m not even sure how to describe this release – i suppose”freedom techno,” a ficticious genre imagined by roope eronen, would be some sort of applicable term. william weavs all sorts of percussive sounds; bells, electronic drum pads, synth and acoustic drums into a complex whirl of pulses and clicks that will occasionally congeal into abstract loops, minimalist techno riffs, dub-zones or some sort of cohearance, before whatever beat he’s imagined crashes in on itself – those familiar with william’s solo track on the axolotl cdr,”oranur,” will have some idea what to expect. but then, i’ve been listening to this thing for months and i still don’t know what’s happening when i listen to this thing. limited to 150 copies – screenprinted covers.
back in print on vinyl… the magically twisted, imaginative and personal debut album from engaging songwriter devendra banhart. twenty-one songs performed with banhart’s unique vocals-his occasionally warbling falsetto is alternately bizarre, comical and often a little frightening-advanced acoustic guitar work-which veers schizophrenically from gentle grooves into jolting, non-rhythmic stabs and weird harmonic flights of chaos-and the wildly surreal nature of his truly exceptional lyrics. comparisons have been made to the first three tyrannosaurus rex albums, nick drake, comus, daniel johnston, and karen dalton. wonderful to say the least. – michael gira.
lp version, with cd. fire presents as part of their fire records embers series a deluxe remastered reissue of bardo pond’s first album, bufo alvarius, originally released on drunken fish in 1995, including a bonus track. bardo pond is a wide-eyed philadelphian psychedelic rock unit that exists as a shining point on a graph. a scintillating cross drawn on a celestial arc, marking their place among the 13th floor elevators, calico wall, spacemen 3, my bloody valentine, and, more recently, jackie-o motherfucker and mv & ee. explicitly narcotic — there’s no room for coyness or prissiness in space rock! — the band was initially an excuse for abyssal guitar drone exploration by brothers michael and john gibbons. but bufo alvarius (named after a potently hallucinogenic toad), their classic 1995 album, marked an important turning point. it was like the flickering cine-8 film of someone falling off a cliff played backwards. a hazy figure leaping out of the void, pausing at the second their foot touched terra firma. it was the juncture where their music clarified out of chaos and started to coalesce around formations of post-rock, shoegaze and psych structure while always threatening to dissolve into a blizzard of reverb, white noise, fuzz drone and echoplex. this was the album that saw them graduate from cult local concern to cult global passion, stepping out from the monolithic shadows cast by their influences. it is difficult to pick out individual high points on something so clearly designed to be listened to as a whole, but the lysergic ebb and flow of “capillary river,” the aqueous beauty of “absence” and, of course, the half-hour long centerpiece of (cd-only track) “amen” demand full attention from the listener. the previously-unreleased “fixed” rounds off an album that is transcendent in all the right meanings of the word.
over their recording career, bardo pond has released countless tracks that have appeared only on singles, compilations or other formats. this material has frequently stood equal in stature to the band’s densely sprawling full-length albums. in an effort to start compiling this hard-to-find material, both the band and three lobed recordings are proud to announce the debut of the cypher documents series. the first installment in this ongoing series compiles seven studio tracks that have never before been released on conventional media. the tracks themselves take the listener to many different places — be it the aggressive and sludge-guitar attack of ’slag,’ the sparse tones of ‘quiet tristin,’ or the extended psych exploration of the thirteen minute epic ‘black turban.’ closing out the disc is ‘from the sky,’ an exclusive and extended thirty-one minute psych-rock epic. this track is appearing on this disc for the first time anywhere in any form — it is the expanded session that the original five minute mp3 ‘in the sky’ came from. while not originally designed to be released together as a single album, the time span over which they were recorded makes the seven tracks on cypher documents i possess a definite cohesive flow. as presented, this disc acts as a sort of ‘lost’ album that displays exactly how the band sounded in the meantime between the release of set and setting and 2001’s dilate.
limited edition pressing of 1000 copies on vinyl heavy enough to hold some of bardo pond’s headiest jams. this is the first of four vinyl only bardo-related releases coming out simultaneously on important records. gazing at shilla is bardo pond’s first release on important. the two pieces, both very different in sound and feel, have sat patiently in the bardo archive waiting for the most opportune moment for release. ‘eight-thousanders’ and ‘kali’ are both entirely improvised pieces with no overdubs. slide blissfully into a smokey heaven and then forget your mind in a lower world of strange tones on side a. if you’re still able to flip the record when the needle hits the runoff groove, you’ll find yourself exposed to the goddess kali’s naked blackness. bardo is out. are you in?
limited edition of 1640 copies. in early 2008, bardo pond and three lobed recordings teamed up to assemble batholith, a collection of tracks that were close to the band’s heart but for various reasons had never been released. the result was an extremely cohesive and vital statement that was positively received by both old and new bardo pond fans. during the compilation of batholith the band had to agonize over the wealth of material that they were sitting on in constructing the ultimate tracklisting – there were too many good songs! the band approached this “problem” by structuring two sister albums, batholith and peri, each possessing their own musical themes and each fully capable of standing independent from the other. for this reason, peri is every bit as potent as its predecessor. the meticulous sequencing of peri’s five tracks provides a classic bardo pond experience. while the initial description of the material might lead one to think that these tracks are “outtakes” or cutting-room floor type material, neither conclusion could be further from the truth. the band is quite excited to finally see all of the material on peri venture into the public. for example, “chicken gun” will be recognizable to the band’s longtime fans. a former live staple from 1996 through 1998 (even making an appearance in the band’s set at the first terrastock festival), it is a propulsive and fiery rocker every bit as monumental as some of the band’s classics such as “lb.” and “tommy gun angel.” “the path” is a subtle number featuring floating flute work from isobel sollenberger. the album-closing “silver pavilion” is the sort of meditative psychedelia that has been bardo pond’s calling card over their lengthy career. the track dates to the band’s extremely fertile, yet barely documented, period between the release of “dilate” and “on the ellipse.” “silver pavilion’s” slow, enveloping build properly see the listener to the door and is reminiscent of such flawless bardo closing tracks as “rm,” “aldrin” and “night of frogs.” peri is pressed on 180g rti vinyl and is housed within heavy “old-style” one-pocket stoughton gatefold jackets bearing new collage work from michael gibbons. the record is from a one-time pressing of 1640 copies and, as an added convenience for our vinyl-loving friends, will come packaged with a glass-mastered cd (not cd-r) of the material present on the wax… all copies here are accompanied by a bonus cd (tlr-068) of previously unreleased bardo pond material, only available as a special pre-order bonus.
recorded by george mitchell in 1978, this lp was originally released by the southland label under the name ‘william robertson.’ due to cecil’s superstitions and legitimate fears of the taxman, he insisted that it come out under a false name. cecil was an unusual blues musician, giving each song its own feel and rhythm. another underrated american original. this is a co-release with big legal mess records.
campbell kneale moves ever closer to the glistening, levitation altar, with backwards bliss-shimmer, spooked chant and analogue squawk and squeal, kaleidoscoping around triumphant snare punctuation. bark haze (thurston moore & gown duo) hit back with focused power-drone guitar duelling from the heart of the bong, smoking out into tunnel-visoned, crumbled-amp chunder. artwork by campbell kneale/kim gordon.
newest blackest rainbow hot on the heels of some truly killer releases from the artists involved, both who seem to have really pushed there sounds and vibes to new levels this year… barn owl’s side has been mastered by local jammer ben nash, and its three tracks of sparse drone layered with bleak guitar epic-ness, tingling chimes and dark mountainous whispers. the guitars here sound delicate and beautiful, but it remains bleak and empty, if you enjoyed their lp on not not fun then this is a real treat. tom carter’s 16 minute ‘train kept’ follows pretty damn nicely from his recent ’shots at infinity’ releases on important, a far cry from his more psychedelic folk experimentations, here he slashes and riffs like many a legend, and maybe, just maybe, it’s a slight tribute to a certain band too? this is a fully wild piece of work. black sleeves, pasted stark landscape cover, with a insert of liner notes. limited to 380 copies… instantly out of print, last two copies.
the conjurer is the latest offering by bay area duo barn owl. this new long player finds evan caminiti & jon porras finally (by way of an actual recording studio) documenting something that is a bit closer to their very heavy live sets, with expanded peaks of white light distortion and enormous valleys of bottom end. each side opens with a brief funeral dirge to set the mood, a precession of bare bones drum beats and bell like guitar statements that bridge the gap to the wider open spaces of the almost side long ‘across the desert of ash’ and ‘ancient of days’. it may seem obvious, or even a little overwrought, but it has to be said that these guys really do evoke all kinds of cinematic drama with their music. apocalyptic westerns, bleak melodramas, mother nature fever dreams, it all seems to come to mind amid the evening guitar passages, incantations, flute tones, and finally, the solo piano that emerges lost among the electric mayhem to close the album. considering the amount of terrain, the conjurer is far from being scattered or rushed sounding. the record as a whole moves at a crafted even rhythm, slowly merging from one scene of violence to the next of almost silent recovery, then back up the mountain again. an edition of 500 lps, half colored deep red, half black. cover etching by evan caminiti… nice one & sure not to hang around long.
awesome collection on this label that has ben doing a really great job of unearthing high quality pink floyd & barrett rarities. side a is a good selection of previously unreleased studio outtakes, syd’s collaboration with kevin ayers, and ‘dylan blues’ on vinyl. side b is syd’s full final studio session from 1974, most of which has never be circulated before! full color cover, thourgh notes, marbled purple vinyl. recommended!
tender drawings and tender sounds. personal and sincere visions by bart de paepe, the cloudy head of sloow tapes. 16 pages, part full color and part b/w. and a short cassette of recent family thinkers sounds. one part is jams, other part is strange tape collage.
this one is two side-long triple guitar jams by ben chasny (six organs of admittance, comets on fire), elisa ambrogio (magik markers) and brian sullivan (mouthus, eskimo king, white rock). extremely dense and crunchy – hold this one back to set the mood at your next summer of love party. like our other vinyl releases, this one will be pressed on 180g rti black vinyl and will come from an edition of 845 copies. look out for the beautiful and heavy wrap-around silkscreened covers (by alan sherry of siwa) on this one. as a bit of a first for three lobed (and a trend that we hope will continue with most of our vinyl releases from this record onward), packed in with the lp is a pressed cd (not cd-r) of the same material present on the album. the cd is not available separately and is included as an element of convenience and portability for all you vinyl folks (and also as an effort to help convert a few of you cd folks into vinyl folks!).
another in the wooden weavil series, this time an unreleased live robbie basho recording from germany in 1980. this program appears to have been recorded in one go. robbie scatters his americana numbers throughout, beginning with ‘redwood ramble,’ ending with ‘california raga.’ this date finds robbie in fine fettle, his playing sharpened by the intensity of touring, his mood seems ebullient, at times (as on ‘fandango’) he comes off like john lee hooker’s sun-kissed cousin, stomping furiously along to his playing. there is sweetness to his material, yes, but this is not, as jack rose put it, ‘music for wineries.’ there is the galloping muscularity of basho’s playing, coupled with the sheer hugeness of his sound; the fearless employment of dissonance as part of his musical make-up; a love for the unexpected chord change. robbie was a voracious and uncompromising player. basho’s singing was as integral to who he was as his guitar playing, and when he opened his mouth, he filled the room with sound. say what you like about his lyrics, no one can accuse basho of dilettantism, of dabbling, or of trying something on merely for effect. whatever bag he was in, he was in all the way. liner notes from glenn jones & stephen basho-junghans, and beautifully remastered by glenn jones… wonderful archival release!
whether working with the paintbrush, the guitar or the pen, steffen manages to conjure up works of extreme intensity, focus and creativity. initially, highly influenced by basho, the japanese poet and diarist of 17th century… living on the ‘wrong’ side of the then still standing berlin wall (wrong side for collectors of world music, probably the right side for internalising a persons unique creativity). not everything from ‘out side’ culture penetrated through the wall, but fortunately one very important track did: elk dreamer’s lament by 60s guitarist robbie basho. the style of playing heard this track completely changed steffen’s approach to music, so much so that steffen junghans become steffen basho-junghans. listening to robbie basho’s playing, you can indeed hear the influence / similarities but don’t be fooled, sb-j is certainly his own man. ‘is’ steffen’s first release in 3 years and first ever uk release offers a world of micro trance subtleties as well as epic landscape raga journeys all brought to you on 6 and 12 steel string guitar. with multiple releases all around the globe steffen offers a very unique approach to the instrument. not simply trying to be just another john fayhee and while taking clear influence from robbie basho, treads his own path from experimental simplistic minimal space to unexplainable complex finger picking (but never for the sake of it). in tune with the intensity of the record we’ve gone for a 200gram super deluxe heavy weight vinyl that comes with a free digital download for those long walks with the ipod… numbered edition of 500.
second cdr on br from mike vest of bong’s solo project of hazy lo-fi ritualistic temple drone for smoked out fried brains. one long beast of a track at over 35 minutes. limited to 100.
totally seamless electric/acoustic mindmeld from the duo of jacob heule (ettrick) and tony dryer. double bass, floor tom and cymbals trigger electronics, which are processed to create spontaneous compositions ranging from articulate harsh noise to quiet moments reminiscent of comus, u.s maple and brigitte fontaine.
helena espvall and masaki batoh are known to open-eared music listeners for their collaborations with other artists — artists with names such as ghost, espers, damon & naomi, fursaxa, tom rapp, lukas ligeti, bert jansch, among many others. by collaborating with each other, they’ve made one of the most beautiful recordings either one of them has yet participated in. they first met at a festival in the united states in 2006. batoh presented helena with a handmade bamboo instrument; short on spare celli, she gave him a copy of her solo cd. afterwards, they stayed in touch. at some point helena suggested an improvised musical collaboration. batoh wrote back and said: ‘actually i’m too busy now to think about music… if my idols moondog, henry cowell or toru takemitsu wanted me, i’ll refuse their orders.’ several weeks later, he had a change of heart. he contacted helena and said that he felt they should record not improvisations only, but songs as well. helena made a demo of some scandinavian folk songs that she remembered in her spirit from growing up in northern sweden, thinking that maybe they’d record one. the recording session was held in tokyo over four days in december 2007. for instruments fans, this session might be a treasure. so many strings were used: 6- and 12-string guitar, banjo, cello, hurdy-gurdy, harp, contra bass, chappa tibetan bells, kin (buddist metallic bowl), timpani, bass marimba, vibraphone, thunder sheet & on & on. six of the swedish traditional tunes were reconstructed, along with batoh’s arrangement of ‘death letter,’ a classic son house delta blues song. additionally, a european medieval tune was addressed in its own arrangement and expression. ‘zeranium,’ a dreamy folk tune that batoh wrote for damon & naomi (they didn’t use it), was re-arranged for this session as well. the improvisations were done on the last recording day, with no overdubs. ‘completely free’ was the essential concept. for one of them, they were joined by batoh’s fellow ghosts takuyuki moriya (contra bass), kazuo ogino (piano,celtic harp) and the santur player mayumi nagayoshi. the same morning, helena had received notice that her grandmother suddenly had died, and that a dear friend had chosen to end his life. two death letters in one day? there is great emotion reflected in the improvisations. and great depth and beauty throughout the whole helena espvall & masaki batoh album… limited vinyl version in a heavy gatefold cover.
handmade covers. a confusing, odd record. 2 lock grooves begin the edith side. bedroom meanderings that steve stapleton might be proud of. released around 9/11/01. really! tons of confusing inserts. 200 pressed.
it’s the final beach fuzz recording made with barry dean on drums and also features the eyeball-melting saxophonic skree of solar fire trio’s dave jackson. it was recorded in warrington on 29th oct ‘08 and is a more melodic yet typically cacophonous jam than previous releases. we hope you dig. out now on cd-r, limited to 80 copies.
5 minutes pulled from 2 epic, cacophonous jams make up both sides of this first beach fuzz 45. following on a slew of home spun cassette and cdr releases on their own golden lab label as well as blackest rainbow, lotus birth and others. insistent, narcotic drone pieces featuring bowed, scraped lap steel, wailing echo drenched synth wash with occasional mo-esque, circling percussion. 300 only in cool, fliptop, yearling lined card fliptop sleeves.
take a vacation at the beach house and let the baltimore duo of victoria legrand and alex scally take you to a place where slow hazy pop fills the room with organs, slide guitars, reverb echoes, and unforgettable melodies. nine songs influenced by 1970s southern california, mid-’90s england, andy warhol’s factory, and 1940s appalachia… their debut repressed on wax.
last ever copies!!! recorded in 1970 but not released until 1996. follow up to their highly heralded album ‘welcome’ which is a classic psych album. this one is psych flavored pop/rock. comes with paste-on sleeve… long out of print high quality archival release.
devastating psych noise power drones by ernesto gonzález, an 18 year old kid from venezuela who moved to belgium with his family 3 years ago. thick layers of hototogisu-like guitar drones interfere with endless tape loops and warm washes of analogue jungle color tone to work up to an overwhelming fuzz guitar climax, leaving listeners helpless, ecstatic, puzzled and bemused. ernesto has been making music for over three years now, has various solo as well as collaboration projects going on, has released a slew of amazing selfmade cdr’s and has recently also become a full time member of belgium’s finest: freefolk/krautrock outfit silvester anfang, who’ve got an lp coming out on eclipse later this month. a promising new star in the psych drone skies’85 djid hums is the vinyl debut of bear bones, lay low: over 45 minutes of pure psych drone bliss pressed on heavy high quality 180g vinyl, complete with paste-on art and flashy insert, housed in a thick cardboard jacket with resealable plastic sleeve. limited to 525 hand-numbered copies.
ernesto gonzález traded the chavez regime for comfortable living in a dreary place called waterloo, near brussels. he picked up the guitar, practiced his hendrix skills, got introduced to the world of scorching fuzz, demented kraut rock jams, drone lords and kosmik trance and decided he could as well do all that shit by himself. after his debut on gipsy sphinx, vallée de dith is his second official solo outing, leaving the drone in second position and focussing heavily on kraut rock work-outs. this is the ultimate south-american take on moolah, ash ra temple and neu!: excellent riffing, brain-melting space synth and far-out hippy meditation. probably the best venezuelan album since angel rada’s upadesa. phill niblock hated it!
a prison is a noisy place. the clanging of bells announcing the prison routine, the whir and ratcheting, banging and slamming of electric gates and mechanical metal doors, the ebb and flow of human vocalizations as hundreds of people caged against their will respond to their conditions in myriad ways – to express their loneliness, or discontent, or rage, or insanity, or merely to cheer or boo a play in a football game on television – punctuated by the shouts of guards who must enforce their authority to maintain what passes for order in such places… all of this and more is amplified within the confines of reverberant concrete walls, conspiring to make it difficult to find, much less preserve, one’s peace of mind. i composed mantra: soundscapes for meditation in response to several requests from some of my fellow prisoners. i was asked to create some gentle music that they could listen to on their personal cassette players as an aid in practicing meditation and relaxation techniques widely accepted as valuable tools in the process of healing mind, body and spirit. the challenge was to produce a musical composition that would help to mask the noise of the environment without being intrusive or demanding too much of the listeners attention, while incorporating combinations of tones and textures that may aid an individual in achieving a relaxed, meditative state of consciousness. by all reports, including my own experience, mantra succeeds in its intended mission. as environmental music, it also seems to work well as a focusing agent when doing some types of creative work, or when reading, and to enhance the restfulness of sleep when set to play continuously through the night at low volume. you may find other uses for it as well. for all i know, it may help plants to grow more healthy, or soothe a teething baby. we are all doing time in one way or another, and the stresses of day to day life make it imperative that we find ways to generate harmony within ourselves from time to time. i hope that mantra will serve you in this regard as well as it has served some of my friends in prison. peace. – bobby beausoleil. artworks by bobby beausoleil.
a complete anthology of the recordings made for the lucifer rising motion picture soundtrack by bobby beausoleil with the freedom orchestra and the magick powerhouse of oz. this fully authorized and definitive release will include: remastered recordings spanning 11 years, from the ’67 recording to the tracy prison recordings of ’78. – 4 full-length lps worth of lucifer rising material with half being never-before-heard sessions personally selected by bobby beausoleil. – 9 new pieces of art from bobby: 8 record sleeve panels and one 2’ x 3’ poster. – 2 posters: one by bobby beausoleil and one by dennis dread. – a much-extended version of the “fallen angel blues” piece by bobby that originally appeared in the kenneth anger dvd set. – ”hymns to the solar temple”- impressions on a visit to bobby at the oregon correctional facility in pendleton, oregon by dennis dread. – ”the saga of a soundtrack” by michael moynihan. – art from dennis dread for the back of the lp box, also to be included as a 2’ x 2’ poster. – art from dennis dread for the front lid of the box which will provide a window into the works of bobby’s to be found within. – remastered by robert ferbrache, well known for his work with blood axis, 16 horsepower and others. – all art has been created specifically for this release… quite amazing document here. recommended!
recorded live to tape in two days, after a sleep deprived month of beefheart style creative lockdown, begushkin – dan smith’s 8 headed hydra – lay to rest the twilight folk of 2007s nightly things and reemerge with the wicked & strange hard rock gypsy shake of king’s curse. smith yells and carries on like a man posessed with tales of the damnation of a robber king and the band plays it ultra tight & ultra heavy. king’s curse is higher tier creep rock…. ‘at times like an impossible mixing of leonard cohen, will oldham, and michael gira stirring up a series of haunted gypsy hymns. mournful and melodic with half-seen shadows walking through the trees at night, and fever dreams swooning in the moonlight. mysterious like lyrically compressed american gothic short stories.’ george parsons, dream… 180gm limited vinyl version.
a long three track cdr collecting a particularly insulated and homespunera of the believers development. especially the longer-than-album-side rendition of their standard, ‘down to the lake’. step inside, take a breath, get to know this album. perhaps you will glimpse the reasons why so many in the valley are holding their breath for the believers debut lp – features members of son of earth, shackamaxon, duck, idea fire company, sapat, so many other spins, the whole meatball is here. packaged in simple xerox folded jackets, origami style – yeah! go believers!
fabulous split 45 on clear wax in 2 part, op-art psych sleeves featuring the mighty “everybody’s dig accounted for” by jats, total killer, raw groove blues that descend into a velvets meets the sonics freakout. backed by part time james and jessica toth (wooden wand) side project “bengal traitors” with the magical “sumtimes”. 350 copies on clear vinyl.
2 very very very hip bands. first part in the series of split-tapes with breaking world recs. ben and george sing about daddy’s digweed and bad boys. buffle has the blues.
released in autumn a 7-inch of benjamin franklin (buffle, ex-rot). a-side is a dark ambient piece of music while b-side is a shiny minimalist casio pop-song. the sleeve (which is more a package) is silkscreened and available in fluo green, flashy red or gold (ok it’s just painting and glitters and it can hardly look like gold but it’s beautiful anyway).
a dark trip in the neither world of benjamin franklin (buffle, r.o.t.) sleepwalking along deep low humming casio rumblings and floating urban soundscapes. 70 copies.
the first ever official vinyl reissue of this folk-psych gem from new york city, usa. originally released in 1977 by winter solstice -group’s own- label this is a very rare (r3-r4) album nowadays. and hopefully it deserves every cent that you will spend for purchasing an original copy. its strange mixture of haunting melodic folk and dreamy psychedelia. both male and female vocals participated by roger and wendy penney (who had also presented the extremely rare “roger & wendy” lp back in 1972) while autoharp, violin, percussion and sound effects (wah wah, fuzz, phaser, delay) offer a “unique” atmosphere. this is an official, fully licenced and autographed, vinyl edition. exact reproduction of the cover and label with extra 4-pages insert with bio, photos and lyrics. all in high quality special papers. pvc protective outersleeve. includes one extra unreleased track from 1974. limited to 400 black vinyl copies, 180gr, copies. pvc protective outersleeve… top quality reissue of this pretty great private press oddity.
totally unreleased (on vinyl format) album by legendary nyc psychfolk duo. all the recordings range from the late 60’s to the late 70’s. our opinion is that “the missing tapes” is their best till today offering. just take a listen to “did you love me” and “lost worlds” songs. original, unique and bizzare sound not unlike their first album (see anazitisi records arlp 70-21f). half of the 10 songs are penned by roger penney while the other 5 are covers on: dennis deyoung’s “come sail away”, joni mitchell’s “circle game”, richard farina’s “swallow song” (what an adaptation!!!!), fred neil’s “dolphin” and an exceptional “high flying bird”. from the original 2-track master tapes with excellent sound quality and licenced by roger & wendy. it includes a 12-pages large booklet with story, lyrics & photos, decorated by wendy’s paintings. fully laminated. pvc protective outersleeve. 180gr. vinyl as usual. limited, to 200 black and 100 coloured copies, edition… black vinyl copies here. highly recommended if you dug their s/t lp!
reissue of the long sold out cassette only debut from bethany cosentino (formerly of pocahaunted). these five tracks were released in an edition of only 200 copies on cassette back in the summer of 2009 on blackest rainbow. here these 5 tracks clocking in at a total of 14 sweet minutes are reissued just in time for bethany’s first visit to the uk and europe. copies of the cassette have been extremely hard to come by with best coast’s growing popularity following a series of excellent 7″s on ppm, group tightener, art fag, black iris and atelier ciseaux, so the time definitely seemed right for this reissue. this will be the very first best coast cd! glass mastered cd edition of only 1000 copies packaged in pro-printed cd wallet with new artwork featuring beach loving 80s kids.
really cool new out-of-nowhere private press from israel. haunted lo-fi male/female duo that trip into the same sort of dust baked bedroom visionary zones as early charalambides, or more fried mazzzacane/bloom. totally spooked femme vocal stretching out over equally zoned & exposed slo-mo electric guitar pluck & moan. really good stuff. each copy has a unique hand painted white on black cover. recommended.
the brand new self released disc from this amazing project featuring colleen & caleb from cerberus shoal, threads, fire on fire, etc. off the cuff abstact improv spaces with goobs of reverb, strange instruments, and spooked vocals mix with straighter, and generally pretty dark, acid folk songs. male/female vocals, accordion, many different guitars, multiple personalities, toy drums, and plenty of mystery sounds. their 6th private press release, as usual packaged in a totally beautiful one-of-a-kind multi color/layer screen printed art paper cover, with vellum insert, extra art, printed disc, and more. extremely limited. could be their best yet! very recommended maine goodness!
finally a release on night-people from raccoo-oo-oon tour mates and chicago’s best basement improv unit binges. killer drums, percussion, electronics, saxophone, guitar, and bass from these two dudes chris and anthony. binges are ultra focused and tight, chris glides around on his kit with supreme precision with anythony juggles a bunch of loops, noises, and instruments all at once. one of the most solid and exciting underground bands around right now. artwork by the band printing by sdrreed.
two sides of total existential rebirth! placental for you and bird by snow, a 7 inch baby of the cosmos, belching new sounds, and visions. replete with new-metal guitar tones, falsetto cave paintings, and gasoline-riot guitar solos (think blue cheer in thunderdome). begging the question what is paradise? a waterfall? or a burning sky-scraper? each cover is hand printed from a linoleum block by bird by snow, at no extra cost to you. limited to 300. recorded at home on 8-track cassette tape.
to you, children of the zeitgeist, we give ’sky,’ offered in the same generous spirit as this bountiful world itself. ten songs of reggae-infused, psychedelic, folk music. existentialism you can dance to! open-hearted sound-fields, vast and colored with tiny blue-grass orchestras, authentic dub banjo, black cloud back-beats, and (if you can believe it) california soukous guitar! open eyes wide, and take in ’sky,’ bird by snow’s outrageously lush follow-up lp. cloudy or clear, day or night, let us be absorbed in the one-always-giving moment, and know the sky not as vacuous hole, but as container (whole). limited to 300, on beautiful tranparent-blue vinyl. hand silk-screened gold covers, with a lovely hand-made booklet too. recorded at home on 8-track cassette tape, mastered by george horn… who mastered “zuma” by neil young and crazy horse… last copy.
a new calf sparkles in the field at dawn with after-birth upon her. standing strong and brave with wobbly legs in a precarious world. with totally fearless surrender she steps forward, still wet from the inner universe of the before birth being. with the same naked abandon we offer this 3rd long-player by bird by snow. ten free-pop-mantras, ancient-babies of modern song. the most fertile bird by snow record (so far) each side of this album has its own name, in order to give the tunes more mind-space to flourish and expand side a is ’songbread’ and side b is ‘another ocean.’ in this record-world we find bbs harvesting perspectives in an old-growth forest of ontology & swimming joyfully in wide-wonder-waters of multi-instrumentalism. cellos, drones, pianos, field-recordings, tape-collage & all manner of drumming, strumming & singing confer and conspire here. many of these songs have been two years in the making, grown and regrown on musical tours through the generous world. songs with fresh-washed faces, and crow’s feet in the corners of their eyes. ’songbread / another ocean’ is also some of gnome life’s most beautiful and ambitious packaging! the cover is a color lithograph poster, and the lp also includes a deluxe handmade booklet of literature, lyrics, ideas, and points of entry. and a second semi-transparant poster of poetry called: “slow poems” by fletcher tucker (a.k.a. bird by snow). this edition is limited to 550 copies, and is on completely clear vinyl, and comes with a cd! recorded at home on 8-track cassette tape, mastered by john golden.
bird microphone follows up last year’s paper mines split with cursillistas with this collection of original songs and appalachian child ballads. fitting six songs onto this 45rpm 7″ record, bird mic. mixes her trademark dulcimer plucks and cut-up bell percussion clacks with a new focus on voice. love songs that aren’t afraid to expose the dissonance; traditionals on the a-side, originals on the b. preview here. black 7″ vinyl record with center labels hand-stamped on the a and hand-drawn/colored on the b-side, held in a heavy off-white cotton paper sleeve, with double-vision two-color screenprinted covers and an offset-printed back. hand-numbered to 300, and embossed… loose 7inch from the tryst haunt subscription series.
death-defiling split disc of zodzoric psychedelia from these hot leeds zombies! neon death slittes is the axle-greased alterego of phil ‘xenis emputae travelling band’ legard who contributes four tracks of greasy blues amphetamuck that will have fans of pink fairies/deviants/gong/third world war choking on their wet dentures. recent american tapes/no fun stars birds of delay occupy the other half with a knob-scorching oscillation/voice seizure recorded live in sunny edinburgh. ltd.100 in tracing paper sleeves with on-disc gocco print – very hip one with sweet covers.
birds of delay is a leeds duo whose first half lives in london (and loves whitehouse and rush) and the other in berlin (and loves farley jackmaster funk). with several releases on labels such as chocolate monk, american tapes, troniks, hospital productions, or their own: alcoholic narcolepsy, luke and steven have been crafting and sculpting their psychedelic-electronic-noise-drone sound for over half a decade. but who cares and what does that sound description mean anyway? if you ask them, they’ll simply tell you a living room at the bottom of a lake is a projection into a total rainbow bliss zone! edition of 240 copies.
during the last euro tour of wolf eyes, john olson (of american tapes, spykes, guam river etc – ) and mike connelly (of gods of tundra, hair police, failing lights etc – ) decided it was enough! they screamed “i’m not going to bed!!! i never wanne sleep again!!!”, they missed their flights and stayed in antwerp with the ultra audiobored horror crew for 7 more weeks without food and drinks, just dry weed and cancerbags to suck on! after that intense test to see if they could adapt to the antwerp life style, they finally met up with legendary belgian eccentric cacti and hat collector cassis cornuta, this psychadelic character brought his whole space synth and tape lab over to radio central to record an intense last gasp jam with the hardly breathing olson and connelly, the end result is an amazing trip to space and back to the mental hospital! like pouring lighter fluid and tabasco up your genitals or like olson states it so beautifully; like pissing on your own hand, freezing it and then using it as a lollypop for 5 days! comes in a gross 6 panel cover design and with an etch on the b side! – very limited. amazing packaging!
by trade sir richard bishop is a dealer of rare occult books and fine paper ephemera. for many in the musical cosmos, he has occasion to travel the smoke filled carnie circuit as 1/3 of the sun city girls medicine show. but in the twilight hours of a shadow world once sensed only by few, bishop is a dazzling unaccompanied guitarist. on improvika, bishop rides a very tall horse through a surrealist’s cowboy set that’s 1 part bruit peckinpah muscularity & 2 parts illuminated jodorowskian symbolism.. a very strange place, indeed. armed only with a single steel string wooden guitar, bare-knuckled bishop fends off the horrors & dangers of the night with ease as he spits out glorious white robed arabesques, django-inspired gypsy arcs, & latin terracotta flourishes like so many spinning tumbleweeds in a one horse town that is his alone. improvika is sir richard’s solo installment for locust’s long running wooden guitar series. 180 gram vinyl, packaged in deluxe silkscreened art paper… sweet new pressing of this great album.
another album of acoustic guitar music from sir richard bishop — are you ‘freakin’ nuts? the freak of araby is a new direction for our distinguished gentleman, and just in the nick of time as well. sir rick’s had it up to here with solo acoustic guitar records! the freak of araby isn’t even a solo record! and there’s no acoustic guitar on it! so let’s have no more of this kind of talk. over his years with sun city girls, richard bishop threw a wide variety of music and sound against the wall — and all of it stuck. among those who know, he’s reasonably fluent in any number of international music traditions, playing them for (mostly) fun and (sometimes) profit all over the place. the freak of araby is the debut of sir richard bishop and his freak of araby ensemble, a talented quartet of players getting deep into the middle eastern mystic with hand drums, percussion, bass, drums, electric guitars and a heavy dose of moroccan chanters, all of it captured with depth, detail and sympathy for the eternal enigma by engineer scott colburn. but a sir richard bishop album with a backing band — how did this happen? after recording a cover of ‘ka’an azzaman,’ written by elias rahbani, one of lebanon’s finest songwriters, something dawned on sir richard. half-lebanese by birth (it didn’t just occur to him later), he found himself suddenly possessed to really dig into middle eastern sounds. a pair of original melodies not fully developed at a prior recording session had the arabic inspiration, so these were reattacked and finished in short order. soon, sir richard’s head was flooded with some of the classic sounds spun for him by his grandfather back in his (way) younger days, like farid al-atrache, oum kalthoum and fairuz, along with other personal favorites, such as the guitarists omar khorshid and mike hegazi. in addition to the studio improvisation, ‘taqasim for omar,’ the whole of the freak of araby is dedicated to these inspiring players. check ‘em out. in addition to his soul-stirring electric guitar playing, sir richard grabbed a couple of moroccan chanters and blew the house down on ‘blood-stained sands,’ providing an epic (not to mention epochal, heh heh) finish to this journey to the center of one-half of the family tree. this is music meant to be played live, and sir richard’s freak of araby ensemble intends to play it everywhere there’s interest in hearing it. so get your freak on.
repressed… this is an essential document by one of america’s most original and inventive unaccompanied guitarists working today. while my guitar violently bleeds is a splendid three piece gem in which the good sir branches out & nods to points west, east & otherworldly. classic spaghetti western tinged spidery fretwork(“zurvan”), fushitsusha style feedback drenched psych decay (“smashana”) and a brilliant lengthy raga epic (“mahavidya”) round out the proceedings by the sun city girls master musician.
since its discovery in the late ’90s, dave bixby’s legendary $2000 private press album from 1969 is considered by all serious record collectors as the king in the loner/downer-folk genre. after being involved in ’60s michigan folk and garage-rock bands such as the shillelaghs and peter & the prophets, bixby started playing acoustic guitar and experimenting with lsd. after a year of drug abuse he felt broken. starting a soul-searching, spiritual journey, he wrote ode to quetzalcoatl and most of the material for his second album, harbinger’s second coming in just a month and a half. assisted by fellow musician brian macinness, who played some guitar parts on the album, bixby recorded this record in a living room using an echo-laden 4-track machine. the sound is lo-fi and sparse: just acoustic guitars and some occasional harmonica & flute, added to bixby’s haunting, emotional vocals, spiritual lyrics and solid songwriting. the opening cut, the eerie and painful “drug song” sets the mood perfectly for the rest of the album. never again has an acoustic folk album sounded as intense as this. reissued for the first time under license from dave bixby himself, and carefully remastered from vinyl (no master tapes exist) at shadoks music studios. includes an insert with extensive and detailed liner notes by matvei procak — the guy who found bixby in 2006 — plus some rare pictures. this vinyl release also includes a free mp3 download code… recommended!
features: climax golden twin rob millis’ column talking machine with a report back on 78 hunting in india… an incredibly fun discussion with peter stampfel, founding member of the holy modal rounders, about harry smith, the fugs, santeria, amphetamines, god, coincidence, music and much more. conducted by allan macinnis, this 19 page feature includes an illustration by peter’s daughter zoe, plus a supplemental 3 page interview with antonia stampfel… an interview with gerd kraus on the legendary… krautrock bands limbus 3 and limbus 4 and the heady times that they grew out of… patrick marley’s nickels and dimes with discussion of church police, dennis duck, neil campbell and blues control… reviews of vinyl, books, compacts discs, dvds, and a cassettes both new and old: robert ashley, henri chopin, coach fingers, bob cobbing, loren connors, eric cordier, robert de grimston, father of the flood, henry flynt, tom heasley & toss panos, hisato higuchi, insect factory, jackwacker, dan koeppel, annette krebs, christina kubisch, kuupuu, the league of automatic music composers, mecha/orga, tatsuya mori, tham kar mun / yandsen / yeoh yin pin, organum, itaru oki, pigeons, colin potter, michael prime, sara sackner, conrad schnitzler, tom james scott, seven that spells, d. charles speer & the helix, stimulus, sun city girls, carter thornton, titmachine, giancarlo toniutti, uton & valerio cosi, vapour theories, michael yonkers, “artefacts of australian experimental music 1930-1973″, “ethnic minority music of southern laos”, “shadow music of thailand”, “thai pop spectacular 1960s-1980s”… classified ads… on the cover: an indian record stall… 56 pages, 5.5″ by 8.5″, 20 lb. paper, b&w; approximately 760 copies printed…
56 pages – a massive overview of the life and work of avant garde percussionist stomu yamash’ta, including his first english-language interview in over 30 years. a child prodigy, his meteoric rise in the classical world spawned a new world of improvisation and avant classical in the late ’60s and early ’70s before melding eastern concepts with jazz fusion via his more well known outfits come to the edge, east wind, and go. includes never-before-revealed insight into collaborations with toru takemitsu, takehisa kosugi, masahiko sato, the baschet brothers, and others. years in the making, this exhaustive survey corrects misinformation and apocrypha carried down for decades, and opens a new window to yamash’ta’s current projects featuring instruments made from resonant stones. – akio suzuki’s uk travelogue translated by the expert on japanese underground alan cummings – michael griffen, one half of noggin, remembered by aaron gorseth – andrzej zulawski’s films – a history of the beautiful limited edition releases by raymond dijkstra – onde, the new belgian group made up of members of the late noise-maker’s fifes, include timo van luijk of af ursin and in camera – rob millis’ talking machine – patrick marley (former publisher of muckraker magazine) with his column nickels and dimes – reviews of vinyl, cassettes, compacts disc, dvds and books, both new and old… sold out at source.
the no-neck blues band’s dave nuss recalls his time with the source family which led to the first yahowa 13 performance in new york city and their new lp. as much about dave’s experiences throughout this and how it brought him into the family, as about discovering the wealth of their archives and continuing energy… an extensive interview with reformed vancouver noise band tunnel canary by allan macinnis. allan speaks not only to the leader of the group, nathan holiday, but also tunnel canary members past and present mya mayhem, ebra ziron, and dave sheftel about their intense performances, early influences, their specially altered instruments, life and musical philosophy, and the different reactions in the early 1980s and now, matched with photos from their recent live shows and one from the archives…. a remembrance of noggin violin player michael griffen by his friend aaron gorseth…. a feature on the belgian group onde featuring former members of noise-maker’s fifes; supplemented by photographs taken on tour by dan burke of illusion of safety… a feature on the new label assophon, home to the sea donkeys, spider trio and factums with photographs by mark sullo…. rob millis, waxing on about the preciousness of shellac while discussing the drive to recycle that raw material in the war years and the price that artifacts from that time can command…. eric lanzillotta’s reviews of vinyl, compacts discs, and books, both new and old by bill bissett, bob cobbing, helena espvall & masaki batoh, malcolm goldstein, the howling hex, dieter schnebel, and “radio mynamar (burma)”…. patrick marley’s column nickels and dimes focusing on american tapes and drunjus…. cover star: djin of yahowa 13…. 56 pages, 5.5″ by 8.5″, 20 lb. paper, b&w, approximately 800 copies printed.
sewer mist catharsis is beautiful but frightening droning electronic ambient noise from norway in the vein of zaimph, kevin drumm, or mb. limited to 30 copies.
solo live blurt from 25 june 2008 from sindre bjerga, one half of bjerga / iversen. background drones hit in immediatley accompanied with some minimal scrapes and sputtering kinda growth aura from aforementioned drone, there’s a real static vibe cruising through this. occasional clunk and taps blur away as the heavy dense drone consumes the lot like an electric mist, with feedback clots clogging up your lungs, and creepy terror sounds. limited to 50 hand numbered copies, each with indvidual handmade weird paper and an insert, everyone looking entirely different.
striate cortex presents two live sets from sindre bjerga’s recent uk tour, recorded in sheffield and hull, respectively… mildly toxic clouds of gas are slowly and inevitably turning into densely marbled columns of psychedelic, splintered drones… like a sprinkling ray of light from a distant sun turning into a massive black hole sonic migraine… edition of 50 copies with individually handmade covers. standard editon of 40 copies and 10 “art-edition” copies on gold discs and extra photos… standard edition copies here.
black boned angel return with their second riot season release, following the eternal love/eternal hunger vinyl lp (repose 013lp). sharing a similarly bleak ground to corrupted, sunn 0))) and earth, new zealand’s black boned angel return with their fourth full length album verdun, and perhaps their most sombre and fully-realized work to date. the battle of verdun was fought between the german and french armies, and was one of the critical battles during world war 1 on the western front. it resulted in more than a quarter of a million battlefield deaths and at least half a million wounded. verdun was the longest battle and one of the most devastating in world war 1 and indeed in history. over the course of 50 minutes, bba soundtrack that brutal conflict with their trademark dark ambient drones and doom-laden riffs.
diggin’ deep into the montreal free music vault of yesteryear. 15 minutes of totally free improvisation recorded live in 2003 at pasalymany bar (rip). originally recorded for the birthdays of colin, serene, and sime. members of rivers and mountains along with other pasalymanians. found cover image photocopied on heavy card stock. hand stamped j-cards and cassette labels. hand number edition of 66.
i fell asleep late last night right after i jammed this latest burner from sean mccann and black eagle child. that was lucky, let me tell ya… this split is a total tropical dreamscreamer. each one of them gets a side, but it doesn’t matter – the message is the same: it’s time to zone the fuck out. crisp capricorn tones drizzle down like pink sunkissed mists from the heavens, totally enveloping your aural sensibilities. guitar zoners and gooey, synthed up flow-ers take you through the perfect lazy river, floating on scarlet sonic waves to the stars. this is the new space race. if all drones were drenched in this much bliss, we’d all be rotten to the core…limited to 77. packaged in a fabric pouch with insert.
18 minutes of blind mindless heaviness celebrating their deepest feelings for montreal. still can’t figure out if they dig this city or not. sludged and dragged, this is a one-sided battle. side a has gold spray paint with black splatter. b side is straight black, empty. cassette boxes contain gold foil, red arcylic paint, and black spray paint. xeroxed insert. edition of 77.
guitar, cello, electronics, and various small rackety sounds collect themselves into a haze of infinite possibilities. – byron coley. for this new 10″, the duo is joined by guests margot goldberg and joe grimm (a.k.a. the wind up bird). this quartet version of bf/bs is the very same lineup that performed at terrastock 6. 10″ vinyl-only release limited to 500 copies worldwide. silkscreened metallic silver covers by mike taylor (lungfish, avarus, dan higgs). 21 minutes of music, all exclusive material… nice little slab.
following recent releases under the directing hand moniker on memoirs of an aesthete and chocolate monk, alex neilson (jandek, ashtray navigations, richard youngs etc etc) conjures another slab of percussive clatter to excite yr inner ear. joined on this journey by frank janiurek, the duo lay down a thick bed of organic drone before reaching for the stars with some inspired levitation tactics.
fully re-mastered vinyl edition of what was originally a europe-only cassette released in an edition of 80 copies from the solo project of spencer clark of the skaters/vodka soap/monopoly child et al. spencer describes black joker as being more drone-focused and with faster percussion than the recent monopoly child sets. indeed, the percussion is thrifty and up-front, with arcs of criss-crossing time signatures generating maximum space/time confusion. the combination of trance-informed momentum and bubbling electronic sci-fi tones sounds closest to one of the sun ra arkestra’s most future-visioned takes on “ancient aethiopia” while expanding on the classic post-angus maclise feel of all of the best skaters material. comes with pro-printed 80s style 12” maxi-sleeves with liner notes by fortean authority, itinerant visionary and skaters road mangler in-absentia charles berlitz.
black magic disco is the new all-star band featuring tom greenwood (jackie-o motherfucker), maurizio & roberto opalio (my cat is an alien) and ramona ponzini (painting petals on planet ghost, praxinoscope). the project was born out of an idea from tom greenwood, founder leader of the avant-folk-blues ensemble jackie-o motherfucker, who invited maurizio and roberto opalio, aka the italian improv duo my cat is an alien (mciaa), and their close collaborator ramona ponzini (also involved with the two brothers in the projects named painting petals on planet ghost and praxinoscope, as well as in the new collaboration with z’ev) to perform with him for two months of touring throughout all europe in may/ june 2005. as one can imagine, the result was killer. the music which came out of the live performances was totally explosive, combining ramona’s japanese vocals & hypnotic chimes with greenwood’s psych-blues guitar attitude & wild turntablism, over mciaa’s alien cosmic flux of electric guitars, space toys & percussions, creating a still unheard mixture of sounds unifying archaic & post-modern, western & eastern, sky & earth. couloured vinyls (1 solid red / 1 solid white). comes in a luxury gatefold cover, including a huge 70×100 cm. poster (by roberto opalio drawing).
the josh/roy anti-society drone/drums duo drops its first (and last?) lp. a dripping cavern of red-eyed vibes and numb inner examination. uncomfortable, epic. edition of 270. comes with a poster. co-released with illinois sweatshop arbor.
including the tracks from their split cassette released last year on dba, this 12″ adds 1 foot village bonus track and 2 black pus bonus tracks. this music is raw, distorted, and totally fucked up drum rock. each 12″ includes a 16″ x 22″ poster that is a full color animal photo with art by brian chippendale screened on top. brian is the dude behind black pus and he is the drummer of lightning bolt. this release is all about drums being punk as fuck. edition of 300. co-released with deathbomb arc.
this vinyl-only split-lp release is a meeting of two of the most interesting bands coming out of hamburg, germany at this moment, both continuing the long tradition of both challenging and explorative music coming from this city in the last decades. from krautrock to the origins of the so-called neue deutsche welle from experimental sound artists to some of the finest pop ambient, hamburg is regularly spitting out some of the most singular artists on this planet. both aosuke and black to comm have absorbed influences from all these sources (and a million others) while working towards their very own individual vision. the two brand new tracks by black to comm are continuing the massive organ/voice drone alchemy of the last double-lp while refining and personalizing his sound, reaching new heights of blazing sonic mysticism. aosuke have decided to home-record their new material, continuing their loop-oriented, monotone yet highly melodic ambient journeys. working with repetition and small abstractions, all instrumental “loops” are played by hand and recorded live without overdubs (one of the main principles of the guitar/electronics duo), creating surprisingly concrete dormant and somnambulistic soundscapes while fortunately completely lacking the washy and drowsy effects of most ambient music. black to comm is the one-man project of marc richter who is the brain behind the dekorder label as well. so far he has released two albums on his own label (“rückwärts backwards” and “wir können leider nicht etwas mehr zu tun…”). aosuke is the duo of tobert knopp and ulf schütte, the latter being a label head as well (tape tektoniks). last year they have released their debut “monotone spirits” album co-released by hamburg’s audiolith label and south germany’s meudiademorte label.
this vinyl-only split-lp release is a meeting of two of the most interesting bands coming out of hamburg, germany at this moment, both continuing the long tradition of both challenging and explorative music coming from this city in the last decades. from krautrock to the origins of the so-called neue deutsche welle from experimental sound artists to some of the finest pop ambient, hamburg is regularly spitting out some of the most singular artists on this planet. both aosuke and black to comm have absorbed influences from all these sources (and a million others) while working towards their very own individual vision. the two brand new tracks by black to comm are continuing the massive organ/voice drone alchemy of the last double-lp while refining and personalizing his sound, reaching new heights of blazing sonic mysticism. aosuke have decided to home-record their new material, continuing their loop-oriented, monotone yet highly melodic ambient journeys. working with repetition and small abstractions, all instrumental “loops” are played by hand and recorded live without overdubs (one of the main principles of the guitar/electronics duo), creating surprisingly concrete dormant and somnambulistic soundscapes while fortunately completely lacking the washy and drowsy effects of most ambient music. black to comm is the one-man project of marc richter who is the brain behind the dekorder label as well. so far he has released two albums on his own label (“rückwärts backwards” and “wir können leider nicht etwas mehr zu tun…”). aosuke is the duo of tobert knopp and ulf schütte, the latter being a label head as well (tape tektoniks). last year they have released their debut “monotone spirits” album co-released by hamburg’s audiolith label and south germany’s meudiademorte label.
incredible, spooky-spiritual-drone masterpiece by the most hip german experimentalists black to comm (mark richter) and the free-noise group datashock companied by new member marcel tirkowsky. here all together creating a flavor of blissen alien soundscapes, whirling on, changing and evolving all the time, generating hyperzonic tensions inside the crown-chakra so long that the eyes start to see pulsating flames inside and outside your imagination. rich in colour of sound and for sure not a restless headfuck, but a stony stoned psychedelic vibration of something spiritually exciting, something which reminds the outer inner worlds, and how close they are. the fog of the lake & the ghosts of the forgotten old new days. recorded nearby berlin’s goldmund festival in august 2007, in a place which used to be a summercamp for kids in the times of gdr the point which alone may cause the climbing in such a mystical level. peaceful & strange at the same time. includes 9 minute quicktime video by renate nikolaus! music and video recorded at goldmund festival, wukensee / biesenthal 08/2007. 150 copies.
black to comm is the solo venture of dekorder label boss marc richter. having released two and a half albums on his own label he is slowly establishing himself as one of the more prolific drone artists out there with a forthcoming album on the american digitalis label, a collaborative cd with datashock on ikuisuus, a 7″ on the irish trensmat label and a collaboration with xela in the works. “fractal hair geometry” is richter’s most refined and original work to date, picking up where the electrifying drone works of his monumental double-lp left off. like the last records this album is centered around recordings of a variety of vintage organs. while “wir kennen leider…” often featured pure harmonium sounds and spacious recordings of chuch organ and mellotron, the new album opts for a more electronic, effects-laden sound, sending an old farfisa compact deluxe and casio sk-5 through an armada of analogue & digital effects pedals. the results are massive one-chord drones layered into dense & ecstatic, flickering & pulsating clusters of psychedelic electronic sound. additional wordless vocal effects, hyperventilating & sizzling drum machines and hypnotic violin and guitar noises make for a hyperactive sound that never stands still even though most of the music is pure drones (sometimes consisting of more than 50 recording layers). decidedly simple but gorgeous melodies shine through the mist from time to time, making a black to comm record always much more accessible than your average drone album. there’s even a heavy 4/4 bass drum smuggled into a track dedicated to the late leigh bowery, one of the most enigmatic creative figures of the mid-80’s uk club scene (and singer of minty). guests include jonna karanka (aka kuupuu) on piano, guido mebius on trumpet and current black to comm (live) band members renate nikolaus on violin and ulf schitte (of datashock, aosuke, etc.) adding electronic sounds. along the lines of the music, seminal german artist oliver ross has created a massive multi-layered neon-coloured collage artwork which is printed on special ultra-heavy cardboard stock.
the whole album is very dream-like, mystical and fascinating, like being in the middle of a fog bank and loosing your sense of direction but always knowing that you’ll find your way out one way or the other. – mats gustaffson/the broken face. finally, here’s the vinyl version of the debut album by hamburg’s black to comm. strictly limited edition of 222 copies, hand screened grey cardboard sleeves, full colour insert, postcard and gold stamped labels – sweet stuff.
wir können leider nicht etwas mehr zu tun is the rather weird title for black to comms 2nd album release within 12 months, this time coming out on a gorgeous vinyl-only double-lp with a beautifully strange gatefold sleeve in a limited edition of 500 copies. black to comm is the nom de plume for hamburgs dekorder label head honcho marc richter’s sonic voyages. in 2006 he released a 7″ lathe cut picture disc (“levitation”), his debut album & “rückwärts backwards” on cd and very limited vinyl and compilation tracks for the finnish 267 lattajjaa and ukrainian quasipop labels. while the first album was mainly constructed from dusty vinyl and shellac loops, the new album is based on “real” instruments including several antique organs, electric harmonium, acoustic & electric guitars, bells, clattery percussion, vintage effect pedals and tape loops thereof. richter builds up massive psychedelic one-chord drones, minimal yet dense and heavily layered, full of spacious details and swirling melodies buried within. each track is slowly building, drifting and floating hypnotically into a warm and shimmering black ocean of sonic liquid, creating a mesmerizing and mysterious mass of sound. while most of the works are thick monotone layers of organic sound theres some sort of simple songwriting gleaming constantly through the mist, making this a highly accessible drone album. guest musicians are hamburg visual artist renate nikolaus on electric & acoustic guitars and voice and electro-acoustic musician gregory büttner on trumpet – another great album from this project. sweet packaging too.
i’m extremely pleased to announce that james blackshaw will now be releasing his absolutely spellbinding music via young god records. he has received attention as a 12-string guitar prodigy / virtuoso. he used to be in punk bands in england, but then he started listening to people like john fahey, robbie basho, etc., and i assume locked himself in a room for 12 hours a day for several years and just played constantly. it takes intense discipline and a religious commitment to get to the place where he’s at with his instrument. but his music isn’t about his ’skill.’ it’s not showy. it’s deeply meditative — the secret language of a pre-thought, pre-dream place. blackshaw plays soulful and kaleidoscopic, ever-shifting mantra cycles of incredible beauty. just his guitar by itself, with its swirling overtones, cascading notes, and a thousand points of light, resembles an orchestra, but with further orchestration-piano, strings, wind, and vocals-the music is positively cinematic and mesmerizing. the 18-minute-plus gem on this record is ‘arc,’ performed on piano with the sustain pedal on full throttle. blackshaw is joined on this record by joolie wood (current 93, simon finn), and john contreras (baby dee and current 93) on cello. lavinia blackwall (directing hand) is a classically trained singer and contributed vocals. – michael gira… includes cd version of the lp with one extra track.
when uk-native james blackshaw plays his 12-string guitar, something spiritual takes place. performing and recording since 2003, his name is frequently mentioned as one of the foremost modern solo acoustic guitarists. now at the age of 25, blackshaw, an untrained musician born and still residing in the suburban environs of greater london, draws as much inspiration from early religious music, south-asian folk music and composers such as arvo pärt, simeon ten holt, steve reich and charlemagne palestine as he does from john fahey, robbie basho and the early takoma records roster, constantly breaking boundaries in what could be conceived as a somewhat limited medium. in his part improvised and part written songs, blackshaw makes expert use of eastern and western scales, chord changes reminiscent of european classical music and incredibly intricate fingerpicking patterns to make a sound that is both challengingly minimalist, yet warm and approachable to anybody who might hear it, with a rare sensitivity that conveys immense beauty, hope and sadness.
blank dogs are actually singular: it’s the insanely prolific one-man brooklyn-based band of mr. blank dog. we don’t know too much about the biography of the guy behind the bedroom new-wave pop/punk and he’s usually covering his face with masks or bedspreads, but that’s fine. the aura of anonymity allows you to focus on the sounds — and, really, he might be releasing a ton of things, but there’s definitely a higher jam-to-crap ratio. it’s like joy division vocal lines with the cure’s synth and guitar melodies filtered through ancient submerged keyboards and eroded recording equipment. and that voice? all the feedback in the world can’t hide his knack for melody. blank dogs have been making plenty of rumbles in the noisier and more secretive outposts of the underground (half his discography’s sold out), but troubleman unlimited’s just repressed his very recommended full-length on two sides (on yellow vinyl in an edition of 500) and in the red’s releasing a 20-song double lp (or single cd) called under and under . it’s all new material. he’s also playing his first shows in nyc, so if you want to take a peek, you can. all this to say: seems like blank dogs is on his way out of the basement. –stereogum
we are a tribe of bro/ho’s who sing songs of ancient fields. we all own pot except for the ones who own beers. we use trombone, flute, trumpet, guitars, drums, synth and upright bass to make songs of enjoyment for the gods. we scramble not, yet in our haste to please we drink all the cups of drugs of dance and mostly scream. we want to burn the dead babies birdessess and paint our naked bodies with our blood but must care not for it. will you help us care and scream to the tune of our holy birth right of liberation from the townspeople?
long form folk-doom-drone excursion comes on in layers, like sediment underneath a raging woodland apocalypse. the yin-and-yang solo projects of wolfgang nessel colliding head-on into one cosmos-worshipping 41-minute shape-shifter of cortex-splitting rifts. edition of: 100.
underwater peoples records is proud to offer alex bleeker’s passion fueled project as our first ever lp release. built solely on love, our label strives to deliver uniquely genuine pieces of artwork. it is a special privilege to find ourselves linked to this heart felt treasure. alex bleeker & the freaks self titled album was recorded live on june 11th, 2009. the bulk of the session took place in the basement of julian’s childhood home, in ridgewood, nj. the group consists of alex bleeker (real estate), matt mondanile (real estate, ducktails), martin courtney iv (real estate) and julian lynch. some of the songs mirror the boys collective disposition, that of a gentle and warm young man. others however, invite the listener in for a glimpse at that same boy’s restless, virile soul. a sensitive type may describe it all as raw, live, honest rock and roll with heart. alex bleeker & the freaks have been friends since high school and as healthy, red blooded american men so often choose to do, they’ve channeled their romantic energies into an electrified musical powerhouse. it’s as classic and genuine as an adolescents playboy collection or a fat, bald man in a red corvette. – up.
two florida 19 year olds make mature pysch pop, receive blog love from stereogum, i guess i’m floating, indie rock café, and kanye west, sign to kanine records and release debut album “season dreaming”. limited run of cd and vinyl lp with printed inner sleeve and digital download card. track listing: 1.the warm current’s pull 2. heavy cloud hustle 3. the dinosaur ride 4. anxious place 5. the planets explode 6. sleeping habits 7. jimmy dove 8. kissing minutes 9. ghosts 10. shells. vinyl is limited 500 one time pressing only.
warehouse find of the last copies of this 2003 reissue…. very rare arizona psychedelic trio from ‘69. fuzz guitar, psych-y leads and great cuts like ‘ride the ship of fools’, ‘cry for love’, and ‘visions’. plus two incredible bonus tracks never before heard.
lieven martens (dolphins into the future, taped sounds) and eva van deuren (orphan fairytale, pluim) are sea sponges on this tape. edition of 100… awesome packaging from the this great cassette label as always.
a one night only 5-piece when we were joined by julian bradley, neil campbell and sticky foster in leeds. just what you would hope for, tape loops, drone, vocal damage, confused percussion, reeds etc. a ten legge brew-up.
recorded live at resonance fm. full on duo in kick back mode, trying to burrow out of the airwaves into the listeners spine via tapes, voice, violin, oscillators, percussion and various other junk. a very pleasant magnetic headache.
perhaps the rarest greek rock album, released back in 1972 in very small quantities (300-500copies) and never again re-released in vinyl. here, we talk about a combination of psych-folk and flower power hippy rock with male and female vocals, great melodies and an acid overall atmosphere. acoustic guitars, sometimes heavy and sometimes fuzzy electric guitars, organ, bass and drums create one of the best greek psych albums, although overshadowed and low promoted back then. blue birds was one of the very first greek modern bands as well as one of the most long-lived. although they had started in 1963 as a garage-beat band they delevoped in a hippy band producing some fine singles & #136;êas well as this album- in the early 70’s. as the original release, this reissue is housed in an envelope-like gimmix heavy cover, contains the poster and the greek lyrics sheet. extras are a 4-pages insert with english lyrics and band’s bio and a full-coloured, high quality, psych post-card – killer album and another very high quality exact repro greek reissue. recommended.
new tape from my buddy cybele who’s based in providence… total free violin slashes and carves busted out, then dropping right off to some super quiet and minimal experimentations… one to shred your speakers! awesome stuff, previously had tape on raccoo-oo-oon’s night people label. limited to 60 hand numbered copies with stamped labels and colour covers!
there where only 4 good and rare albums on the danish spectator label: terje, jesper & joachim (which we have just done on lp and now on cd), moses (we are still working on a deal), days (we are about to negotiate a deal) and the rarest of them all blues addicts. what a guitar work this is. ivan horn really kicks ass with his extra heavy guitar. as good as the heavy cream songs, in parts as creative as jimi hendrix. the musical range and the guitar style is as good as the best early eric clapton work with the far out techniques of jimi hendrix. all own composition, long tracks, extra heavy guitar, english vocals & heavy drum sounds. ivan horn: guitars, vocals & kazzo, mich brink: bass, gibber thomsen: vocals & congas, henning aasbjerg: drums. if spectator would have kept rock music their musical style instead of switching to jazz, those 4 bands would have been successful on the international rock circus… recorded denmark, 1970. great crude b&w art, heavy covers, 180gm white vinyl, insert, 450 numbered copies.
local flavor is the fantastic newest shimmer from blues control. while past releases have been beauteous extrapolations into the miasmic core of psychedelia and billowing fog of ambient space, local flavor is the one where all the chickens have come home to roost. the opening track “good morning” is practically a sideways step into boogie rock (horn accompaniment provided by none other than jesse trbovich and kurt vile); with the proper seismic shift, it could almost be heard as an alternate reality take on “re-make/re-model.” it’s easily the band’s longest stomp in the forest of rock since their debut cassette, and, man, them boots leave a bruise! the remaining three tracks morph and ebb harmoniously-in true blues control fashion-the timbre occasionally elegiac, yet more often riffing on a plane that has yet to be transcribed.
as you may or may not know, it can sometimes get pretty hairy working at a record store when some smelly, denim-clad dude walks in asking for the blues. if you’re lucky, he’s at least wearing a belt when you point him over to the records that are now relegated to an open spot on the floor. that’s just one scenario; who doesn’t love those other blues fondly recalled with names like blues addicts and blues creation? and let’s not forget that other queen of the blues— barbara from just farr a laugh. blues control might just be the missing link between van halen and legendary experimentalist henry flynt. they are a duo. lea cho plays swank but grounded atmospheric keyboard parts (think harold budd), through which guitar player and manipulator of assorted junk-on-table russ waterhouse cuts, whittles and lays to waste. it’s a hazy, spaced world that exists between fuzzed distortion, jabbering electronics, and a lazy, stay-in-bed psychedelic glaze, with rhythmic keyboards pulsating below it all a la a guy named florian– and you can choose which one you want. oh yeah, i gotta mention the humid bikini-vibe that permeates the entire album. so, is there a blues angle to it? yeah, but you’ve got to bury yourself in it or dig your way in. come out stinking if you want.
two mysterious no-age beings from the other side of denmark evocates a cassette of no-fi hallucinative waves of broken skies and scorched earth. pure analog hell. edition of 50 – another sweet hand packaged release on this mighty fine label.
in the deep dark recess of our psyche, lies the perverse & primordial urges and desires that many of us know not to act upon. boduf songs (mat sweet) has obviously never been told this, as he perpetually oozes doom in the form of heavy laden and silently destructive music that could best be described as dark, gothic folk. “on the brink…” carries such beauty and brilliance, through sweet’s usual juxtaposition of a gloom ridden acoustic strings & downbeat voice, with the more redemptive radiance of the underlying melody and drone that is a by-product of the main instrumentation. like simultaneously being hugged and punched in the stomach in the same action. side two is occupied by a cover version of morrissey’s “everyday is like sunday”. stripped down and laid bare, a simple structure, accompanied by acoustic guitar, vocals, and xylophone, adding not only a sinister/beguiling childlike element, but also a wonderful uplifting rhythm that contrasts beautifully with the disparaging nature of the lyrics. the word “glorious” doesn’t do it justice. this is music that may make your heart turn black, and shrivel to the size of a newborn baby’s thumb; but it’s music that will leave a smile on your face… even if it is wry. 5ma packaging : outer case card flip-lid box, with button catch, printed letter pressed artist name. housed inside is a fold over letter pressed folder, carrying a standard full colour 7″ sleeve, and a clear 7″ lathe. along side this is two screen printed 7″ inserts, a digitally printed card, and vellum insert, housed inside a vellum envelope. also, each copy has an individual polaroid photo taken by mat sweet himself (in france), and a boduf songs 1″ pin badge. note, this record has no centre label. side a is only distinguishable by feeling for the small notch placed close to the centre hole… beautifully done release on this long-time-coming new label.
65 minutes spread out over 4 sides. presented as a retrospective, including some previously released select tracks, and some not heard before. the style can vary from track to track, some dominated by small sounds and buzzing loops, to epic and beautiful drone pieces, and electro-acoustic improv fused with noise. instruments that are audible include saxophone, guitar, and drum machine. bodyvehicle manages to keep the avant garde classics in mind while still looking forward in a way that few acts can. presented in a black vinyl album, with color art on blue/gold shimmer vellum cover and color on transparent labels. tracks listing is printed on blue shimmer paper, which is glued to the inside. edition of 50 hand stamp numbered copies on hi-bias chrome tapes – instantly out of print. very limited stock.
interest in this has surged recently and quite rightly too, as this is one of the best acid-punk lps ever. clearly inspired by “electric comicbook”-era blues magoos, these long island kids had a problem with both drugs and their attitude! their originals are excellent vox organ/fuzz teen garage psych and the reworked cover versions pretty demented as well. the cough syrup high school-play vibe of “deaf, dumb ¨ blind” must be heard to be believed. not a perfect album, with a few sections that drag on, but the highs are higher than on almost any other lp of this kind. possibly the best on the label, at least if you prefer the 60s teen-garage approach over hippie longhairs. – acid archives… heavy covers, 180gm vinyl, limited to 1000 copies.
described by kris kristofferson as “one of the three best songwriters in the country,” kentucky native jay bolotin’s songs have been championed by the likes of merle haggard and porter wagoner, among many others. yet jay’s eponymous debut – released on the major subsidiary commonwealth united label – had the halflife of a mayfly when it went into circulation in 1970 and today it remains as phantasmic as the prairie ghosts that have long populated his native kentucky. however hasty or uncertain the release of the album may have been some 40 years ago, one thing is certain: in a darkened room in new york city at the end of a kentucky childhood, a 20 year old jay bolotin cut a singularly enchanted album of unhurried, low key loner ballads with the confidence and honesty of a seasoned journeyman. jay bolotin is an unqualified singer songwriter gem that will appeal to fans of leonard cohen, townes van zandt & alex chilton. features kenny lyon on bass & mark taber on piano & harpsichord- both veterans of the providence, rhode island scene, the fugs’ bobby mason on percussion and david mowry on guitar. deluxe 180 gram vinyl featuring new liner notes and lyrics inserts. remastered & reissued for the first time since it’s elusive ‘release’. “dear father” featured on numero group compilation lonesome heroes.
tie yourself on a feedbag of slightly decayed dog bones and crushed plastic kids toys you found in a cheeze whiz dumpster, throw you inhabitations out the window and dance your ass off to these highly damaged, anthemic, home made synth and drum songs. this is analog plunger punk at its best!!!! featuring: members of child bride, dreamhouse, blue shift and riddlin’. 600 pressed. full color cover.
over 70 minutes of beautiful white light healing vibes spread out over 5 songs. all music recorded in the summer of two thousand and six in the “frozen earth cabin” in dublin, except “sea cave” which was recorded live to cassette at lazybird… oversized color covers.
bong are newcastle’s finest doom stoner band, as you’d expect you got distant vocals, totally wild psych guitar, heavy solid drums, but the thing with bong that gives them a totally different vibe from all the weak band is they got a damn sitar in there, and it sounds so damn killer. on the flip we got a slice of quttinirpaaq, we released a cdr by this dude last year to some damn good reviews, its hard to understand how so few people know this dude. it’s basically the one man band of texan matt turner who definitely doesn’t bust out the texas blues or country styles… this isn’t no straight up doom though, opening with totally weirdo keys and feedback, with what sounds like some droning vocals and bizarre clicks, this is pretty out there. that is until three minutes in when matt plugs in and then trashes a drum kit, whilst all this other crazy shit is going on. this is a fucking killer act, as far as i am concerned this is genius, not like any other drone doom vibes going on out there right now. limited to 300 copies.
on earth is the first studio document created by the group, recorded with marcelo spinna at the space in may 2006 with production assistance from pete swanson (d. yellow swans). while previous cd-r releases were entirely improvised, on earth is comprised of three untitled pieces composed by the group with elements of restrained improvisation. musically, each piece has a specific concern, ranging from extremely subtle microtonal shifts to distorted crashes of intervals against one another. on earth captures the reductive bonus sound with all the sustained tones and sparkling textures, but with a more focused and succinct delivery.
outrageous reissue of this masterpiece of european acid folk, originally released in 1977, now issued as 2 super high material audio cds (playable on any cd player — enhanced audio quality that will rearrange your nervous system) housed in a mini-lp style gatefold sleeve accompanying a 144-page book reproducing the original engravings by bandleader juan arkotxa…. a unique combination of recordings and artwork which stands up as an enduring testament of the fertile hippie scene which flourished in the baleric islands during the seventies. known to record collectors and psych/folk/prog music aficionados alike, this multicultural band formed in the island of mallorca in the mid-’70s and recorded a beautiful (and outrageously scarce) album which has gained cult status as years passed by. the book of am was originally devised as a beautifully illustrated book focused on various world folklore and traditions, coupled with 4 lps which would represent a musical. this (never completed) 4lp set would correspond to the four phases of day (dawn, morning, afternoon, night). only the first of these records (morning) would eventually see the light of day in a tiny private pressing which changes hands nowadays for obscene amounts of money. a round-the-world trip through the folklore, legends, lore and cosmogonies of some of the world’s cultures, from ancient egypt to celtic traditions… top quality new import only reissue of this incredible album. if you missed the mega-limited & long gone wah-wah reissue, grab this one quick. highly recommended.
the cathedral of junk was started in 1988 in austin texas as a backyard art project and has continually grown ever since. brett humphrey of the band x=x set up this show and when one of the bands backed out at the last moment i asked the band lead sister ii (joshua hume) to play even though i had never met him. i saw that lead sister ii was on the ikuisuus label, liked his music, and figured since we both lived in austin we should play a show together!! it turned out that it was his last day in austin before moving to japan. he was a very thoughtful polite young guy who played very intriguing music so now we have this cassette release on ikuisuus of two great austin texas bands meeting each other and playing together for the first time!!! enjoy. – carlton crutcher, book of shadows
2nd private press solo release from rafi of death chants, aswara, etc. more excellent smoked out late night sounds. pure space folk. 2 side long tracks. lovely hand water colored heavy art paper covers, with hand written text. numbered edition of only 76 copies. recommended!
these three lps were originally privately pressed by the artist(s) in minuscule editions sometime in this new century. it appears that very few copies were circulated outside a close circle of acquaintances and it was only by chance/luck that they found their way to us. each lp contained no information whatsoever, the only hint was the name stamped on the plain white jacket. clouding matters even further was the fact that each of the three albums bore a different moniker. musically the lps share a consistent solitary vision, one that treads an inward-looking path that leads to far-reaching psychedelic excursions.”boots” is a prime example of the range of these albums. side one features five tracks of acoustic guitar and raw vocal accompaniment heavy on the loner vibes. the flip changes directions entirely, offering a wild ride of percussion and electronics. likewise,”c.c – live at rainbows end” follows a similar course, although the mood is somewhat less solemn (though no less introspective) on the tracks featuring voice and guitar. the counterpoint here is the near side-long track of barely audible field recordings from an unrecognizable location.”snake & remus – no tape outside” is a continuation of sound and thought. interchangeably piano, electronics and percussion supplement the songwriter, adding a haunting layer to the already subdued mood. the final side contains instrumental passages of processed guitar strum that weave delicate waves. the lps are presented in a box, its own cryptic coffin perhaps, with individual stamped jackets consistent with the original lps. as it says, “it’s just a box man”… very gone stuff here that fits right in with the best of the ultra underground 90s private press vortex. recommended… possible connection to those long gone terry & jim collins lps, maybe arian sample & tommy roundtree too? you take a listen and decide….
long regarded as musical pioneers, boredoms have continually pushed sonic boundaries and inspired musicians for over 20 years. their albums and their performances defy categorization, each one a completely unique event. after only being released on cd in japan, thrill jockey is proud to bring super roots 10 to the us. the album is only available as a limited 2 x 12” release. the album is produced by eye and all the artwork was created and designed by eye as well. super roots 10 features a remix from norwegian artist lindstrøm who has released music on the label smalltown supersound and has also done remixes for franz ferdinand, lcd soundsystem, and the juan mcclean. also featured is a remix from japanese artist altz who has recorded albums for bear funk and jet set records japan and previously done remixes for the boredoms in addition to tal m. klein, cro-magnon, and harp on mouth sextet. boredom’s music is very rarely available domestically on vinyl. this 2×12” is pressed on two high quality virgin vinyl lps at rti and is cut at 45 rpm for maximum fidelity. includes a 24”x 24” full-color poster of artwork from eye. super roots 10 is limited to 2,000 copies. this is sure to sell out upon release.
totally insane & wonderful art object here. price is a doozy, but this thing is superb. this special japanese only box set version is limited to only 500 copies. includes a full 2nd lp of bonus material, both lps pressed on audiophile clear, instead of black, vinyl, a dvd with full packaging, as well as a 50 page, full color, hard cover, embossed, deluxe cloth bound book… all packaged together in a heavy clear plastic box with irridescent metallic printed cover and official seal. yowzer. just one copy left here!
second breath of the occultists. alchemical dispersal and hex dilution. features one member each from brothers of the occult sisterhood, terracid and 6majik9. formation like a triangle but with fewer angles, a single point. drifting outsider strum and trance while watching the suns light fade and the colors shift, then inside amongst the cables and fields, under a flowers thought. free jizz? … nice hand made packaging as you’d expect.
new cdr from this american experimentalist who’s had previous releases on reverb worship and basses frequences. six tracks across only 19 minutes, totally far out dream tone keys blending into one another pushing you into an almost nightmarish state of mind. eternal could almost work as a 70s italian horror soundtrack with its minimal blurred humming almost reminiscent of some kind of devil organ. limited to 100 copies. pro-manufactured cdrs with on disc print.
new cdr from this american experimentalist who’s had previous releases on reverb worship and basses frequencies. six tracks across only 19 minutes, totally far out dream tone keys blending into one another pushing you into an almost nightmarish state of mind. eternal could almost work as a 70s italian horror soundtrack with its minimal blurred humming almost reminiscent of some kind of devil organ. limited to 100 copies. pro-manufactured cdrs with on disc print.
all songs by ayal senior. you may know ayal from his preface to john faheys last book “vampire vultures.” first in a series of five releases on beniffer dedicated to torontos most prolific outsider folkie, edition of 50.” – beniffer editions.
pictured in all its tantalizing, eye-popping glory in hans pokora’s 1001 record collector dreams, this hellishly-rare austrian avant garde lp from 1972 is nothing short of astonishing. there are no instruments, but rather varying configurations of solo, duo and ensemble vocal improvisations, presumably informed by the aforementioned (and nearly impenetrable) code (or “charts”). although this might be seen as part of an interesting continuum, this unique and prescient music will stun even the most astute followers of outsider art. describe it, you say? sweet jesus! “shape note singing for acidheads,” perhaps? from an avant-classical perspective, one might mention late-’60s penderecki as a possible reference point (along with ligeti, or perhaps even nono). in improvised music, the spontaneous music ensemble’s larger workshop groups similarly feature masses of vocal sounds; comparisons with alan watts’ this is it are as plausible as they are inevitable. ultimately, though, nothing will quite prepare you for this lp. in fact, when an original copy landed at nero’s neptune headquarters, one notorious “outsider” label chief/collector extraordinaire’s peni-meter became so perilously engorged, that he nearly burst with envy, casting ridiculous offers of rare wax and unmentionable “favors” nero’s neptune’s way while begging to let him take over. in other words, it is strongly recommended that you purchase this limited reissue while you can, while securing appropriate spiritual condiments for the trip. after all, you can be anyone this time around. strictly limited edition of 500 copies only. packaged in high-gloss, tip-on sleeves, and pressed on 180 gram vinyl.
previously reissued on cd by sunbeam, now issued on deluxe lp format as well; 180 gram pressing. the third and final album by the edinburgh-based duo of david mcniven (ex-human beast) and angie rew was barely released in 1971, but has gone on to become one of the most treasured “acid folk” albums of all time. comprising the epic, 21-minute title track and four unforgettable stand-alone songs, amaryllis features a heady, trippy blend of true acoustic melodies as well as outstanding support from musicians including danny thompson and terry cox of pentangle, and is an essential purchase for all fans of psychedelic singer-songwriting… highly recommended lp sounding better then ever on nice audiophile vinyl. nice!
mckinley jones (ex-expo ‘70) dollops out a spoonful of star-gazing cosmic folk/astral flower picking, full of fly-by guitar buzz and synth warbles, melted field recordings intertwined, dipping from dark vibes to light all the way to the melodious happy ending. a short but sweet collection full of interesting twists and turns in a cohesive vision of nights laid out in the grass dreaming of blooming lands. tied up in wrap-around sewn wallpaper border pouches with an insert and a flower bud. edition of 50.
james blackshaw & jozef van wissem form a holy alliance on this palindromatic masterwork… totally fantastic album of lifted lute & 12 string bliss. limited to 1000. very recommended.
here’s an assemblage of seemingly disparate recordings, including one tale of selling clam chowder to the russians. it’s not instrumental per se, but, as the title suggests, contains ‘no sung words.’ think of it as the appetizer for what david brant (you’ve seen him playing bass in vollmar) has up his sleeve with this exciting new project.
this is a self-released debut vinyl record made up of music for 4 and 6 steel-stringed guitars and one piece for piano. no vocals… but if you listen close… recorded in ohio, new mexico and montana between 2007-2009. jackets printed by stumptown printers. hand-numbered; in an edition of 305 copies… really sweet new out-of-nowhere private press solo guitar lp with a thick lonesome vibe. recommended.
wild slab from this minneapolis brother/sister duo, ripping through some very damaged high energy garage rawk mischief. white stripes for acid heads? who knows – sweet eye-popping screenprinted covers. some are glow-in-the-dark style, some are silver. both are lovely. edition of 500.
newest release on big blood’s tiny private cdr label from s. br. oak of upside-down cross, deceh, etc. seriously zoned-out ultra lo-fi hiss saturated acoustic ragas, machinery hums, cut-up meditations, and an awesome totally blown-out version of ‘dark is the color of my true loves hair’… lovely screen printed doubled-sided art paper covers with inserts. nice.
…we like to play with fire and also botos like this… flaming tunes catching with angels chants… we accept the bet for the winner!!another 9 crazy trip from the massive band from blissland handmade hard cardboard limited to 116 copies.
as far as the southern hemisphere goes, australia’s budding underground has often played second fiddle to that of it’s island neighbor, new zealand. but a new crop of aussies is levelling the playing field. leading the way is the brother/sister duo of michael and kristina donnelly aka brothers of the occult sisterhood. these cosmic travelers are soaked to the bone in dust, like relics from the past. they speak only in tongues and send out shortwave psychedelic radio transmissions into the bleeding edges of drugged-out folk sludge. botos’ organic compositions are familiar to many by now. after a string of cd-r releases on time-lag, celebrate psi-phenomenon, and others, this is their first pro-pressed offering. building on transcendent themes and saturating everything in an all-encompassing puff of bong smoke. endless walls of instrumentation create artificial bounderies that the donnellys destroy with far-reaching, hypnotic drones. by the time “goodbye” comes to a grinding halt, it feels like the stuff of legend. brothers of the occult sisterhood are only interested in blowing your skull to smithereens while cradling you in their arms. they are simply magnificent, and there aren’t many doing it better these days. the first 500 copies come in silkscreened sleeves done by the new zealand crazies at united fairy moons.
as far as the southern hemisphere goes, australia’s budding underground has often played second fiddle to that of it’s island neighbor, new zealand. but a new crop of aussies is levelling the playing field. leading the way is the brother/sister duo of michael and kristina donnelly aka brothers of the occult sisterhood. these cosmic travelers are soaked to the bone in dust, like relics from the past. they speak only in tongues and send out shortwave psychedelic radio transmissions into the bleeding edges of drugged-out folk sludge. botos’ organic compositions are familiar to many by now. after a string of cd-r releases on time-lag, celebrate psi-phenomenon, and others, this is their first pro-pressed offering. building on transcendent themes and saturating everything in an all-encompassing puff of bong smoke. endless walls of instrumentation create artificial bounderies that the donnellys destroy with far-reaching, hypnotic drones. by the time “goodbye” comes to a grinding halt, it feels like the stuff of legend. brothers of the occult sisterhood are only interested in blowing your skull to smithereens while cradling you in their arms. they are simply magnificent, and there aren’t many doing it better these days. the first 500 copies come in silkscreened sleeves done by the new zealand crazies at united fairy moons.
they’re back…your favorite australian improv band was everywhere from 2004 to 2007. so many great releases out on digitalis, student of ducay, mymwly, root strata…and then a little break happened. since a couple of months the collective has returned, mostly with 6majik9 records. now we’re proud to release the first botos cd-r for a long time. recorded in 2008, team lead by drummer michael donnelly features joel stern on guitar for a free improv jam full of percussion and electricity, far beyond the psyche folk genre. artwork by michael donnelly. 100 copies.
one track, 45 minutes of sonic tripping. many many parts seamlessly (seemingly) flowing in and out of one another. tribal, witchy, cataclysmic. dig it. music from down under. way down under. features incredible new art from cory card designed specifically for this release. edition of 123.
original, sealed tapes from the 80s, although she updated the dates
every time she did a new pressing (sounds of the sea is from 1981 but
says 1990)… joanna brouk was an extremely early new age type musician who had a radio show on kpfa even before hearts of space. she put out five tapes of music recorded between 1976 and 1982. you can hear an early interview (1972) and some of her most minimal and severe drone music via this link: http://disquiet.com/2008/02/28/joanna-brouk/ … two side-length pieces — maggis flute and healing music. maggi is maggi payne of lovely records fame, today an instructor at mills college. this long improvisation based on brouks directions later provided the basis for a short symphonic piece by brouk in the mid 80s. healing music (1976) is one of brouks first piano works, a self-taught rondo of deep, hypnotic power. – yoga.
original, sealed tapes from the 80s, although she updated the dates every time she did a new pressing (sounds of the sea is from 1981 but says 1990)… joanna brouk was an extremely early new age type musician who had a radio show on kpfa even before hearts of space. she put out five tapes of music recorded between 1976 and 1982. you can hear an early interview (1972) and some of her most minimal and severe drone music via this link: http://disquiet.com/2008/02/28/joanna-brouk/ … brouks most unusual, ambitious, and remarkable recording consists of two side-long suites, atavesta, and the sailor and the nymph. lonesome whistles, flutes, drones whale songs, and wordless vocal wails suggest the experimental album kate bush never made, or a de-progged “sunborne” by constance demby. a startling, haunting work, highly recommended. – yoga.
original, sealed tapes from the 80s, although she updated the dates
every time she did a new pressing (sounds of the sea is from 1981 but says 1990)… joanna brouk was an extremely early new age type musician who had a radio show on kpfa even before hearts of space. she put out five tapes of music recorded between 1976 and 1982. you can hear an early interview (1972) and some of her most minimal and severe drone music via this link: http://disquiet.com/2008/02/28/joanna-brouk/ … brouks last tape (for now) finds her revisiting old themes explored on earlier recordings with the addition of digital synths. the sounds are still cosmic and weird and way ahead of the curve. great j card cover photo features ms. brouk blissing out in the woods.” – yoga.
original, sealed tapes from the 80s, although she updated the dates
every time she did a new pressing (sounds of the sea is from 1981 but says 1990)… joanna brouk was an extremely early new age type musician who had a radio show on kpfa even before hearts of space. she put out five tapes of music recorded between 1976 and 1982. you can hear an early interview (1972) and some of her most minimal and severe drone music via this link: http://disquiet.com/2008/02/28/joanna-brouk/ … early san francisco experimental music figure bill maraldo achieves remarkable, just slightly off piano tones on the side-length title piece. side two, chimes and bells / winter chimes / golden cloud layers finds brouk combining piano tapes with saron, electric piano, and moog. – yoga.
bruce blucher and paul cahill (both of trash) hook up with drummer bo martak (king loser) and singer viv crowe for a one-off single from 1994 – great long gone dose of new zealand underground lo-fi folkrock, with great female vocals and good vibes all over. on bill meyer’s excellent and all too brief roof bolt label.
what needs to be said about a band that invents a new dance for every song they make and play flute by hanging it from a car window during their tours? the wind plays the flute like buffle their casios, percussions and guitars. so we hear a pure feast of love and joy. flux of funny sounds meet clumsy and naive repetition in a way that would make holger czukay hot of jealousy in his pool. and there’s nothing better in life than to be hanging out in the breezing streets of belgian winter and be saved by buffle feeding you different kinds of vegetarian pizza slices – newest lal lal lal cassette. recommended & limited.
bull at his most righteously drugged, this third release is a mere two songs spread over a looped path of colored time. bull as guru. bull as shaman. e pluribus unum takes his past triumphs and brings them higher, to an acid-singed multi-colored height. at the end of the day, bull’s prowess on the guitar wins over everything and the result is an answer to the psychedelic wonder-bands that sprang into the scene since his last record. the instrumental answer to ‘in-a-gadda-da-vida.’ original artwork… 180gm vinyl, heavy 60s style covers. originally issued by vanguard in 1963. fantastic album! his masterpiece.
the debut release from the man who defined the folk guitar ’60s explosion. blending eastern and western styles, living on the jazz/blues line, bull’s guitar playing has influenced anyone and everyone even loosely associated with the new weird america. featuring the legendary jazz drummer billy higgins on the side-long song ‘blend’ — a song that started a genre. original artwork… 180gm vinyl, heavy 60s style covers. originally issued by vanguard in 1963. fantastic album!
considered to be one of his finest moments, bull’s second record goes beyond his first, wearing an electric halo while he continues to explore the boundaries of the guitar. ‘blend 2,’ his answer to his first record’s opus ‘blend,’ is a must have for all of those who love john fahey and six organs of admittance. a ghostly, warm record as a whole: bull is on top of his game and once again reinventing the way the ear hears the hand as it plays the guitar. original artwork… 180gm vinyl, heavy 60s style covers. originally issued by vanguard in 1963. fantastic album!
it’s not often you come across an artist you can genuinely refer to as a ‘cult legend,’ but vashti bunyan is truly that. a full thirty-five years after her only previous album, the singer returns with a new solo work, her first in all these years, and it is a breathtakingly beautiful album. far from some kind of appendage tacked onto the end of an amazing story and a past classic, lookaftering is a fully beautiful album in its own right. produced by fellow edinburgh resident max richter (who has a wonderful solo album of his own, blue notebooks), and co-arranged with bunyan, it’s a rich, beautifully arranged and stirring album. developing gradually and organically — with work initially taking place between richter and bunyan’s homes, and then at various studios in edinburgh, london and glasgow — lookaftering is anchored around bunyan’s voice and picked acoustic guitar, and richter’s piano playing and arranging. its instrumentation includes a string quartet, oboe, harp, french horn, recorder, flute, hammer dulcimer, glasses, harmonium, and rhodes piano, and it features contributions from joanna newsom, devendra banhart, adem, adam pierce (mice parade), robert kirby (nick drake), otto hauser and kevin barker (espers, currituck county).
Originally released way back in 1965 on the Decca label (as just ’Vashti’, no Bunyan), “Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind” was actually the young London-based singer’s debut record. Written by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards, the song was handed to Vashti by Rolling Stones manager/guru Andrew Loog Oldham, who had recently discovered her via an industry friend. Vashti was put in the studio to record the song with the backing of a full orchestra. The track was backed by her own beautiful song, “I Want To Be Alone” on the B-side and released as a 7″-inch single in May 1965. Despite a whirlwind of promotion around the release and some very positive reviews, the single flopped and Vashti subsequently left the Decca label to pursue more pared-down ambitions. Remastered from a rare existing copy of the original 7-inch, “Some Things…” is revealed as a classic Stones-style pop stomper with a rich, full orchestral effect and a centre-point of Vashti’s inimitable vocal. Both eternal yet very much of its time, the record may have gained a slight patina of crackle and pop, yet has lost none of its charm through the decades, and somehow still manages to sound thoroughly fresh and full of wonder… limited to 1000 & recommended.
members: clay ruby – feedback, voice, paia 4700, samples, microphones, homemade oscillators, metal, organs, earth, distortion, delay, insect, reverb, electric piano and analog tape. burial hex first made itself known to aurora borealis a few years ago when browsing obscure blackened electronic treats online. the subsequent purchase delivered a rather bizarre cassette tape, totally without markings, and a cryptic, darkly printed simple cover bearing ancient symbols and occult schematics: the curses of earth, indeed. it conjured all sorts of imaginings — nocturnal rites, lonely vigils with archaic analog equipment, moonlight, madness. in 2007, aurora borealis found itself face-to-face with burial hex across the strings of the ether, in communication via email, almost wholly by accident and coincidence. taking this to be a sign, perhaps the hand of destiny, a deal was secured to release something. more instinct than reaction, no one knew what to expect. the ‘oppressive necro electronics’ of the recordings heard so far gave little idea of what lay in store, of the new depths to be explored, the madness to be embraced. initiations, the debut recording for aurora borealis, is a lengthy proposition. clocking in at one hour thirteen minutes, it represents a journey, a metaphysical odyssey of uncertain outcome. from the psycho-religious clamor of ‘will to the chapel’ with its jihadic cries, through to the somnambulant, subterranean oscillations of ‘8 pentacles,’ the way ahead is far from clear, the atmosphere claustrophobic and threatening. for fans of prurient, wolf eyes, whitehouse, dead raven choir, throbbing gristle, nurse with wound, masonna.
originally released in a micro-run of 200 in 1996 as the first release on joshua’s own feather one’s nest label, it is with deep honor and respect spirit of orr has prepared this reissue version with hopes that it will be as much a treasure to hold as the original. we have carefully used the same stampers as the original, however this edition will be pressed in colored vinyl. also included will be a booklet containing art from joshua, and an extensive set of liner notes with impressions of this record from several of your favorite record heads, angela sawyer, clint simonson, john olson, thurston moore, willie lane and more. this reissue is housed in recycled lp jackets much like the original, though this time the jackets will be reversed with taped spines and a reversal of the original art… great album finally available again! recommended!
hototogisu-the duo of uk experimentalist matthew bower (skullflower, sunroof et al.) and new york-based-guitarist marcia bassett (double leopards, zaimph, ghq)-are all about impact, about taking the physical aspect of sound and hallucinating it to the point of abstraction, so much so that for all of the complexity of their music it often sounds like it’s standing still, simply hanging in the air and vibrating without anything approaching a ‘plot’ to bring it to a point. by contrast, burning star core, the trio of drummer trevor tremaine, robert beattu on electronics (both of whom also play in hair police) and c. spencer yeh on violin and electronics, are more overtly propulsive, usurping ‘classic’ rock form via electronics and drums but still focused on momentum, on the jam as a form of structural gravity, on the unfolding of action via development over time.this all-improvised studio meeting is the perfect reconciliation of both tendencies, of hototogisu’s obsessive layering of strata after strata of violently conceived noise and of burning star core’s epic, post-kraut thunder-punk style. -david keenan, glasgow, november 2008.
limited to only 500 copies worldwide on deluxe 10″ vinyl. includes exclusive artwork insert designed by hair police’s robert beatty! the first in a 6 part series from the avant garde’s young upstart c. spencer yeh. burning star core may not be a name familiar to everyone, but in the murky world of the avant garde he is already something of a legend. notching up performances with chris corsano, thurston moore, john olson (of wolf eyes), jessica rylan, hototogisu and many more, his name has become synonymous with the new wave of avant-noise. ‘amelia’ is the first disc in a five part series which collects rarities from almost ten years of recording activity, and here we see him exploring the bubbling psychedelic world of synthesizer heavy krautrock. from the initial synth-heavy rumbling and growling of ‘i wanna make a supersonic woman of you’ it is clear that yeh is on a mission to throw your brain into a psychedelic overload of colour and creativity, but it is on the flipside – the eleven minute ‘the point of departure is no return’ that he really gets into the progressive spirit and conjures up images of tangerine dream at their best. micro-arpeggios are layered underneath gasping winds of analogue synthesizer to create something which should really be a soundtrack to some kind of late-70s fantasy sci-fi film. this is the lighter side of burning star core, but shows the kind of creativity and bubbling genius you can only expect from the mind of one so renowned – recommended.
what can i say? burnt hills. stripped down to a quartet here, burnt hills actually play louder than ever before. you want heavy? you want merciless, unflinching, guitar-wielding thug-beauty? look no further. cd-r edition of 123 with spray-stenciled vellum envelopes and mad-dog insert.
minotaur surf party firing nitrous arrows into a flaming headswim universe, a wealth of decomposing monster saturated jams, dripping n melting in a heavy golden like syrup… edition of 50.
latest missive from this free rock/noise/psych collective based in the wilds of albany, ny. easily their loudest and most pure assault on the senses yet. wild, wooly, and singular-minded in its pursuit of psychedelic krautrock-inspired oblivion. we can’t say it any better than the good folks at aquarius: “fans of freaked out psychedelic punch ups, dizzying clattery outsider free rock and getting super high and diving head first into a huge pile of drums and guitars will feel right at home.” keep an eye out for upcoming burnt hills releases on the lotus sound, qbico, ruby red, and ruralfaune too.
take a headfirst dive into a boiling pool of wild vibes. side a was vibrated into being on 3/2/09 at the helderberg house with five heads shredding to live. side b was vibrated into being on 3/19/09 at bard college with nine heads living to shred… full color paste-on art, limited & numbered edition of 99 copies only.
shred your head as five blistering guitars rage with wah wah fury, a blown out bass drops the heavy anchor, an eight-armed drummer pummels through the basement night and an amplified xylophone sprays broken glass into the clouds. reissue of the yod tapes cd-r. edition of 99 copies.
psych trip genius, burnt hills drop a 57min wild wild ride to the best possible place. truly albany’s best. play it loud and you will find all sorts of lost zones there! play it very loud and you will be re-born.
soar through the cosmos as five guitars radiate microwaves towards the sun’s core, a bass levitates over the rings of saturn and shimmering percussive clatter seals up a black hole at the edge of the universe…. co-released with noiseville…. edition of 300 copies, with paste-on art front & back.
dig the raging thunderstorm of sound as four squealing, reeling and paint peeling guitars thrash riffs, tones and cosmic bursts, a massive bass throbs and centers, propulsive dive bomb drums explode constantly and the sweet glaze of an insistent chiming xylophone rings out from the eye of the storm….one track, one hour and twenty seven seconds long….cover art by bill nace…
burnt hills meets soil sing through me for a ravaging psych blowout. features members of sunburned hand of the man, aethr myth’d, century plants, feathers, wovoka, and more! hot thick summer air pervades this one, it’s an absolutely raw and ripping 62 minute joyride. a battalion of blazing psych guitars chasing each others’ tails, pounding tribal drums, hypnotic bass grooves, a twinkling xylophone, beautifully twisted vocals, and even some magic oboe work from our danish pal troels make this a very unique document. meetings this intense don’t happen often, and there’s a reason! edition of 100.
in january 1971 legendary minneapolis psychedelic band the c a quintet, creators of one of the most sought-after and celebrated underground albums of the ’60s, trip thru hell, decided to call it a day and play one final swan-song at lake pepin high school. three tracks from this gig were hastily issued by the band in the early ’80s in response to a bootleg of the trip thru hell lp that had then recently surfaced. whilst many thought then that this was the last that would ever be heard of the band again, earlier this year two surprising events happened – 1, the original master-tape of the gig was discovered. 2, it was found to contain material far stronger than that on the old live album and also to include previously unheard original material. the band perform storming versions of ’60s classics like ‘born to be wild’ and ‘badge’ alongside originals ‘4am in new york city’ and the closing number ‘china clipper’ – the final song ever performed by the c a quintet. this will be a limited edition one-off custom pressing featuring new liner notes specially written for this edition by band founder and leader ken erwin who also supervised the remastering of these recordings – preveusly unreleased recordings. one limited limited to 500 press. 180gm vinyl. big double sided insert.
i wish it could have been a double, but its finally thirty five minutes of wax after years and years of cassection-8 for you subwolfers out there. alas, the aerobics class needs a chalkboard accompaniment and someone better check the instructors erratic heart beat, ie drew. using clock tracks, basics and a storkrugfull of gadgets, analog synthtronica is his labor of love. amazing covers screened by the instructor himself-urban music has to be heard to be believed. featuring drew ryan of flak mask, and uke of spaces corners. lp 500 pressed. multi colored screen printed, plastic jackets.
previously reissued on cd by sunbeam, now issued on deluxe 2lp format as well. vinyl mastering from original tapes at abbey road studios, pressed on 180 gram virgin vinyl. featuring incredible string band founder clive palmer, c.o.b. made some of the most imaginative and moving music of their time, and this 1972 masterpiece is considered by many to be the finest folk record ever to emerge from the british isles. an overwhelmingly beautiful and compelling collection of songs set to eastern-tinged arrangements, it’s presented here as a double lp, with a whole extra disc’s worth of bonus material (including both sides of their rare 45), as well as a deluxe gatefold sleeve, making it the most comprehensive edition of the album ever assembled… best reissue yet of this uk acidfolk classic. recommended.
in the depths of a montana winter, jasmine dreame wagner set out to record the ten tracks of searchlight needles with contributions from electronics duo cole moeller and michael wanzenried. wagner herself lends her vocals to her acoustic, electric and baritone guitars, recorders, xylophone and keyboards as scraps of distorted violin and cello itch between sounds. the result is a journey from the ice-packed slopes and fire-smoked summers of western montana to the deserts of nevada, the rolling badlands of the dakotas and the black swamps of
north carolina. each cd is hand-stamped and assembled in a limited edition of 300.
recorded in a new england pine copse and a concrete brooklyn basement, cabinet of natural curiosities’ first full length cd-r explores the rusted edges of the backwoods. each cd-r is enclosed in a hand-assembled metallic silver envelope with a silk flower embellishment. 250 copies assembled, released in five editions of 50.
clare hubbard (caethua) and andy neubauer (uke of spaces, flak mask, impractical cockpit) play the koner synth holy carols. edition of 100 with white imprinting and letterpress inserts… real sweet sounds from these local zoners. awesome package too.
clare hubbard (“caethua”) creates haunted movements, encompassing scapes of “coldness” and comfort, throughout this lp with each sorrowful ballad surrounded by terms/phrases of meditation and experimental sound collages using saxophone, singing bowls, electronics, guitars, bells, water, and recordings made while on a boat trip traveling throughout the length of the st. lawrence river. dark ambient psychedelic folk… real nice album packaged in a screen printed recycled cover with paste-on art. swirl colored vinyl.
two full length albums previously released as individual cassettes (both now out of print), gathered here together and housed within a dvd case, featuring full color artwork and a fold out poster.
finland’s marko neumann aka cahier returns with his second blast of warm air straight from the arctic. lilting drones that are conjured from a variety of sources, some electronic, some acoustic, dance like magical lights just out of reach, but close enough to feel. this sequel to cahier’s first foxglove offering puts the puzzle pieces in place so that the listener can hear the full scope of his range. the short bursts are like chance meetings in the street; like a place of refuge from the cold. cahier’s latest continues neumann’s quest to touch the sun.
dennis callaci and simon joyner are two of the foremost channelers of “the song.” simon is known for his solo recordings, with releases on jagjaguwar, truckstop, shrimper, and sing eunuchs!, among others. dennis plays in refrigerator and was the sole voice behind the criminally underheard paste. they are singer-songwriters in that they write songs and sing them, but that appellation dumbs down and sanitizes what they do. i think it is more accurate to say that both have a way of tapping into the stream of collective creativity that flows from god-knows-when through to the present and beyond. their songs have a gravity to them, an”old soul,” as it were, that cannot be mistaken. there are a few stylistic precursors to their work precursors that have been well-documented previously but the songs they write and sing tap into something more ineffable, timeless, and grave. stranger blues set comprises three of simon’s songs and two by dennis, all recorded live in the callaci living room to what seems to be a single microphone. the nontraditional (or better: non-studio) setting adds a palpable sensation of space to the recordings by space i do not simply mean the warmth of the room tone, but actual space: backing vocals and spare piano or guitar lines arise in such a way that you are aware of the physical geography of the room. you can hear simon singing along with dennis from an actual distance away; his voice is (literally) distant and all the more forlorn. the guitar lines that dennis adds to flesh-out simon’s songs have the same eerie effect. this sense of space underscores two seemingly contradictory strengths about stranger blues. on one hand, these songs are beautifully lonely and spare, highlighted by the echoes and distance in the room. at the same time, it is clear that two songwriters who know and love the other’s work, who are very much working in tandem to build upon each others strengths. single edition of 500 one-sided lps. silkscreened and hand assembled chipboard jackets in a”traditional” catsup plate brown butchers tape design scheme.
traditions don’t often go softly into the night. they may fest under the surface of things for a while, but they don’t truly disappear. the lost domain’s john henry calvinist prepares a set of limestone-dusted originals which snake their way through the muddy rivers of days gone by. dirt-soaked radio transmissions from distant dimensions scorch the reels and get things moving. there’s enough space in these towering guitar explorations to suck marrow from the sky. these back porch acoustic blues sing to the heavens,”come down and get me, i’m just waiting – ‘ edition of 100.
canamii’s concept is a great obscure south african progressive folk rock album with excellent female vocals by claire whittaker. it reminds of the best uk mid ’70s progressive groups. a must have for all spriguns, renaissance and early curved air fans. insert with group photos and lyrics included. limited edition, deluxe 180 gram vinyl, from the original master tapes, exact reproduction of the original artwork.
the sole album of the canterbury music festival. only 150 copies were pressed in 1968. the album has an almost willfully secret pop-sike masterpiece of sorts – on the obscure and collectable bt puppy label owned by the legendary doo wopper tokens. this album contains the complete bt puppy recordings, and is one of the rarest albums in the entire collectable soft rock genre! – pretty awesome dreamy sun soaked lite psych obsurity. amazing heavy cover exact repro with insert, poster, obi, and heavy audiophile vinyl. limited to 500 copies.
on bloodstream sermon, san francisco’s jefre cantu-ledesma (of tarentel and the root strata label) presents a deep, drifting pair of extended drone works. with a precise sense of focus for agreeing tonal arrangement, jcl’s compositions for roland juno 60, pure wave oscillator, and electronics recall the shifting exactness of la monte young’s geometric based frequency pairings. bloodstream sermon’s meditative tracks create a breathing space within their own existence, a break from temporal consciousness. imbued with a rich sense of beauty and calming potential; a subtle care. learning to accept; letting go, becoming oneself. in an edition of 150 copies with full color cardstock covers and labeled tapes.
many people watching the ebay auctions were surprised seeing this album selling for nearly 3500 euro each. before that, this album was completely unknown. captain marry are from glasgow, scotland and recorded this demo album in 1974, released in a tiny pressing on the thor label, hopefully to get a emi or chrysalis deal. they wanted to record only a single but came up with a complete album of self-composed tracks. since it was not that easy for a scottish band to get attention down in london, this album was the only pressing ever done and sold at band gigs only. 5 musicians, great organ, vocals, extra heavy fuzz-guitar, drums and bass; amazing underground songs, influenced by deep purple, uriah heep and beggars opera, a true lost classic. we were lucky to find the band to made a deal so this beauty can conquer the world of rock music… numbered edition of 500 copies on 180gm vinyl, heavy cover, and insert.
car commericals are generally uncomfortable; probably shifty-eyed loners that barely leave the basement. their brand of strictly personal suburban ooze was borne deep within the recesses of new jersey, just east of i-95. more specifically, this music springs from inside that unspeakable zone deep within the mind where feelings get very messy. david sutton and daniel dimaggio, the duo known as car commercials, make mysterious fake rock clatter for heavy petting (yeah right). following a brief stint as gt performers, daniel and david began to make duo recordings as car commercials a few years ago, releasing their creepy missives in small runs, mostly for sutton’s leaf leaf label. the two have tapped into an aspect of nonsensical nihilism that makes jad fair’s early recordings so alluring, but have forgone his obsession with cartoon horror and monster movies in favor of faces of death i thru vi. eric’s diary is the second lp release from car commericals, following the out-of-print judy’s dust lp (cenotaph) from early 2008. those confounded by judy’s dust will be pleased to know that eric’s diary is where things get…intense. breathe deep, and prepare to scratch yr head faster than you can say ‘home blitz.’ lp edition of 200 with full color paste-on sleeves… great!
judy’s dust is the debut full-length lp by car commercials of new brunswick, new jersey. here, the duo of david sutton (friends and family, current amnesia, ladderwoe) and daniel dimaggio (home blitz) expand on the rock/mumble strategies from the self-released jar 7″ (leaf leaf, 2006) and a couple cassettes kicked around the new jersey underpasses. contains twelve songs of missing spaces, too much center ice, drums and wires, varispeed recording techniques, and facing backwards – all from the other side of the e street. limited to 300 copies… paste-on full size/full color art front & back, plus a couple inserts.
this may be the end is a tapestry of intricately repeating guitar phrases woven into layers of interlocking, syncopated, phase in/phase out patterns…a melodic rhythm that will keep your head bobbing as much as spinning. melodic lines (often expressed through layered ebows) enter as quickly as they depart, leaving no central theme except the interlocking reichian pattern. this may be the end feels almost like two pieces of music with a bridge of synthesized waves between the two patterns, the latter being a more subtle come down to the vortex of chaotic bliss in the first section. long hallway, three slightly open doors is a step in a different direction, without a central rhythmic or melodic theme, the piece is a beautifully meandering stumble of notes falling from the guitar. a perfect counterpart to the first piece’s tenseness, long hallway is loose, patient and indirect about it’s objectives, causing the listener to react more than anticipate. recorded in his home studio, nada sound studio, from 2003 to 2006, both pieces are a far cry from carbonara’s solo guitar work, showing his depth as an arranger/composer in the studio beyond that of a solo improviser.
extra epic double disc. pretty great self released disc from france-by-way-of-brooklyn solo bedroom psych-out dronefolk trip. long layered & echo soaked excursions run into starker acidfolk ‘songs’ proper. interesting & well executed stuff with piles of acoustic & electric guitars, flutes, sitar, fuzz, drums, synth, and effective warm vocals. i can see folks who dig the rougher sound of natural snow buildings or cursillistas doing well to check this stuff out. chipboard covers with paste-on color art, hand titled spine, etc. nice.
pretty great self released disc from france-by-way-of-brooklyn solo bedroom psych-out dronefolk trip. long layered & echo soaked excursions run into starker acidfolk ‘songs’ proper. interesting & well executed stuff with piles of acoustic & electric guitars, flutes, sitar, fuzz, drums, synth, and effective warm vocals. i can see folks who dig the rougher sound of natural snow buildings or cursillistas doing well to check this stuff out. chipboard covers with paste-on color art, hand titled spine, etc. nice.
pretty great self released disc from france-by-way-of-brooklyn solo bedroom psych-out dronefolk trip. long layered & echo soaked excursions run into starker acidfolk ‘songs’ proper. interesting & well executed stuff with piles of acoustic & electric guitars, flutes, sitar, fuzz, drums, synth, and effective warm vocals. i can see folks who dig the rougher sound of natural snow buildings or cursillistas doing well to check this stuff out. chipboard covers with paste-on color art, hand titled spine, etc. nice.
i’m wrapping my head in plaster of paris. i will then dunk it in a barrel of brine before diving into the la brea tar pits. sure its suffocating, but my dying, muffled gasps will be overpowered by the sounds pumping through my headphones, headphones running to my cheap, portable cd player which is, miraculously, not struggling with this black-bottomed cd-r. it never likes cd-r’s but this time its different. the scuzzed-out fuck-folk of card & snyder jams my eardrums till my nose runs. these lo-fi cantatas are last rites for all the wicked and i’m listening hard and close. rock n roll rumbles in and out of the proceedings, but mostly what we have here are the sounds of card and snyder’s dark and sweaty wet-dreams; fried-out electronics and peasant drones. the end of it ripples on and on, beautifully, jarringly, like your buddha machine being cooked inside a thanksgiving turkey. or even better: an easter ham. get it and rejoice! – indieworkshop.
germany, 1978. how these lads could record an album like this in 1978? absolutely early ’70s sounding progressive & psychedelic folk-rock masterpiece of the first order! entirely sung in english by an incredibly young female vocalist, beate krause, only 16 when recording! long tracks with excellent, killer acid guitar solos, and moog! if you like groups like mellow candle or pentangle, no doubt you need to purchase this one fast. often praised as ’the best prog-folk record ever,’ we don’t know if such a thing is true, but we can definitely say this is an absolute classic of the genre. besides that, the original label pressed only 200 copies of the lp, imagine how hard to find this is — so here you have a new vinyl reissue of this wonderful record, with killer remastered sound, an insert with photos and liner notes, licensed by the band and in a limited edition of 700 copies… very cool cosmic psych sounds.
this split cassette captures just a little slice of the manchester / nottingham / sheffield area young improv scene. got the pleasure of meeting and performing on the same bill with some of these folks back in march and recognized right away that something interesting was brewing there. total duo action going on with this release, sophie and kelly kick out some epic intricate folky guitar action as cooper jones, and on the flip side patrick and pascal break on some sprawling percussion and drum storms as cars. lots of movement here, this is a long document, capturing the flow of what these two groups do. silkscreened artwork by ryan garbage… out of print for awhile now, and a great one!
christina carter (charalambides, et al.) has a gift. in a world where most people shy away from the truth, from honesty in emotion, christina has the strength to address those feelings head on through her music. within the songs of original darkness, she confronts loneliness, self doubt, inadequacy and desire. she bares these emotions in a sometimes tender, sometimes forceful, sometimes pleading voice, a voice in which you can hear her vulnerability, her trepidation. christina’s words, and the mournful sound of them, stirs a melancholy that is supported and framed by her gently plucked guitar notes, notes that echo the sadness in the world she sings of, as well as the words she sings. these ten new songs are effective at painting pictures, exposing the underbelly of what we all really think but most will not say, of what we all really feel but push away. with the addition of gentle bells and occasional keyboards, christina reminds us of what it means to be honestly human.
just over 40 minutes across two tracks of odd outsider folk psychedila weirdness from tom carter (charalambides) and shawn mcmillen. they previously had a cdr on carbon in its 10 year series… extremely limited & instantly out of print. a rather great & unique one too…
there’s not much to say. one sunny afternoon in california two people came together in a small room in rocklin, a suburb of sacramento, and started playing music. a few hours later they stopped, one of them to welcome his wife home from her day of work, the other to retrieve his girlfriend from her mother’s house and make the drive back to the bay area. but what is revealed on tape from those few hours is simply remarkable: a musical landscape that is intense, searching, and emotionally resonant in ways that are unexpected and unwarranted. one of the two, tom carter, has spent his entire career in the world of improvisational music, with his regular group charalambides, as a solo performer, and as a member of various other groups devoted to free improvisation and psych-folk. the other, christian kiefer, is primarily known for three releases on australia’s legendary experimental music label, extreme, albums that waffle between folk-ambience soundscapes and singersongwriter material… hand numbered pressing of 500 only and it comes in gorgeous 3 panel silk screened sleeve designed and printed by rob fisk of deerhoof, badgerlore, etc.
there’s not much to say. one sunny afternoon in california two people came together in a small room in rocklin, a suburb of sacramento, and started playing music. a few hours later they stopped, one of them to welcome his wife home from her day of work, the other to retrieve his girlfriend from her mother’s house and make the drive back to the bay area. but what is revealed on tape from those few hours is simply remarkable: a musical landscape that is intense, searching, and emotionally resonant in ways that are unexpected and unwarranted. one of the two, tom carter, has spent his entire career in the world of improvisational music, with his regular group charalambides, as a solo performer, and as a member of various other groups devoted to free improvisation and psych-folk. the other, christian kiefer, is primarily known for three releases on australia’s legendary experimental music label, extreme, albums that waffle between folk-ambience soundscapes and singersongwriter material… hand numbered pressing of 500 only and it comes in gorgeous 3 panel silk screened sleeve designed and printed by rob fisk of deerhoof, badgerlore, etc.
relentlessly looped fuzz wah spun into muzzy knots around dazed spectators’ heads, crumbling into fragmenting crumbs of varying bit depth. presented in two longish improv settings (recorded during a residency in louvain-la-neuve belgium by daniel duchamp, in paul labrecque’s basement), and one short blast recorded before a very zoned audience in berlin by steve gunn, laid down during the massively psyched out ghq / tom carter tour in europe, spring 2008. edition of 100, gatefold silkscreen covers.
solo guitar psych drone explorations from tom carter, of charalambides, of course. floating sound pools of vibrating electric tones. sweet full color double sided oversized fold out packaging. limited to 150 copies & out of print.
three variations on a song by christina enclosing more abstract explorations of the properties of vibrating strings. same ballpark as root king, more documentarian approach. hand folded & painted covers, edition of 200.
since the early ’90s, tom carter has played as one-half of the essential charalambides. during that time, carter also released a handful of solo albums on his own wholly other imprint as well as a recent reissue on the seminal kranky records. with these he also proved to be an extremely capable solo artist. since relocating to oakland, carter has also joined forces with ben chasny and rob fisk as a regular member of badgerlore, while also playing in various outfits with robert horton.”glyph” was originally issued as a limited-edition cd-r on the aforementioned wholly other. it is long-since out-of-print. this reissue of these remastered tracks breathes new life into the pieces. what is most striking is the warmth that pervades this entire album. with one piece for steel string acoustic guitar, another for lap steel, and the final (and shortest) on nylon string acoustic, there is diversity amongst the cogent thread that holds it all together. carter’s improvisations speak volumes without saying a word, and”glyph” is one of his finest achievements to date. it is an ode to the last year of his life in austin, texas and all that it contained. as stated in tom’s liner notes for the reissue,”i regret nothing yet i miss texas and its unpressured passage of time, the ability to create an oppositional universe under the nose of redneck reality, the cicadas, the hot green light through afternoon trees, rolling joints in a lawn chair. “glyph” is all of these things and more, depicted in an aural form that only tom carter could create. first 500 come in gatefold sleeves, silk-screened on one side by rob fisk (free porcupine society) and spraypainted on the other by tom.
here it is! the first 7″ in the anthem records singles series. a series of super limited, one sided 7″ singles. carter crams two tracks onto this one. the first a sparse lap steel wanderer, the second a full on wall of riff with backward guitars, it’s chaos and beauty! limited to 211 copies. packaged in a sweet embossed, hand stamped, stitched art paper cover. numbered edition.
second solo release (first if cdrs don’t count) by charalambides member tom carter. white les paul copy, lap steel, and a purloined bell collection layered into three long tracks of string moan and slithering hum. a manifesto of grounding during an uprooted time, an attempt to bend in the wind. a slice of a long winter and a momentary flash of cranially pooled guitar sound suddenly scattered by unexpected freedom. a guitar album (mostly). pressed in an edition of 533 copies with printed sleeves and very nice artwork by tom carter.
this is the companion release to the tom carter cd titled shots at infinity 1 being release on important simultaneously. shots at infinity 2 is two long live tracks in the same mode as shots at infinity 1, but more cut loose and blown out, recorded in nemo bidstrup’s record store and burnt hills’ basement jam zone. tom carter is a guitar player best known for his work with acclaimed psych-drone iconoclasts charalambides. since 2000, however, he has become increasingly active as not only a solo artist but as a collaborator. he has performed with improvising musicians as diverse as thurston moore, jandek, tetuzi akiyama, matt valentine, and many others, as well as being a key member in groups like badgerlore (with ben chasny of six organs of admittance), friday group, mudsuckers (with robert horton and the yellow swans), and zaika (with marcia bassett of the double leopards and hototogisu). carter’s solo work covers a lot of territory, but latter-day sightings show him to be concentrating on looped guitar drones of immensely stacked beauty, with heaps of psychedelic melodic content missing from the repertoires of many noise and drone bands. his influences include everyone from lamonte young to david crosby… limited vinyl.
warm and warbling full-bodied drone from paul (aswara / muntjac / death chants) with alison & michael (death chants, moon pie). cool elaborate hand made packaging. must be pretty limited.
during the last euro tour of wolf eyes, john olson (of american tapes, spykes, guam river etc – ) and mike connelly (of gods of tundra, hair police, failing lights etc – ) decided it was enough! they screamed “i’m not going to bed!!! i never wanne sleep again!!!”, they missed their flights and stayed in antwerp with the ultra audiobored horror crew for 7 more weeks without food and drinks, just dry weed and cancerbags to suck on! after that intense test to see if they could adapt to the antwerp life style, they finally met up with legendary belgian eccentric cacti and hat collector cassis cornuta, this psychadelic caracter brought his whole space synth and tape lab over to radio centraal to record an intense last gasp jam with the hardly breathing olson and connelly, the end result is an amazing trip to space and back to the mental hospital! like pouring lighter fluid and tabasco up your genitals or like olson states it so beautifully; like pissing on your own hand, freezing it and then using it as a lollypop for 5 days! comes in a gross 6 panel cover design and with an etch on the b side! – very limited. amazing packaging!
first release from this danish project. tapes have been dug up from many older sessions, and this is the result. ’the dry, heavy shape reaches out’ is one long hypnotic drone-noise-rock track, designed to make you bleed (please play it loud)… cool deep underground sound packaged in a painted cloth shroud. very limited.
underwater peoples records is proud to peddle one of this world’s constantly enjoyable phenomena.. rock n’ roll!!! and today, in the fine tradition of rock spirit, we are proud to announce the release of a split 7” record from andrew cedermark (born in beautiful glen rock, nj/formerly of titus andronicus) and family portrait (front man evan brody hails from ridgewood, nj).despite being two very different artists, both bands emit towers of sound and giant walls of melodic noise, making this pairing a diverse yet cohesive record. the recordings also feature friends and fellow musicians martin courtney (real estate, bass guitar on hard livin’) and julian lynch (clarinet on super cool).
the tenth release on tape drift brings us back to the first, with a brand new offering from century plants. the first in a multiple volume series, “circular spaces, vol. 1″ finds hardiman and hare in particularly fine form, showing how far they’ve come since their debut. this one splits the difference between their melodic and noisy extremes, with two beautifully intense guitar workouts and a long excursion into the depths of sonic abstraction unlike anything else they’ve committed to tape yet. debut lp out soon on music fellowship!
last november we put together an amazing show here in buffalo featuring a spectrum of -house and alchemy- friends/partners, past, present and future. century plants were the future. and, that future is now. featuring their set from that wonderful night in buffalo and another live set, electrics is century plants in top form. cd-r edition of 123 in sleeves with full color artwork by katheryn richards.
ceylon mange is the trio of dylan nyoukis (chocolate monk proprietor and sound molder in blood stereo, decaer pinga), karen constance (blood stereo, smack music 7) and bill nace (x.o.4, vampire belt). the maiming path extends from the group’s previous mind melts with two side long (de)constructions that are assembled from a variety of mangled loops and electronics, guitar feedback/slaughter and cromagnon vocals. the results are a murky stew, as each emerging sound creeps upon the listener like a blackened sloth nightmare. it’s the type of organic brain tangle that is rarely unleashed by the spirits these days. the lp is pressed in an edition of 410 and housed in a full-colour printed sleeve featuring karen’s outsider artwork – killer dirty droning noise. out of print first pressing.
a great puerto rican garage psych group who sang in english, with pleasant multi-part vocal leads sitting atop more engrossing latin rhythms and instrumental flourishes, fine fuzz guitar work and screaming farfisa organ. this is the first time reissue for lp of this rare central-south american psychedelic vinyl – elaborate lp-only reissue, super heavy full color gatefold sleeve, poster and obi – awesome album!
a great puerto rican garage psych group who sang in english, with pleasant multi-part vocal leads sitting atop more engrossing latin rhythms and instrumental flourishes, fine fuzz guitar work and screaming farfisa organ. this is the first time reissue for lp of this rare central-south american psychedelic vinyl – elaborate lp-only reissue, super heavy full color gatefold sleeve, poster and obi – awesome album!
a rare document of a brief arc in charalambides’ 17 year (and counting) trajectory, somewhere between the extreme spatial attenuation of the long gone crucial blast cdr being as is and the gentle intergalactic trio sway of the kranky disk unknown spin – and quite distance from both the exclamatory exhalations of joy shapes and the layered songcraft of likeness. these are spartan duets of formalistic near-symmetry, a reminder that there was a time when charalambides swung as close to the axis of incus and fmp as to that of takoma and esp. christina (voice) and tom carter (guitar) improvise non-textual melodic lines around an locus of mirror clarity, occasionally overlapping various strands using two dat machines and a mixing board, in a nod to the pre protools digital scrap heap. originally issued as a peter king lathe cut lp on eclipse records in an edition of 100 in 2000, the reissue of this extreme rarity is remastered from a superior source for maximum clarity. inkblot artwork courtesy of heather leigh murray. the whole package is dedicated to bruce connor (r.i.p.). the reissue at hand is an edition of 500, with fold-over printed sleeves in the style of electricity ghosts.
long-, long-, long-, loooooong-awaited and singular entry in the charalambides and klang industries discographies; one of those “does it really exist?” items that’s finally seeing daylight, or moonlight. a stark, unsettling and beautiful slice of duo charlambides invocation/incantation, taken from the period between jason bill and heather leigh murray’s tenures with the band and featuring extraordinary chord organ and vocal work from christina and some signature lap steel mastery from tom. fans of the band’s most recent, more song-based work will find this relevatory, long-time listeners will say “ahhhh” and settle in for the flight. heavy vinyl, limited pressing, cover handiwork by tom, the first release in years from klang and a sign perhaps of a truly epic revival… nice!
new release of eldritch origin featuring historic recordings of two nearly-complete sets from the “market square”-era charalambides lineup, featuring the core duo of tom & christina carter + jason bill. one side is from the cooler, nyc, at the 1995 cmj fest (swirling vox sound courtesy kurt wolf), where strapping fieldhands got their fender twin stolen, and bill orcutt & i witnessed the unrepentant use of string-eze by the gtrist from cobra verde. the other side is from the 1994 siltbreeze festival at the khyber pass in philly. both sets consist of freak-rock tracks from “market square” & “strangle the wretched heavens,” heavy on analog atmosphere & ecstatic/blown-out gtr/vox interconnectivity.
charlie nothing & dingulator was one of the seemingly myriad 80s charlie nothing cassettes and it’s inclusion was, in part, intended within a 2cd anthology that we’d planned but the amount of material is too great and the moments therein are too grand to even dream of an edit. although this is fairly late in mr nothing’s oeuvre, we can’t think of a more fully realized statement regarding the scope of his playing recycled automotive steel guitars and the performing of his big dingulator song sweet (or suite, as it were, a concept of his that implied all songs were but one song) than a reissue of this 1985 manifesto-like piece. what you are about to hear, is dingulation…
it is with great excitement that three lobed announces the privilege of releasing for hans chew his debut solo release, a 7” featuring both “new cypress grove boogie” and “forever again.” hans chew’s skill as a piano player has previously been on display both in a complementary fashion to jack rose (appearing as a member of jack’s live backing band at arthurdesh as well as on both the black dirt sessions and luck in the valley) and as a integral member of d. charles speer & the helix (including his vocal turns on both “life insurance” off distillation and “bar-abbas blues” off the “in madagascar” 7”). this new single offers an expanded glimpse at not only chew’s songwriting prowess but also his powerful boogie-blues, bar-rockin’ piano skills. both tracks presented on this 7” are slated to appear on chew’s forthcoming debut album, tennessee and other stories, but appear in different versions exclusive to this release. the 7” itself is a vivid picture disc bearing stunning shots by jake cunningham and comes from a limited edition of 500 copies, each accompanied by a download coupon for drm-free 320kbps mp3s. this record is a joint release between three lobed and divide by zero. due to co-release nature, three lobed has limited stock.
from biel switzerland, comes this little known group. one of the few all-girl bands (along with kleenex/lilliput) to come out of the early 80’s swiss punk scene. chin chin definitely considered themselves a punk band. although their catchy pop vocals and harmonies strongly aligned them with the burgeoning c86 scene. they shared bills with the shop assistants, television personalities, the pogues and new model army, before the band drifted into obscurity. this 7″ was originally released in 1984 on the band’s own, farmer records. it contains 3 self-penned songs and marks their first and punkest release. keep your eyes peeled for their full length lp out soon as a split between the mississippi and slumberland labels.
brand new collaboration from the uk blurters… 3 jams of fuzzy drug psychedelia and shake ’n’ noise featuring the sheffield legend that is rob from chora who has now fled for the big city itself. laser printed yellow sleeves, limited to 60 hand numbered copies.
first release by young upstarts from sheffield and what a fine racket it is too. this live recording gives a fair estimation of the damage they’ve been doing along the highways of the uk for the past 18 months. great mixture of high end ear cleaning, nonsensical vocal-isms and eventual lapses into metronomic rythym. a mixture of noise and repitition that is not a million miles away from the area that this heat so successfully cultivated. the future is very bright indeed – transparent xeroxed/stapled covers.
psychedelic drones recorded in sheffield summer 2006, performed and recorded by ben morris and robert wye. future releases coming up on gold soundz, utech, singing knives, curor et al.
summer 06 family underground (dk) recorded with dave nuss of nnck at black dirt studios in the woods of upstate ny. the yield was as characteristically unhinged as one might expect: sweeping electronic sounds backed with wood and bone percussion spirit-conjure. however also harvested was some new and especially tasty crop: sung and spoken song, electric guitar/conga “rock,” and an odd ghostly sheen coating the entire proceeding.…
susan christie was a philly-based sophomore folk singer who had one novelty hit for a major label and never quite recovered…and afterwards, her psychedelic take on country standards and hand crafted tales of inner-city solitude that was backed by a break heavy folk-funk rhythm section was never accepted as a commercial viability by record company big-wigs: they obviously couldn’t quite muster their ‘nostradamus’ sensibilities to foresee what future hip-hop producers and djs would be feeding into digital music-machines 30 years down the line! luckily three-fifths of a handful (literally three!) privately pressed vanity copies were manufactured in early 1970, one of which became the source material for this b-music release, nesting in the finders keepers’ ever-expanding library of obscure, obtuse, obsolete and obsessive vintage music from the ’60s and ’70s. the uber-legend john hill (who penned the mind-blowing acid rock floor-filler ‘love love love love love’ for wool) produced this release: which features 8 tracks including a twelve minute drugsploitation epic called ‘yesterday – where’s my mind’ featuring the enigmatic susan flipping vocal styles between janis joplin and margo guryan (who was in fact a close friend of susan’s at the time of recording.… pretty wild & great one. nice gatefold covers. limited.
our second split cd features 45 minutes of complementary drone bliss by two prime proponents of contemporary underground drift. glasgow’s pefkin (gayle brogan of the boa melody bar mailorder) offers up one extended track in which discrete, often acoustic sounds glisten and overlap like light on a rolling ocean; while the circle and the point (a duo of buffalo-based adam richards [house of alchemy records] and la denizen grant capes [of (vxpxc) and the phantom limb label]) bring us four tracks that drag simple eno-esque melodies through an unpredictable filter of urban noise. sea air to city clatter, electronically bridged; plug in anywhere… limited to 100 or so.
post-terrastock 6, two weary travelers holed up in a spare bedroom with a random cache of instruments and various noisemakers in an attempt to unleash some of the beer-fueled steam that had built up over the previous weekend. the music here comes from two delirious afternoons, still weary from a lack of sleep, minds still overloaded from a weekend of mania- both music related and beyond. floating acoustic guitars buried in the murk of distorted electric guitars. featuring grant capes from (vxpxc), these are ideas six years in the making, now just starting to unwind. adorned with major cover art by darryl norsen – very sweet art paper paste-on packaging. limited/numbered edition of 123 copies. very nice!
years passed since the last full length – and circle bros turned from a pure ambient-esque unit into a more song-oriented unit; expect adventurous singer-song improvisation. circle bros is the project of wim lecluyse, the man behind morc records. just as with morc records, circle bros doesn’t focus on quantity – this is the first circle bros full length album since late 2001. on haven, you’ll still hear echoes from the classic drone-outfits likes of windy and carl or azusa plane, but the sound palette is no longer focussed just on guitars. organ, vocals and sound-collages give the recordings a very warm tone, and sometimes refer to the experimental pop- and folk structures of e.g. richard youngs, grouper or castanets.
… really nice new album from this overlooked project. screen printed covers, limited edition of only 143 copies.
arkades catches a session finnish group, circle, recorded exclusively for wfmu during their us tour, september 19, 2005. comprising two lengthy pieces taking up a side each,”the greatest kingdom” and “the ghost of the highway,” the record focuses on the bands often spacy improv underpinning and applies new meaning to a vision which strides powerfully over the line dividing apocalyptic dread from a semblance of hope. agonized wailing, screams and torrents of molten sound dance ghostly shapes over psychedelic keyboard patterns, distant clattering, moonlit guitars and a rhythm section so carefully tempered that its impossible not to feel the chemistry at work. coupled to a fantastic sleeve which illustrates a homage to spaghetti western films and includes fitting notes by wfmu’s program director, brian turner, arkades proves what these new wave of finnish heavy metallers are capable of when they leave most of the rock at the door. file somewhere near acid mothers temple after having been given the kinda makeover only the scandinavians have the formula for. indeed, this is sweet shit – limited!
headspin records presents the limited edition vinyl version of the tulikoira album by finnish front runners of the psychedelic, kraut, space & trance-rock scene of today with a blasting heavy guitar-drenched album. three tracks on side a and a 24-minute trippy journey on side b. a true psychedelic testimonial! housed with printed inner sleeve in deluxe gatefold sleeve! the inside of the fold-out showing the initials of what the album is all about: n.w.o.f.h.m (new wave of finnish heavy metal). the album comes with a 7″ single (with picture sleeve) featuring two unreleased and exclusive tracks with bruce duff (45 grave/jesters of destiny/ adz) on vocals… very limited!
short tape by katie and haley. a-side is their collaborative project, cro magnon, conjuring apocalyptic no-core anxiety. b-side features each of their solo projects: circuit des yeux (haley) slows it down with “fire signs” and then bird (katie) deconstructs/microtunes the acoustic rock song with free, downloadable software on “swamp cry”. edition of 100.
from a small town in the middle of the land of milk and honey, where the air is filled with the blossoming of the fruit trees for a big part of the year, comes these perfect little lilies of bands that make perfect little records that reflect this fertile and flowery region. it’s a timeless land, and making records there is possible during this surely short period of history wherein the youth of this era feel as if they’ve solved the mystery of life and love and it’s really loving that is the answer to everything. all of which has nothing at all to do with circuit des yeux and sirenium, which was made in indiana, and there aren’t exactly pipers at the gates of lafayette. sound? it’s the sound of ‘issues,’ and the sound of ‘troubles.’ you don’t get but one phone call and honey, the girl’s voice makes this message a bit rubbly anyway. take the manic snorts of captain liberty, dissonant as chalk and the next moment as melodic as sharp yet slick, metal teeth. take the mermaid, 1988, turn the tides, gently, gently away. selected breath / silences / selected feedback. take an argument you have here with an empty street while the memory of high traffic is leaking back. sirenum has a real ’spiritual food’ vibe and it’s fucking pain and pleasure relief in this real met en zonder sort of way. this world is her world, and pipe if you like it… nice one!
this is the ultimate burnout biker-psych masterpiece. finally repressed directly from tapes to flawlessly restore the cigarette burns, harley fumes, and cocaine hangovers of the original ride. this is a 40 minute recipe for complete mental breakdown. included on the acid archives’ list of top ten lps most likely to be owned by a serial killer. circuit rider is lost on the same journey as kenneth higney, nicodemus & matchez, yahowa, boa, heitkotter, dave lamb & gye whiz, raven, fraction, and the doors’ l.a. woman… legit exact reissue in super thick cover. 800 copies and gonna go fast. wicked stuff!
this is a new zealand duo (mark sadgrove, sam hamiltony)… a really beautiful 3″cdr, a nice gentle drone with some really beautiful vocals! both these guys have appeared on pseudoarcana in the past… sweet home made packaging. very limited.
brand new dead end carpetbagger blues by these born losers. this third claudio two album (following the unreleased and indefinitely shelved jazz improve cdr) finds the crew flexing their muscles a bit – from wasted bedroom metal riffs carelessly layered over each other to create a zit cream vortex, to synth / occult pieces inspired by john carpenter soundtracks and ritalin snorting, to atmospheric black metal frightmares, and decrepid blooz rock, it’s all here on this brief cd, which may or may not include the band’s first actual cover song, by french geniuses vietnam veterans. full color collage covers by local college radio personality (actually he just steals cds from the station) blake conley. only 150 copies of this one, hurry!
some folks may claim that improvisation is all about listening, but claudio two endash a new project starring partners chazz improv and norma bates (aka james and jessica toth, formerly of wwvv), and featuring the first appearance in over ten years by former golden calves vocalist max “mev” wicker endash is all about the opposite. recorded in various spurts over the fall of 2007, sniper at the gates of dawn is the debut cdr by claudio two, on which the band layers individual single tracks recorded solo and combines them unheard (a la durian durian), and, elsewhere, uses this source material to try to recreate this accidental music while in a group setting. mixed in glorious mono. 150 copies, no reissues.
when i first heard the name, ‘clay man in the well,’ i got images in my head of archaelogical digs and ancient civilizations. pseudoarcana chief antony milton brings us a brand new album of dirt-infused jams, uncovered after years of digging. with scores of music boxes and simple drones, milton’s affected whispers treat these hymns with formaldahyde, preserving them for a million years. this is timeless. this is music for the archives. 100 copies.
long awaited collection from heavy sessions in the tomb, same sessions that bore “silver skull”. all out medicine worship, oily secretions of black sunshine to dampen your hollow bones. 80 minutes thick with whirlwind of mangled audio snapshots, healing rituals, analog psychosis treatment, massaging the dump – crazy oversized packaging.
short heavy jam by davenporting clay. colliding vocals, wrong brakes and dusty feedback. earfilth for the believers. a grey walk to the leftovers from last weeks house. psych! comes in an offset/handmade cramamyser cover. clay ruby is the guy behind the 23 productions label and the wellknown pasture festival in the usa. he also plays in bands like davenport, metrocide etc.
the clean were an influential first-wave punk band that formed in dunedin, new zealand in 1978. led through a number of early rotating line-ups by brothers hamish and david kilgour. the clean soon forged a distinctive and quirky sound that relied heavily on organ melodies and simple, ramones-style chord progressions.in 1981, a fan of the clean founded the flying nun label to release their first single, “tally ho.” the flying nun label went on to be new zealand’s biggest independent record company, championing the dunedin sound, a loosely-connected style of music largely produced by bands from this southern city. compilation offers a nearly complete overview of the clean’s legendary early recordings, including the classic “tally ho” single and highlights from their two eps (boodle boodle from 1981 and 1982’s great sounds)… new reissue of this essential album.
european-only vinyl edition. in 1978, the clean were the seeds of new zealand punk, their influence resonating not only in new zealand but also around the world. their sound is completely theirs but draws on everything from the psychedelic paste of syd barrett/early floyd to vintage velvets propulsiveness to almost everything else under the sun. they created both full studio sound and lo-fi recordings before, during, and after the various waves of the 4-track revolution, making both recording modes work with no loss of the band’s identity. as far as other influences, you can hear arthur lee, shirley collins, and the rolling stones, among others, but it’s never a kind of forced appropriation; while some bands seem to say, “look at my record collection,” in the case of the clean, it’s organic, seamless, and inimitable. mister pop sees the clean continue the great pop pastiche. circus ragas, gorgeously hazy sunset anthems, and the sometimes-loose dada approach to wordsmithery continue right alongside “proper” lyrical forays, and a few autobahn-referential instro moments to boot (“tensile”). bob’s love of pastoral uk folk has brought some added weight into the overall clean equation, as does david’s eastern and african guitar jones, though all this has always fit in with — and still constitutes — the total basis of the clean sound journey.
a lovely vinyl reissue on etude records of a long obscure climax golden twins gem. originally issued in 1995, on cassette, eerie fragrance or eyeless fabrication or exclude frank or eat fuck or etc (forever) was climax golden twins second official issue after a self-released double seven inch gatefold record. cassettes–the cockroach of the industry–were a necessity at the poorer end of the music spectrum prior to cdrs and file sharing…the good old days…ef was a collage of noise, found sounds, punk rock disasters, chinese climaxes, broken records, and tape failures mastered directly to cassette on a reverberant wooden floor in an old building in seattle, washington. it seemed an inauspicious start and little presaged the ambient/dreamy/art installation/field recording/anomalous records darlings cgt were to become with releases such as lovely, dream cut short in the mysterious clouds, locations, etc. however, secret free hillbilly noise epilepsy has always lurked under the button up shirts, white wine sipping and gallery-opening snack-munching. the noise informs the dreams which informs the ambiance which informs the chaos and so back to the beginning and vice-versa. etude records discovered cgt through their work on the horror film session nine and have been wanting to release something ever since. part band, part art project, climax golden twins were discovered lurking under a desk in a laboratory in the early 1920s. reconstituted around 1993 or 4 (just add gin), they perpetrated various audio artifacts on an unsuspecting (and cold) world (see extensive and largely mythical list below). these days they are the cgt in afcgt. and they released victrola favorites recently on dust to digital. their laboratory origins lead to a an unhealthy interest in early recording and the era of music on 78rpm records and cylinders, a time of acoustic sound reproduction when oral traditions ended and the home entertainment industry and the information age devoured our puny lives. that’s a mouthful. this era was a pivotal one in understanding how humanity arrived where it is today, though climax golden twins denies all knowledge of where that might be.
this collaboration between the mellow, memphis-meets-germany duo of kip ulhorn and simon wojan (aka cloudland canyon) and chicago’s great rock ‘n’ roll concierge and knower-of-mystics mr. robert lowe (aka lichens) was born on a trip to the west coast of the united states a few years ago. exterminating angel’s single 30-minute track uses voice, guitar, samplers, and arp synthesizer. you’ve heard of the unmade science fiction epic whose would-be director proposed using different big-name progressive bands to perform a soundtrack for specific planets used in the script; here then are the sounds accompanying a spacecraft that’s a combination death star and taco bell from the 1970s filled with cement mayan temples and pyramids populated by large, snappily dressed reptilian beings. every so often a bell goes off to break the spell and presents convincing evidence of this record’s special journey.
fresh off a new killer kranky full-length, bi-continental teutonic duo cloudland canyon grease the gears on a piston-pumping motorik ramp into futurist motion, gliding drones & mechanic rhythm. seamless & dreamless. on the b nnf extended family m beast drop 2 perfect soul caravan wanderlust blues drifters. real gorgeous, and a great teaser for their in-the-works full-length for drag city subsidiary language of stone. with art by crops + rawber best friend diva dompe.
walter swanljung – keyboards; ville sahlakari – drums. rec. winter 2004/2005 in helsinki, finland. imagine if sun ra’d have rec. in duo with milford graves… and i ain’t kidding or exaggerating, totally devastating!
originally released in 1972, this is the second album by legendary german ambient pioneers dieter moebius and hans-joachim roedelius. moebius and roedelius essentially create ambient electronic soundscapes that ebb and flow, droning on in a suspended world of anti-gravity where machine has conquered man.
delight in the stream is the first solo vinyl outing for john clyde-evans (aka tirath singh nirmala) in close to a decade. recorded during a year-long stay in india, the album seamlessly weaves together an array of piercing bowed objects, flutes and voice with electronic and audio embellishments over the course of three extended tracks. the scattering of sounds swirl around to disorienting effect yet still manage to mesmerize as the music draws itself out. pressed in a limited edition of 300 copies.
tirath singh nirmala returns as his former moniker john clyde-evans, bowing transcendental asian instruments and indian thought back to the mysterious groove of manipulated drone. 100 copies.
two new songs from the “no flies on frank” sessions. side a > i stole a skipping rope from molly. she made me pay. side b > thanks to mssrs. davies. psych-pop for the end of the season. edition of 300.
coach fingers is serious about having fun and with the debut long player no flies on frank, no one is spared from the plentiful good vibes frank has to offer. packed with more hooks than a ship crowded with one-armed pirates, no flies on frank is a meaty affair of giddy but bearded late ’60s/early ’70s outlaw boogie rock & roll prominently featuring three members of the new york free noise whatsit collective the no neck blues band — coach jason meagher, dave nuss & dave shuford — along with meagher’s brother sean on keys and — future guitar god worshippers take note — the coach’s secret weapon, master shredder george devoe. so come on, friends, it’s time to join the fingers friends & family in the beaujolais revolution; take a sip from a glass full of ronnie lane’s boozy rock, the charming laissez-faire balladry of kevin ayers (circa joy of a toy & whatevershebringswesing) & a whole lot of crazy fun. limited dmm 180 gram vinyl.
turner has been kicking around the nyc folk scene for quite a few years now, but this is, perhaps inexplicably, his first foray onto wax. while most singer / songwriters’ these days seem to draw most of their water from iron and wine via pavement and back again, turner sounds like he began his musical education listening to gershwin player piano rolls and quit buying records somewhere around the time dylan brought it all back home. lyrically, turner can turn a phrase with the best of ‘em, and the gloriously ramshackle accompaniment is mungo jerry meets herman dune sharing a squat in tin pan alley. this lp combines two of turner’s self-released cds, and is as good an introduction to his wonderful music as any. here’s what jeweled antler head honcho glenn donaldson sez about turner:”cody is pre-war, old testament & a confederate general from big sur.” err’nuff said, no?
walking up walls is the second solo album from long-time musician and visual artist alice cohen. in contrast to her previous studio efforts, these are raw home recordings with an intensely personal vibe. the sixteen short song-sketches alternate between densely layered shoegaze burners and shimmering, ethereal drifters. exploring shadowy corners and using the musical equivalent of automatic writing — this was considered to be a sonic diary and not originally intended for release. for reference points think pink opaque-era cocteau twins filtered through the early ’90s lens of new zealanders like alastair galbraith & sandra bell.
cold sun from austin, texas was recorded in 1970 in the legendary sonobeat studios, where the mariani and johnny winter first lps were produced. the cold sun band are considered contemporaries of velvet underground and the fugs, often listed as being in a similar vein but inspirations for this unique piece actually go back to the desperate, haunted joe meek. all songs lyrically express dark, mystic poetry with the true ’60s psychedelic floating/distorted fuzz spirit presented in short compact mini-epics along with several mind blowing long tunes, such as ‘ra-ma’ (11 min.), ‘here in the year’ (9 min.) and ‘fall’ (7 min.). discovered by rockadelic records of dallas, texas in 1991, the dark shadows album saw the light of day the next year as a limited lp version, to become today one of the most important and revered us psychedelic underground albums from the early ’70s. rockadelic heard it in the form of an old scratchy acetate that one of the cold sun band members had made in order to be able to play the recording at friends` parties on their turntables. the acetate only contained 2/3 of the songs but so greatly impressed them that rockadelic managed together with bandleader bill miller to release the complete sessions from master tapes. autoharp wizard miller eventually spearheaded roky erickson’s international debut as the cold sun band joined forces with roky in 1974 and became bliebalien, later evolved into the aliens and backed roky on his famous albums and historical concerts. carefully remastered from the master tapes, this album will bring new rewarding listening experiences in expanded fidelity. plus a bonus 10inch with 2 unreleased non-album songs, authentic live/concert recordings of ‘live again’ (10 min.) and ‘mind aura’ (7 min.). the fidelity of these reel to reel live recordings is also remarkable. includes an extended booklet insert with liner notes by jello biafra plus rare photos and other surprises. according to patrick (lama) lundborg from lysergia.com: ‘best rockadelic lp ever, and in my opinion the best texas lp of the time.’ enjoy this one-hour psychedelic happening, a ‘must-have’ ’60s/’70s heavy uber-psych masterpiece! … long awaited top of the line reissue of the all time ultimate lost psychedelic album. heavily peyote dosed and as good as the 13th floor elevators or golden dawn! totally deluxe edition in an ultra heavy metallic printed textured gatefold cover, pressed on 180gm audiophile vinyl, with bonus 10inch and full color booklet insert with notes, photos, and interviews. extremely limited edition thats going to fly, so act quick if you don’t want to miss it. pricey but well worth it. highest recommendation!
there can only be one bongo joe, and that is the incredible george coleman. bongo joe is perhaps the world’s only virtuoso player of the empty oil drum, a man so ingenious that he could even turn petroleum refuse into something musical and sublime. recorded on the streets of san antonio in 1969 by chris strachawitz (arhoolie records). bongo joe drums on his oil cans with a thunderous, tympani-like effect, while discoursing rambling, insightful and hilariously funny lyrics that are often times more stories than songs. as joe himself put it, ‘i rap but not that bullshit they’re putting down now. i play fundamental beat music.’ whether draping his drums with an american flag or washing them in swirls of psychedelic green and red paint, there’s something beyond the typical street-corner busker in bongo joe’s persona, unbridled quality that isn’t just musical, but draws on a tradition of pure entertainment. one of the true treasures of the arhoolie catalog for many years. try ‘innocent little doggie’ (if you think joe was just a novelty act, listen closely to the poignant insightfulness of the lyrics), ‘transistor radio’ (more wry commentary) and ‘dog eat dog.’ one of our favorites, available on vinyl for the first time in 39 years.
very pleased to present this collection of beautiful drawings by the amazing cybele collins. she also records as blue shift and her visions have graced covers for labels such as last visible dog and rare youth. drawings have appeared in dozens of magazines including morbid curiosity, paper rodeo, sound projector, free radicals, the ganzfeld, cemetery dance, shimmer, dark animus and vial. full color cover, 36 b&w pages.
new project from arbor ruler (aka treetops) mike pollard with former jk taper, now mr young tapes, peter friel… four space related close encounters of the drone kind… sweet and simple, guaranteed to leave you floating somewhere totally cosmic in the outer reaches of mind and space!!! black and white sleeve and insert designed by the color dream boys. pro dubbed cassettes, limited to 100 copies.
“i have always been fascinated by the way music and sound alter the way we perceive time and space. we organize all experiences in these terms. the motivation behind my musical compositions and installations over the past several years has been the exploration of the conventions that determine the way we experience time and space, and thereby our world. these pieces seek to expose such conventions by giving the listener the chance to become familiar with unfamiliar tonalities and rhythms, as well as to register the divorce of space and sound made possible by contemporary audio technology. and they sound good” – white vinyl with screenprinted insert.
after comets on fire played auckland, utrillo kushner met one of his idols, the legendary diy producer and songwriter chris knox. the following day knox invited kushner and his bandmates over to his house for conversation and beers. the afternoon was spent in the kitchen (knox was baking a cake for the clean’s bangers and mash anniversary tour) drinking while knox spun stories of the new zealand music underground of yore. from this experience, kushner conceived of the initial idea for the second colossal yes album. inspired by the kiwi indie-pop formulas of tall dwarfs, the clean, and the verlaines, kushner set out to write his own songs using piano as the main instrument. it was a reawakening of the pop aesthetic done piano man style. recording of the basic tracks started in the summer of 2007 with kelley stoltz producing and kevin ink engineering. songs were then fine-tuned over a series of nighttime and weekend sessions with matt waters in early 2008. finally, they were mixed with ben chasny (six organs of admittance) and waters almost a year from the starting point. the end result is unique yet similar to the epic pop bands of the past. charlemagne’s big thaw combines simple melodies and basic structures with lyrical territories such as expired youth, grand betrayals, overdrawn faculties, and dissolving empires. features contributions from kelley stoltz, ben chasny (six organs of admittance, comets on fire), noel harmonson (comets on fire) ben flashman (comets on fire), eli eckert (drunk horse), garett goddar (the cuts, howlin rain).
after 2004’s critically acclaimed blue cathedral, one might have expected comets on fire to blast off into the cosmos in an infinite flurry of lysergic spasmodicism. surprising, then, that they should turn in an earthy, more accessible and downright beautiful album as their follow-up. then again, it is a completely logical progression, but in reverse, sort of. on avatar their astonishing new album, comets display development in every direction: as musicians, as songwriters, as arrangers and as singers (?!), without sacrificing one ounce of the intensity that is expected from our heroes. as on blue cathedral, the diversity of the material is staggering. avatar veers from swinging, bluesy explorations to piano-laced, progressive power balladry, to pure tribalism, evoking everyone from the allmans, to quicksilver, to procol harum, to some insane fela/sun ra/crazy horse hybrid, yet remains wholly comets on fire. though they play cleaner and clearer, their firepower is evident and abundant. they have shifted gears and opened themselves up completely. you should do the same.
blue cathedral is the third album from comets on fire and their first for sub pop. it is also the bay area band’s most varied and richly textured album yet. with their first two albums, (2001’s self-titled debut/self-released and 2002’s field recordings from the sun on ba da bing!) they established themselves as flag-bearers of modern psychedelia. however, where their previous efforts are full-tilt psychedelic affairs, blue cathedral is harder to pin down (which elusiveness we heartily support). their trademark sound is here enriched by more structured, keyboard-driven jams, churning blue oyster cult-ish chooglers and slow burners reminiscent of harvest-era pink floyd. they recently opened a string of dates for sonic youth and have also played shows with rocket from the tombs, dead meadow and dead moon, sunburned hand of the man and more. they also made a big fan outta lord head on high, julian cope, who said of them: comets on fire deserve our gratitude for their distillation of all the best rock riffs since high rise’s take on blue cheer. naturally, we agree.
with raw viola, haunting vocals, and noise guitar, rob fisk (badgerlore, 7 year rabbit cycle, ex-deerhoof) has created an exquisite album that sounds perfectly at home in the natural world between dusk and dawn. packaged in a hand-sewn book of drawings by fisk entitled “how to build a cabin.”… lovely packaging, as you’d expect.
this self-titled release is the debut by concern, a solo endeavor by gordon ashworth, who is perhaps best known for issuing complex harsh noise missives as oscillating innards. that said, concern is an entirely different affair. here, ashworth’s principal focus is on the drone – shimmering, multi-layered and dynamic, he stretches loooong tones into gorgeous sonic tendrils which dissolve or implode into impossibly nostalgic field recordings and static. recorded throughout the years 2004 – 2007 and, surely, not to be missed. limited to 100.
just past 10 years ago this debut collaboration between primitive american blues guitarist loren connors and the confounding electric bassist darin gray was issued on cd. the lost mariner was the first in a pair of releases by the upstart family vineyard label. now with a decade of hindsight and a nod to looking ahead, here is a a 700 edition lp reissue of the studio session considered by connors to be one of his finest. since this album’s 1999 release connors has released a series of sorrowful solo albums and multi-disc collections on family vineyard while gray formed the cinematic on fillmore (with wilcoõs glen kotche) and continued collaborations with jim o’rourke, akira sakata, chris corsano and others. the lost mariner is an improvised dialogue between these two musicians. structure is there, but it roams as it sways, constantly adjusting and reinventing itself as the two react to its mysterious design. for this reissue the lp is sleeved inside stunning cover art (an albert pinkham ryder painting) and contains the bonus at the old factory 7-inch. this raw, live snapshot of a 1999 performance comes on colored vinyl in a full-color sleeve designed by katie leming (cro magnon, bird).
the contents are was one of many sixties bands from the quad city’s fertile garage music scene. with labels/studios like fredlo and igl, it was a very healthy regional area for bands with an unusually high per capita for record releases. up until the recent discovery of an original copy a couple years ago, it was only rumored to exist and remained an enigma with hardcore record collectors. in most cases, the contents are were only known by astute collectors for their two excellent 45 releases (non-lp). well the mystery is over, and here’s your chance to hear one of the rarest ¨ greatest garage records ever recorded. here’s the story about the record: four high school seniors from iowa decide to release an album of all original tunes, and was exclusively sold at their live shows. originally released on the rok label (a subsidiary of the already obscure fredlo label) in 1967 with only 100 copies pressed. these guys were not your typical garage band? talented players, professional grade vocalists and no cover songs!!! their music is a nice blend of garage rock with hints of hipster folk and early psychedelic influences. as good if not better as other similar top shelf rarities like mystery meat and the bachs, but no major quantity find making original copies of the contents are ten times rarer. get it or miss it! limited to 450 numbered copies, glossy heavy sleeves, 180 gram pressing, and insert… one of the best shadoks in a while! great teen sounds in an awesome crude cover. these will vanish quick…
bill cooley and alan munson were two friends in santa barbara, california, living their early 20s writing folk-rock songs for their pleasure. that was 1972, and they decided to put these songs into the studio, self-produce the album and press a tiny quantity of 500 pieces hoping it could help getting a contract with a major company. this never happened, as you would have guessed, and sure this fact helped making their sole album, ‘in debt,’ a major collectable item for folk-rock and psychedelic rock listeners and collectors. being a private pressing, you can easily imagine it’s not a big production, but who cares. this album has the right feel and you won’t need anything else to make it one of your faves. all tracks are original compositions, and the style is very personal. it’s folk-rock, but many tracks are psychedelic too, in their own way. but don’t look close for influences, they will not come to mind easily. bill and alan had their own psychedelic folk-rock style, and the raw, sometimes amateurish feel that these recordings have give the album the final distinctive touch. never reissued before in any format, now here we come with a splendid reissue, with the collaboration of the guys. remastered sound taken from the master tapes… great stuff.
it was a long search to locate the rights for this album since it was not with emi anymore. with the help of musicians and producers from the third eye and freedom’s children, we’ve found the original producer. he told us that the brother/sister band john & philipa cooper went to britain shortly after the album was made and there it lost track. this amazing album has the same class as billy nichols, duncan browne and blossom toes. many other musicians from s.a. were helping out. every track is just great. well composed underground songs, folk rock, effects, pop tunes just the right mixture for an album full of ideas and masterfully played. perhaps one of the rarest albums from s.a. this album would have been a great success if it was produced in uk. it just has the right feel with the combination of great songs with a ’60s art-vibe. female / male vocals, julian laxton on guitar, keyboards; beside jon & philipa, 8 more musicians on the album. this lp is just a perfect 1969 underground folk-rock album… numbered edition of 500, glossy heavy sleeve on 180gm vinyl with insert. originally released in south africa, 1969.
live at the hint house might be considered a field rec. in as much as it is a recording of an ambience or soundscape. made on my first ever trip to mainland america to play music this is the 2nd set of that evening, the 1st set had been an acoustic one of songs and slide guitar. at the start of the 2nd set i quickly realised that my guitar was not working and rather than stop and attempt to find out what was wrong i decided to just continue and improvise with what was at hand on the table in front of me. a casio sk1 sampler keyboard, a yamhaha su10 sampling unit with some pre-recorded samples loaded, a mini disc with some tropical ambience rec. from malaysia and a pitch shifter delay pedal. i was not very happy with what happened that night and when matt zwed gave me two cd-rs the next day i don’t remember giving much attention to the 2nd set. five years on, coincidently to the day as i write this, i realized he had captured more than me trying to get through the piece. it was me, the people in the room, the dog that ran around barking, the traffic sounds coming through the door that was open right behind me and a whole host of magically transported tropical birds and insects that suddenly found themselves reciting whatever it was in the loft space on the edge of harlem, competing or colluding with all of the above to produce a piece of urban exotica. – mike cooper… black vinyl, cover design/collage by mike cooper. rec. in nyc, 2000.
recorded over a weekend back in the early months of 2009, here are 2 tracks of multi instrumental composition from ben nash and sophie cooper (cooperjones). the music here is truly beautiful, personally i think this is some of the best work to come from both ben and sophie so far. total late night guitar meanderings blurred with a haze of deep churning scrapes from various instruments and layered drone bliss, creating 2 totally immersive and beautiful psychedelic drone. some of the guitar playing here has a beautiful loren connors meets ry cooder paris texas era sound, and then when both ben and sophie reach for the gee-tars you have the beautiful mix of ben’s reflective electric blues and sophie’s purely relaxed acoustic musings, totally fantastic. this really has it down for me as something truly different, lets hope that they continue to record as this duo. i certainly cannot wait for more. glass mastered pro pressed cd (not cdr) in pro printed full colour card sleeve, one time pressing of 1000. co-released with ben’s own recollections of knulp label.
cooperjones is the manchester based duo of sophie cooper and kelly jones. five tracks of experimental folk fight outs and one blast of improvised jam noise featuring pascal of stuckometer. comes in folded printed pastel paper jackets with artwork by patrick milsom, limited to 100 hand numbered copies – nice packaging and another fine release on this new label. cool experimental acoustic based femme psych goodness.
_al anon_ concludes eric copeland’s two part album entitled _alien in a garbage dump_. where the first half offered a discombobulated collection of radio cross-signaling, here the alien finds its groove for a minute and tidies up the frequencies. there is still something outsiderish here, but with more of an effort to get inside, to play by the rules even? or maybe the motivation is to sneak something subversive into the norms’ hideout? since _al anon_ was recorded at the same time as two black dice albums, there are obvious parallels in the results; an uncompromised sonic landscape. but outside the group setting, copeland has found places one can only find alone: small inner dialogues and isolated mind caves where an idea may only last a moment. he captures and tweaks these ideas into fragments of many memories; a déjà vu record déjà vu record. funny characters drop in and out. songs come and go. al anon proves to be a strangely curated time capsule of our time right now; music where birds beat-box with car-stereo subwoofers and the neighbors’ espanol sings on top the sabbath siren. with all this going on, copeland sometimes disappears into the anonymity, playing a ‘behind-the-scenes’ role, pushing cords and pulling buttons, laughing because the batteries are dying. here the familiar becomes mysterious and the unknown feels normal and we can listen to this one all day trying to make those distinctions. edition of 500 copies with jaw-droppingly amazing black and white collage artwork by copeland, screenprinted by vg kids.
dancing wayang records are excited to release the first duo album by london-based double bassist john edwards and us drummer extraordinaire chris corsano called tsktsking. the album was recorded at eastcote studios, london in december 2008. limited to 500 copies it comes housed in hand screenprinted wrap-around sleeves. the accompanying insert features exclusive and humerous liner notes written by uk sax pioneer evan parker. defying the drum and bass’s classic roles as rhythm instruments, edwards and corsano’s tsktsking is a beautifully melodic album. at times corsano’s drumset sounds like it’s got strings whilst edwards’s double bass takes its fair share of scrapes and slaps. extended passages explore the most subtle and some unexpected sounds that can be summoned from metal and timber. equally, possessed progressions and untamed eruptions of energy and power are conjured up. these two musicians prey and pounce on their instruments like it’s their last chance. john edwards is one of the most gifted double bassist playing in the uk and europe. since taking up his instrument in the late 1980s he has become an unparalleled force and choice collaborator for musicians such as evan parker, charles hayward (this heat) and john butcher. in 2008 he released a solo bass record on evan parker’s psi label and continues to push the instrument’s boundaries into unexplored territories. chris corsano is one of the most in-demand free drummers working today. after several years living in manchester and edinburgh where he forged fruitful relationships with mick flower (vibracathedral orchestra) and heather-leigh murray (scorces, jandek), he is now based in massachusetts, usa. first encountering free improvisation in the mid 1990s, corsano is now at the forefront of expanded drumset improvisations both solo and in collaborations with artists such as paul flaherty, thurston moore and six organs of admittance… high quality screen printed covers. limited to 500 copies.
corsican paintbrush was officially formed in the late spring of 2004. this project consists of brad rose (the north sea, the golden oaks, ajilvsga; alligator crystal moth – ) and eden hemming rose (wax ghost,the cone bearers, akhet – ). after releases on foxglove, musicyourmindwillloveyou and a split with my cat is an alien, welcomed this new album from the digitalis headquarters. clattering folk melodies, hesitant voices, take a deep breath to feel the mint smell – wrapped in a virgin white tapisserie baroque and closed with a stick – limited to 85 and already out of print.
gorgeous ethnological forgeries from the husband and wife duo of brad rose and eden hemming rose. these gentle, free improvisations set the lister gently down amidst the dappled sunlight and sweet scents of a long forgotten time.truly beautiful, honest music for the tired ears of a dying civilization.
paêbirú is an obscure brazilian psych concept album about the four elements (earth, air, fire, water) that was lost to time in a warehouse fire in 1974, causing it to become a massively sought-after lost classic, fetching up to $1500 for vinyl copies. this recording of the collaboration between brazilian artists lula cortes and ze ramalho is a wonderfully off-kilter record, full of fantastic hooky and strange tunes that range all over the place, from full-on freakouts to quiet pastoral. the entire range of 1970s hippie brazilian musician culture is displayed in this record. it’s experimental, but it’s relentlessly driven towards fun. if you like good music, you will like this legendary album untouched by time. cortes, who composes and plays on many of the tracks, seemingly appears only when talking about obscure brazilian psych reissues, ramalho, on the other hand, has built a solid career as a brazilian pop singer and takes on most vocal duties. it’s a very atmospheric blend, sung and chanted vocals are no more or less important than any of the other elements, which include classical acoustic and fuzzy electric guitar, piano, organ, flute, sax and a range of percussion. it’s free and psychedelic, but just reigned in enough to keep it tense and exciting. the closest comparison might be to combine amon duul with sunburned hand of the man and perhaps double leopards, if they lived on a commune together in brazil and recorded while indulging in mass quantities of narcotics…. well, this was long planned to come out on time-lag, but its seems ze ramalho had other plans and all the red tape wasn’t helping anyone. in anycase, this reissue is done well, is legit, and has great fidelity, and is quite limited, so highly recommended!!!
italian galactico valerio cosi returns with his second album for foxglove, and raises the stakes considerably. he bends his saxophone into a glistening array of aural armaments, channeling the ghosts of giants, these spaced-out, eastern-infused missives. cosi is master and bending tones and meshing multiple instruments and styles into a cohesive unit. layers of guitars, horns, percussion, and more create everything from whimsical pop to sprawling, esoteric drone. “the spiritual committee” is the perfect homage to the roman gods of yore.
valerio cosi may be young at only 22, but his talent is undeniable. he may be mostly known for his exquisite saxophone playing, but this italian wunderkind doesn’t stop there. cosi composes strings of magic using all sorts of instrumentation and production tricks. “heavy electronic pacific rock” marks the first cd release in cosi’s ever-expanding discography, and he saved the best for this, his most widely-available release to date. limited to 500 copies… includes the limited to 100 copy bonus cdr.
this is the third volume of work for folkways by one of the most important acoustic guitarists of the 20th century, originally released in 1965. produced by musician alice gerrard and recorded by folklorist/musician mike seeger, when i’m gone is the perfect introduction to the queen of folk-blues. an absolute classic lovingly reissued in a perfect replica of the original folkways jacket and including a reproduction of the original information booklet… top notch official reissue of this gem.
awesome 3-way collabotion disc where andrey kiritchenko, anla courtis and psychsters the moglass remix, wreck and (mis-)treat each others material – co-released w/carbon, nexsound, tibprod and 1000+1 tilt.
brand new lp with dirty sounds from cousins of reggae, montreal based 2 man mind fuck. utilizing guitar, drums, turntables and voice. ( featuring blake hargreaves of dreamcatcher, fluorescent friends…& liam thurston of orphanage…) go for a trip via 2 different pieces, heavy, loud, hit electric noise & fatal attack. first vinyl release for parisian noise anti brutal pro violence lubriphikatttor (with members of zaraz wam zagram, tg, napalm jazz, ero babaa…) long tune ‘babypute’ / death of flowers & elaborated destruction… 319 copies in silkscreened covers.
in the flower of our youth, originally released on the private press label cutthroat records in 1980, was richard crandell’s first lp. his tune ‘rebecca’ was famously covered by admirer leo kottke on his chewing pine album. crandell has gone on to record several other guitar albums, as well as two mbira recordings for john zorn’s tzadik label. crandell’s music has recently been featured on tompkins square’s imaginational anthem vol. 3, as well as the guitar compilation wayfaring strangers: guitar soli.
heavy-rock with progressive touch split lp unearthed by the rockadelic label featuring ultra-rare underground 70s hard rock sounds (c. 1971) with one side by each band. these tapes came from the cavern sound studios (stoned circus, bulbous creation, phantasia, trizo 50); the crank tape had ‘zep jr.’ written on the box, which is pretty accurate frame of reference. thump theater offers a more progressive rock sound with some good guitar breaks and catchy lyrics. last copies from a long gone edition from 1997 of around 600 copies.
13 gestating years past and crappy nightmareville’s pod unfolds in full color via this 7″ single which is not just their debut but also birth marks the first of a four part vinyl single series: an engraved introduction by way of alien-forcept exacavation of their old kentucky womb. prior stages spiraled from public-prank to outer-earth music-concret to scaling-the-scaur of bavarian-salt-licks. side a, “neutron dracula” imagines the scene from gypsy classic latcho drom when children sing “we are the bloody nail in the foot of jesus on the cross”, only reinterpreted as a saturday morning cartoon. side b, “black beam dub” is smoke from a wounded nurse surrealing sun ra into a new form of dub music that will have you and your headphones installing a seatbelt into your couch for endless round trips. crappy nightmareville is one of louisville’s longest running aural magnetic-bananimals and shares drinking water with a huge cast of bands including the web, evergreen, the belgian waffles, sapat and kark. beautiful post-nuclear fall-out full-color sleeve. edition of 350.
crash coffin’s eponymous album was originally released privately in 1974 on the mus-i-col label. it is very rare and sought after by early ’70s us psychedelic collectors worldwide. not unjustly so, since it contains one of the best psychedelic songs ever recorded (‘god loves the loser’) and a couple of other great moody psych tracks. it contains 2 unreleased bonus tracks from the same period. limited edition of 500, deluxe 180g vinyl, heavy original cover and insert with group history. insert also contains a sketch of what the original cover was supposed to become — if it were not for lack of funds — that led to an original release with plain white covers — half of them carrying crash coffin’s signature.
the third of the gps debut 45s this week. leeds based three piece crayon offer up what some longterm gps devotees may see as a departure to it’s usual output. sombre synth tones and military like drum rolls give way to an infectious, startling pop rush of a chorus. perfect pop in a nutshell. ‘b’ side ‘milk’ is a slow building, initially, glitchy electronic piece again with a cool pop sensibility as it’s underbelly that soon explodes… a fabulous record and a band to keep yr eye out for. ace 2 piece sleeves with inserts galore- a hand numbered pressing of just 300 only.
brand new split cassette from portland, maine based cursillistas, who recently had superb lps on time-lag and digitalis, and love cult from petrozavodsk, russia. first up is cursillistas’ epic 23 minute ‘great salt desert’, a superb weirded out blues drenched, desert dried, psychedelic mirage. a real fine side summing up how awesome cursillistas are, if you haven’t checked them yet, don’t miss this side! the b side opens with love cult’s ‘breadcrumb pony tail’, a swirling blissful distortion dripping psyche dream, a really beautiful 11 minute wonder. this is followed by ’somn’ a more crushing electrifying piece with tinkering and rattling from unrecognizable objects, distorted feedback blurts and what sounds like then objects trying to communicate. limited to 100 copies with parchment paper (either gold or ivory) cover with black and white print.
murky beauty channeling its way from underneath layers of 4-track tape hiss. acoustic guitars, percussion, voice and undefined analogue ambience. homegrown is the way it should be. edition of 70… sweet!
cursillistas has been a longtime digitalis favorite so we’re very, very excited to be offering up their newest creation as a vinyl-only release. “joint chiefs” sees originator matt lajoie joining spirit and forces with dawn russell and burning new ground along the way. this is a new path entirely. where past cursillistas efforts have been drenched in sunkissed tones and melodic stirrings, “joint chiefs” dredges up muddy waters and dark emanations like a blast from the deep. this is barn owl meets the dust bowl meets peyote music. loose strings ring out on acoustic guitars while rattling percussion marches toward the river. lajoie and russell send their voices out on top as a guide, looking for any light that is seeping through the thick, duststorm clouds. just when it looks like it’s going to clear up a bassed-out blanket of fuzz and synth tones come along to ruin all the progress you’ve made. “joint chiefs” feels like an epic journey, sordid and sweet. if you find yourself lost in these dark woods, all you can do is adapt, suck in the smoke-filled air and toast the charred heavens. cursillistas reinvented. lp comes in fold-out silkscreened poster-style sleeve and is strictly limited to 200 copies… all copies here include the super limited “headband tapes” pre-order only bonus cassette. sweet one!
cursillistas contributes two exclusive tracks to the series in this 45 rpm 7″. “taste teeth” crackles along with a melodic mini-choir of vocals and plucked strings, building to the outro with electric guitar noise, multiplying vocal loops, whistles, and toy xylophone. the b-side builds from a monastic chant, while percussion and whisps of guitar scatter form around. sparse and haunting. hand-stamped black 7″ vinyl record held in a heavy cotton art paper sleeve, with offset-printed cover art and titles hand-written with india ink and stylus. hand-numbered to 300, embossed for authenticity…loose 7inch from the tryst haunt subscription series.
“wasp stings the last bitter flavor” marks the first widely available release from this portland, maine troubadour. the brains behind the project is matt lajoie and he is perhaps best known for his enchanted album on time-lag records. his folk-inspired psychedelia reaches new heights on “wasp stings” as he puts together an album of lost songs, found hiding in a dank and dusty cellar. lajoie’s approach here is different. it’s as if he’s taken the negative space of his previous works and hashed them out and spruced them up until they’ve become epic, flowing songs whitewashed with a basketfull of analog hiss. the whole thing flows together like magic poured straight from the sky. it’s haunting, beautiful music. cursillistas’ music is often densely populated with a variety of instrumentation and textures. lajoie is a master at molding sounds from a variety of sources into a cohesive, organic whole. this music, as with past efforts, sounds like an intimate secret whispered in the listener’s ear. you feel as though you’re being led into a world where very few lucky souls find their way. lajoie’s distinctive voice is the true weapon here, weaving hypnotic melodies over rivers of delicately strummed acoustic guitars. “wasp stings the last bitter flavor” is his message in a bottle. it’s a love letter to everyone and no one, and there’s a lot to love here, that is for damn sure. lajoie is joined by the inimitable nemo bidstrup (time-lag records figurehead and the brains behind drona parva) and sometime-mv & ee collaborator, sparrow wildchild. housed in sturdy, white-on-black gatefold jackets.
looks like doggerella finally wandered into an alpine grove without a compass or even water to drink or a hat and gloves or anything like that, with maybe no hope to see the light of day again, except as maybe a ten year retroactive compilation box set called ‘to summerize.’ this present cassette however was crafted in belfast, maine, entirely by an artist who has been accused of being the offspring of alien life forms somewhere down the line. while supplies last. featuring andy neubauer of impractical cockpit, flak mask etc.
well the title gotta be a contender for the journal of neurosurgery’s first record review if they don’t have that it’s about time. czarny is the name of sara’s solo outlet outside the family underground realm. not the first track out by her own hands she had one on the chocolate monk comp broken brain as helix. this one sees her expanding on even more rough rhytms and vocals. artwork by sara. 50 copies.
first memoirs vinyl lp release! the essence of outsider psychedelic electronics composed and performed by phil todd (ashtray navigations, inca eyeball, hitler airbag etc). influences include cccc, jean-claude eloy, master wilburn burchette, metal machine music, incapacitants, old fairground rides, the sound of low flying planes over ls6 especially the latter etc. punk’s not dead, it just stinks of silver spraypaint – crazy silver spray painted recycled covers with paste-on art. numbered/limited edition of only 200 copies, so act fast!
d & n 2 is the full length debut from the collaboration between nevada hill and david lee price of north texas improv/drone collective zanzibar snails that continues to define and redefine the concept of home. the follow-up to the well-received (9/10 from foxy digitalis) d & n 3-inch from 2007 on mayyrh that was recorded (natch) at each members’ home. as for the d & n 2cdr, the process of recording an album outside in the middle of nowhere, texas is described by the screen-printed text on the vellum sleeve. keywords for d & n 2 include “pitter-patter”, “somber cricket-infested paens,” “juvenile racketeering,” “tin roof rustic,” and “beh!” as for the presence of the mysterious sebaceous animal fleece surrounding the disc, price says only the following: “it was so dark that i could only see the small area illuminated by my flashlight. through the darkness i could feel the presence of the sheep, and the anger with him.” ltd. ed. 100, screen printed by nevada hill.
the much-anticipated blast-off release for speer and his band. recently rewarded 5 stars in time out mag by the music editor, this album is a landmark in laid-back blues and country songwriting, feat. members of nnck and sunburned. -s@1. the inimitable mr. speer coined the term himself upon titling his pre-helix full length releases… forgotten country. not so much a forgotten people of a state or a rural area. not so either some south’s gonna rise again moonshine. more so a return to a way of presenting a music in the context of a tradition (something those boys in the band are pretty high on.) but this isn’t your grandfather’s bakersfield we’re dealing with. tho’ the tongue of the balladeer may spin tales ripe with a cast of characters including “the pastor” randolph healey, cheese frog, the man from hhs, uncle ernie, that guy with the black mustache and red caddy who stole your girl, and the true born sons of levi, he sings them not only with the twang of the roadhouse, but tainted with the grit of the streets of the big city. as one casual listener once noted to the band after a performance, “you guys play both types… country and psych.” and it’s true that the sounds contained on after hours do act on the mind as much as they tug at the heartstrings. replete with tales of mental instability, infidelity, drunken advice, wartime hucksters, heartbreak, and redemption, the first album by d charles with his backing band will surely immediately stand out amongst the shards of gothic americana that litter our fair sonic landscape… beautifully done release on this great new label! 180gm vinyl, heavy screen printed flipback covers, heavy insert. recommended.
it is a tremendous understatement to say that it is with grand excitement that three lobed recordings is proud to announce the release of distillation by d. charles speer & the helix. for the last couple of years we have been continually excited by each of the fruits that have resulted from speer/helix collaboration. for our money, last year’s after hours album was one of the best released by anyone. distillation only ups the ante from that prior full length by elaborating upon some of the musical themes from the late 2008 “in madagascar” 7”. the resulting album presents a tightly focused modern honky tonk quintet more than happy to blur the lines between country, psychedelia and the overall american musical tradition. consisting on this album of d. charles speer (aka dave shuford from the no neck blues band and enos slaughter), hans chew (last seen providing some ripping piano accompaniment on “fishtown flower” from jack rose’s the black dirt sessions), marc orleans (enos slaughter, sunburned hand of the man), jason meagher (no neck blues band, coachfingers) and rob gregory (the suntanama), the helix are a seriously experienced and talented crew. distillation was recorded over time between the winter and summer of 2008 at the band’s home away from home, meagher’s black dirt studios in westtown, new york. margot bianca guests on backing vocals on a few of the album’s tracks. the album starts off in monstrously infectious form with the leadoff track, “mason dixon crime”. the track’s propulsive, rolling rhythm, dueling guitars and soaring chorus offer the perfect foil to speer’s ever-present baritone vocals. to those new to the band, “mason dixon crime” provides the perfect introduction to speer’s captivating narrative gift. he is a singer who is capable of simultaneously spinning a masterful tale using a delivery that leaves the listener feeling like there is something hidden and secret being held just out of sight. other prime examples of this gift are evident throughout “open season” and its soaring climax, the plaintive “time changes things” and the swaggering album-closing “shorty (a bastard cat).” while speer’s vocal range is one of the band’s calling cards, the helix also features the unique voice of hans chew’s blazing piano. while chew aims for the fences throughout the rollicking “hardwood floors”, he really gets cut loose (and to spend some time on lead vocal duty) on the seriously jamming “life insurance.” one would be remiss to think that the helix is a one (or two) voice affair though – it is a totally solid full ensemble presentation as is evidenced by the jaunty full band workouts presented within both the instrumental “helical” and the rockin’, rollin’ and beer swillin’ “gravedigger.” distillation is pressed on 180g rti vinyl and housed within an old-style stoughton gatefold sleeve bearing new artwork from both turner williams and the band. as a bit of a first for three lobed, the album will be accompanied by a download coupon for drm-free mp3s of the album. distillation is from a one-time pressing of 891 copies.
yo peoples – like the vibes, then get yrself a fine artifact for the years to come. single cover is hand screened and stamped with esoterica on the interior – nice druggy country psych from no neck blues band members. limited to only 500.
a true solo endeavor, this lp is the debut of d. charles speer on long player. recordings over a span of 4 years have been assembled here into a rumination on loss in its many forms – loss of direction, loved ones, home, mental acuity, money, and emotional stability. pressed on 180 gram virgin vinyl and limited to 500 copies.
debut album by sci-fi oriented vintage synth duo who recently relocated to los angeles from texas. very outsider in that they were completely unaware of the current synth revival going on in the american underground (emeralds, opn, caboladies, et al). d.a. began recording after being commissioned to make soundtracks for floatation tanks at a new age center in texas. a chance meeting at a cafe led to the duo handing dozens of hours of these sessions to oesb. this album features some standouts from those early recordings. their time in los angeles has been highlighted by a series of private rooftop concerts that overlook training grounds for the l.a.p.d. riot squads – the scrambling helicopters and practice gun battles below adding to the sinister dystopian vibe of their compositions. limited numbered run of 400 copies, silkscreened by monoroid on heavy duty chipboard jackets.
one of the rarest u.s. psych albums, previously issued on cd by subliminal sounds, now in a beautiful and legit 180 gram vinyl lp reissue. the truth, recorded in connecticut in 1972, might very well be the ultimate north american acid rock album, ever. no hype here — just incredible music. tempting as it is to exaggerate the worth of such obscurities, the truth deserves every plaudit that comes its way, making it astonishing that there was no real band to speak of. instead, ten musicians are credited alongside the mysterious donald hooker, who wrote, sang and played lead on the album. culled from the local music scene, they rehearsed only briefly before entering the studio. tom kobela, who played dobro on this record, remembers that hooker “was a very likable, long-haired fellow” who “wore robes, which was pushing the dress code conventions even then.” despite his wasted appearance, though, he knew exactly what he wanted in the studio. heralded by an eerie hoosh, the first track exemplifies the album’s sound: a strong melody, funky drumming and percussion and piercing guitar, underpinning oddly philosophical, quasi-christian lyrics. some songs are mellow, while others rock hard. other highlights include the irresistibly funky “a stranger’s smile” and the beautifully structured “this thing.” but the album’s masterpiece is the unforgettable “forge your own chains,” whose smoldering groove, enlivened by delicate synth and atmospheric brass, provides the backing for hooker’s admonitory lyrics about the iniquities of substance abuse. this is one of those albums that keeps revealing new depths even when you’ve played it a hundred times. connecticut hippie-philosopher concocts homemade lounge-psych masterpiece. true psychedelia! includes a poster in a limited edition of 500 copies 180gm vinyl… recommended!
dag are haugan is certainly for most people not the most common name. being half of the legendary norvegian outfit alog made him one of the most original musicians of the last decade. at the start of our label we did carry his debut 7 on myke droner stating it as classic a couple of years further we received this wonderfull demo. you can call it guitar-glitch if you want – the result comes close to a beatless gas, a more guitar-driven novisad, etc – pressed on vinyl-only, with artwork from rune grammofone s kim hiorthoy, this album will make you reconsider electronica (aka the glitch/microsound-movement), while the guitar world will be surprised to see how both, old and new traditions can be melted into one brilliant artwork. the music is very introspective creating different state of minds. sometimes you discover yourself headbanging to what is generally called ambient, while some other tracks put you in a kind of warm blackout. those fans who were waiting for the ideal mix between rocket girl and mego might have found what they been looking for. ltd to 500 copies worldwide.
after re-releasing vaunted folk-singer karen dalton’s sophomore lp in my own time in 2006, light in the attic records are proud to announce a much needed official vinyl reissue of her 1969 capitol debut. it’s so hard to tell who’s going to love you the best is a heart wrenching and bluesy introduction to the intoxicating world of dalton and her deep well of musical secrets. it’s so hard to tell… spans generations of classic american songwriting (ledbelly, jelly roll morton, and tim hardin) and with dalton’s unsurpassed interpretive depth and emotional range, it’s no surprise that artists from fred neil to nick cave have sung dalton’s praises over the years. even the likes of bob dylan have fallen under her spell, recalling the singer’s illuminating presence on the new york music scene during the pair’s formative greenwich village days: ‘my favorite singer in the place was karen dalton. she had a voice like billie holiday’s and played the guitar like jimmy reed.’ but championing endorsements aside, all you have to do is drop the needle on the grooves to understand. world weary and filled with the blues, dalton’s tragic life story was a rocky road. while no longer with us in the physical, her growing musical presence is stronger than ever and worthy of re-examination by the converted and uninitiated alike. selling poorly at the time of release, original vinyl copies of it’s so hard to tell who’s going to love you the best have all but vanished while bootleg internet rips take away all the soul. with period artwork, tip-on jacket, extensive liner notes, photos, and clear audio re-mastered from the original capitol masters, this light in the attic reissue is set to become the definitive analogue version of dalton’s stunning debut. dim the lights and turn that stereo up, karen dalton will turn your living room into private concert, an intimate performance you will never forget. 180 gram lp, gloriously re-mastered from the original tapes. beautiful ‘old school’ tip-on jacket with original artwork plus rare photos and new liner notes by brian barr (oxford american) interviewing key session players from the album including harvey brooks and dan hankin. includes 18″x24″ full-color poster.” also includes 56-page light in the attic records zine… great to have this one finally reissued on wax!
mega-rarity from the ’70s folk-psych french underground scene, featured on hans pokora’s book with a four stars rating and reissued for the first time. dandelion’s first album was first released in 1979 as a tiny private pressing of only 300 copies. it has a charming, amateurish homemade vibe with some outstanding tracks like ‘winter tale’ (featuring sound effects, reverberating guitars and lost vocals which bring to mind other lost bands like tony, caro & john or agincourt), the acoustic ‘la farfalla’ with nice femme vocals and the atmospheric, organ-dominated ’sometimes,’ which opens the album in an impressive way. this reissue is done with help from guitarist/composer jean christophe graf and vinyl has insert with liner notes and rare pictures, remastered sound and original picture sleeve design.
cool new self released local ep from adam bosse. layered trance drift tones with guitar & distant piano. pretty amazing totally hand made, hand painted, hand cut ’squid’ packaging. surely quite limited.
daughters of the sun formed and started playing shows in the fall of 2005 with an original lineup that included chris rose of vampire hands on guitar. the band has played the twin cities and midwest since their formation and have recorded a number of albums. the band honed their recordings in their twin cites practice space, but thier eastern psychadelic/shoegazer sound can be attributed to members time spent living in india. this is documented in live field recording on their rings lp. the band summons the mystique and instrumentation of the world’s oldest music balanced against the spiritual limits and possibilities of technological sound. artwork designed and printed by josh of knife world… real cool soundsfrom this newish group, in an awesome multi-color art paper screen printed cover with insert. limited to only 300 copies. fans of the more zoned early raccoo-oo-oon recordings would be well advised to grab a copy. recommended.
one sided 35 minutes long jam. their very last jam with the mask of the davenport clan on their faces, free-form improvisational folk performed on walpurgis, clay ruby’s brithday by clay ruby, t endless, woodman, johnny d, billy lee, nico kain, aaron laurant, tyler olson. limited to 230 copies.
the davenport family jams in the woods, in the barn, on the trail, in the pasture, around the campfire, and before the altar. this two cdr set also features several excerpts from their three hour ritual held in central park this past fall. featuring a few special guest stars and the usual fire that is always smoldering, this collection of moving snap shots is by far the most eclectic offering of davenport’s live improvisations to date. limited to 123.
reissue of sold out cassette on temple of be saint 777. wulfcult rising is an empowerment ritual of caveman electronics, heavy astral drone and rain fall.
the extended davenport family has been producing their unique flavor of free-form and exultant improvisational folk since 2001. operating out of madison, wisconsin, their music has taken on an open joviality that reflects the spirit of their hometown and the natural world that resides just outside its borders. respectful and observant of all things natural, davenport has focused on their organic sound over a long string of cdr and cassette releases for a number of different labels. rabbit’s foot propeller is simultaneously a natural extension of their prior work and a confident step into a new and different direction. taken as a whole or as its component tracks, the album is a solid continuation of the davenport aim to bring light into all dark corners. rabbit’s foot propeller is all about the juxtaposition of varying sounds and musical textures against one another. over the course of the album’s thirteen tracks the listener is presented with numerous playful improvisations, tones generated from various instruments and lilting melodies (both guitar and vocal).
clarinettist gareth davis and guitarist steven r smith (hala strana, mirza, thuja) have already collaborated to stunning effect back on 2009’s “westering” released on the important label. this alt.vinyl release sees them gain another notch in history’s belt. the at-first-glance bizarre pairing of these two instruments might conjure up images of anchorless skronk and scratch, however “the line across” is anything but. with each side of the vinyl containing just the one ambitious piece, this duo creates seas of organic drone that live and breathe. unspooling like wisps of smoke, the tones of “other forms of consecrated life” simultaneously conjure exotica and melancholy. what davis and smith manage to pull off here is the sound of flickering reflections in canal tunnels, something beyond drone and soundscaping; 3/4 cloud cover sporadically parting to reveal abyssic drops within it. it is not all intangible drift though; raw guitar sequences (even rhythm parts) appear in the sound as clarinet echoes and violin/fiddle tensions make textures from foreboding trails of drones. if a piece of shorthand could be applied to steven r smith’s playing here, then picture a colour haze or earth trading instrumental punches with derek bailey through a styrofoam cup phone. on the flipside is “the natural history of devastation”, a piece that falls somewhere on the fields far beyond descriptions and sounds of grace and mourning. there are unconscious nods to a gybe! sound here, layered stately string sounds and the chiaroscuro of feedback and waves of black moving across the vinyl. this track is a slow lull of strangled clarion call, orbison’s cold fingers on the guitar and banks of fog leaving only loss in the sound’s wake. things might not at first listen appear like they’re going to be ok in the morning, but familiarity with “the line across” shows that they might just end up close to perfect after all… deluxe edition in super thick textured covers & pressed on 180gm vinyl. limited to 500.
these pieces grew out of my research and interest in just intonation and prime numbers. during my explorations, i came across some interesting prime number sets and wondered what they would sound like. i constructed these pieces using sine wave generators in max/msp. i chose a base frequency (fundamental) for each piece and multiplied that number by each of the prime numbers in a given set to determine the harmonics / partials / overtones. most of the overtones were transposed down several octaves to fit within a comfortable 2-3 octave range. this became my “scale” or harmonic zone for each piece. i related the panning and metronome speed of each overtone to its frequency. rhythmically, each sine tone / frequency followed its own 3 beat cycle which created overlapping prime number rhythmic patterns. beat 1 = base frequency for that given overtone. beat 2 = an octave higher. beat 3 = silence (rest). the lower overtones had faster rhythmic cycles and the higher overtones had slower rhythmic cycles. this was a way for me to relate the rhythm to the prime number sets and integrate it with the harmony while still retaining a musical texture that was interesting to me. i used a simple stereo delay to blur the rhythmic texture to create more of a slowly shifting, patterned harmonic cloud. these pieces are dedicated to james tenney (1934-2006). they are an acknowledgment of his extraordinary work with alternate tuning systems and just intonation. his musical life should be an inspiration to us all… 300 copies in screen printed chipboard covers.
from denmark 1970; lp in edition of 450 numbered copies, glossy heavy sleeve, 180 gram pressing, insert. the danish group days was formed in copenhagen in the winter 1967/1968 by peter lindhe (drums), john kjaergaard (vocals/rhythm guitar), ole fester (vocals/bass) and lars reinau (vocals/lead guitar). the band’s repertoire was mainly rock and blues oriented with cover versions of songs from john mayall’s bluesbreakers, cream, jimi hendrix and the rolling stones. during 1968/1969, peter lindhe and lars reinau started writing original material to the band and the repertoire started changing from rock/blues cover versions to self-composed, more lyrical songs with elements of the beatles, procol harum and (early) deep purple. in 1969, jørn anker (hammond organ) joined the band and he, too started contributing new original songs to the band. the days lp was recorded in the early summer of 1970 and in 1971 the band split up. days is one the the rarest albums from denmark which also came out on spectator (blues addicts, terje jesper & joachim, moses). it is full of amazing prog tunes with great organ elements and strong fuzz guitar. a killer album from beginning to end.
de kift emerged from a dutch squatters’ movement and the punk waves of the late ’70s and early ’80s. their debut vinyl lp yverzucht was released in 1989. ferry: guitar & brass (svatsox); wim: drums (rondos, the ex); jacco (grrr): bass; maarten: vocals (pistache b.v.). de kift were a tremendous and original force at the time. sparse, rhythmic, angular, yet energetic music. staccato punk with fanfare elements. maarten’s lyrics were recited, spat out and crooned, bleak reflective explorations of the dutch mental state of the times. maarten (as well as jacco) departed the band after debuting yverzucht. out of the ashes, emerged a new conceptual, literary de kift that would play on for 20 years. de kift were part of the squatter movement. playing benefits, raising funds, eyebrows and soundtracking a lifestyle on its last legs.
the first in a series of dead c reissue collaborations between jagjaguwar and ba da bing, dr503 has been pressed on vinyl for the first time in years, along with the sun stabbed ep as a bonus record. originally released in 1987 (and not to be confused with the releases dr503b or dr503c, which are completely different recordings), dr503 sounded like nothing that came before–a furious pastiche of unrelenting drones, noise and menace. it didn’t fit in with the other bands new zealand’s venerable flying nun was releasing, and it immediately staked a fork in the road, dividing the “new zealand pop sound” from its black sheep brother, “new zealand noise.” today, the record still sounds as vicious and vital as when it first went to vinyl, except now perhaps there will be more people ready to appreciate the innovative approach the band took some 21 years ago. this reissue also contains a bonus record of the rare sun stabbed ep from the same recording period. with bonus tracks not on the original 7-inch, the recordings from the sun stabbed sessions are being released for the first time in their entirety.
the second in a series of dead c reissue collaborations between jagjaguwar and ba da bing, eusa kills has been pressed on vinyl for the first time in years, along with the helen said this 12-inch as a bonus record. eusa kills is the dead c’s second album from 1989, released by flying nun, the arbiter of the time for all that mattered in new zealand rock. considered by many to be their “songs” record, eusa kills adds ominous aggression to the abstract sounds of their time– those being created by such luminaries as dustdevils, this kind of punishment, and dadamah. sneering vocals drift over improvised melodies and unstructured rock songs. one can hear the direct influence the dead c had on sonic youth at the time– mining deep into the underbelly of music to yield a truly intense and unparalleled sound. this reissue also contains as a bonus record the rare helen said this 12-inch from the same recording period. originally released by siltbreeze at 33 rpm, this is the first vinyl reprint, and will display improved sound quality at 45 rpm.
in their first new album since 2003’s the damned and last year’s two-cd greatest hits behemoth, vain, erudite & stupid, new zealand’s the dead c return with anothe uncompromising realization of the finest rock improvisation you’ll ever hear. future artists contains five tracks of genius drone and barbarous clashing sounds. from the first track, “the amm of punk rock” through to the last, “garage,” their intensity is unyielding, their inventiveness jaw-dropping. it’s been twenty years, and the dead c show no sign of losing their ability to express the surreal and undefined. long may they prosper. features a bonus track-12:30 song called “the prisoners” not on the cd version… deluxe heavy old style gatefold covers. nice!
the elegance of howling guitar noise was fully realized when the dead c appeared. for over twenty years now, the trio has continually redefined what rock music is and can sound like, and have inspired sonic youth, yo la tengo, wolf eyes, and comets on fire, not to mention the current fertile underground noise scene. the dead c is the ultimate blues band. but rather than departing from the heartfelt singing of the african-american south, they express the tenants of alienation in society with unrelenting force-a focused soundtrack to accompany knut hamsun novels, samuel beckett plays, and ingmar bergman films. michael morley’s monotonic vocal moan anchors the inherent isolation of our modern world–nothing is more earnest, nothing sounds so lost. along the axis of the dead c’s recordings, secret earth sounds like it was created between eusa kills and harsh ’70s reality. it contains a straightforward (for them) expression of sound, while continually pushing their vast improvisational techniques into a realm of subconscious genius… limited vinyl version in a beautiful heavy 60s style full color cover.
as dead letters spell out dead words, gothenburg based composer and sound artist thomas ekelund has delved into a time-consuming investigation of the complex, multi-faceted world of solitude and introspective darkness. his pallet is strictly greyscale, but the tones he uses are deeper, more honest and more heartfelt than anything else out there. ‘lost in reflections’ is dead letters spell out dead words’ fourth main album and his definite masterpiece so far. here, hurt is transformed into absolute beauty. and here, dampened drones make pop art. split release with ideal, when skies are grey and fang bomb. 500 made. pro-printed sleeves with 5mm spine, printed insides and black innersleeves. heavy weight vinyl.
the a side was recorded at the first no fun festival in march 2004 (brooklyn) and features a little comedy to start with and then things get heavy – and the second side is the very first vg kids/wolf den ypsi street level throwdown – our set was live on a 6 color shirt screen press and nate brought a fog machine that blasted out the room and into the parking lot night of the vg complex – near the end you can hear people chucklin cause its absurd – that night was also the first”offical” sick llama, and mi debut of failing lights – great night – dm had a weird 7 small speaker set up on the heads of the press and spun it slighty for that dead-universe dying electronic creeping blast sound – sweet cover art. limited to 500.
what can be said about the amazing dead raven choir that hasn’t been said already? this release marks the return of d.r.c. after a slew of releases on some very respectable cd-r labels, not to mention 2003’s “wine, women and wolves” cd (last visible dog) as well as last years “cask strength black metal” 3 lp box set (weird forest) which was a re-issue of all of the “choir’s” ugly, noisy, totally fuzzed out black metal on vinyl format. smolken returns to the dark, avante-garde neo-folk side of dead raven choir that has made this such a unique and awe inspiring musical journey. selenoclast wolves is an album that runs the gammet of emotions; whether it be the creepy lurch and sway of the track “the silence”, the brooding melancholy of “when men die”, or the sheer manic violence of “i am not a recluse” the common feeling throughout is one of complete isolation. as a bonus this cd will contain the complete re-issue of the “lesbian corpse wolves” album which was limited to only 30 copies. all completely re-mastered by frédéric arbour (cyclic law, visions, longing for dawn). on “lesbian corpse wolves” most of the vocals were handled by the beautiful voice of emily salvatierra. aversion online once said of this release that these ” – dark, folk-ish compositions rely heavily on picking accents and clashing notes that are both melodic and completely discordant all at once – ” and we could not agree more. now lets all raise a glass (or goblet perhaps?) and thank mr. smolken for resurrecting his fascinating project once again!!!
dead western plays the type of music that makes genres obsolete. it is not that dw does the cross genre pollination clusterbarf, but that troy mighty’s sounds exist outside of any one (or two or five) genres. perhaps, just perhaps the music recalls the mellow, introspective side of current 93 or the druggy downer folkishness of legendary pink dots, but that is stretching things as much as claiming that troy’s voice is a melted version of bing crosby. yes, there are elements of downerism and croonerdom in dead western, but dw goes deeper than weird and depressing. there is something beautiful in this bizarre world. definitely not for the orthodox, but also far from being so out there that the music is incomprehensible. i am very much taken with this record. –scott soriano, z-gun. limited to 500 hand-crafted copies on clear vinyl with die-cut, full color sleeves.
when dead western’s soften your screams into sings lp (put out by kdvs) hit the mailbox my first thought was how lovely the sleeve looked, then turning over to see a photo of actual naked modern hippies in a forest (one of which was climbing a tree) i immediately thought i had this whole deal figured out. west coast, future arthurfest participants, etc.; i know pretty much what to expect here. well, it took me a good couple minutes to figure out what speed this thing played at, and when i did discovered this thing to be a real treasure outta left field. fragile instrumentation, heartfelt songs, but a truly alien voice delivering what i can only describe to be what you’d expect peter jefferies in the persona of the pink panther to be, or something similar. woozy, deep, resonant bass vox wobbling around the grooves here which i now know belong to sacramento musican/artist fixture troy mighty who i remember from the free jazz-leaning noiseniks antennas erupt. the variety of instrumentation, while being minimal, is also pretty rich in emotion. – brian turner, wfmu… really stunning album which is visually as beautiful as beautiful as the music. multi-fold, layered screen print & photo art. recommended.
when dead western’s soften your screams into sings lp (put out by kdvs) hit the mailbox my first thought was how lovely the sleeve looked, then turning over to see a photo of actual naked modern hippies in a forest (one of which was climbing a tree) i immediately thought i had this whole deal figured out. west coast, future arthurfest participants, etc.; i know pretty much what to expect here. well, it took me a good couple minutes to figure out what speed this thing played at, and when i did discovered this thing to be a real treasure outta left field. fragile instrumentation, heartfelt songs, but a truly alien voice delivering what i can only describe to be what you’d expect peter jefferies in the persona of the pink panther to be, or something similar. woozy, deep, resonant bass vox wobbling around the grooves here which i now know belong to sacramento musican/artist fixture troy mighty who i remember from the free jazz-leaning noiseniks antennas erupt. the variety of instrumentation, while being minimal, is also pretty rich in emotion. – brian turner, wfmu… really stunning album which is visually as beautiful as beautiful as the music. multi-fold, layered screen print & photo art. recommended.
the deadnotes are eugene carchesio, stuart busby and leighton craig, from brisbane in queensland, australia. armed with an arsenal of trumpet, guitar, drums and casio, the trio make a glorious, semi-spontaneous sort of eccentric pop music that’s drawn comparisons (rightly or wrongly) to the likes of ennio morricone, maher shalal hash baz, the magic band, moondog and even the minutemen. since their formation in 2005, the band has written and recorded hundreds of miniature odes to this & that, some of which have seen release in limited cdr editions on craig’s kindling imprint. the 30 tracks that comprise orange trumpet, the trio’s defining statement, are amongst their earliest creations.trained in the ’school of error,’ the deadnotes’ fractured take on pop form touches upon the sounds of their brethren in brisbane, from the experimental (the lost domain, et al.), to skewed pop (small world experience, et al.), to the city’s moody punk past (the five minutes, et al.). more accurately, orange trumpet plays like a minimalist, mariachi-informed version of grow-up’s the best thing; it’s brimming with ideas & presented with loose abandon. a jaunty melancholy that echoes tori kudo and tenniscoats, is present throughout, regardless if the boys are shuffling thru haunted dirges, garage-y workouts, or other points in between. carshesio’s classic recordings as dne are undeniably a touchtone here as well… orange trumpet is released in an edition of 400 numbered lp copies with full color jackets.
limited edition tour lp for their upcoming joint tour across europe. one side for each of these amazing uk guitarists. cam has two tracks, one beautiful long guitar piece followed by an insane electronics track, that sounds almost like autechre’s more weird static work. spoono is jack allett who is also half of towering breaker. his side consists of three incredible tracks that will no doubt prick up the ears of fans of jack rose. limited to 350… paste-on found photo cover art. great album.
i am very pleased to be releasing the debut lp from sheffield-london-brighton guitar master, cam deas. this follows his two long sold out cdrs on blackest rainbow, and proves once again that he is off the chain! ok, so there’s always gonna be the immediate comparison to james blackshaw, but the sound is different, more aggressive almost and raw… this guitar playing has an edge, its deep and its powerful. the lp consists of three tracks, the a side is an epic almost 20 minute piece entitled ‘the waters of kvaloya’ recorded by ben nash. the b sides and albums title track begins with almost a minute of near silence distant drone, that develops with stomach wrenching string twangs. the closing piece is ‘as spring fell from the leaves’, which was originally issued on ‘for the silver waters, sing!’ cdr last year on br, but has been considered by people who’ve bought his releases and seen cam live as possibly one of the best things he has composed, total genius, with a real blissful, but eventually dark, vibe. this track definitely deserved to be put on wax. mastered by ben nash. limited to 300 copies… really great stuff. fans of jack rose, james blackshaw, etc. will need this one.
stunning 45 from sheffield based cam deas — a debut 45 on wax. 2 heavy strummed blues across 2 sides of vinyl — best approached as 1 long piece. sure, the names of fahey, basho, blackshaw, rose, etc. spring to mind, but this has a raw, slow building presence and an expressive approach all of it’s own. a potent brew — perhaps a departure from recent work on labels like blackest rainbow and dead pilot, released as a pressing of 300 numbered, date stamped copies in linen card, fine art sleeves with sticker… real nice one.
sweet vinyl debut from the mighty fine death chants, released on the band’s own label. if you tuned into any of their great self released cassettes, or either of the time-lag cdrs, you pretty much know the deal. in a pretty mellow smoked-out drift mode here, the a side is sunny strummed acoustic guitar mantra with bubbling modular synth bleeps, distant buzzes & drones, occasional noisy bursts and half slurred wordless vocal. the b side is less songy with sweet drifting keys, thick viola drones, ebow guitar hum and an ultra peaceful ambiance. very sweet stuff. perfect baked summer evening porch music. heavy moss colored art board covers, with black offset printed art by nemo. limited / numbered edition of only 320 copies.
cassette reissue of self released cdr. comes with an extra jam recorded live at la sala rossa in 2006 by nks. ultra crude hypno-style drums and groove box electronics. a constant flow of muddy water. don’t bother trying to reach in though. only bad shit will happen. if you’re lucky and you’re down with astral projections, you might meet these ladies in the other dimension they normally hang out in, sipping tea n’ sake and talking about their favourite dance records. photocopied artwork, insert, and labels. hand stamped. numbered edition of 100.
death vessel is joel thibodeau’s work as both a solo artist and band leader. his music, captured on the resplendent record stay close, is an eloquent distillation of a life’s tales. born in berlin, germany before the wall fell… raised in kennebunkport, maine before senior bush’s presidency… this musician lived a childhood where the ghosts of cold war casualties and seaport tragedies haunted the alleyways and beaches. leaving maine as a teenager, thibodeau moved to boston, providence and new york. in providence he was a founding member, songwriter and performer of the group string builder. now as then, thibodeau captures the surreal and the sublime in wondrous song. thibodeau’s vocal delivery is astonishing. perhaps his singing is best-described as descendent from ‘the high lonesome sound’ — unleashed upon the world by roscoe holcomb in the early 1960s. with this voice, death vessel delivers stunning lyrical poetry that transcends the ‘whisky ‘n’ haystack’ imagery of its neo-folk contemporaries. thibodeau brings this same unusual experimentation to the acoustic guitar (his primary instrument). the daringly melodic plucking of strings and the odd tempo changes provide expertly unexpected accompaniment. stay close was originally released on cd in 2005 by north east indie. new chicago imprint immune is proud to present the album on the lp format for the first time. this version of the album contains a bonus track exclusive to this release — a live/acoustic version of ‘deep in the horchata,’ recorded in 2005 with micah blue smaldone playing accompaniment.
their time in the studio was overseen by engineer jim vitti, whose work with parliament/ funkadelic seems to have informed his decision to record death in raw fashion with little polish, showcasing the organic power relationships within the trio. the songs recorded there make up ?for the whole world to see, which today blasts from the speakers as a fresh and inspired early entry in the category of punk rock. death had a single pressed, politicians in my eyes b/w keep on knocking, selling them at their shows and on the street. things weren’t really going anywhere when they heard from columbia records’ president clive davis. he was interested, but he had one demand — they’d have to change their name. david, acting as the band’s leader, would have no part of it, a decision that ultimately brought an end to death. moving to new england, david, bobby and dannis reconnected with their faith, forming the christian rock-n-roll band the 4th movement, whose self-released early-80s album joined death’s 45 as a sought-after obscurity for the next generation. 2009 is the time that death is finally here …for the whole world to see. …for the whole world to see is the first full-length release ever for the band called death — with only one 7″ single to their name, and that usually goes for about a grand per. that’s $1000! for those who do have the single, the remastered sound here will break you up… great album!
their time in the studio was overseen by engineer jim vitti, whose work with parliament/ funkadelic seems to have informed his decision to record death in raw fashion with little polish, showcasing the organic power relationships within the trio. the songs recorded there make up? for the whole world to see, which today blasts from the speakers as a fresh and inspired early entry in the category of punk rock. death had a single pressed, politicians in my eyes b/w keep on knocking, selling them at their shows and on the street. things weren’t really going anywhere when they heard from columbia records’ president clive davis. he was interested, but he had one demand — they’d have to change their name. david, acting as the band’s leader, would have no part of it, a decision that ultimately brought an end to death. moving to new england, david, bobby and dannis reconnected with their faith, forming the christian rock-n-roll band the 4th movement, whose self-released early-80s album joined death’s 45 as a sought-after obscurity for the next generation. 2009 is the time that death is finally here … for the whole world to see…. for the whole world to see is the first full-length release ever for the band called death — with only one 7″ single to their name, and that usually goes for about a grand per. that’s $1000! for those who do have the single, the remastered sound here will break you up… great album!
anopheles records is proud to announce a high quality, deluxe, tip-on style heavy jacket sleeve edition of this 1976 acid-punk classic from oklahoma for 2008, with an additional two sided insert unique to this edition, pressed on black vinyl for the first time since the original pressing in 1976. lp reissue (the first non-clear vinyl pressing we’ve released since we started doing the anopheles label in 1991) of this december 1975 recorded, oklahoma outer limits psych-noise proto-punk extravaganza, which has gone on to inspire the likes of the screamers and nurse with wound. this edition features the complete april, 1976 self-released lp, taken from the original master tapes, with original artwork, and a previously unreleased (and amazing!) november, 1975 practice take of the stooges’ ‘real cool time’ (an earlier, radically different recording to the cd version, which is still available). the previous clear vinyl edition of debris’ on lp from 2002 sold out years ago, and is now selling for $50-$100 on ebay.
alan r.t. – percussion, piano, horns, electronics & aaron rosenblum – percussion, piano, strings, electronics… aaron rosenblum and alan r.t. performed together for the first time as members of sapat in 2004, and both currently perform multi-instrumental roles in that band’s mashup of jazz, psychedelia and experimental music. in deep pockets, both improvise on a narrower range of instruments and concentrate on the intense musical conversation that is made possible by the duo format. alan is a member of sapat, kark, valley of ashes, and boogie brothers, and is featured on recordings by rachel’s and jackie-o-motherfucker. he records and performs solo under several pseudonyms, including arsenio, raw thug, and arthur kalow. aaron rosenblum performs in sapat, kark, son of earth, shackamaxon (with members of double leopards and magik markers), and pleasant colony, and has been a guest member of wooden wand and the vanishing voice, sunburned hand of the man, and the cherry blossoms. he also performs and records under his own name and runs the hank the herald angel recordings label (www.hankrecordings.com). their debut cdr features a slightly condensed record of a single day’s improvisations on electronics, percussion, trombone, and strings.
previously reissued on cd by fallout, now issued on deluxe lp format as well; 180 gram virgin vinyl. the deep were a philadelphia-based studio-only band whose one and only album, psychedelic moods was released to critical acclaim in 1966. recorded in a darkened philadelphia studio one night, this pioneering album was the first album ever to have the word “psychedelic” in its title and is well-established as an acid classic. invented and produced by mark barkan and rusty evans and the legendary david bromberg, whose playing credits include just about everybody from bob dylan to jerry jeff walker, psychedelic moods is hailed as the very first album with a consistent psychedelic theme running throughout. presented here in both its mono and stereo mixes (which have fascinating differences), it still sounds truly unique and is a must for all fans of true american psychedelia… great version of this early garage psych gem.
brooklyn-based 3-piece the depreciation guild have been making underground waves to match those created by their fuzzed-out, reverb-drenched melodies. artfully combining progressive and retro chic, the trio draws influence from shoegaze guitar walls, dreampop highs, and the rigidity of electronic rhythms, while creating a sound that is a bit different from both, dreamily reinventing their musical heritage. *special note, two of the members fo this band also play and write songs in the pains of being pure at heart. this is their debut 7 inch in full color jacket, white vinyl and download card! 400 limited one time pressing only. side a dream about me side b listless. catch them on tour now with the pains of being pure at heart and cymbals eat guitars.
following their premiere full-length in her gentle jaws, self-released in december ‘07 exclusively as a free download, the album has already found its way to over 90,000 hard drives. the stir across the internet, as well as in their own backyard, is testament to some breathtaking songwriting and arranging. a musical piece to be heard as a whole saturated in color, and drifting into dream. limited one time 500 pressing only. on tour now with the pains of being pure at heart, cymbals eat guitars, and school of seven bells.
der tpk liken the sound of their second aural onslaught to “[the battle of] kursk, second day.” who among us cannot relate to the largest tank battle in history? while the comparison may not be an easy nut to crack, the reference, specifically to the second day, is telling: the wonton destruction that unfolded on that field of battle in an attempt to break the soviet bulge cannot be overstated. for the germans, it was unmitigated tragedy. so by comparing games for slaves to this particular point in the offensive, der tpk makes clear that album number two is more brooding and melancholy than harmful emotions. bunker wolf’s menacing lupine-schrei is as formidable as ever, but the band has moved from the blitzkreig, almost hardcore-like pace of their siltbreeze debut to a more mancunian post-punk sound (angular guitars, rhythmic dirges), crossed with the luftschutszbunker psychedelia of german oak (especially on the organ-laden tracks). no one does it in 2008 like teenage panzerkorps. games for slaves is more beauteous gas on an already raging and spectacular fire. edition of 500 with insert and single-sided, silk-screened, black-and-white cover.
if you haven’t heard bob desper’s new sounds yet, you may have heard something about it. originally recorded in 1974, new sounds is considered to be one of the pacific northwest’s best-kept secrets, a regional holy grail with copies fetching upwards of $1000. until recently, not much was known about this mysterious blind folk-singer from oregon. in 2007, discourage records located bob desper, alive and well, living in albany, oregon. after two years of culling materials, discourage records is proud and honored to officially reissue this once lost masterpiece. evoking the melancholy mood of nick drake, the fluid improvisation of van morrison’s astral weeks, and the intricate instrumentation of jose gonzales, new sounds’ dark, meditative urgency immediately transcends the thirty-five years marking its original release. this official reissue of new sounds includes bob desper’s 1972 debut 7″, dry up those tears (including picture sleeve); an 11 x 17 insert with extensive liner notes and full color photos; and 1970s style tip-on sleeve… recommended & long awaited reissue!
first non-skaters related release on the band’s elusive micro label… this one is actually belgium primitive folk psych blues wonder IGNATZ, reassembled by spencer clark. limited.
eeeew. as the positively revolting title might suggest to some of you who are alert and paying attention, this release is a veritable shrine to perverted, in-bred, hillbilly atrocity. misanthropic to a degree i previously thought impossible, this is quite simply the blackest of folk/horror-inspired black metal with an unbelievably high ‘deliverance’ factor. think rusty pickup trucks and cages in the basement. think pathetic whimpering death. sounds like the house in ‘the blair witch project’ or the forest in ‘texas chainsaw massacre’ or maybe the sledgehammer in ‘misery’… i feel strangely compelled to shower. again and again.
diagram a is dan greenwood whos based in the providence/ma area, makes all his own electronics and use to do a label called sound probe…most recently he was on the rrr new england noise box set… first ever vinyl release on bill nace’s open mouth label. screen printed covers, clear vinyl, insert. limited to 300 copies.
underneath the dirt lies the roadmap to ancient civilization. the world before the fall. dinmuck #f (aka eon) comes from toowoomba and is enlisted as an intergral part of the musicyourmindwillloveyou collective.”the old is new” is a psychic brainfuck, like calloused skin baking under the scorching summer sun. imagine cave paintings singing about the third eye, caked in mud and eating the soil. this music, in all it’s scattered glory, is totally, 100% fried – limited to 100.
alex neilson is the uks kid thunder, who may be known to you for playing drums in jandeks band or being one half of beating stars with richard youngs, but directing hand is his own free form handshake. all kinds of joyous clatter in this baby. guests players include christina carter.
vinyl debut by this stunning belgian new age trance wizard. has done tons of tapes on his own bread & animals imprint, as well as releases on pacific city (skaters’ label) and many others. beautiful and endless.
zonked lullabies and exotic travelogues towards inner hairy space. taste the saliva carried on the winds that purify these coastal gamelan hymns and watch a new dawn. 70 copies.
the 5th installment in the music fellowship’s triptych has finally arrived!! this release brings together two brooklyn bands, mouthus and double leopards, and the sonically entwined sunroof! of england. while each band contributes a side to this two-lp set, the artists are brought together not just figuratively on wax, but literally, as the fourth side features all seven musicians playing together. double lp gatefold artwork and design by mouthus – long out of print & very limited edition.
#7 features a wonderful archival interview with the late great ivor cutler conducted by john cavanagh (phosphene/bbc), mats gustafsson talked to lanterns and antony milton of pseudoarcana. steve sawada interviewed the legendary linda perhacs, lee jackson wrote about and chatted with josephine foster, ned raggett covered yellow6, i interviewed henry flynt, larkin grimm, turkish band ayyuka, loren connors, mayo thompson of red krayola, bert jansch, absalom, p.g. six, function, the left outsides, the moon upstairs, sharron kraus, st. mary’s, tor lundvall, powell st. john (songwriter for 13th floor elevators, mother earth, janis joplin, etc.), mark brend of fariña, and frans de waard and freek kinkelaar of beequeen.the complimentary cd features previously unreleased music by: function, lumeny, tor lundvall, adrian crowley, crashing dreams, mike tamburo, keenan lawler, sharron kraus, the kitchen cynics, the left outsides, yellow6, fariña, the moon upstairs, st. mary’s, freiband, and absalom. 96 pages – anonther fantastic read. recommended.
issue eight has longtime contributor mats gustafsson (late of the broken face) doing his inimitable interviewing journalistic thing on los angeles brotherly duo antique brothers, and new zealand’s singular rory storm. ned raggett talked to guitar genius ilyas ahmed. steve sawada interviewed portland, oregon’s plants. brian faulkner talked to tom and christina of the charalambides, mark dagley chatted with natalie rose lebrecht aka greenpot bluepot. i interviewed: the very wonderful damon & naomi, tripped-out vocal adventurer dredd foole, great guitarist sir richard bishop of the late lamented sun city girls, legendary japanese guitarist michio kurihara with translation by alan cummings, the deeply beguiling husband and wife acid folk duo arborea, american singer songwriter stephen yerkey of the late great nonfiction, argentinian sonic explorer anla courtis late of reynols, the great swedish psychedelic band the spacious mind, the unique and brilliant british composer and vocalist johnny parry, i talked to myc james lead vocalist of nevada city band of yore absalom, psychedelic home-recording brit madman reefus moons, singer songwriter lys guillorn, ambient masters stars of the lid, sacramento valley’s own psych-pop wizard anton barbeau, and the truly wonderful the handsome family. we also feature artwork by the stalwart peter blegvad, the charming andrew goldfarb, and myself. we recieved exceptional pieces for this issue’s complimentary cd from: arborea, rory storm, anton barbeau, the slow poisoner, natalie rose lebrecht, rory storm, lys guillorn, reefus moons, absalom, anla courtis, antique brothers, m. jarvis / a. jarvis, powell st. john, the spacious mind, and ilyas ahmed. 112 pages perfectbound… another great read!
this heavily hendrix-influenced psychedelic gem was issued in norway, as an export-only lp in 1967. having become a sought-after collector’s item ever since, it features a full-set of psychedelic effects, with back-running guitars, psychedelic guitars and wah-wah everywhere, lots of keyboard and some very wisely (and seldomly) used orchestration. some tracks (‘hey jimi,’ ‘do you dream’) sound as if you were listening to hendrix himself, and also very recommended are the trippy instrumental ‘night of the lonely organist and his mysterious pals’ and the opening track ‘green things (from outer space)’, while a couple of interesting ballads round up the record – nice exact repro trippy covers.
dredd foole (dan ireton) and ed yazijian met while wandering the shadowy corners of the boston ’80s post-punk scene. ed was playing in such avant-rock combos as high risk group and 7 or 8 wormhearts (and the original pre-lp cul de sac). dan had just dissolved dredd foole & the din, tired of rock as a form and the extraordinary loudness of the group. he wanted a chance to do some real singing. ed was feeling a need for something more subtle and embraced the idea of actually being able to hear what he played. they set out to turn the world onto the largely acoustic folk and free-improv stew they had cooked up. boston rock audiences were not impressed. indifference and downright hostility were the norm. there was talk of an lp, and some tentative recordings were done. but before anything could materialize, frustration took over and dan decided to retire from performing music altogether. ed went back to rock music with kustomized. and eventually, dan bought a four-track and recorded the lp in quest of tense (which some consider the opening salvo of the free-folk movement) with ed appearing on one track. but by the time it was released, they had gone their separate ways. years later, by a series of coincidences, they reconnected, and they found that when they played together again, it seemed nothing had been lost. they did a short tour with comrades and friends damon & naomi and eventually played the now-legendary brattleboro free folk festival. they found that audiences were now more open to their efforts. a couple of years passed during which dan released three solo records and a record with a new improvisational din (which included chris corsano, thurston moore and the members of pelt). ed recorded and released his brilliant solo record, six ways to avoid the evil eye and was even caught playing live with folks like richard bishop and sunburned hand of the man. then, against all odds, february 2008 found ed & dan recording, with ed at the helm in foole’s ashram in brattleboro for the better part of a week. that lonesome road between hurt and soul is the result of those sessions. some improvisations are built on dan’s songs played in a totally unfettered manner. one is based on a tune by j. mascis, and some were recorded as they were created. long talked about, long awaited, years in the making — the dredd foole & ed yazijian recordings are finally here.
last 95 original copies of this mega rare and very hip 1982 debut single from dredd foole backed by mission of burma! self released in an edition of 1000 copies 25 years ago, the ‘lost’ remaining 95 copies turned up and have been lovingly repackaged in a high quality cover my michael k of sunburned hand of the man, and featuring postcard photo inserts from the recording session. signed & numbered by dredd himself. nice. recommended!
the silver king of ashram hum returns to the people after lighting up maximum arousal farm and his very own room with 6 songs of total blue afternoon freedom in a mesmerizing rustic ramble that is the true follow up to in quest of tense post ra & buk never sounded like such sweet earth – sweet relics edition of the much loved and instantly out of print cdr. beautiful stuff.
the dredd foole catalog is wide (and deep) and yet this new release manages to carve another distinct tributary into the swamped landscape. as the title implies, songs to despond ya falls on the songwriting end of the foole spectrum, and he takes full advantage of the opportunity to flesh out his bardic impulse. the results are raw and immediate, devoid of electronic effects, and all the more timeless for it. of course, whether he’s offering up ballads or free-hootin’ and -hollerin’, dredd foole always tugs at the heart and mind of anyone receptive enough to leave those doors open just a crack.
first time ever vinyl reissue of the hard-to-find sole album by u.s. duo drnwyn. wonderful record that has some very cool psychedelic moments (especially the track ‘the madman and the angel’), and a good number of fabulous folk rock mid-tempos. there’s drums, bass and lots of acoustic guitars in here, but also electric leads, keys, mandolin and multi-part vocals with some female chorus as well. but most important, very well-crafted songs from start to finish. this was a private release back in 1978, and a very recommended album for those into folk-psych and folk-rock. remastered sound and 500 copies only.
thick winds off the sargasso is a phase from the epic drunjus 2xcdr (foxglove). this 3inch features a live excerpt from the source material that birthed the album version. the sounds are a meditative blur of buzz tone and the seething outdoors by woodman, clay ruby and endless.
two killer journeys… dremcrom and relax, hunter. both recorded live. one side completely in the analog realm; from the boys’ cassette deck straight to 180 gram black wax. strictly limited to 300 copies. hand screened on thrifted album covers turned inside out. no two alike. side a – ‘dremcrom’ is a sideways drift through the earths crust which confirms that the core truly is molten. drunjus bore a hole straight to the center of your brain. live at the infamous wisco biker bar… side b – ‘relax hunter’ is a more galactic affair. with enough molten fuel to get their ship airborn, drunjus escape the atmosphere and enter a 300 year cryogenic sleep… co-released with tree tapes…
on side a, ducktails tour de force, “parasailing” and on side b, julian lynch (his debut 7″) brings both power and grace, with “topi” and “garden 2.” the album covers artistic detailing can be accredited to real estate frontman martin courtney while the image itself was snapped by renowned photographer and really nice guy, david hiser. adding to this art bizarre, richard law has created two music videos which will accompany each 7″ on a dvd.
dear matt, it’s confetti for memories! your buddy charles and the sunday afternoon gripfest staring, check this out: “little man tate” and “little big man”, super funny, as well as a dusty tough to read flick called, you know i got carrots for brains, “pipeline”! so, you know every trilogy needs the curveball, and well, “pipeline” has got to be uncle charlie. i found these videos in the basement of chateau terrace antwerp, but it’s super gritty kitty down there and i just grabbed three quickies. so i just put on your jams, and i am gunna watch pipeline’s surf visions and scope your memories and sunbake. but man, pipeline’s front flap video tape protection is busted, so i am gunna trade it with “you got mail’s” front flap, at this point i have to duck into my roomates zone and grip his rca to mini jack, but he has a sign posted that reads “stay out of my room”. super funny, but later i am gunna take the sign, cross out “room” and insert “dreams”, put the sign on my wall, let somebody specials red orange lipstick make out with it, so that the guy knows he’s a cutie and chazzi’s touched by freak. but so check it, i had to grip this rca to mini jack so that i can grip your memories and watch pipeline. hey man, for real though, member when we were on the beach in barcelona, before our car got towed, and we were cruising to beverly hills cop soundtrack, the master and carmen san diego were in the back, we got to the beach jumped in the water drank beer ate coconuts and got massages while staring at boob people. at that moment, like when we snuck into the berlin film festival and danced ocean’s 11, wow, my roomate just came home, he’s wearing a long party wig and telling chazzi that he shagged all night long in a squat called “duel 3″, no joke; but yeah, i cannot, for the parrot in me, forget those times, to each his own future, so wait, back to pipeline,, no wait, i got to tell you about this party last full moon, my roomate throws one every month when the moon’s light eclipses that of the rational minds hesitations, and well i had to dj, i wanted to, but i brought the parrot along, you met him right? he is always there when chazzy does the radio show or when monopoly needs vocals on a bamboo track, but neither of us invite this guy to the parties where those other dreams come true. its not cool, so i brought him along, you know his name right? belafonte, so belafonte and i start dj-ing, you know that song from police academy called “i got to be somebody” by jack mack and a hearttack? stars and ecstasy, for real, and jel doctor was getting me buckets of beer, cuz it was so hot and the air is full of short stuff, so i flip the records and repeatedly fend off requests for beat it and dirty diana, and all of a sudden belafonte has drank all my beer and is smoking cigarettes, there are no tickets for free coldies, and i get pretty pissed, i kinda let belafonte have it, you know, telling him that i cant take him anywhere, gnorm the gnome style, and he’s like “alright, you go get some more beers”, wow, your mirror jam just cruised in – memories… so, yeah, belafonte is like “go, get some more beers and let me talk some of these girls into dancing with us and you will be calling me most valuable vertabrae, birdtalk magazine style, so i get a bunch of coldies cuz tod god just came through with some bready poo, i come back to the dance floor, and well, i guess belafonte burnt his head on his own cigarette, and this girl named manon, but he understood as emanuelle, like schnikies!! well his head is burnt and this black paint starts rubbing off his head, and i notice that there is paint on my neck, my face, and on her face, and her neck, and so on and so forth csi style, and everybody kind of understands, the girls have taken this black paint and are marking it on their bodies like war paint initiation style, and they are petting belafonte like he’s the unattainable, i had no idea that this parrot was a model for birdtalk magazine back in its hey day, group therapy is affective… later i asked manon for some affection, and she said “no, your feet are too dirty”, on account of me wearing flippers to a dance party, and was like cool, its not even july 4th yet, but then, as i walked away she was like “three o clock, meet me at the zoo!” no joke, belafonte and me were like ah kuku ah kaka bamboo-for-two style… stories are forever and i got to get back to pipeline, which is hitting the screen right now, and its definitely not about surfing and reminds charles of when ebay and you stayed at the new york dante’s microchip apartment and it was so hot and you guys passed out next to each other in your undies exclusively like siamese pipeline limbo style, if i had hoagie it would have been chazzi to chucky in like 4 doners and sixty seckies… thanks for the memories matt, i miss you man, i think belafonte and i will get deported soon and i will meet you in cali. love, charles berlitz.
matt mondanile’s self-titled debut full length has been hotly anticipated in the wake of his killer cassettes and single 7″ appearance. here he finally has the room to spread his imaginary surf-psych-pop across a full 2 sides of wax, and the wait was worth it. mastered by graham lambkin (of the shadow ring), with cover art by jan anderzen (of finnish folk-psych visionaries kemialliset ystavat).
dune buggy is ryan garbes and charles “taterbug” free, expanding on both members obsessions with classic garage, punk, and pysch rock tunes and images. dune buggy is the pop realization of these obsessions. 20 minutes of catchy organ, guitar, and drum driven punkers delivered in iowa city basement scum style haze. cleaner then you think it will sound but with enough grit to keep it grimey, who new these two could play it this cool? teeny bop, youth cult armageddon rockers. expect more on np and gel by dunebuggy in the future. artwork by rgarbes.
this is the limited clear-vinyl swedish edition of dungen’s fourth studio album (released on cd & lp in the u.s. via kemado), extending the acclaimed swedish outfit’s sound past psychedelia into something far more rare. moving beyond mere stylistic concerns, 4 finds gustav ejstes’ focus on the extremes of dungen’s sound separating into two entities. blazing, raw guitar workouts have their own time and place, but now, so do stirringly orchestrated, jazz-cooled compositions with cinematic undertones. bandleader gustav ejstes has made many allusions to his creative process as it likens to that of a hip-hop producer. on 4, that process is more evident than ever, both in the feel of each piece, and in the sense of intuition and control within the members of the group. new drummer johan holmegard joins guitarist reine fiske and bassist mattias gustavsson, while ejstes steps away from guitar for the entire album, focusing on the piano as his lead instrument. together, they have honed a classic and seamless sound, constructed with lavish studio flourishes and moving, narrative arrangements, and yet able to toughen up to tear veins of fierce blues-psych instrumentals up from the surface. the ten tracks on 4 comprise dungen’s most concentrated effort to date, beats surging forth and atmospheres changing as their sound continues to evolve. every song here runs under five minutes, pushing the group to introduce confident melodies and arresting ambiance in tighter frameworks. gauging from the results, this challenge has done them well. included in this set are live favorite “mina damer och fasaner,” excerpts from a wild psychedelic jam session entitled “samtidigt,” and a storming, northern soul-influenced instrumental entitled “fredag.” these stand tall with some of the most fully-realized moments of dungen’s career; percolating prog-pop groover “det tar tid” and eloquent opener “satt at se.” with a penchant for lush pop portraits, and laced with orange sunshine guitar flash, 4 turns a page in dungen’s sound and story.
classic el tule tape re-released with brand new artwork. another beautiful screen printed insert from our favorite printmaker, kelly filreis. limited to 25 copies! tape on digitalis and 7″ on not not fun coming soon!
after some 27 lps, 48 tapes, 25 seven inches, 33 cds/cdrs, and 4 ten inches, the time has finally come for not not fun’s first foray into the great wide world of book publishing. and there’s few better nnf bffs we could hope to share the adventure with than fuck it tapes/woodsist ceo (and meneguar/shepherds/woods multi-instrumentalist) jeremy earl. since early on in fit’s adolescence, he began incorporating his own loosely composed symbolist/primitivist designs into the label’s aesthetic (highlights like the brain band and blues control’s ‘riverboat styx’ j-card come to mind), but constant focused labor and the endless march of new projects forced his craft into a heightened state of evolution, birthing countless killer compositions along the way. skull is here to pick up some of the choicest pieces from bone-yard and bind them all together. the art inside spans several years worth of work, from 2006-era obsessively rendered ritual serpents and bleeding, 8-fingered hands up through earl’s most recent experiments with collage and multi-media hieroglyphics. over a dozen of his most striking and iconic cassette covers are included as well, in addition to scores of never-before-seen images. dazed pterodactyls, radiant pyramids, possessed worms, faceless figures beneath winged specters: all lurk and loom from the eye of the skull. 40 full-color pages, professionally printed and bound, in a one-time edition of 500… awesome & recommended eye-popper.
this is a cold vision of a dark trash covered future full of sci fi nightmares and strange out of body experiences. this is the final kites recording and is perhaps the strangest and most chaotic piece in the prolific discography. annihilation synth and tape collage, cut up, sped up and dialed to oblivion. earth crown steps it back, slows down the pulse, lets the edges of the static curl around the drone to the breaking point, where the damage is let loose, purged out and built again. this lp is a reminder of how cold, desolate, and haunting life can be. silkscreened by shawn reed, art by kites and earth crown.
earth station is mike pollard (abror rec./treetops etc.) and peter friel (young tapes) new now age, space suit, field studies in the deep trenches of mars, power ambient band. tidal waves of glacial synth murmur, the kind of intentionally epic stuff that you can’t help but like if you let yourself truly drift off. the end is coming and this what it might sound like. space music for earthlings. total harmony, total control. artwork by sdreed.
don’t put baby in the corner. jerusalem mall is a newer christmas time jingle for these hopeful times. backed with 2 sick to death outtakes unavailable on vinyl till now. no one puts baby in the corner. full color glue pocket sleeve.
eat skull are a quartet hailing from portland, oregon, co-masterminded by rob enbom (former bushwacker in the ranks of hospitals and hole class) and another original hospital, rod meyer (the greatest living genius of punk). previous eat skull efforts include a cassette-only ep and a pair of 7-inches, all of which might be out of print. like their brethren and forebears, eat skull runs a post pattern deep beyond pop and punk. they bring to the game an extrasensory appreciation of new zealand’s south island sound (great unwashed, axemen), cleveland art-damage skronk (modern art studio, x-x), and the wretched excess of forgotten midwest hardcore (stiff legged sheep, chemotherapy). vinyl-only edition of 800 copies.
eat skull’s sick to death received worldwide accolades for its frantic pacing, unimpeachable lyric quality, and nugget after nugget of pop hooks buried under a gob of lo-fi muzz. on this follow-up, fans and critics will find a cleaner, more inimitable eat skull at work. frontman rob enbom has outdone himself with both lyrics and structure on wild and inside, and the band as a whole rises to the challenge of nixing the lo-fi tag for a sound that’s less… antecedent. gone is the wall of crud that prevents discerning listeners from identifying the instrumental play-by-play; in its stead, a set of crafted songs recall the paisley punk of the last and the rural-delica of great plains, as well as nodding to the sanguine pop of early flying nun bands such as the double happys. wild and inside is a grower for the ages. it breathes deep and exhales perfectly.
handmade covers. a confusing, odd record. 2 lock grooves begin the edith side. bedroom meanderings that steve stapleton might be proud of. released around 9/11/01. really! tons of confusing inserts. 200 pressed.
egghatcher is robert horton made of space in delicate petals that speak like stars like red units fresh from the cosmos seeping a thinking upon distilled minds.
resistant to the clutches of anubis, the members of egypt have emerged from a six year hiatus to produce an archival release dating from the dclxvi dynasty. after serving as priests to hathor, the mistress of life, the great wild cow, for five years, these egyptian numerologists have honed their aesthetic reeds to razor sharp points. these tracks include glossalalia praising the pantheon, an illustration of the electromechanistic migration of the soul as well as ecstasy soaked instrumental excursions. look for these adepts appearing at your local oasis soon! 180 gram vinyl, full color covers, 500 copies!
‘i was lucky to see uruguayan music born. before el kinto it didn’t exist, and if it did i did not know it or like it.’ nosvaldo fattorusso. an exact replica of the original clave label lp release of fourteen crucial tracks by these uruguayan legends, whose line-up includes members of totem and limonada, and features the compositional abilities of poet/panhandler and acid casualty eduardo mateo and his alter-ego, candombe legend ruben rada. el kinto began their brief but eventful life in music playing in the dark shadows at orfeo negro (black orpheus), a night club near the portones de carrasco in montevideo, uruguay. inspired by the way tropicalistas like os mutantes were transforming the pop music of brazil, el kinto embraced their own native music formsnbut, as always, they went a step further: they integrated candombe and bossa nova into beat music, but they also added their own notion of ‘psicodelics.’ they experimented with newness in all its varietynnew sounds from their guitars, new types of vocal delivery, new ways of striking the drums (with little brooms, with gavels or their hands). as one journalist noted in 1969, ‘el kinto, directed by the brilliant mateo, and amplified to the maximum… creates a frenzy of rhythmic music in whichnwith force and convictionnpure wave ‘beat’ is synthesized with the warmth of the african drums.’ the result of the group’s tireless experiments is music which sounds fresh and engaging today. in a world dominated by the commercialization of everything – including (although it is difficult to comprehend)nthe arts, all we can say is, thank god for el kinto! now, on to the presentationnthe highest quality mastering and pressing (done at acoustech mastering/rti in california, the same people who master and press every title that audiophile label classic records makes); the resulting lp is housed in a poly-lined sleeve, inside an ultra-heavy 1960’s style jacket, which is housed in a loose-fitting plastic sleeve. inside you will find a double-fold insert packed with photos, detailed band history, and lyrics for this most important of uruguayan bands, printed on 100% recycled paper. the lp labels are replicas of the sondor originals. a top of the line pressing all the way. limited edition of 500 copies.
only available non-bootleg videocassette version of this mind-melting and highly recommended psychedelic film masterpiece. has japanese subtitles, but the the original analog print looks & sounds way better then the rampant bootlegs floating around. nice color cover art. very rare. still sealed. only a couple of copies available, so don’t miss your chance!
760 made. 200 gram vinyl. important records quite pleased to be presenting this split release consisting of two new drone works from pauline oliveros and eleh.
the elusive eleh project resurfaces from the depths with another release on taiga. homage to the sine wave is the second release in their sound waves-based homage to… series, following 2008’s sold-out lp, homage to the square wave. in a similar fashion, the elemental approach to the construction of the pieces on sine wave is influenced by josef albers, the german-born u.s.-based abstract painter and theorist best known for his color studies embodied in paintings of geometric abstraction. both faces feature side-long compositions at just over 20 minutes each. side a holds “together we are one,” a piece that begins floating in the ether, but gently lands on a field of rhythmic bass pulses before dipping below the horizon. “beneath the silver sun” on the b-side is a meditation on the nighttime, with a consistent delivery and subtle transformation that is dually tranquil and exhilarating. volume reveals detail. sine wave was mastered by james plotkin, cut direct to metal and pressed on 200 gram virgin vinyl in a hand-numbered edition of 500. the lp comes housed in a custom 2-color letterpressed jacket that was designed by john brien of important records and printed by studio on fire in minneapolis. the jackets were printed flat, die-cut, folded and glued, resulting in a letterpressed jacket with a printed spine. eleh was formed to pay tribute to the pioneers of audio minimalism such as la monte young, terry riley, eliane radigue, pauline oliveros and charlemagne palestine. they use vintage modular gear to produce recordings of pure tone, pure sound, pure volume and pure analog. this is two-tone drone targeted towards absolute, meditative bliss.
final instalment of the great subscription series… ghq’s “requiem for bhopal” this brooklyn all-star duo of marcia bassett (zaimph, hototogisu, double leopards, zaika) and steve gunn (check the solo digitalis cd sundowner) have been killing it on releases on time-lag, three-lobed, not not fun and others since their debut in 2005. the extended-playing 45 (six minutes on each side) finds ghq hitting that bliss-drift stride, with droned-out atmospheres of guitar layers soothing your headspace into a fully-conscious trance. occasional vocals just barely peak through the blanket, and there’s definitely enough noise to remind you this ain’t just about good vibes. black 7″ vinyl record is held in a black art paper sleeve, with gold-ink offset printing on the back and a paste-on full-color cover. limited edition hand-numbered to 300; embossed for authenticity… vollmar’s “new best friend b/w flood punch & holy blessing” justin vollmar’s recordings often sound wonderfully and pleasantly small-scale; they begin with gentle strums like a feathered wing brushing a rusted-out six-string, soon joined by the fragile voice of a reluctant singer who’s got only one person’s ear in mind. occasionally calling to mind lo-fi songwriters like oldham and elverum, vollmar’s songs are focused on the intimate and intricate, and recently his presentation has become fleshed out with full-band-type arrangements – modest drums, mini-synths and warm electric guitars in service to the songs. this 7″ single presents alternate, more pared-down versions of three songs from his upcoming tell the dirt lp. black 7″ record held in a tri-fold chipboard sleeve, in-house screenprinted on front and back, with full-color paste-on photo on front and a hand-written note on the third fold. limited edition, hand-numbered to 300, with embossed dust sleeves…. elephant micah’s “in midnight b/w ocean floor”as consistently great a songwriter as we’ve had this decade, elephant micah’s joe o’connell is always affecting and almost unbelievably right-on, with a subtle vocal delivery, modest home-tracked recording fidelity, and slight country-western touches. which is what makes this 7″ release so intriguing – this is elephant micah interpreting two songs written by friends of his (time and temperature & microwave background), and they are his most recently-recorded works. as expected, elephant micah truly makes these songs his own through no subtle re-interpretation. synth tones, backwards noise guitar, and even a trumpet solo set these songs apart from both their original versions and elephant micah’s past work, and yet joe’s voice and vision comes through as accurate as always. befitting the “recycling” theme of the songs, this black 7″ record comes packaged in discarded 12″ LP sleeves, which have been cut down to 7″ jacket size, and then in-house screenprinted over with the release info. limited edition, hand-numbered to 300… beautifully done & highly recommended!
here the “solitary traveler” makes four awkward attempts to survey europe through a fragmented camera lens — inner pop-cam photo by anne duvall taken while rowing a boat near shakespeare’s gravesite. special thanks to casey roberts for help with screenprinting (wildernessoverload.com), greg o’connell for playing clarinet, andrew meyers for playing trumpet, and jess halverson for playing flute… 3cdr in a lovely cd size stitched, screen printed, xeroxed booklet cover. highly recommended.
echoer’s intent critically considers notions of ‘training’ in the social contexts of fine art, animal husbandry, and areas in between. characters include an unethical folksong collector, a french schoolboy and his dog robot, and a migratory game researcher. these minimal, mostly live recordings are the first to fully foreground elephant micah as a writing and solo performance project… lovely new release packaged in a classy screen printed art paper cover with offset printed fold-out insert & screen printed all black discs. limited to 250 copies. nice companion piece to the new ‘bible birds’ cd.
incredibly beautiful 4 trk ep, featuring 4 joe o’connell penned gems. housed in sweet screened sleeves and numbered in an edition of 370… highly recommended.
as consistently great a songwriter as we’ve had this decade, elephant micah’s joe o’connell is always affecting and almost unbelievably right-on, with a subtle vocal delivery, modest home-tracked recording fidelity, and slight country-western touches. which is what makes this 7″ release so intriguing – this is elephant micah interpreting two songs written by friends of his (time and temperature & microwave background), and they are his most recently-recorded works. as expected, elephant micah truly makes these songs his own through no subtle re-interpretation. synth tones, backwards noise guitar, and even a trumpet solo set these songs apart from both their original versions and elephant micah’s past work, and yet joe’s voice and vision comes through as accurate as always. befitting the “recycling” theme of the songs, this black 7″ record comes packaged in discarded 12″ lp sleeves, which have been cut down to 7″ jacket size, and then in-house screenprinted over with the release info. limited edition, hand-numbered to 300… got our hands on a very limited number of these great 7inches usually only available by subscription.
gatefold double vinyl version. this is the third official album by emeralds (after solar bridge on hanson, and the self-titled lp on their own wagon and gneiss things imprints, as well as countless small edition tapes and cd-rs on a host of labels) and once again, it presents another radical new direction for this cleveland trio. it sees the group moving from playing single oscillator analog synthesizers to really complex analog and analog/digital hybrids as well as a great deal of guitar synthesizers, not to mention fine-tuning their skills as brilliant tunesmiths. simply put, the results are outstanding. comprising of a number of tracks from their ultra-limited 7″ vinyl series on wagon, as well as new compositions exclusive to this release, this fine selection of tunes surpasses anything they have achieved in their 5-year career. perfect melodies intertwined with ripping sequences and a guitar sound that floats perfectly throughout. although most tracks cover new ground in that they follow a shortened “pop format,” more long-form cuts such as the towering “genetic” and the title track will give fans of their earlier work something to grab onto, or totally let themselves go, depending on their state of mind. having spent all their lives in the relative isolation of cleveland means their music has developed into a vital, stunning unique hybrid that may not have been able to blossom in more active urban centers. does it look like i’m here? heralds a turning point for all those involved and is a perfect, vivid soundtrack to emerge out of a harsh, grey winter. fresh, shiny and totally essential… real sweet new album. high quality wax, gatefold cover, and huge full color foldout poster. recommended trance-out.
this is a collection of rare and unreleased tracks by these crazed heavy industrialised weirdos from sweden! all recorded between 1986 and 1988. originally formed in 85 by kai parviainen and mats lundberg (who later got replaced by landgang) enema syringe played heavy monotone simple noise industrial the way it should be done; straight forward, loud, heavy and simple!! brutal toy synths and repetitive beats dominate the whole recorded archive and the few live sets this duo did, spiced with horrific sounding lyrics in swedish (usually about funnier things then the usual industrial fan would hope for like farts, massage shops, etc – ) all of the tracks on this lp are recorded without any mixing possibilty straight onto two channels with a marantz amp and a tape deck, prophet one, casio rz1 drummachine, casio toy synth, an old rhythm box and vocals thu headphones and a crappy mike! these beats are the best fist in the airpumpers ever, reminding of early throbbing gristle, club moral or more recent wolf eyes and meerk puffy! the lp comes with liner notes by kai parviainen, a discography, and is completely remastered. artwork by dennis tyfus. limited to 400 copies.
by now, just about everyone is familiar with the mighty starving weirdos and their otherworldly junkyard drones. last year the world was introduced to another band of mystics from the weirdos camp called rv paintings. one of the constant threads from both of those bands is the inimitable brian pyle. ensemble economique is pyle’s debut foray into the solo forest. “at the foot of nameless roads” is a masterpiece of an album, filled to the brim with cacophonous melodies, meditative auditory chants, & hypnotic shambolic rhythms. if you love the weirdos, you will be all over this. limited to 500 copies. artwork by jefre cantu-ledesma… included the limited to 100 copy bonus cdr.
this is my fifth solo release as es. kesämaan lapset was recorded during a three year period. it is a mix of soundscapes and pop tunes. you can hear influences varying from contemporary indie to ancient classical music. it’s a summer album and a childhood photo album. the name translates as “the children of the summerland”. it an homage to the pekka streng album “kesämaa” (summerland) which is one of my favourite finnish albums ever made. it also refers to finland of course. i’ve been travelling a lot these past three years and every time i return here it feels more and more like home. i’ve used lots of instruments, from high-end analogue synthesizers and upright pianos to cheap flea market casios. i’ve recorded parts of this abroad and at home in my studio and in my bedroom. there are a few special guests: laura laurila plays violin, tuomas eriksson (risto) plays trombone and elissa määttänen who has sung on most of my albums is present again to give her special voice to the tracks. i hope you enjoy the album. it is not as ambitious a work as my previous double album sateenkaarisuudelma. but this one is meant to be listened to in many more situations and it might just fit as music for a house party too… -sami sänpäkkilä.
after what seems to be an interminably long gap and born into an inextricably changed world, espers iii walks among us, finally and finely. it’s not as if espers completely disappeared following their acclaimed first and second albums and tours. they played the odd show here and there – but with time and focus given to meg baird’s solo album dear companion, the valerie project and helena espvall’s collaborations with masaki batoh and others, not to mention the launching and flight of greg weeks’ language of stone label, three years passed like a day or two in the life of espers. picking up the threads with ease, espers iii was intended to be an aural reversal of the layered sound of ii. the goal was to record fewer tracks in order to achieve a stronger, more oxygenated sonic presence. where ii was almost claustrophobic in its density and darkness, iii was envisaged as being somehow lighter, effervescent; perhaps even of a cheery disposition at times. under these auspices, recording started in late 2008 and spilled into the spring and summer of 2009. as more time passed in the recording process, a growing dementia within both song and lyrics emerged, making even the most ethereal songs on iii seem oddly unwholesome to all involved.
further along the path of musical friendship that helena espvall and masaki batoh have discovered for themselves, we find overloaded ark ready to sail. and indeed, a new and better society might be provided for with all that they’ve packed on board. these are end times, we are told. often, though, the craft of espvall & batoh drifts through placid waters. in the distance, thunderheads raise up and lightning flashes. when the storms finally come raging, they blow through — and, singular in purpose under skies of shifting color, the intrepid ark sails onward. espvall & batoh have come prepared for anything, armed with acoustic and electric guitars, cello, renaissance harp, organ, sho, banjo, electronics, recorders, piano, hurdy gurdy, frame drums and several more obscure instruments such as auschpfeife, crumhorn, cornamuse, darbuka, and rig. listen for them! but look them up first, so you know what you’re listening for. there are vocals as well, sung mostly by helena but also with batoh’s empathetic support. they are backed by two of batoh’s ghost-mates, kazuo ogino and junzo tateiwa, and joined by ancient music specialist haruo kondo. as on the first espvall & batoh album, overloaded ark features a trove of traditional and ancient music alongside self-composed explorations. songs from many cultures and ages are in evidence, from scandinavian folk to german madrigal to french and italian medieval court dances and even a good old latin hymn! nearer our present day, ’sueno con serpientes’ is a cautionary tale from the legendary cuban protest singer silvio rodriguez, and ’sham no umi’ is a batoh solo piece from the mid-’90s. espvall & batoh endeavor to combine sounds from different times in history with an eye towards the creation of a peaceful new global village in the world of today. and indeed, overloaded ark is a gentle and expansive trip, fusing the sounds of east and west, new world and old into a new epic for all nations. charted with grace and skill, overloaded ark is a human record, its passions focused under a stoic, enduring exterior.
helena espvall and masaki batoh are known to open-eared music listeners for their collaborations with other artists — artists with names such as ghost, espers, damon & naomi, fursaxa, tom rapp, lukas ligeti, bert jansch, among many others. by collaborating with each other, they’ve made one of the most beautiful recordings either one of them has yet participated in. they first met at a festival in the united states in 2006. batoh presented helena with a handmade bamboo instrument; short on spare celli, she gave him a copy of her solo cd. afterwards, they stayed in touch. at some point helena suggested an improvised musical collaboration. batoh wrote back and said: ‘actually i’m too busy now to think about music… if my idols moondog, henry cowell or toru takemitsu wanted me, i’ll refuse their orders.’ several weeks later, he had a change of heart. he contacted helena and said that he felt they should record not improvisations only, but songs as well. helena made a demo of some scandinavian folk songs that she remembered in her spirit from growing up in northern sweden, thinking that maybe they’d record one. the recording session was held in tokyo over four days in december 2007. for instruments fans, this session might be a treasure. so many strings were used: 6- and 12-string guitar, banjo, cello, hurdy-gurdy, harp, contra bass, chappa tibetan bells, kin (buddist metallic bowl), timpani, bass marimba, vibraphone, thunder sheet & on & on. six of the swedish traditional tunes were reconstructed, along with batoh’s arrangement of ‘death letter,’ a classic son house delta blues song. additionally, a european medieval tune was addressed in its own arrangement and expression. ‘zeranium,’ a dreamy folk tune that batoh wrote for damon & naomi (they didn’t use it), was re-arranged for this session as well. the improvisations were done on the last recording day, with no overdubs. ‘completely free’ was the essential concept. for one of them, they were joined by batoh’s fellow ghosts takuyuki moriya (contra bass), kazuo ogino (piano,celtic harp) and the santur player mayumi nagayoshi. the same morning, helena had received notice that her grandmother suddenly had died, and that a dear friend had chosen to end his life. two death letters in one day? there is great emotion reflected in the improvisations. and great depth and beauty throughout the whole helena espvall & masaki batoh album… limited vinyl version in a heavy gatefold cover.
three lobed recordings is excited to announce the release of palace of the night skies, the new album from eternal tapestry. while this trio first turned heads with their expansive psych/kraut/blues guitar explorations as embodied within a series of small run cassette and cdr releases, their 2007 mystic induction album on not not fun firmly established the band as formidable players worthy of sharing the stage and spotlight with such current heads as wooden shjips and kinski. palace of the night skies ups the ante and represents this group’s heaviest jams to date, bringing forth some heavily righteous riffs and plenty of drum punishment. palace of the night skies consists of two long-form tracks recorded in 2008 at the tapestry space in portland, oregon by the band’s core lineup of dewey mahood on guitar, nick bindeman (jomf) on guitar and occasional vocals and jed bindeman (heavy winged) on drums. “prism light traveller” covers the album’s entire first side and is rich with snarling and overblown psych guitar heroics. while no listener could ever ignore the big-time guitar workouts present throughout the album as a whole, jed bindeman’s deft and metronomic drumming propels “prism…” along its trail straight into the fiery heart of the sun. much as in his other band, heavy winged, bindeman’s drums provide the perfect background for the dueling, multi-directional guitar work. the album’s second side is the substantially more pensive and atmospheric “the hidden void.” this track’s slow boil is punctuated with incendiary psych solos and cryptically buried vocals. taken as a whole, palace of the night skies is ready and able to provide any listener in need with the set and setting for a perfect night in. the lp is pressed on 180g rti vinyl and housed within a classy letterpressed cover (courtesy of our buddies at dexterity press in chicago) bearing silver foil ink on deep midnight blue paper and bearing new artwork by loni gaghan. all copies of the album are accompanied by a glass-mastered cd (not cdr) of the two album tracks in addition to a bonus track (“hermetic secrets” – click here for a downloadable preview). praise shiva! the record itself is from a one-time pressing of 730 copies.
last year’s mystic induction lp captured pdx wah junkies eternal tapestry at their hairiest hour, awash in color trails and nightshade flashbacks. since then they’ve reverted back to their original power trio line-up, circled the tube amps, and written a fresh, flooring set of brand new electric rippers. and the invisible landscape is the fruit of this from-bliss-to-blistering evolution/revolution. it’s packed deep with six kraut-punk psych-shredders, huffing fumes from the twin guitar hero dogfighting of dewey mahood and nick bindeman while drum demon jed bindeman does barrel rolls and nosedives into the eye of the storm. there’s also a rawness and warmth to the production that helps the songs bleed into the ear with more electricity than before, and the riff/vocals interplay is streamlined for optimum mainlining. a fiery high point for a fiery high band. hit it or quit it. randomly colored lps (hues range from silt grey to swamp green and beyond) in pro-printed jackets with art by the band plus a photocopied insert. edition of 500… already sold out at source!
andre is best known as the former lead vocalist and songwriter of the deadly snakes, whose swansong “porcella” has to be considered one of the best albums of this decade. andre hasn’t exactly been on hiatus since the snakes called it quits–though it may be news to most americans, ethier has released 4 albums over the past 5 years in his native canada. “running of the bulls” marks both ethier’s solo and vinyl debuts in the u.s., and dull knife couldn’t be happier to release it. the single finds andre reuniting with former deadly snakes band mates matt carlson and maxwell mccabe-lokos (as well as toronto musician andrew moszynski), to produce a sound that’s is a logical bridge between the deadly snakes and andre’s solo material. these aren’t just two songs slapped together with no thought–no, these are songs that were wrote and meant to be paired together, as they are weaved together in an ironic interplay. ethier’s distinctive voice and clever wordplay shine throughout, and this one won’t dissapoint. 300 hand-numbered copies in silkscreened chipboard arigato paks with pasted on photos from andre. 3 photo variations, 100 copies of each variation.
the debut lp from soon-to-be superstar, dylan ettinger, tredges similar ground to recent releases on not not fun and his own el tule label, but turns it up a notch or two ands throws down for the ultimate midwest dance-off. an ode to bicycle riding, “cutters” is a party needing an empty barn. disheveled beats and whirling casio exploits find a home painted in electrosonics and totally dial in. this is a ride for sure. hints and silent winks toward perrey & kingsley (“fallout” anyone?) can be heard through the cracks, but ettinger is definitely sailing his own cosmic sea. the hooks come from out of nowhere, unexpected but wholly welcome as they quixotically etch themselves into your brain. you won’t look back once you’ve been completely enveloped inside the springtime haze. “cutters” is meant for riding – hop on your bike and go. underwater keys illuminate your path as this effervescent soundtrack unfolds. again, the minimal pop influences sculpt these tracks into sounds that may be lost in the city but are definitely dreaming of the ocean. ettinger has definitely arrived (on two wheels, no less) and wants to sing you into a better, sunnier place. echo-soaked worldless vocals welcome you home along side bubbling synth melodies. you won’t be pummeled by the beats, but you will drown with them. “cutters” will run you ragged, work your muscles into the ground. truly. it’s a good time to be alive. vinyl only. edition of 150 copies… already sold out at source.
from harsh noise over tape experiments to nordic chants and back. edition of only 27 copies. handmade, every cassette a little different… bear bones, law low offshoot.
forged in the garden city (that’s missoula, montana to you, piker), ex-cocaine is the formidable, sneer-wielding duo of bryan ramirez (guitars, effects, vocals) and mike c (percussion, hexes, spells). their debut lp from 2005, keep america mellow (on ramirez’s killertree label) brought to light heavy august vibes steeped in the tippled, woodbine ‘n’ cider electro-folk of michael chapman, steve peregrine took, roy harper, and other more reclusive anglo biscuit-snuffers whose works haunt the archives of kissing spell and shadoks. on their second effort, ex-cocaine throw down hard, evoking a gnarled bonfire with flames that roar thunderously like the detuned, rockist clang of dead c’s harsh ’70s reality, and burns evenly like the smelted, rust belt psychedelia of stone harbour’s emerges. vinyl-only and limited, the sparks are flying off this one already. catch it if you can.
bermuda telepaths is the latest title lifted out of the fruit-and-photocopy-strewn outer limits recordings archive and into the ears of the world at large. recorded under the never-again-used explorers moniker and first edited into album form about a year ago, this hallucinatory patchwork trip into the ether synthesizes all of olr’s deepest loves – boombox fidelity, quick cuts, keyboard loop sorcery, underwater pop, general mind surfing – into a humbly hypnotic whirlpool of energies. apparently there was a concept/thesis behind the album’s genesis somehow involving psychic powers, lizard people, and the bermuda triangle, but the details are hazy. which befits the audio in question. read your palm. take a walk in your thoughts. explore away. black vinyl lps in jackets with artwork designed by the artist, plus a copy shop poem insert. edition of 330.
excellent late-night psych jammers from justin wrights one-man krautrock/psych emsemble expo 70… touching magic in the popol vuh sense on side 1 on “tropical trip through acid clouds”, he lays down some stunning guitar work, this really takes you out there.. on side 2 he takes it down to earth, and then some, on the omnious drone based piece “hexed by a devil in the cemetary”. if you’ve come to love these beautiful psychedelic transmissions, you know what to expect… unbeliveably cool cosmic-nudie covers that should make even klaus schultze think he should have had a better career consultant… wraparound a4 paper covers, black cassettes. take the cover to your local printshop, enlarge it, and you got yourself one swanky poster…. edition of 100 copies (50 in bright green covers, 50 in red covers).
gareth hardwick’s steady stream of quality releases is gathering to be one of the uk’s best current minimal drone catalogues around… here he gives us a 3 part trip of pure slow motions… flip the tape and you have richard dawson’s eyeballs project, whose debut on blackest rainbow caused a stir with the few people who managed to lay their hands on it. here dawson’s side is bleaker and darker than expected, gives me the full on feel of the twin peaks woods… feels like the vast emptiness of that claustrophobic wooded area. low and lulling. pro dubbed cassettes, limited to 150 copies.
face plant is a solo project of aaron coyes (rahdunes, peaking lights, unborn unicorn etc). utilizing a homemade modular synth, homemade three head delay and handcut records, aaron creates a textural wash of psychedelic flat-lining. the lp also contains some additional ’store bought’ oscillations by rats with wings… screen printed covers. very limited.
flowers is the latest full length from seattle’s bleak and ominous factums and is their second for the sacred bones label. recorded between 2006 and 2007 but only now seeing a proper release, flowers is dark and disturbing. the album has twenty two tracks that fluctuate from sound collage to soundtrack-esque moments as well as more structured songwriting. this album also has flashes of abrasive electropunk that has garnered them well-deserved comparisons to chrome, cabaret voltaire, throbbing gristle and much of the early wax trax catalog.
primitive future indeed! its 4000 a.d. and human kind’s fate from a binge of manifest destiny has finally collapsed on itself. now we’re back to the basics. the jungle is in charge again. the factums have crafted a soundtrack to this dark and mysterious place. a world where the listener is the prey and this record is the hunter. this is exploratory music, a melding of rusted out kraut debris, dead c. carnage and lost in time sci-fi rock moves. ed. of 400 copies.
full-length follow-up to last year’s lp on the sitlbreeze label from this band that vaguely circles in the a-frames/intelligence/fruit bats orbit. critics have compared factums to tronics, cabaret voltaire, or pere ubu’s more chaotic moments also citing some heavy kraut influenced flashes. includes a bonus three song 7-inch ep and screened cover art.
john w. fail has turned up in a lot of places but on few recordings; this is the first release entirely under his own name, following an 8-project cassette compilation on dronedisco last year. most well-known as 1/2 of lied music, the icewhistle finds fail quietly scraping ghost overtones from his israj (the traditional bengali instrument heard on lied music recordings). in eight minimal tracks, the sounds of air and urban ambiance mix with the israj to create a haunting, suspended soliloquy.
fusion is a dirty word, implying clinicism and a dry sense of conscious matchmaking. “bow low bright glow” is a more a communal excavation and re-presentation of buried european folk and sufi-hearted music than any form of experiment. family elan are alone in their field. here, chris hladowski has put together a collection of original numbers, visions created from lost/found tapes and traditional pieces (including a absolutely gorgeous “the blackplanets of her eyes”) that are a fitting companion to family elan’s “stare of dawn” debut. alongside hladowski’s voice, there’s the vocal input of nalle’s hanna tuulikki – a voice as easily capable of gentle qawwali as it is folk song. this is a record of heavy treble intricacy, hladowski’s saz and bouzouki playing encompassing drones, folk, dervish progressive work and a woozy shimmer over and through the entwining melodies. family elan are more than just a project or a band, hladowski has endowed the music here with a such a unique voice that shaky shorthand comparisons would be pointless and a short sell. music that hints at the devotional rarely feels as inclusive, as communal and as enjoyable as this… deluxe super thick textured covers, 180gm vinyl, limited to 500. beautiful stuff!
new limited (only 356 copies) split lp on christian of sarah’s charity’s new private label, with silkscreen printing and transparent vinyl. mciaa side recorded live in portugal. family underground side is a beautiful spike of heavy velvets drone – very sweet one! clear vinyl, multi color neon polka dot screenprinted heavy vinyl covers, screen printed round art paper insert. recommended drone-a-thon!
great heavy jam from these danish black-out artists. lurching drone and electronic strangeness slowly worm their way into yr face hole and blow smoke rings. that sound? thats an ancient axe cutting through cosmic fog, man. come breath the thunder… another wall melting dose!
family underground drenched the east coast of the usa in molten syrup last year and they toted along a tour cd-r entitled black hole released by the fine folk of secret eye. mega bummed i didn’t get to feel their magic live but i ordered that tour disc post-haste. man, when i got it i was slain. i thought it was their finest work to date so i had to invoke it on vinyl. i tapped into the band’s communication network and together we figured this would make a killer double lp, definitely one for the record books. so the underground sent me a half hour of unreleased musics to fill the vinyl sides to fruition. holy hannah was i unprepared for a – how well the new jams mind-melded with the other tracks. and b – the superb variation of the entire work with paramount peaks and deep arcane valleys. get it and trip! limited to 500 copies on black vinyl with full color gatefold jackets.
amazing free-drone-trio from copenhagen, denmark. secret eye released this to celebrate their first-ever usa tour. “black hole” comes in a beautiful folded sleeve designed and silk-screened by miriam. a numbered edition of 90. beautifully packaged tour-only disc.
this one is a special one from the lunar crew we had stefan neville (pumice) chillin at our place the week before we left for the uk and one night while making this release ready sara asked if he wanted to make the cover drawing ’cause nothing is for free hehe! so the fu went out to the waffle cone to do the final tour jam and coming home later that night we found that stefan had drawn it all plus even an innersleeve. those kiwis are fast man! much unlike the the usual lunar speed of things. so here goes candle fingers with two 15 minutes plus tracks. and colour printed covers courtesy of stefan neville. 100 copies.
denmark’s drone demons release another one. a helium rug would float, which is exactly what your melted mind will do while listening to this record. whistling blown by the birds of hell. this has been in the works for quite some time. originally intended to come out last summer on their us tour, but we didn’t want to flood the market (they already had 3 lps coming out the same time). edition of 300 on black vinyl with bi-color stencil. the front cover is what you will look like after listening to this. your mind will split open unleashing the helium rug from within. artwork by zachary fleming.
crushing new full-length by this legendary danish drone squad. 2 massive side-long black holes, mastered by pete swanson of yellow swans. hand-numbered edition of 450.
2 tracks from recent jams – 100 copies – more sweet drone psych goodness from the wicked crew. beautiful printed art paper covers with art paper insert & spray painted disc.
from ged gengras (antique brothers) comes this accomplished take on the new wave pop song (“down in the park”) and some inspired no wave guitar and sonica instrumentals. for fans of current 93 and any beta-lactam ring releases.
fapardokly is probably regarded as the most important release in merrell fankhauser’s long career, and an absolute collector’s item. the band recorded about 30 tracks in a small studio in palmdale, california, from 1965 to 1967, when the owner of the studio decided to release an album with some of these tracks. with such different recording dates, you find here different sounds… organ-ized 60’s pop, jangly folk-rock, psychedelia… a truly fantastic album that finally gets, for the first time, a legit vinyl reissue and with the original artwork. comes with an insert featuring photo from merrell’s personal archive, and linernotes by him as well.
wasting time looking for the perfect sound or drone will take forever. as you spread your wings toward eternity, consider the majesty that is fathmount. this solo project from hong kong’s wilson lee (of new fairfield parks & recreation) is a barren sonic landscape. it pushes the acid rain back behind the city walls and cuts through the thick smog like a knife. minimal guitar soundscapes that float above the upper crust of psychedelic glory, only to leave you abandoned in their hypnotic wake. beautiful – 100 copies.
two songs which were performed at the very last few shows before deerpark’s unnaturally long hibernation are now available on the feather gatherers 7″ record. recorded by jonathan marshall with sharron kraus accompanying on banjo, flute, voice, harmonium, bodhran, twigs etc. ‘the feather gatherers are an ad hoc uk duo with jonathan marshall of deerpark joining the superb new-volk multi-tasker, sharron kraus. leaves/tower at bollingen (singing knives 7″) has two songs that are as swank a pairing of contemporary acoustic sadnesses as you’ll find in a month of mondays. “leaves” features both vocalists and the blend of their voices is like biting into the best pickle you ever ate. “tower” is a feature for marshall’s voice and kraus’s flute, and it’s another sparse haunter. file near iron & wine and play often.’ – byron coley, the wire.
third installment in a new series of releases from ferraro, part of his summer headrush 2009 series vision. inspired by “visualisations that came to mind while receiving self-induced hypocapnia or as it’s commonly called ‘free fall’, the albums being representative of the free fall head space.” body fusion 1 presents a themed suite with track titles like “shemale”, “pregnant air”, “angel alien” and “species within” that takes off in multitopia’s transformative worlds-within-worlds style. cut-up throughout with pitch-shift sonic reassignments of she-males and transvestite phone sex lines that promise “fantasy fulfilment 24/7″ the music feels like an attempt to mint a form of holy/devotional reverie directed towards the celebration of the gatekeepers of the most primal, transformational sexual urges, with lap-dancing clubs, peep shows, strip bars and chatlines re-imagined as temples to the lifeforce. featuring some of james’s darkest transits, the music is built around huge organ drones that build to the kind of otherwordly ascensions of popol vuh’s “vuh” over which he drops in huge crashes of percussion and eerie music box melodies. – volcanic tongue.
fourth installment in a new series of releases from ferraro, part of his summer headrush 2009 series vision. inspired by “visualisations that came to mind while receiving self-induced hypocapnia or as it’s commonly called ‘free fall’, the albums being representative of the free fall head space.” this second volume of body fusion continues the first’s theme of body transformation, she-males and temples to the sex urge by combining massed keyboard drones, modal takes on 80s soundtrack melodies and disturbing, modulated phone sex voices where 1-800-shemale callers are offered dial-in fantasises over ascensions of percussion, cartoon voices and fleets of orchestrated dogs (!?). ferraro makes particularly profound use of samples of wordless vocals played on a keyboard, creating a form of sci-fi chorale that paralelles the themes of surgical transformation, hypnagogic implants and the desire to exceed and confuse the limits of the body in a form of human/alien communion. it genuinely sounds like nothing else. titles include “genitalia eclipse”, “data implant”, “de ja vu axis” and “clown fish prayer”. – volcanic tongue.
the citrac collection presents one of james ferraro’s most cinematic visions; showing his recent mode of soundworld creation in top form. by shying away from pure musical creation and opting towards the organic birth of sonic universes james finds a new way to tell a story. evoking vastly imaginative imagery, this 80+ minute suite spanning two lps, contains the previously released “postremo techno mundus symposium”, excerpts and alternative edits from liquid metal’s alternative soundtrack to “digital overdrive”, and the all new “digital tribe”. presenting deep-nightmarish atmospheres of surveillance and captivity on through the rush of the open road; the hypnotic, lo-fi result is one that could only come from ferraro’s alien mind, eternally stuck in a 1980s vision of an impossibly archaic future. in an edition of 400 double lps with full color printed inner-sleeves in pro-printed black and white cardboard sleeves and printed labels by james.
clear and discovery were origianlly released as two companion cdrs by james ferraro (of the whole skaters / lamborghini crystal / 90120 / splash / nirvana axis) and comprise the august 1974 (taj-mahal travellers) of his discography. both albums contain absolutely beautiful whirling hall-of-knives-style synth drone that makes one want to reference klaus schulze or bobby beausoleil. clear bursts with flam beats and a cluster of melodies muffled like a calliope wrapped in a soggy tarp, while discovery is comparable to daft punk’s album of the same name but played in reverse at 16 rpm through a boombox in a boiler room. these two records contain the sounds of pulling out with tapping beats of fluid dropped on a soft convertible top (open), much like those fictitious giorgio moroder songs for the upcoming olympics in atlantis or a reworking of that award-winning song from revenge of the nerds-or is it “wonderwall”-into a theme for a future ski jump at the great pyramids. are you ready for the lizard people to compete? now available as mastered vinyl lps with a digital download.
clear and discovery were origianlly released as two companion cdrs by james ferraro (of the whole skaters / lamborghini crystal / 90120 / splash / nirvana axis) and comprise the august 1974 (taj-mahal travellers) of his discography. both albums contain absolutely beautiful whirling hall-of-knives-style synth drone that makes one want to reference klaus schulze or bobby beausoleil. clear bursts with flam beats and a cluster of melodies muffled like a calliope wrapped in a soggy tarp, while discovery is comparable to daft punk’s album of the same name but played in reverse at 16 rpm through a boombox in a boiler room. these two records contain the sounds of pulling out with tapping beats of fluid dropped on a soft convertible top (open), much like those fictitious giorgio moroder songs for the upcoming olympics in atlantis or a reworking of that award-winning song from revenge of the nerds — or is it “wonderwall” — into a theme for a future ski jump at the great pyramids. are you ready for the lizard people to compete? now available as mastered vinyl lps with a digital download.
latest installment of barbiturate-bombed muscled flexing and body worship/horror from long-term alternate james ferraro identity, edward flex. grotesque huffing voices, the sound of pumping iron and choruses of meathead grunts combine with slow, hypnotic keyboard tones to create the ultimate steroid-enhanced transformation scenario with drones that go so far beyond the physical as to sound like the songs of solitary cells destroyed and re-born in the furnace of mutation and evolution. massively psychedelic and totally deranged. comes in a plastic case with original black and white art. “what’s up people this is edward flex here in my brand new studio in beautiful hawaii . come and join us as we waste some metal. in the arena of chrome wave reflection life meets the ultimate rush, of the ocean spray moisturizing our ripped tanned flesh. so come escape with us and enter the dream. extreme metal retreat awaits. you think you had enough? don’t even think about it! let the transformation begin! – volcanic tongue.
third limited double set in a series of three volumes self-released by james ferraro of the skaters documenting his exploration of inner/outer sci-fi landscapes populated by cyborg lizard deities. flushpipe is a staggering two disc set that features cover art showing the view down to the pyramids from a hovering ufo filled with cryogenically-preserved aliens and titles like “skyhanger”, “flush stream of sting ray blue grid” and “awesome motion”. the imagery combines weird frank herbert-styled desert planet vistas with the kind of ophidian power visioning of kenneth grant’s nightside narratives while the sonics stretch the length of ferraro’s career. the sound is james’ most convincing amalgam of classic skaters-styled vertical ritual with murky tape psych, ecstatic new age keyboard visions and post-multitopia future/primitive 1980s computer game reverie. there are dense fields of bell tones that sound like john coltrane’s ascension broadcast via a shortwave radio at the bottom of a wind tunnel, gorgeous keyboard hymnals that hover over a bunch of simple, primal patterns ala harmonia/cluster and heavy vocals from that are quite unlike any of his previous work, combining bursts of aggression with possessed reptile tongues and oracular insect voices. one of ferraro’s most mind-bogglingly sustained transits of other states of there. highly recommended. – volcanic tongue.
‘in chameleon ballet, i wanted to create a work of magic that simulates a dream atmosphere of post-industrial landscapes, with the waking memory of a romantic alien encounter occurring in the dream. dedicated to the mystery of night and the magic of dreams’ –james ferraro. ‘debut limited edition album by this new sci-fi synth project by james ferraro of the skaters et al., with 1980s minimal wave moves bisected by the kinda keyboard patterns you might’ve found on an edgar froese solo album or post-body love klaus schulze, then exploded with barbarous invocations, syruped-vocals and some black drone atmospherics. or, as the cover art suggests, urban landscapes as visioned by showroom dummies illuminated under 3 a.m. neon. another killer.’ –david keenan. remastered and expanded version of the cd-r release on new age discs — this has an additional previously-unreleased track. limited edition of 425 copies. black & white printed covers.
amnesia smoke out & prototype james ferraro makes his big goodbye america statement. side a is an “in memoriam” for the last american hero. a lost full moon features on the rise and decay of a man of honor and honesty. “twisted” ecstacy for the double thinkers out there. mic fleetwoods mindframe after the decay and abandonment of the survivors of the coked out mac. side b is the sound of clear, of adrenaline’s end. a tackle for all your engrams. a broad view on how it feels to be uplifted into infinity. uplifted into a vast clear sky of self fullfillment and a deep metaprogrammed brain activity radius.
remastered reissue of an obscure tape that came out in a europe-only edition in late 2008 on dreamtime taped sounds – the label run by lieven martens of dolphins into the future. this is a very unique work in the massive ferraro discography as it employs rock instrumentation in a minimalist fashion to dazzling effect. features the tracks “f-150 night eros at the highways end”, “blacktop tumble weed: empty monster energy drink can”, & “headlines (access hollywood)”. limited edition of 450 copies. includes a download coupon for the mp3 version.
new album from james ferraro of the skaters/lamborghini crystal et al., the first run ever presented under his own name. ‘multitopia is our reality system,’ james writes in the liner notes. ‘a post-9/11 reality technology in between the frames of data reception. a cross wire into ‘new head’ and necessary evolution upon the impact of the towers.’ it feels like a major work from james, the first fully-conceived album to go beyond his initial brain-fried 1980s nightmare culture documentation, reconciling both dystopian and utopian mindsets in a vision of pan as multitopia. body modification, the blurring of sexual persona (via cracked images of james on the back with a modified pair of breasts chilling next to an arcade game) and cyborg intelligences are all recurrent tropes in james’ work, but here he explodes them all, with some of the most aggressively-nuanced keyboard and drum work of his entire career, kicking off with a full kit sound that sits somewhere between industrial steel drums and kaoss pads, then building to an evocative peak that then dissolves into wave after wave of fluxing keyboard drone and oddly-looped vocal fragments. the gravity of the music is truly omnivorous, devouring drone, punk, new wave, industrial and minimal synth modes and spitting them back out as intensely detailed black and white visions of the future-now. james somehow manages to interweave vacuous tv announcements and cheap anchor man quips alongside the lucid, microtone-rich keyboard work, situating the whole deal in a virtual, godless netherworld with each track a further descent into hell. it is both beautiful and horrifying. a major work from james — no one is doing anything remotely like him. highly recommended.’ — david keenan. remastered version of the cd-r release on new age discs. limited edition of 425 copies. color printed covers. dedicated to zac davis.
first installment in a new series of releases from ferraro, part of his summer headrush 2009 series vision. inspired by “visualisations that came to mind while receiving self-induced hypocapnia or as it’s commonly called ‘free fall’, the albums being representative of the free fall head space.” rerex 1 has some of the endless, oceanic sound of ferraro’s landmark marble surf, with extensive use of fourth world choral melodies and loops of percussion. a themed suite of tracks that breaks down into individual ‘movements’, ferraro’s compositional logic is at its most complex here, with weird intersecting keyboard lines that seem to move in simultaneous directions while blooming into gorgeous lonely refrains that sound like a fading afterimage of terry riley hallucinating the 1980s. – volcanic tongue.
second installment in a new series of releases from ferraro, part of his summer headrush 2009 series vision. inspired by “visualisations that came to mind while receiving self-induced hypocapnia or as it’s commonly called ‘free fall’, the albums being representative of the free fall head space.” full review to follow. rerex 2 continues the sub-aqueous dream tone feel of the first volume but here the music feels more orchestral and explosively psychedelic. the second track is a spectacular loop/choral construct that is up there with marble surf and the final track on the skaters’ side of the california box set in terms of hypnotic eulogy, with wave after wave of poignant minor-chord lament dissolving into fuzz before ferraro steps in with some wild electric guitar, tearing fast, psychedlic leads from out of the tape fug. and it keeps building until the end, each movement pushing the whole deal closer to the surface before breaking the water completely on the final sun-bleached instrumental. – volcanic tongue.
part of the second limited batch of summer headrush 2009 releases from james ferraro of the skaters with full-colour pro-printed sleeves. wild world is edward flex visits multitopia, one of the bleakest and darkest of ferraro’s recordings thus far, as he ties up fantasies of body modification and hollywood stardom with terrible eschatological visions and cut-ups of recorded testimonies of members of the heaven’s gate mass-suicide cult on their hopes for a transport to heaven. his use of minimal musical fragments looped to infinity is at its most twisted and wrong, with obsessive vocal figures played out over leery keyboard parts and snippets of vocal that conflate plastic surgery with pre-lapsarian and post-ufo powers of transformation. there’s often a lurid, cartoon aspect to ferraro’s amplification of the various desires that contemporary popular culture works as a cipher for but this one feels less technicolour and more desperate, charting the apocalyptic fantasies (via elvis presley and michael jackson) that find their apotheosis in california’s end-of-land culture through a series of black magical workings. also features some of ferraro’s most shredding 80s/90s metal guitar. an extremely heavy installment. – volcanic tongue.
more archival madness from the australian fruited plain. ffehro is ian macintyre and michael donnelly, spitting out dirty dirges over a spirtual concoction. the ebb and flow of ffehro is much like that of a hurricane, thwacking you in the skull with a hurled tree trunk, but all the same cooling you down with soft, soothing rain. dichotomy, they say – that’s the magic. donnelly’s best known for his work in brothers of the occult sisterhood and terracid, but ffehro’s country drone madness is up to the task of pushing that lore forward. dreadlocked madness abound! 100 copies.
here is finally the album many garage where waiting for. this album is on almost all want-list we have seen but never showed up. a mystery until now, very much like mystery meat years ago. 5 guys and a girl recorded this album in 1967 in puerto rico. the album was pressed in usa on a private label. the musicians where fellow students at the university of puerto rico studying architecture. alexy rodriguez, who was a musician of the challengers and who designed the cover for final solution could not locate an original album to master from. many years later a well-known collector had the luck of finding a near mint original copy which was the basis of this reissue. really strong guitar and organ based garage sound, rough and beautiful at the same time. mostly male vocals, all original 12 songs, english lyrics. just great and so good we can solve another mystery – 400 numbered copies. heavy vinyl, laminated heavy cover. great moody teenage garage sounds.
guitarist, vocalist, composer and artist, svein finjarn can be safely called a legend in american rock. he began playing guitar and acting before he was ten years old, and in the fall of 1961, he became the first norwegian who played in a rock band with a fender stratocaster. in autumn 1969 he helped put together super heavy rock group jumbo with freddy lindquist, leif jensen and tore syvertsen. the group had two singles, but were dissolved during the work on their first lp. finjarn and jensen made the album complete with lindquist, arild krosby, arne kvikstad and grete christoffersen. yngvar holm wrote an enthusiastic article that was published by the jacket. briton john mills was the producer for the album, which came out in autumn 1970, and that could be placed side by side with the hard, progressive rock from abroad. one of the coolest albums made in scandinavia. the music follows a great underground concept and hits as strong a bands like blossom toes, july, open mind — a real british psychedelic flowerpower album made in norway… numbered edition of 500, heavy sleeves, 180gm vinyl with insert. originally released in norway, 1970.
one of the rarest lps from the exclusive mushroom-label finally gets its official release on vinyl! often labelled as folk, simon finn’s debut album from 1970 is actually more in the singer/songwriter vein but totally different to everything else you can find in this genre. with a couple of guest musicians (e.g. kenny elliot from second hand) simon finn created ten songs of an eerie, angry, unsettling and, if you hear the track jerusalem, even disturbing nature. shortly withdrawn after its release, this demanding album is nearly impossible to find these days so finally here is your chance to listen to this fascinating music. limited edition of 500… first legit reissue of this wonderful lp. recommended!
this studio recording deftly interlaces and frames the spontaneous improvisations of toronto reeds/guitar multi-instrumentalist colin fisher and drummer/producer jean martin into extended and dynamic song forms with results that range from delicate to euphoric.
aria nativa is more than paul flaherty’s third solo saxophone album; it merges rhapsodic avant garde music, patriotic dream verse, and mortality into a frighteningly pure work of audio, visual and literary sledge. recorded during a pair of 2007 performances, its four pieces capture lifeblood in stunning detail from foot stomps to gut hollers and crowd roars as flaherty’s free power blues dips into the well of wretchedness yet raises with fists of mirth. it’s the sorta record that splays naked the artist for all: equal parts wise ass and universal vision. from his early 1970s woodshedding through a dozen plus albums each with drum buddies randall colburne and chris corsano, and collaborators bill nace, wally shoup and sunburned man of the hand, flaherty remains a total wildcat — on and off the alto/tenor horns. for this lp his massive tonal craft is equally matched by ken hill’s gorgeous cover shot of a snow blown grave and “no more america” — ken delponte’s epic poem that spans nearly five decades and fills the back jacket, framing the atmosphere the music was recorded under. each 500 copies contain a download coupon for mp3 version of the album that includes a bonus track of “no more america” read by the author.
cover is made of ‘interesting fabrique,’ assembled wall paper and the inside jacket features 2 colors screenprinted. once described as ‘einsturzende neubauten auditions for riverdance,’ or to quote db, ’soundtrack gravy for a morning swamped in long conversations with refridgerators and short walks with a deprivation champion.’ sounds like: the residents, eeyore castraitor, melted men… edition of 300. awesome packaging!
official lightning tree version with stunning sound quality. among the crown jewels of sought after 1960’s american psychedelic records the flat earth society’s waleeco is a legendary album that more than lives up to its reputation. recorded in 1968 for of all things a candy bar manufacturer (waleeco being the name of the said confection) the album was only made available to candy fiends that sent in a few wrappers and $1.50. anyone lucky enough to take advantage of that offer obtained a beautiful psychedelic rock/pop masterpiece that took in everything from dreamy west coast styled acid rock, laid back sunday morning acoustic folk, driving garage psych rock and full on trippy psychedelia. restored from the original master tapes to its true stereo this 180 gram reissue in a stunning psychedelic sleeve, is the ultimate edition of this period classic that sits head and shoulders above a sea of re-issue mediocrity … highly recommended new england teen psych classic!
this is the first release of music project by new york writer/musician sean kennerly. eight songs of slow rock that has pop energy somewhere in it, it also sounds like the music itself has taken some type of pills, some sedatives, some mellowing downer of some kind. musicians: sean kennerly singing, guitar; jeff kish guitar; hisham bharoocha (black dice) drums; chris johanson bass. recorded, mixed, and produced by chris moore at stay gold and headgear. features art by chris johanson and johanna jackson, silkscreened by neil burke at monoroid. includes a bonus cd… awesome packaging.
hand coloured/degraded/overlayed found super-8 footage by eoin shea. four films made to recordings of michael flower shows from the fall brawl tour with sunburned hand of the man and the magik markers in september 2005… high quality taiyo yuden discs. digipak cover with paste-on artwork. running time 30 minutes. ntsc format.
the four aims is the much-anticipated second full-length by the long-running duo of mick flower (vibracathedral orchestra, sunroof, michael flower band) and chris corsano (flaherty/corsano, jandek, bjork, sunburned). in the couple years since their debut, the radiant mirror (textile), the two have toured and recorded frequently, expanding their range to include a mind-boggling array of free sound. “i, brute force” kicks off the record with the electrifying sound of flower’s virtuosic, heavily amplified japan banjo (also known as a shaahi baaja) over corsano’s free-wheeling percussion. other tracks show off subtle improv moves, with both players using extended techniques to generate a wide range of unusual sounds. corsano’s technical mastery is almost without peer in his generation (alex neilson, maybe)-his ability to take the lessons of nearly five decades of free playing and extend them into new ranges is startling and exciting. rather than play backup, corsano meets flower’s strings and organ head-on with his own drum-bowing, cello, and circular-breathing-fired melodica… wow.
5 live cuts from cambridge, uk & geneva in 2009. originally available on the flower-corsano u.s. fall tour. cover done in loving tribute to the co-op’s (uk grocery store) chocolate bar packaging… awesome!
processed and prepared guitars and synths with a visit in a quasar. cosmic and droning. new project of mason jones (trance) with friends. nicely pressed and printed on hand-made paper. limited to 333.
flying sutra is the new philadelphia-based drums-guitar duo of bob cozzolino and george draguns. while both men have long and varied musical resumes – from film scores to indie rock to avant-jazz – levitate and dissolve is their first release in this configuration, and it’s a doozy: nearly an hour of wild, urban-elemental art-punk/free-jazz that pitches tensely unwinding klang against whirlwind percussion to highly electric effect. we recommend you remain seated with safety belt fastened while listening.
our man flynt shatters the categories once again with this surprise collection of his short lived basement rock protest band, the insurrections, from 1966. let there be no doubt in anyone’s mind: flynt’s version of protest music isn’t your cultural-commissar school of folk posturing. it’s aggro and flynt is an unhinged showman on helium induced vox and the electric guitar (his teacher was none other than lou reed). imagine a mix of sky saxon (of seeds fame) with a dash of roky erickson thrown in on vocals, a little bit of the cramps’ scary monster dramatics thrown in for good measure & the swamp chugalug laziness of vintage pussy galore and you get an idea what flynt was up to at this phase in his non-career. features legendary sculptor walter de maria on drums, confirming our hidden suspicion that in every great artist there’s a desire to rock & beneath every fine gallery, there is a basement. photos by george maciunas. 180 gram limited edition virgin vinyl, heavy whiteboard jacket… we still have 2 copies of the original bo’ weavil vinyl version with glossy covers & limited to 500.
the dharma warriors was the elemental guitar / drum rock concoction of henry flynt & c.c. hennix. in 1983, the pair hooked up in woodstock at hennix’s rented house and let freedom ring with two lengthy boombox recordings. “warriors of the dharma” and “mount fuji on my mind” are classics of unrefined blues boogie & unhemmed stoner rock… limited vinyl version.
this is the limited (500 copies) vinyl pressing of henry flynt’s i don’t wanna originally released on cd on locust. he’s made his mark with his brand of ecstatic north indian raga inspired minimalism on c tune, the full bodied experimentalism anthologized on raga electric and the avante-hillbilly bumpkin fiddle joyride on last year’s back porch hillbilly blues volume 1 & 2. now it’s time to make a place in your heart for i don’t wanna! in which flynt shatters the categories once again with this surprise collection of his short lived 1966 basement rock protest band, the insurrections. let there be no doubt in anyone’s mind: flynt’s version of protest music isn’t your cultural-commissar school of folk posturing. it’s agro punk & flynt is an unhinged showman on helium induced vox and electric guitar (his teacher was none other than lou reed). imagine a mix of sky saxon (of seeds fame) with a dash of roky erickson on vocals, a little bit of the cramps’ scary monster dramatics thrown in for good measure & the swamp chugalug laziness of vintage pussy galore and you get an idea what flynt was up to at this phase in his non-career. features legendary sculptor walter de maria on drums, confirming our hidden suspicion that in every great artist there’s a desire to rock & beneath every fine gallery, there is a basement. photos by george maciunas… original first uk pressing. way recommended avant-garage psych!
in the early ’60s, fresh from his clean behind the ears years at harvard, henry was undergoing rapid ideological shifts: cavorting with maciunas and the whole fluxus bit, doing performances at yoko ono’s loft and recording with la monte young; having it out with his stalinist cohorts over the relative merits of a good blues run and searching for a new musical language outside of the various artistic restrictions before him. what he arrived at was an expressive practice he dubbed audact (auditory acognitive cultural activity). collecting key material from 1963 to 1971, raga electric is a 7 piece distillation of some of henry’s most adventurous outsider musical endeavors. the record begins with a bonkers treatment of the jarhead anthem “the marine’s hymn” sung in a thick tongued, fully untutored hindustani vocalese. the title cut, ‘raga electric’, is a twisted, howling fake hindustani rag with staccato untuned guitar and bleating screams recorded at his home just a few short hours after catching pandit pran nath at a downtown morning concert. the howling orgasmic yodel of a visionary’s self-posession and certain surrender on this 1966 c ut puts henry somewhere at the epicenter of the folk isolationist world of jandek and the ethnodislocation of the sun city girls, to name but a few. the side long closer, ‘free alto’, is a monstrous exploration of the ins and outs of the tenor saxophone. though it remains henry’s single meeting with the instrument, over the course of some 13 odd minutes, he finds out everything he needs to know about the horn and gets into some pretty hairy free squelch and squeal territory in the process. ‘i was just pulling sounds out of a hat and just stringing them together,’ he recently told me. as hats go, this one should fit today’s heads just fine. 180 gram limited edition virgin vinyl, heavy whiteboard jacket.
black vinyl with silk screened covers. limited to 500. solo tunes by pete nolan of the magik markers, ghq, vanishing voice, virgin eye blood brothers, etc. this is music from the american underground. the feeling is dark and fucked up and somehow sublime. a solid statement of loner home-made goodness. a pop statement from behind a veil of dirt… screen printed covers.
when we first issued this terrific album – twelve perfect examples of dreamy pop/psych released by independent canadian label allied records in 1968 – on cd some time ago, our booklet featured the few scraps of information on the band that we could find. i challenged “anyone out there” to find some information on this elusive and intriguing band, with the offer of a reward that would be “something very folklordish.” well, i’m pleased to say that someone took me up on that offer, and that someone was band leader tom waschkowski. he very graciously offered for this lp package (and the forthcoming mini-lp sleeve cd package) a band history, lyrics, some terrific photos, and best of all, a rare pre-album single that the band had self-released. this allows us to offer up as perfect a reissue of this album as humanly possible. the folklords “release the sunshine” is a captivating album, a notion shared by the many collectors world-wide who fight for original copies, which are few and far between. glorious sound, as the reissue taken directly from the master-tapes. bonus single is an exact replica of the rare, privately issued non-lp single, which features haunting, drum-less versions of ’forty second river’ and ’unspoken love,’ both of which were re-recorded for the original allied release. now, on to the presentation – the highest quality mastering and pressing (done at acoustech mastering/rti in california, the same plant that presses every title that audiophile label classic records makes); the resulting lp is housed in a poly-lined sleeve, inside an ultra-heavy 1960’s style gatefold jacket, which is housed in a loose-fitting plastic sleeve. the lp labels are replicas of the original allied silver and blue labels. a top of the line pressing all the way. limited edition of exactly 700 copies… another top notch vinyl reissue on this fine label. great stuff! recommended.
wirral’s forest swords make a textured, gauzy music as indebted to the liverpool region’s rich musical heritage as it is to the bleak-yet-beautiful coastal environment from which it was born. the result is something completely organic, sounding like a dancehall mix of mogwai’s more luscious soundscapes, burial’s sample-strewn claustrophobia, and ennio morricone’s spaghetti western scores. the record’s sweaty and thunderous dub grooves and cavernous guitar licks rub shoulders with r’n'b shuffles, dread-soaked percussion, and heady drones to create a visceral and epic sound. “dagger paths” consists of specially remastered versions of songs from the out-of-print cassette singles ‘miarches’ and ‘glory gongs’, along with brand new tracks. full color pro-printed covers and insert – also includes a download coupon for the mp3 version.
long established as one of the ultimate vinyl rarities (copies are currently valued in excess of £1500) to escape from the british psychedelic era, the love cycle was recorded at a local demo studio in the summer of 1968 by cambridge pop-psych hopefuls forever amber. also now available on cd from tenth planet’s sister label wooden hill, this limited edition pressing (the first ever legitimate vinyl reissue) features fully restored sound, the original artwork and a glossy insert that tells the story behind the making of the album. the first release on the tenth planet label since 2003, this is simply the definitive vinyl release of one of the greatest, most elusive albums of the british psychedelic era, widely compared to a garage band version of the zombies’ odessey and oracle… nice reissue of this great one!
just in time for chris forsyth’s solo uk/eu tour with es & ignatz and some autumnal peeesseye touring (see below)comes his new solo lp in a tour edition of 100 copies. dreams was recorded and mixed between 2007 and 2009, mostly in brooklyn, but also in glasgow, kansas city, and waldron island, washington, and features contributions from forsyth’s peeesseye bandmates jaime fennelly (synth on one track) and fritz welch (drums and vocals on another) as well as the trumpet work of nate wooley and organ, saxophone, and snare drum overdubs by phantom limb & bison’s shawn edward hansen. what you get: four tracks of free-wheeling minimalist rock balladry and anarcho-improv surrealism with a fearless approach to beauty in a deeply psychedelic landscape. and it’s all wrapped in a matte black sleeve, each one stenciled wth three layers of white, yellow, and orange spray paint. protected by a plastic outer sleeve, naturally. not bad, eh?
fuzzy underground album recorded back in 1978, and released as a private pressing of 500 copies… the band formed in baltimore, maryland by danny amburn, john holt, joe klimas, mark beyder and bob wells. their album, heavy at places, is full of fuzz-guitarwork with 60’s garage & british invasion influences and low-budget production (think of boa or shadrack chameleon albums) while a couple of songs have a wild and underground approach to rural rock. this album exists in a time warp. it’s from the midst of the first punk era, but sounds genuinely 60s garage the way no neo-garage band ever did. the fuzz guitars are everpresent, and the songs are pure garage pop and garage rock, rocking hard without ever sounding remotely “hard rock.” the sound is as cheap as can be, which only accentuates the coolness of the fuzz. despite some awkward singing, there are a lot of catchy melodies here, and i can imagine that baltimorians who discovered “nuggets” in the late 70s went nuts over this band. a few songs flirt with rural rock, but basically it’s teen-sounding angst, just as cool as their punk peers. – [am] taken from the acid archives. first ever official reissue, fully licenced by danny amburn and the band. exact reproduction for the cover and labels. it includes extra 4-pages laminated insert with bio, lyrics and photos. pvc protective outersleeve. 180gr. vinyl as usual… limited edition of 400 (plus 100 on colored vinyl). great crude private press album!
al (david) payne, (johnny) scarr pacino, and tony (scott) johnson jam it out like true gang starrrz. recorded in september ’07. strum, hum and squeak… chalk board screech etched with bling bling, guns, drugs, and all things old skool unfuckablewith y’know? total weirderess. blue tapes, and fucking weird ass black and white cover star scarr pacino, totally murked on da booze in shotingham… limited to 50 copies, and dat’s dat.
monster solo debut from ray hare of century plants and burnt hills. ranging from meditative guitar mantras to blissed out noise to hazy melodic riffage, and covering most of the points in between, this release has fast become a favorite here at tape drift headquarters. a very tight and driven set, this has the conceptual purity that only a debut can have, as it represents years and years of preparation and inspiration. get on the train early – there’s much more to come and you won’t want to have missed out on the beginnings. edition of 50.
limited edition of only 50 copies, a brand new slab of squelch and crush from canada’s fossils. duel sides of metal scrunching nightmares with fucked up words and speech. comes with sleeves designed by pascal of stuckometer and a handnumbered crubby insert by myself.
this is the first record from u.s. minstrel-folk chanteuse josephine foster on fire records. graphic as a star is based upon the poems of the 19th-century american poet emily dickinson. josephine lays stair-steppy melodies beneath a collection of dickinson gems and sings them with a burnished soulfulness like the purple sunsets so often described in the poems. massachusetts mountains, pearled spider-webs and folk hero william tell, are all present in this unforgettable meeting of dickinson’s poesy and foster’s music, making a natural and inevitable whole. ms. foster is a colorado-born artist whose songwriting draws from far corners of the musical spectrum to form a truly singular body of work. her voice is sometimes compared to singers as disparate as grace slick, shirley collins or tiny tim, and it’s certainly difficult to pigeonhole her varied music. she says her craft is strongly shaped by “tin pan alley on my maternal side, rock and roll on the paternal side, western folk music by birth, art-song and classical music via my adolescent passions.” a personal introduction to graphic as a star from josephine herself: “as to the source of these interludes, i wrote them this past winter while living in this remote, half-abandoned spanish mountain village, a deadly quiet place with occasional interruptions of goats’ bells, donkey brays, and the church bell announcing the passing of another old neighbor every day or so. i had just a few books with me, and one was the poetry of emily dickinson. her poems proved such good company, that in a few short weeks appeared this ’song cycle.’ whether for the irony of distance and homesickness being 3 years away, or through inevitable kinship with this long-dead lady, these songs seem to veer more towards america than ever before. back in music school, i heard a few musical settings of dickinson made by classical composers, but it’s my hope to unite some of her poems into more intimate and intuitive musical settings, being so lyrical and transparent as they are.
previously released on cd by bo’ weavil recordings, now available on vinyl. this is colorado-based josephine foster’s (born heller, the supposed) debut release for bo weavil recordings, and her third full-length album. this coming gladness is transcendental fin de siecle songs from one of the great unsung voices and songwriters of our modern times. josephine foster unites rarely united royal realms: self-penned operatic art songs cast in freely-rendered blues with electric guitars and drums beating the path along with harp and piano flourishes. she has a voice that was trained for opera, but creaks like ancient mountain folk floating out from a dusty victrola. she surpasses any “weird-folk” labeling through the sheer timelessness of her songcraft — making baroque balladry sound new yet remembered from some not-too distant shared american past. joining her on this recording is electric guitarist victor herrero and drummer alex nielson… beautiful. limited vinyl in a nice full color textured cover. sure to vanish pretty quick.
los angeles-based fraction’s heavy psych classic moon blood was originally released on the angelus record label in 1971. only 200 copies were pressed, so originals are currently worth a small fortune. fraction, with vocalist jim beach, bearing an uncanny vocal resemblance to jim morrison (although he was singing on sunset strip long before morrison took to the stage), were often compared favorably with the doors, although their quasi-religious message would probably not have found favor with the recently-departed morrison. indeed, this rather fine record was once famously described as the album the doors probably wished they’d made! underpinned by guitarist don swanson’s superb ritchie blackmore-style guitar work, this is an album full of beautiful psychedelia, acid and hard rock, at once emblematic of the era, but not dated by its association. the five original compositions are consistently of the highest quality and the contribution of beach’s now legendary vocals places a stamp of originality on the recording that endures from beginning to end. monstrously heavy, howling, epic psych that is basically a must-own. a truly excellent album. featuring the original die-cut cover with colored cellophane, and pressed on 180 gram vinyl… nice exact reissue of this heavy rarity.
the fresh & onlys began in the spring of 2008 as a recording collaboration between tim cohen and shayde sartin. after a month of marathon recording sessions on various broken tape machines the two enlisted wymond miles, heidi alexander and grace cooper to help complete the sound. since then the band has recorded well over a hundred songs and played a hand full of shows on the west coast. “the group’s self-titled debut full-length album strikes a balance between the psych-fried blur of the california sun and an amp-crackling, four-chorded garage basher.”-chris sabbath (sf chronicl)… released on john dwyer’s (ohsees) castle face label.
when tim cohen told shayde sartin he was writing a song called “be my hooker,” the fresh & onlys bassist looked at the singer/guitarist and said… “‘there’s no way we’re gonna have a song with that title, dude,’” explains sartin. “but sure enough, he laid a riff down and i was like, ‘jesus christ, i can’t believe you pulled something meaningful out of such a stupid line.’” welcome to the push/pull dynamic that’s fueled the fresh & onlys’ steady stream of releases over the past year, including last spring’s self-titled lp (castle face) and this fall’s grey-eyed girls (woodsist). and to think it all started the old-fashioned way – with sartin and cohen simply hanging out after work, playing their favorite punk (buzzcocks, the mekons) and classic rock (country joe and the fish, cued up alongside slabs of psych from the group’s homebase, san francisco) records alongside a growing collection of empty beer cans. “i can’t really explain what happened or why,” says sartin. “i guess we listened to records until we were on the same page, and from that point on, we never stopped recording.” as simple as all of that sounds, the duo first bought a tape machine five years ago. when that failed to produce any concrete cuts, cohen focused on his previous avant-pop band, black fiction, and sartin split his time between session and live work for such bands as the skygreen leopards, papercuts and citay. not to mention his close friend kelley stoltz, who ended up releasing the first fresh & onlys 7″ (the limited imaginary friends ep) in early 2008. with so much music hitting shops in such a short time (sartin says the band already has boxes of backlogged tapes), you might think the fresh & onlys camp have a problem with quality control. quite the contrary; sartin and cohen are very careful about what they release. and while the duo writes and records the band’s songs, the arrangements are usually fleshed out with guitarist wymond miles, drummer kyle gibson, and backup singer heidi alexander. “if we take a song into the studio or a live setting and it doesn’t have wings,” says sartin, “then we just ditch it and keep the charming demo version.” the final mix of grey-eyed girls sounds like a natural bridge between the raucous garage rock of the group’s debut and the full-on studio record they plan on wrapping for in the red later this year. that goes for the galloping grooves of “happy to be living,” the shadowy post-punk of “invisible forces,” and the firework finale freak-outs that drive “the delusion of man.” not to mention a stack of hook-slinging tracks that nix any ‘clowning on bitches’ assumptions you may have. “we’re not trying to hide melodies or do the blown-out thing,” says sartin. “a lot of those bands are great, but i don’t want to ever cater to what’s popular. it’s not that i’m being reactionary; we’re just trying to make recordings that are as rich and ear-friendly as possible.” it’s working.
“second one to know” b|w “hated or loved.” recorded spring 2009.
both tracks taken from the super limited “bomb wombs” cassette on fuck it tapes. full color glue pocket sleeve. two of their best songs yet!
previously reissued on cd & lp by sunbeam, now issued yet again on deluxe double-lp format as well! vinyl mastering at abbey road studios, pressed on 180 gram virgin vinyl. long established as a cult classic and collector’s grail, fresh maggots makes its vinyl reappearance with the duo’s full cooperation. recorded in 1971 when they were just 19 years old, and fresh to the studio, the album is one of the best distillations of folk and psychedelia ever recorded. issued as a double lp, with a lavish gatefold sleeve, its second disc boasts seven tracks previously unavailable on lp, including their rare non-album single and a live radio session from 1971. the package is rounded off with comprehensive sleevenotes and rare photographs, making this the most comprehensive collection of their music ever assembled on lp.
extended late-night improvisations of passed-out fuzz, coughing, sneezing and the occasional slow motion drone. line-up includes tom carter, shawn mcmillen, brian smith, sandy ewen, glen nuckolls, stephanie demopolus and jonathan home. edition of 100.
from out of the great republic of texas, and a new side project from tom carter (charalambides), rises a lone star called friday group. in a seemingly appropriate gesture, the opening scherzo of droney solo guitar twang blows dusty debris across the speakers, as if a small sand storm in a remote part of amarillo. with wind wrestling loose gutters and flat chimes, the first movement is almost a weird paean to ry cooders desolate paris texas score. axe attacks hover thick and dragging in the hazy distance, strings sounding as if played a single wind at a time. jittery, slithery, prepared warbled tremolos flutter warm in extended notes that drip like old paint. if youve never had the pleasure, the later addition of harmonium and the further devolution of the guitar into howling halos of rusty hinges is virtually the embodiment of a drive through western texas. slow motion, spacious landscapes of thirsty air and lazy lizards – ultra- black packaging and 180 gram vinyl. limited to 800 copies. out of print.
one sided lp of looped/ live collage action swirled up into mass gtr/ drum ritual terror. far darker than previous fg stuff…. blank lp side is a blood-red silkscreen. shipped in clear polyvinyl sleeves.
ghost town is the first full-length solo release from parts & labor singer/electrician dan friel. characterized by its anthemic melodies, complex electronic arrangements and huge distorted beats, ghost town has massive universal appeal. “music-box melody shoved through the speaker cone of a subwoofer salvaged from the trunk of a totaled jeep” – pitchfork. the first 100 records shipped will be on red vinyl… all copies here are the limited to 100 red vinyl version.
more alcoholic rigormortis from these prolific belgian resin-scrapers. carlo and eva squint red-eyed at a table overflowing with wires and beers and slowly spit on their favorite cords and plugs. pedals short-circuit, power adaptors fry, carlo burns a pack of smokes, and eva giggles. this if life on planet corpse. the antwerp equivalent of the fag tapes/sick llama school of non-thought. scuzzy aimless bong residue spread across the inside of yr skull. very deathbomb-circa-2000/photoshop-looking artwork. – cassette gods.
if any one group can legitimately qualify as the ‘great lost psychedelic band’, then frumious bandersnatch are that group. the few tantalizing glimpses of the combo afforded by their sole release from the 1960s have engendered an enormous reputation. the subsequent fortunes of its members in groups like journey and the steve miller band have only added to the phenomenon. frumious bandersnatch were amongst the second wave of the 1960s san francisco rock renaissance, but they had no allegiance to folk or jazz or any of the other influences that shaped the major players such as the dead or the airplane. instead the group came together in the culturally-arid environs of contra costa county in the east bay, over the hill from politicized berkeley and working-class oakland, and a world away from cosmopolitan san francisco itself – key document of this great overlooked west coast psych band. extensive notes. 180gm vinyl. the cover is a blown up version of the great art from their sole 1960s release, their mega rare private press 7inch.
the fuckin’ flyin’ a-heads were a band from hawaii most commonly construed as “punk”, tho they might provide one of the more exciting links between a more typified conception of “punk”, and that of “noise”. if the a side of this hybrid genre is the final aggregate regimented elements of deconstructed hard core that harry pussy by way of magic band displayed, the flip is the excess of experience inspired freedom and recklessly abandons anything that even vaguely resemble “form”. perhaps the most radically mixed recording, ever (to the extent that you might wonder if they just fucked up, or were working with a broken machine). a completely astounding spin… their first review is a riot : “white noise this pure must take lots of to work to perfect. somewhere far away there is a 60s endless guitar solo, bass playing 2 notes, a cymbal being hit at a constant 2 / 4 beat, and a distorted voice talking. but mostly there is white noise, simultaneously complex and simple. it’s quite disturbing when cranked up. i like to play this record and watch tv. it instantly gives a surreal sense to the most mundane images. not recommended for anyone with high blood pressure.” ~ m.c. parker, damage magazine, dec 1980.
“allegory of the cave” is the first release of this young lad from the midwest and it is pretty stunning in its minimalist appeal.. layering piano and organ in long icy runs, rob adds in bells and light percussion to create a shimmering ambient piece over 35 minutes long. for fans of eno, tim hecker, and, of course, other fine phantom limb recordings.
everyone in bloomington knows and loves rob funkhouser. he’s everybody’s favorite hawaiian-shirt wearing party-attending, philosophy-spewing college student. most people haven’t heard his music yet though. rob is an incredible percussionist and composer and this tape showcases both of these talents. side a is an epic synth-based piece that could easily be the new soundtrack to chasing replicants through future los angeles. side b is a haunting marimba composition recorded in an empty high school gymnasium. both sides show that rob is extremely talented and is deserving of much more recognition. just released a cdr on ruralfaune.
much needed fanclub reissue of furekben’s 2nd, and rarest, album. original issued as a private press in 1971, in an edition of only 100 or less copies. now repressed and with much better sound than the original. original copies had only blank covers, so only the lp labels are reproduced as stickers here. acid damaged danish underground. musically its a stronger album then their spectator records debut from a year earlier. still quite free-form folk psych, but with more song form in the mix and some very cool vocals. a must for fans of tower recordings, amon duul, etc. highly recommended & quite limited.
restock… beautiful new release from tara burke – this is the first release on her new sylph label. the new album has eight songs and each cover is hand painted by belgian artist alain valet who also designed the insert. limited edition of 500 copies… wonderful disc finally back in stock. beautiful hand made packaging with fold-out insert. recommended.
a previous member of the band un, tara burke {aka: fursaxa} is now one of the epicenters and key collaborators of the north american free-folk movement, along with such luminaries as jack rose, charalambides, ben chasny and the jewelled antler collective. with her hypnotic, echoey church bell chanting, burke possesses a power-filled vocal sound that harkens back not only to those other polar queens of disaffected freakout psychedelia nico and barbara manning, but she is also akin to and inspired by hildegard von bingen, the 12th century benedictine mystical abbess. with the low drone of chord organ and farfisa, detuned ringing guitar, and endlessly looped, multiply-tracked vocals applied with heaps of delay, fursaxa sounds like a tripped-out medievalist perched upon a poppy petal. burke has an alchemical knack for turning folk into lo-fi, and then into sheer psych and back again, but more importantly, her music is pure humming narcosis… always a treat to have more fursaxa vinyl in the world! recommended!
fursaxa is tara burke. formerly a member of the siltbreeze band un, tara started her fursaxa project in 1999 after un disbanded. since then fursaxa has released six full length albums on the acid mothers temple label, ecstatic peace, time lag, eclipse, last visible dog, and atp. in addition there have been 3 self released cd-rs and a cd on her own sylph recordings. in the summer of 2008 fursaxa started recording her seventh full length record mycorrhizae realm at hexham head studio in philadelphia. this studio recording is a first, as all of the previous releases have been recorded at home on a four track. in addition to recording, fursaxa has played live music at venues in the us, uk, and europe, touring with bardo pond, black forest/black sea, christina carter, jack rose, spires that in the sunset rise, and brightblack morning light to name a few. over the last couple of years fursaxa has been collaborating more and more with other musicians as well. espers member helena espvall and tara have a duo called anahita, and sharron kraus and tara have the duo tau emerald. and in september of 2006 fursaxa became part of the valerie project, which was a live soundtrack for the 1970 czech film valerie and her week of wonders. tara really enjoyed playing with these musicians and decided to engage greg weeks, mary lattimore, and helena espvall, all fellow valerians, for her next album. greg recorded the album at his studio, mary played harp on 4 songs and also co-wrote 2 of the songs, and helena played cello on 3 songs. it is an exercise in symbiosis… limited vinyl version. awesome.
an angelic force, delivering a unique thrash-bliss sound to the world. sparkeling synths and homemade glitter electronics are combined with whirlwind drums, screaming vocals, and aluminum spring guitars. a fantasy of blindness cycling through your lungs… members of foot village, rose for bohdan, and many other bands. edition of 300 on black vinyl with minimalist cover… out of print.
sacramento’s ganglians want an island somewhere where they can soak in the sun and prowl the canopy by night. it’s not often that they do get out, but they can get down for that. recording sometimes as one, sometimes as four it’s a real game to figure out where the entity comes from and where it’s going. first and foremost it’s about uncertain pleasures. it’s a bit like choose your own adventure. there’s “codeine balladry” a slightly upsetting tempo that is quickly flushed into an aural high, the next moment you’re in the toy strewn abyss of the bedroom and then out to the tribal caves of the natives. the planets align and the sun beats down, palms tingling, and you are on the island they’ve built, the scenery constantly shifting for a better view, of you. “all completely new songs. this album is pure naive headphone acid pop to drive to, at least that’s what was going through our heads” – ganglians. limited edition vinyl (500 copies) includes a bonus 7-inch. cd version to be released by woodsist.
sacramento’s ganglians want an island somewhere where they can soak in the sun and prowl the canopy by night. it’s not often that they do get out, but they can get down for that. recording sometimes as one, sometimes as four it’s a real game to figure out where the entity comes from and where it’s going. first and foremost it’s about uncertain pleasures. it’s a bit like choose your own adventure. there’s “codeine balladry” a slightly upsetting tempo that is quickly flushed into an aural high, the next moment you’re in the toy strewn abyss of the bedroom and then out to the tribal caves of the natives. the planets align and the sun beats down, palms tingling, and you are on the island they’ve built, the scenery constantly shifting for a better view, of you. “all completely new songs. this album is pure naive headphone acid pop to drive to, at least that’s what was going through our heads” – ganglians. limited edition vinyl (500 copies) includes a bonus 7-inch. cd version to be released by woodsist.
if you liked the 12″ ep and lp by these sacramento weird-poppers, then you’ll love this, their first non-split 7″. two equally amazing tracks, and in our opinion, two of their best.
sacramento’s ganglians want an island somewhere where they can soak in the sun and prowl the canopy by night. it’s not often that they do get out, but they can get down for that. recording sometimes as one, sometimes as four it’s a real game to figure out where the entity comes from and where it’s going. first and foremost it’s about uncertain pleasures. it’s a bit like choose your own adventure. there’s ‘codeine balladry’; a slightly upsetting tempo that is quickly flushed into an aural high, the next moment you’re in the toy strewn abyss of the bedroom and then out to the tribal caves of the natives. the planets align and the sun beats down, palms tingling, and you are on the island they’ve built, the scenery constantly shifting for a better view, of you.
sacramento’s ganglians want an island somewhere where they can soak in the sun and prowl the canopy by night. it’s not often that they do get out, but they can get down for that. recording sometimes as one, sometimes as four it’s a real game to figure out where the entity comes from and where it’s going. first and foremost it’s about uncertain pleasures. it’s a bit like choose your own adventure. there’s ‘codeine balladry’; a slightly upsetting tempo that is quickly flushed into an aural high, the next moment you’re in the toy strewn abyss of the bedroom and then out to the tribal caves of the natives. the planets align and the sun beats down, palms tingling, and you are on the island they’ve built, the scenery constantly shifting for a better view, of you.
new garbage from the young musical genious ryan garbes (perhaps best known for his drum and percussion contributions to raccoo-oo-oon). side a revels in redlined blown out drumming, finding eventual accompaniment from a drunken slide guitar fury, resulting in what can be properly described as the fucked blues. side b brings together the holy trinity of drums, guitar and more guitar into a kind of distorted raga with each element taking turns, trading fours, evoking an eternity of summer fun in the mouth of inevitable oblivion. sleeve and label screenprinted by ryan… long out of print! last 2 copies
ryan garbes is the drummer of iowa city bands such as wet hair, dunebuggy, trash dog, and formerly raccoo-oo-oon. his recordings under his own name represent a unique brand of solo multi-track recording with a seamless integrity; through a skillful use of instrumentation and recording technique, garbes eschews notions of low fidelity for songs reminiscent of traditional american garage rock produced in the haze of an early 90’s uk aesthetic. genuine pop songs, cloaked in a comforting wash of reverb, as if lou reed had done a record for creation; more ecstatic than obstructed garbes’ voice is a refreshing one outside the continuum of the contemporary four-track bedroom pop. in an edition of 300 copies with full color sleeve and printed labels by ryan.
real sweet new solo release from b.r. garm of visitations, attar cups, am frank, etc. if yr ears were bent by his ’acid skull’ cdr on time-lag a couple years back you’ll find a lot more to love here. maybe a bit more hi-fi this time around, but still whole heartedly home-fi, and just as full of crude, simple, and half cracked stream of consciousness song gush. totally damaged fuzz soaked folk tales of animals, strangers, love, new england, deep thoughts, demons, diseases, paranoia and just about everything else. nice fold around b&w vellum packaging, with insert & printed disc tops. on big blood’s micro label. recommended.
an earwig’s guide to traveling is a new cd collection of previously out-of-print and unreleased material by the southern california band gasp. gasp used elements of grindcore, power violence, psych, ambient noise, tape manipulations and down-tuned sludge to create a sound that will never be duplicated. they released records on some of the most influential punk and hardcore labels of the past decade, including slap a ham, witching hour, clean plate and deep six. this cd includes all of the songs from gasp’s split records as well as tracks from compilations and demos. as a bonus the cd features the first chance to hear the four songs from gasp’s unreleased “lepidostomatid” ep. 25 tracks in total.
this is the sounds of summer honesty and partnership, when biking across the city to sit in a poorly ventilated room to compare 1/4 reels is not such a clamorous premise. when the timing is right we can be very productive. these are primarily live to tape jams replete with found recordings, lousy keyboard lines, unearthed cut-up and cartoon bellowing set to delay hyper-warp speed. we don’t get along very well when it comes to making music like this. jacob has entitlement issues that have to be resolved, and so our deplorable attitudes towards each other’s approaches are resolved in a round of sonic posturing from beyond the grave. sounds a lot like penis envy, if penis envy was a flanger – comes in sloppy marbled watchshmacallit folding over another doohicky tied together with a piece of twine.
new full-length outing from torontosaurs gastric female reflex. exposing their vulnerable underbellies by offering the gift of song, as transmitted through the cackle of thirty meter bronze age jump ropes, and then swatted with limitless spools of tape culled from businessmen’s faculty tape recorders – very limited pressing in totally insane heavy marbled/screenprinted cover.
with gazheart, celebrated visual artist rita ackermann (voice) & the no neck blues band’s dave nuss (found percussion) created a playful spontaneous sound that seemingly bridged the gap between the broken pop sounds of certain strains of the no wave movement, sound poetry and catchy, otherworldly art folk using the barest of resources available to them. one time pressing of this special edition one-sided lp features an original etching by visual artist rita ackermann on the flip side. gazheart is housed in a plain jacket with two opposing drawings for front & back by ackermann.
hartmut geerken is an incredible and misterious writer, filmaker, musician, composer and big traveller coming from the south of germany. his musical work is unfortunately not well-known by the mosts: during the last 40 years he was working stablely with famodou don moye, art ensemble of chicago, john tchicai and many others, and in 1971 he invited sun ra and the arkestra in egypt, where hartmut was living at the time, being also the founder of the cairo free jazz ensemble. on this live recording from 1989, he’s performing on prepared piano and short waves receiver, with the collaboration of grace yoon dancing and playing percussions. “mappa” was a series of long performances (lasting usually around 4 hours each) the duo was acting on those years, and “mappa #9″ is the first released witness of this experience. the sound is a burning and explosive vortex of fire, without a single moment of breath. one-sided pink vinyl (some are sprayed!) unique pieces ltd edition of 117 numbered copies.
sweet new self released gem from this frequent alastair galbraith collaborator. very nice take on solo guitar action with a great primitive melancholy vibe. lots of drones, lots of strings. lovely stuff for sure.
just wild and free. virginia genta (golden jooklo age, etc.) on tenor saxophone and andrew barker exploding drums. paste-on cover art. edition of only 115 numbered copies.
what happens when two stars collide? an interstellar collaboration out of this galaxy! here in this new fantastic lp from virginia genta (of jooklo fame) and chris corsano (arguably considered ‘the last drummer on earth’), both musicians put blood, sweat, and lots of muscle into three new wildly charged cuts!!!! the album begins at sunset on a terrace in lisbon (summer 2008) with ferocious sax and drums escalating as the sun sets with chris’ incredible drum solo leaving everyone in a trance, while virginia’s vocals evoke the spirits of the birds who join this bizarre duo hypnotized, creating some of the weirdest sounds ever listened! turn to b side and you are in the streets of marrakesh, with cobras spitting at you from baskets, donkeys staggering past under the weight of gigantic loads, men crowding around cock fights, yelling at their bets under the din. then the final moment, with genta blowing like a volcano in eruption, and chris’ hyperkinetic drumming collapsing into pure maniacal machine-gun destruction! terrific! double “paste-on” photo artwork. limited edition of 300 copies, numbered… gonna go fast & a sweet one…
38:38 is the lone release of the george-edwards group, an autumnal alien soundtrack that, over thirty years after being recorded (but not really released) defies time and categorization. if you’ve never heard of it before, that just means it’s rare, right? this makes 38:38 one of the rarest private press albums of all time. 38:38 departs from the norm of the genre: instead of a low-fi demo-quality outing elevated mainly by dealer hype, it’s a haunting piece of music that offers an unusually highbrow take on the archetypal midwestern rock’n'roll existentialism usually addressed with a solid beat and sneering vocal. crafting their sound out of the many influences of the day, edward balian and ray george created pop music with acoustic guitars and harmonies, heavily-reverberant piano riffs, cold sheets of synthesizer, bells and chimes. operating amidst the factory-charred grime of late 1960s detroit, balian and george’s first group was the garage-rock obscurity andromeda, regularly sharing bills with local heroes like the frost, rationals, and amboy dukes. unlike these groups, balian and george spiked their guitar blowouts with incongruous sound-on-sound experiments whose strangeness recalled lounge/exotica records of the 1950s. too heady for the motor city hard rock scene, they gradually lost interest in the restriction of playing all-covers gigs and turned to the basement, powered with multi-track tape recorders, processors and moog synthesizers, flanging and phasing heavily with space effects and backwards loops, leaving a fair share of destroyed microphones and tape machines in their experimental wake.
38:38 is the lone release of the george-edwards group, an autumnal alien soundtrack that, over thirty years after being recorded (but not really released) defies time and categorization. if you’ve never heard of it before, that just means it’s rare, right? this makes 38:38 one of the rarest private press albums of all time. 38:38 departs from the norm of the genre: instead of a low-fi demo-quality outing elevated mainly by dealer hype, it’s a haunting piece of music that offers an unusually highbrow take on the archetypal midwestern rock’n'roll existentialism usually addressed with a solid beat and sneering vocal. crafting their sound out of the many influences of the day, edward balian and ray george created pop music with acoustic guitars and harmonies, heavily-reverberant piano riffs, cold sheets of synthesizer, bells and chimes. operating amidst the factory-charred grime of late 1960s detroit, balian and george’s first group was the garage-rock obscurity andromeda, regularly sharing bills with local heroes like the frost, rationals, and amboy dukes. unlike these groups, balian and george spiked their guitar blowouts with incongruous sound-on-sound experiments whose strangeness recalled lounge/exotica records of the 1950s. too heady for the motor city hard rock scene, they gradually lost interest in the restriction of playing all-covers gigs and turned to the basement, powered with multi-track tape recorders, processors and moog synthesizers, flanging and phasing heavily with space effects and backwards loops, leaving a fair share of destroyed microphones and tape machines in their experimental wake.
florian tositti and jacob garret’s ghost brames brings a handful of magic mushrooms to the party. it is woozy music, as patterned as an acid high. simultaneously breaking apart and sewing itself back together again, “eagle arpegi” encapsulates the infinitism of the universe. slowly, the leviathan raises its head and sinks in its teeth, without alarming its prey. this is the true measure of great music. your blood will boil and your skull crack at its base, but in the end you’re better for it. because really, how can you actually free your mind when it’s trapped inside a bony prison?
debut release. dark ambient folk noise that hovers between awake and asleep. echoes sift up from the floor boards, voices delay in a dream… packaged in a fabric bag.
a monstrous epic that pushes both songwriting and recording techniques a step further. distorted noise & cello manifestos, big rock hooks, wasteland plain multi-suites, and glass & bells guitar clouds echoing armed resistance. lyrically focused and painstakingly crafted, this album expects careful listeners and rewards them handsomely for their efforts. featuring performances from over 30 portland music people including members of jackie-o motherfucker, dragging an ox through water, efterklang, and shaky hands.
thick brew of nightmare peyote vision sweat out by these shamanistic toronto players over one long week-end. a caravanserai of time-travelers and mystic smokes getting “way out” onto new psych-rock paths of expansion. first non-band released effort from this long-running fleet of heavy spirits. editions of: 55 + 44… dvd box packaging. features doc dunn from the mv & ee’s golden road crew. now out of print.
released 27.11.2006, limited edition of 61 copies in handpainted sleeves, features an insert, sold out… ghosts brâmes of the cerf are jacob garet and florian tositti and they play theremin, oldcrock, guitars, harmonica, effects, percussions, flutes – songs are played and recorded during different live sessions, july and august 2006 in france.
is the duo of the reggaee and jacob the “magick skull of noise” master : intricated jams for the sabbath ; praise the beast – future releases on the magnificientfoxglove and 267 lattajjaa labels… limited to 49 copies!
we will go ahead and say it now – we are lucky enough to be able to release ghq’s strongest collection of studio material to date. “crystal healing” is a massive collection of the band’s unique and mesmerizing brand of acoustic drone goodness. get ready to have your socks knocked off. like all of our other recent vinyl projects, this record has been wonderfully mastered and pressed onto some super-sweet sounding rti 180g vinyl. the record will be housed within hand-numbered heavy stock “old style” one-pocket gatefold sleeves and come from an edition of 855 copies. the jacket itself features some stunning new artwork by michael pare. “crystal healing” was be our second vinyl release to feature a special pressed cd (not a cd-r) of exclusive additional material accompanying all pre-ordered copies. the numbered edition of 212 bonus cds that accompanied pre-order copies of the lp contained two exclusive tracks (titled “pyramid merchandise” and “blue silence”, both from the “crystal healing” sessions) are out of print and no longer available direct from three lobed… another lifted slab from the burning trio of marcia bassett, pete nolan & steve gunn. very sweet and really done right production wise.
released 15 august, 2006. following on the heels of their fantastic 2006 release cosmology of the eye, ghq and three lobed recordings are proud to release the aptly titled heavy elements. culled together from a live performance in brooklyn (january 2006), the trio continues to explore the intricacies of electric/acoustic drones and ragas in what is their most intense set of recordings to date. for this recording the band consisted of marcia bassett (double leopards, hototogisu, zaimph), steve gunn and pete nolan (magik markers, spectre folk, the vanishing voice, etc). heavy elements churns with the deeply layered drones that marked previous ghq releases. while these sounds are present, this album differentiates itself from the band’s prior outings through the addition of nearly-tribal drums and a more intense overall aural atmosphere. this is music that, while blissfully transcendent and beautiful, is not for the faint of heart. from a one-time pressing of 1000 copies.
this brooklyn all-star duo of marcia bassett (zaimph, hototogisu, double leopards, zaika) and steve gunn (check the solo digitalis cd sundowner) have been killing it on releases on time-lag, three-lobed, not not fun and others since their debut in 2005. the extended-playing 45 (six minutes on each side) finds ghq hitting that bliss-drift stride, with droned-out atmospheres of guitar layers soothing your headspace into a fully-conscious trance. occasional vocals just barely peak through the blanket, and there’s definitely enough noise to remind you this ain’t just about good vibes. black 7″ vinyl record is held in a black art paper sleeve, with gold-ink offset printing on the back and a paste-on full-color cover. limited edition hand-numbered to 300; embossed for authenticity… loose 7inch from the tryst haunt subscription series.
limited edition of 300 copies in a heavy stock screen printed jacket. a zamuro is a dark south american vulture of great size. zamuro is also a solo composition piece for portable synth and analog filter. side a on this lp is a live realization of this piece recorded at the compound in san francisco in 2006 (mastered by lasse marhaug). carlos composed and performed this piece live on several tours in the us/europe/japan all trough out 2006 and 2007, if you saw him live in those two years this is the piece he performed. this was the most complete version of it that made it to tape. side b is a studio piece recorded live on a much larger modular synth, based around the same theme, but with structural and tonal variations not in the original composition. .this is pure psychedelic electronic music. cover illustration by megan ellis. screen printed at monoroid.
now 3 tapes in the duo of glass organ continues on from previous efforts creating a sound their own. crackling prisms of guitar drone flow forward, carried by minimal tape loops and a penchant for abrupt editing. dreamy and dreary at the same time. these tracks were both caught live in the fall of 2006. color cover on white gold cardstock, individualized clear color labels. hi-bias chrome tapes in an edition of 130.
the sky done clouded over after glory fckn sun’s debut album, yielding this brooding and corrosive follow-up. the new zealand sorta-super group of antony milton , ben spiers, and simon o’rorke concoct a slow-burning behemoth of metallic shivers and distortion churn, dark enough to invoke the dread name haino. spectra is an unsettling mind-meld: spiers desolate soundscapes bleed into milton’s heavy drones, which are complemented perfectly by o’rorke’s restless percussion. group improvisation is the natural language of these three; even listing their solo and collaborative albums over the past decade would take way more effort than i can muster. suffice to say this is a stellar and unique record to add to their massive discographies. in an edition of 300 red 160 gm. vinyl records, housed in silk-screened, heavy-gauge recycled stock jackets.
kosmische musik from manchester speaking through hypnotic percussion grooves and splashes of synth delayed into eternity. cover by fliss horrocks, 90 copies.
throw mutations-era beck, the monkees, and gram parsons into a blender and you would get something roughly equivalent to tucson, az’s the golden boots. this is a double ep 12″ that is comprised of coyote deathbed surprize tour-only ep, and the ev ep, which was originally intended to be released on the trust series. when i received those tracks, i couldn’t, in good conscience, allow there to be only 25 copies. i feel that way with a lot of the lathe cuts i release, but this one was just too good! so here it is… deluxe, expanded release of ev/cds + cassette. because of the foul-up at the pressing plant during the initial run, we never got any of the “swirl” vinyl that i really wanted for this release. so, i ordered an additional 250 on pink and orange vinyl. and they look great! unfortunately, i had already cleaned off the screens for the covers before i knew i would need more. dmitri from golden boots suggested doing an alternate cover and including a new cassette as part of the packaging. and thus, ev/cds/tf was born!
an incredible instrumental jam in three chapters recorded at black dirt studios in upstate new york in may 2008 when the two bands met for a tour in the east coast of the united states. golden jooklo age and peaking lights melted their fluxes travelling the astral ways of sound and this is the postcard they sent us from the lands of future psychedelia. peaking lights released the album “imaginary falcons” on night people last year and have upcoming releases on ecstatic peace, not not fun, woodsist, and fuck it tapes.
second press of this obscure live recording, an ethereal vortex of electric moon-sounding mandolin and slow bass (luca massolin), spacy keyboards (david vanzan), primitive astral soprano sax and voice (virginia genta). atmospheres for the end of the earthly. handmade collage cover art. limited edition of 280 numbered copies.
document of 2 of l.a.’s more esoteric basement metal crews. gbe is a one-note highway to hell, with eagle rock expat nels cline stepping in to rip an absurd guitar solo. sasqrotch go for a scummier and rawer approach, amp haze, low-end lurking, and hairy drums. hand-numbered edition of 400.
two different takes on mangy guitar free form. gown, as always, brings a gritty guitar bathed in lust. always for real. chapels has broken near-beats and broken guitar. both sides, a gentle rampage. c20 edition of 51.
gown is gown is gown. we love it. 3 tracks of earthquake balladeering. packaged in a double sided 11×17 3-color poster folded to hold the gown sounds in mothering fashion. darryl norsen has created something both lush and arresting in his art for this release, ideal and deserving housing for this magisterial music. the guitar doesn’t weep, it sobs. edition of 130.
new 3 track 26 minute cdr from andrew macgregor. really incredible free psychedelic guitar strummz with vocal howls weaved in and out. andrew is also of the bark haze with thurston moore and occasional collaborator with christina carter of charalambides, so you know he’s got the goods if you ain’t checked him yet! limited to 80 copies with artwork by andrew, packaged in mini dvd cases.
ritualistic psychfolk drone – another unknown name and another winner from the eclectic 267 lattajjaa label: this opens with soporific layers of blissed-out folk – minor-key guitar arpeggios and murmurred vocals, then deviates into a more ritualistic sound of pounding percussion with psych-guitar trying to tunnel its way through the smothering thunder. the last track delves deeper into abstract noise: guitar-based drone / repeptition and vaguely industrial clunking. – boa melody bar.
this lp features members of the skaters, jewelled antler collective and davenport, all kicking up dust in a rickety old barn. a spontaneous happening, the few hazy nights leading up to pasturefest 2004 may not be easily recalled, but the christening sounds, emanating from a ramshackle farm in the vales of southeast wisconsin, are imprinted here on this unassuming lp. featuring an alternate b-side jam (of music pulled from the same session) not found on the cassette version. otherworldly and just down right cosmic! … very limited vinyl in inside-out recycled old lp covers, with screen printed art.
the second ep (previous self-titled 12-inch on make a mess) from this san francisco based all-female power-trio. the captured tracks guys can’t stop gushing about this band. killer harmonies, move meets neo boys meets jesse garon and the desperados songwriting. about to have a feature on pitchfork, put your order in before the mania starts. no joke. co-released with cape shok records.
two new tracks of brutal synth minimalism from jonas asher, the man behind grasslung and also the excellent phaserprone. this release finds him operating under a tense, fearful, and lonely sound environment, a trait hinted at on older releases, but i feel realized to an even fuller extent here. this is his first work off his own label, and the packaging was something that i felt was very important for this release in particular, given the peerless visual aesthetic the artist has already set forth; obis, letterpressing, diecuts, etc. all packaging is offset printed in silver ink, on metallic black cardstock. there is an obi, with 3 asymmetric cut outs done by hand, as well as a 2-panel j-card with more curved edges. labels are blank silver, and each copy comes with a blackened nail. edition of 100 copies on hi-bias chrome tapes.
rec. 2007, two side long tracks. bunny- cello, mike khoury- violin, zach wallace- bass, nate wooley- trumpet, hell- percussion, tapes, coccyx- saxophone, electronics, johnny coorz- flute, electronics. after few vinyl releases in duo or trio, this is the 1st graveyards big band effort. a fresh and new look on free music; the more i hear it, the more i like it… cover by john olson… very limited.
it was important we get this out in the heart of summer because “whiskey leaves” its familiar melodies and breezy instrumentation are the perfect accompaniment to your hot, humid nights. the duo of aiko koa and anthony guerra first made their presence known on a micro-edition cdr from new zealand’s pseudoarcana. “whiskey leaves,” though, is a different beast entirely. while on the surface these compositions feel simple, once you dig a little deeper you realize the care put into each song. this is intimate music. guerra sets the pace with layers of makeshift percussion and guitar. koga also plays ukelele, but it’s her voice that is the real focal point of the album. soft and restrained, even when you can’t understand her words (some of the lyrics are in japanese), you are hooked from the get-go. hours later, you find yourself humming her melodies whilte her ghostly incantations are stuck in the back of your mind. this is fractured pop perfection. “whiskey leaves” will be a welcome addition to fans of tujiko noriko, tenniscoats and the like. beautiful. limited to 500 copies.
ultra rainbow is a sonic drift of buzz, drones and melancholy provided by green mine, the newest project of emanuele bortoluzzi (aka kabu former of ent). the sound shift from ambient pulsations to harsh landscapes of amplified murmur by the amazing “green” omnichord… in fact the sound source is only that cheap electronic instrument filtered and delayed and gently layered by emanuele in his home/bedroom/studio colle666. each track grows from a static point of departure until his climax is determined, no matter when it comes, after you gain that point all is a remember and every track (or song if you prefer) has the ability to cull the listener until the end of the last buzz. this way of hypnotism is the secret of ultra rainbow, so we have only to let us mesmerize by this perfect flow. the art work was drawed and curated by green mine himself… limited to 74 copies.
the new generation of the finnish electronica, the first official release from this 11-years old wonderkid who is also a member of lamppukello. artwork by the artist.
over 23 minutes of fresh music by nick grey and english guitarist nicholas davis. les eaux territoriales is the first volume of nick’s mini-series unclear perspectives : each volume of the series will be centered around one or several specific instruments and will revolve around its own original musical axis and its own set of collaborators. all copies are hand-made, numbered and each one features a slightly different inlay. nick grey is a member of the collective 48 cameras, (which have collaborated with prestigious artists such as charlemagne palestine, gerard malanga, michael gira or paul buck), and his other projects include a new full length album (out on hand/eye early 2006) and an ep. nicholas davis is a talented improv guitarist from the uk, and nick’s full-time collaborator – very nice elaborate totally handmade packaging, including a small peice of glass mirror! very limited first release on this new label.
following the in gowan ring 10″ here is the second release in the time is a spiral 10″ series, which is enitirely dedicated to recordings made by, at and for the highly regarded radio show dwars@vpro. larkin grimm, who beyond doubt is one of the most intriguing and talented exponents of the contemporary folk-boom, entered the vpro studio in 2006 to record this extremely intense session. this 10″ captures the very soul of larkin grimm at its purest. truly wonderful and very unique! tracks: ‘entrance’, ‘future friend’, ‘little weeper’, ‘don’t come down darkness’, ‘bollweevil’… very limited, heavy vinyl, nice covers, etc.
horn of plenty is a nostalgic amalgamation of found sounds and layered vocals bound to thrill followers of animal collective, sufjan stevens, nick drake and the unicorns. while the album pushes the boundaries of mellow into undiscovered territory, grizzly bear is not sure if they fall under the newly coined “freak-folk” category or hte new-folk genre, but they’d like to offer up wood-temp or cave-core. v magazine likened them to neil young on cough syrup. for the first time, the full horn of plenty album is available on vinyl. 180gm pressing w/printed inner sleeve. limited 1,000 pressing.
a beautiful exploration in ambience and darkness by xiu xiu and grouper. this 5-song collaboration was created out of a shared childhood trauma involving some horror film from the 70’s. the recording is ranging from melancholic, cryptic passages to lush soundscapes, all the time with a weird cinematic feel to it. originally released on cd as a part of states rights records & slender means society’s pregnancy series. “through a particularly masterful slight of hand, the beloved rabble-rousers in xiu xiu have somehow convinced most of the world that theirs is a vision chiefly of bombast— of over-driven drum patches, caterwaul, and open-wristed scare tactics. the truth of the matter, of course, is that the bombast is really only half of the story. and what makes xiu xiu so special isn’t jamie stewart’s sonic sadism so much as his subtlety— an obsessive attention to every detail buried in his band’s overwhelming squall. the fifth artist commissioned in states rights records and slender means society’s pregnancy series, stewart enlisted masterful manipulators of ethereal noise grouper (portland’s liz harris) in a collaboration exploring both artists’ subtle sides. the resulting ep is creepshow— an ambient exploration into the power of silence and restraint. sharing a childhood trauma at the hands of a certain popular horror film from the 1970s, xiu vs. gru took this as a mutual launchpad to delve into the darker corners of quiet. the results are breathtaking.” – states rights records/slender means society – limited to only 525 copies. stimple stickered dj style covers with a tiny insert.
wide is the second full-length release from oakland, california-based artist liz harris (aka grouper). this time around harris adds a little more structure to the unsettling ambience that dazzled on 2005’s way their crept. these compositions are more song-oriented, and the spacey drones that haunted her debut have been beefed up with even more swirling layers of tape hiss, sputtering static and harris’s ghostlike vocals. harris has also collaborated with the folks in free porcupine society ensemble 7 year rabbit cycle on the fantastic ache horns and appeared at wire magazine’s 2006 wire fest… very last copies of the original pressing of this great one, now out of print. recommended.
wide is the second full-length release from oakland, california-based artist liz harris (aka grouper). this time around harris adds a little more structure to the unsettling ambience that dazzled on 2005’s way their crept. these compositions are more song-oriented, and the spacey drones that haunted her debut have been beefed up with even more swirling layers of tape hiss, sputtering static and harris’s ghostlike vocals. harris has also collaborated with the folks in free porcupine society ensemble 7 year rabbit cycle on the fantastic ache horns and appeared at wire magazine’s 2006 wire fest… new edition of this great album with altered cover art. already out of print again! recommended.
its not that the 1st track just sounds like cavemen summoning spaceships from the sky, the gryn brvs (pronounced groyne brothers) actually were trying to do just that. recorded round a campfire on a hill in ireland one night, the duo sweated out minimal chops, absolute ‘less is more’ jams of strumming and catatonic tinkling, sauced up with electronic drones. we also get a live basement jam and sweet closer that whiffs of atlantis. now put your arms up, and your brow down.
debut lp from england’s lex panayi who also plays in beggin’ your pardon miss joan; this, however, is his solo project, which focuses on psychedelic acid-drenched folk and dark grey area drones for a monolith landscape. the whole record blends beautifully together to create an excellent album from a relatively unknown artist. this is one fine example of current underground uk music which i’m really pleased to be releasing. this is a must for fans of early six organs of admittance, cam deas, voice of the seven woods and such… paste-on cover and insert, edition of only 300.
restock… this record showcases two very talented musicians in their prime. steve’s side clearly displays his guitar wizardry, while remaining honest and heartfelt. after several years with ghq, steve has sharpened his skills and it really shows. if you’ve had the pleasure of seeing him perform live, you know exactly what i mean. shawn’s recent collaborations with warmer milks seep through on his side of the album. bleaker and darker than steve’s side, shawn tells his tale through guitar, piano, synth and tape manipulation. it’s completely engrossing. with it’s many crooked bends and turns, it will lead you to a sort of discomforting fulfillment that gets more intense with each listen. edition of 500 on black vinyl in a pro-printed jacket with full color artwork by mary kidd.
steve gunn’s prodigous talent for fusing traditional american song structures with a raga influence is almost criminally unheralded. gunn’s songcraft is so strong and his playing style so effortlessly beautiful that folks should be shouting his name from every tall building and mountaintop. it is with such high esteem for the man’s work that three lobed recordings is humbled by the association and thrilled to announce the release of boerum palace by steve gunn. without any doubt, boerum palace is a staggering accomplishment and is certainly gunn’s most assured and confident work to date. native philadelphian gunn has been a stalwart of the american experimental scene for closing in on a decade. he is known by many for his contributions as one half of the core duo behind ghq (with marcia bassett) as well as for his many other affiliations with underground luminaries such as tom carter, the magik markers and marc orleans. gunn has slowly cultivated his own solo work alongside his other obligations and involvements. after a few early cdr and cassette releases under the moniker “moongang,” gunn gravitated towards performing and releasing music in his own name, culminating in the exceptional sundowner (digitalis industries, 2008). sundowner was, to that point, the most potent burst of gunn’s songwriting abilities and remarkable playing abilities. following sundowner, gunn bunkered down to further hone his songwriting and boerum palace represents the overwhelming products of that effort. boerum palace represents steve gunn’s first full-length release on vinyl and second album. the album starts off with a headlong rush into the hypnotic “mr. franklin” (a downloadable mp3 of which can be found here). gunn’s fluid playing style, especially as portrayed withing this track, provides ample space for the development of infectious musical themes. the track ends in a dextrous duel between gunn’s guitar and guest marc orleans’ (of d. charles speer & the helix, sunburned hand of the man) vicious pedal steel. the album mixes gunn’s long-form blues / raga / psych explorations alongside briefer cuts that equally display his songcraft. these tracks, such as “variation ii” and “jadin’s dream,” demonstrate that gunn is equally confident with shorter or longer compositions. gunn’s voice is joined by an ethereal turn from the vanishing voice’s heidi diehl on the album’s central and haunting “house of knowledge.” the track opens with a building central guitar theme. this theme allows gunn to layer on further guitar explorations. the tone set by these musical themes builds into the duo’s vocal delivery that delivers volumes despite being uttered in gentle tones. other highlights include “cryin’ eyes,” an inspired reworking of j.j. cale’s “crying eyes” featuring backing instrumentation from marc orleans, and the richly textured album finale “mustapha’s exit.” boerum palace is pressed on 180g rti vinyl and housed within an old-style stoughton sleeve bearing new original artwork from mike pare and some of gunn’s photography. the album will be accompanied by a download coupon for high quality drm-free mp3s of the album. boerum palace is from a one-time pressing of 823 copies… all copies here are accompanied by a glass-mastered cd titled too early for the hammer (tlr-074) presenting new, scarce and previously unheard gunn material that is not available separately… recommended!
odd colored carpet of bizarre 3d fields dominate the bright and lurid psychedelic forests you’ll have to run thru to grab a mug a brew at the end of the trip! hop on the back of a giant pink elephant and let go, eventually follow his tiny dick-like tail if u are too small to climb up this pink turt in space! but do give it a try and check out what’s left? thats right: nothing! just a puddle of restless throbbing poop in different colours. the elephant turns out to be a puddle as well and the sounds you’re hearing are all on the most psychedelic hair police lp so far! this is definitely way different then any of their other recordings, way more high bliss, blown out delayed voice and hardly any harshness. originally recorded as a hair police radio special for radio centraal in antwerp! thick black and neon blue eye destructive cover design and a psychic laser etch on the b-side of this 180 grams wax!
exact reissue of this totally obscure late 60s dutch beat psych album. two covers from the hair musical, but beyond that its all fuzzy psych go-go beat action. nice, cheap, and very limited.
hall of fame is back with three atonal campfire songs. dan and samara split the vocal duties on their first pop outing. this single reveals a more song-based side to the band. whatever it lacks in drone, it provides with rock and hook. the two color screen-printed jackets were done by wiggly printing (brooklyn, ny) edition of 500 – long out of print & very sweet.
unknown to most ’60s/’70s collectors until its discovery a few years ago, this is the beyond rare second album released by loner/downer folk legend dave bixby, recorded around 1969, the same year as his first one, the now-famous ode to quetzalcoatl. musically, second coming is equally as good and very similar to the first one, but this time the recording took place in a professional studio, so the sound is improved. bixby is joined by brian macinness on guitar, sandy johnson on vocals and don degraaf on bass and production duties. don was in fact leader of the, in the end, destructive religious cult known as “the group” or “the movement,” of which bixby and brian were part of. the sound is more up-front and the songs are slightly optimistic compared to the ones on ode to quetzalcoatl, and there’s plenty of acoustic 12-string raga guitars and harmony male/female vocals. the lyrics deal with cosmic imagery, psychedelics and religious/biblical references, but this goes much deeper than any xian record you’ve ever heard — titles such as “cosmic energy,” “time to clear your mind,” “rainbow,” and “circus world” point towards some sort of new age/post-revelations utopian consciousness. reissued for the first time under license from dave bixby himself, and carefully remastered from a clean vinyl (no master tapes exist) at shadoks music studios. includes an insert with extensive and detailed liner notes by matvei procak — the guy who found bixby in 2006 — plus some rare pictures. also includes a free mp3 download code… recommended.
this first album of the turkish band hardal (mustard) with the title nasil? ze raman? (where from? where to?) was recorded in turkey in 1979 by sikri yiksel (guitar), aydin sencan (bass), cahit kukul (guitar) and sedat avci (drums). the band was only known by a very small insider-group, but those fans just adored hardal. the secret of hardal’s small popularity is that in 1979 the turkish rock scene was comatose. cem karaca left to germany, erkin koray moved to canada, edip akbayram got stuck because of his political ambitions. only baris mancho was still on the road. to start a new band was tough in turkey. hardal also recorded 2 albums later. the music is the best turkish progressive underground you can think of. filled with guitars, synth sounds, great eastern vibe vocals and harmonies, pumping rhythms. as good as the best koray tracks for sure. this album was never reissued before, so we are sort of proud to present it to most people for the first time. from turkey, 1978. edition of 500 numbered lps, glossy heavy sleeve, 180gm pressing, with insert.
originally issued as a series of three micro-edition cdrs by wooden wand hassara, “backyard i-iii” presents the majority of this scarce material in one easily handled package. since no more than 100 copies exist of any of the individual original issue cdrs, there are a lot of folks who have not yet been blown away by hassara’s largely instrumental electric guitar blues drone. spin this disc, grab a cold one and let the good times flow. this cd is from a one-time pressing of 500 copies and features some super-intense new artwork by robert beatty (hair police)… already sold out at source!
debut release from the duo of chris and claire who run london’s mighty upset the rhythm label and promotion. deranged messy drums and squelched weirdo vocal. edition of 50 hand numbered copies.
recorded at the bowling green pub in manchester on 17th november 2008, when bridget was on tour with marcia bassett, this is a maximal 25-minute set of epic guitar brutalising and deep, moaned vocal incantations. employing a bow and ‘metal’ effects pedals, the resulting cacophony is orchestral in scope, rendering almost unreliable the memory of one woman and her instrument. somewhat akin to bassett’s duo with matthew bower, hototogisu, the deeply layered tones created by hayden offer, upon first exposure, a somewhat icy auditory experience, but as the recording settles in, the richness and sheer breadth of sound wraps around you like a feather quilt and shifts your perception almost 180 degrees. a truly magnificent set from this former vibracathedral orchestra member that cements her reputation as far more than that alone.
the legendary, one and only chicago psychedelic garage sounds of haymarket square come to the void. just a 700 press on black vinyl, glossy pink cover and insert, unseen in any other reissue before this. ‘elevator,’ ‘train kept a rollin’ and many more, this lp has become a scarce collector’s item today. originally released in 1968, the void issue will become the standard for listeners of haymarket square.
head of wantastiquet is the solo project of sunburned hand of the man’s paul labrecque. this is the long awaited follow-up to paul’s debut cassette release on open mouth. this lp is luscious and layered with psych banjo based pieces spread over 12 tracks. i’d compare it to a cross between daniel higgs and doc boggs sans vocals. a truly beautiful record which comes in a screenprinted double sided sleeve sleeve in a one time edition of 500… recommended!
lunes is the second album by the texas psychedelic duo headdress. written in the desert but recorded during an endless new york city winter, the album is a dark meditation on americana. guitarist caleb coy and organist ethan cook sculpt a cold, expansive sound made ripe for these turbulent times. it’s the blues shaped by the avant-compositions of la monte young and dylan carlson. it’s drone rooted deep in the american tradition… includes download coupon.
nice new mystery recordings that seem to be an extension of the equally mysterious ‘whorl’ tape we had while back. lo-fi bedroom trance amp hum & softly modulated feedback. way limited & each cover it a totally unique hand assembled/painted piece of art. gotta love it.
i’ve been wanting to put out something by heavy eye of the sun for years and now, nearly two years after their last self-released cd-r, “iii” is locked & loaded. this montreal-based duo create sprawling, monolithic landscapes of sound, barely held together by the flickering of their voices. this is their most involved and evocative work yet. sparse forests of acoustic instrumentation conjure up ancient spirits that the duo channel without abandon. the hypnotic nature of their collective vocals lull you into a trance. bowed zithers and guitars drone and creak into oblivion. heavy eye of the sun suck you into their world and don’t let go until they are good and ready. this is enchanted music. limited to 80 handnumbered copies, packaged in oversized hand-stamped envelopes w/ two inserts handstamped cd-rs.
wild collaborative lp by these 2 deep psych visionaries. one side is a studio collab merging hw’s pummeling psych-frenzy with cascading waves of io-keyboard bliss. the other side is a rare, unhinged live recording of the single time these outfits ever performed together…imagine hw with a freaked out lead singer. strange and great.
last summer’s cd release for heavy winged, blacc lust, flew out of here and really seemed to find a good home with folks. following up on that response comes the massive and dense blowout that is alive in my mouth. comprised of two of the band’s dirtiest and, quite simply, heaviest tracks, it is music for tearing down physical walls. in a small departure from some of our recent vinyl titles, there will not be a bonus cd for pre-ordering the record. instead, every copy of the album will come complete with a cd that features both of the album tracks in addition to a “bonus” 17 minute track. everyone wins! alive in my mouth is be from an edition of 647 copies pressed on 180g rti vinyl. the record is housed within heavy art sleeves bearing new artwork by michael canich and letterpressed by dexterity press (the same folks who we teamed with on sarin smoke’s smokescreen).
brand new three trax release from portland/ brooklyn based unit which comes on the heels of the bands recently re-issue disc, and highly excellent three lobed release “blacc lust”, comes three long playing journeys into psych noise dronedom. i’m not a huge fan of the press release description game where the label goes on to babble and make absurd quotes like “sounds like every band that has sold a shit load of records this past month if you combine sunno))) with your mamma then you know exactly how great this record is”. i’d just like to humbly state to me it comes off like the bardo pond brothers recording in the lo-fi high fuzz induced kitchen of the goslings. package comes packed in a double cover center opening sleeves with the outer shell being a vellum overlay wonderfully executed graphically by chase middaugh. single pressing of 600 copies.
very pleased to announce that after much ongoing talk between me and the band, blackest rainbow will be issuing the very first heavy winged cassette. a total beast from this cross country american trio of ryan, jed and brady recorded just after a 4 day east coast tour in november 2007 at ryan’s house in vermont. the music switches between pure heavy repetitive riffing, drum kit massacre and shredding bass to more melancholy weird minimal bits, which actually co-inside with the last jam the band did before parting ways across the map. nevertheless, this is another totally amazing and essential release from one of my favourite bands around right now. limited to 200. pro-dubbed cassettes.
two new long tracks from heavy winged, following up releases on three lobed, archive, not not fun etc. massive and big-sounding stuff, but with more subtle and quiet openings and endings, and without ever loosing the abrasive feeling of being dragged in grit and dirt forever and ever. driving and powerful proto-psych-metal that manages to sound very much improvised and extremely focused and precise at the same time. both tracks recorded live, loudun recorded in davis, california on 6/30/08. strigoi recorded in annandale-on-hudson, new york on 11/2/07. limited one-time pressing of 500 copies. dual plover gatefold sleeve with black felt and artwork by twin vixen. play it loud.
fully licensed legit deluxe reissue of this completely unique slab of outsider private press psychedelia. long whispered about by the most inner circle of obsessive psych collectors, but up till now heard only by a lucky few. a true legend for sure, and rightfully so, as the bizarre story surrounding the lp is nearly as twisted as the music itself. ex-road runners drummer stephen david heitkotter recorded and pressed the lp in california sometime before 1971 as a demo only edition of no more then two dozen copies in blank white covers, then distributed it only to a handful of local san joaquin radio stations before the pressing plant destroyed the masters due to non-payment. within months of his failed attempt at radio stardom stephen was committed to the state mental ward, and that was that… but what an album he left behind… deeply damaged outsider/real people westcoast basement loner acid-garage-blues from a genuinely insane person, recorded at the very edge of oblivion. the sound of a last gasp at the teetering edge of the darkest void. a murky disjointed trip wobbling between acid-scorched un-reality and pure all-encompasing blankness… full electric band setting, but whether this was a purely solo endeavor or an actual band recording will remain a mystery forever. those close to stephen at the time swear he was already too far gone to assemble even a jam session, so the solo theory seems likely, making the musical deconstruction meltdown that much more disturbing. semi-tight playing disintegrates into meandering sonic smear at every turn, then somehow resolidifies and churns onward while bent deadpan vocals funnel garbled surrealisms from nowhere to nowhere. the scarily hyper-real yet ultra-weird otherworldly presence is as thick as it comes, and only enhanced by the raw/crude/muffled recording fidelity… not recommended for the weak of heart… co-released with earmonger records. mastered from the best possible original copy and pressed on 180gm audiophile vinyl. exact reproduction labels, including some wild hand embellishment from the man himself. heavy blank white 60s style art paper covers with hand stamped title. heavy insert with extensive liner notes. one time vinyl only limited edition of 1000 copies. no cd, no repress.
long time coming release from this towering breaker offshoot. like some total weirdo bluesy jams – in the most loose possible. most recently these guys were seen on the incredible 4×3″ cdr set on psykick dancehall, and also a split lp last year on upset the rhythm. limited to 100 with colour sleeve by the band. limited to 100.
the second release from the sacred harp library label (following the sold-out dr. ragtime 7-inch) is the stunning debut from extraordinary london based 7-piece hellicar, crago, lewis lloyd & friends. ‘chicken or pills’ is an utterly infectious barnstorming romp mixing folk, blues and riotous rock ‘n roll, like 70s richard thompson fronting a bluesy neutral milk hotel. flip it over for ‘the truth’ showing a completely different side to the band breaking out the ukelele, clarinet and three part harmonies. utterly wonderful. limited to 500 copies, packaged in sacred harp’s die-cut, letterpressed, silk-screened sleeves.
solo noise psych gush from luke of bird of delay. debut release on this promising new label. sweet pro-printed fold out covers wrapped up in a hand written and numbered kraft paper envelope. numbered edition of only 50 copies. instantly out of print!
i first got this master while watering plants at a local mall. every week i would go in at night, strap on a full body harness, lock myself to the railing, jump over the side, and go to work on hundreds of plants, while continuously flipping this tape over and over. the perfect soundtrack to floating three stories up while breathing in harsh chemical fertilizers and watching the leaves fall on the janitors below. the title track is one of the best helm tracks to date. forward moving phase shifts buried under blankets of high end pulses, only subsiding to make room for some of the most inviting tones this side of tangerine dream. side b’s hearts like broken motors is a full 19 minutes of new age synth onslaught. covers designed and printed by james livingston of black horizons. 12 were printed on tan paper, the remaining on black. black, high bias chrome tapes. edition of 100.
hematic sunsets is an alias (an anagram to be exact) for german soundartist asmus tietchens from hamburg. tietchens is a self taught artist with more than 50 lp and cd releases on numerous labels (nurse with wound’s united dairies, sky records, the mille plateaux sub-label ritornell, staalplaat, selektion, recent albums on richard chartier’s line label and a massive reissue series on die stadt, to name but a few). his solo works are mainly concerned with the manipulation of concrete sounds and (most recently) pure sine waves (on his mengen series) and their placement (assemblage?) in time and space. while his solo efforts are often austere formal works (yet never lacking a twisted humour), hematic sunsets is a different beast altogether. reminiscent of his sky-era attempts with rhythm and melody, the aroma club series is tietchens warped, almost parodic (per)version of lounge music. each record of the series is based on the sounds and rhythms of one particular (preferredly cheap) organ/keyboard, usually a yamaha product (this time it’s the psr 36). while the last club lp was recorded with several guests (felix kubin, michael rother…) and the 2007 x-mas 7″ was a collaboration with long-time “producer” okko bekker, “aroma club paradox” is another solo effort (collaborating with several fictitious anagrams/characters though). the result is a timeless and completely unique take on muzak using cheap keyboard sounds usually associated to drunk wedding bands or your grandmother’s home organ family music. tietchens elaborately transforms the cheesy associations into cold, bloodless, almost unhuman pop tunes totally lacking the sensationalism and pseudo-fervour of most music, especially modern pop music. limited edition of 500 copies in baby blue heavy vinyl!
contains the audio from jason’s ‘first announcements’ lathe cut, plus other pieces – we cut the lathe 78 for jason last year here at time-lag and had a few for sale then, this cdr versions adds extra stuff. great fractured noise/hum/piano cut-up goodness. experimental music that goes somewhere – from elephant micah member.
culled from a large mess of untitled computer music that jason had stashed away for quite some time, the peace drills cycle was improvised and edited together in a loose tribute to conlon nancarrow. employing the notation software finale as a sort of 21st century player piano, henn stacked, squeezed and quantized a year’s worth of off-hand, amateurish piano solos into several chaotic minutes of digital soul-spew. additional tracks, which sound something like sterilized milton babbit, feature the midi contributions of microwave background mainman will ryerson, as manually altered and tweaked into oblivion by henn, ultimately realized as piles of keyboards and drums. it’s a dense 30-some minutes. oh, and for the curious, the disc’s title refers to one of several aborted attempts to find grant money to release the abovementioned music, its author assuming that the vaguely jazz-based/new classical pretensions of the material might actually confuse someone into funding its release despite its irrelevance to any/everything. one such proposal was addressed to a non-profit that claimed to support daring and exciting peace/soc. justice-type projects. so, our maestro set about writing detailed programs for the six “peace drills,” claiming that each was performed as a meditation on a particular geopolitical/historical/social something-or-other (ex., “peace drill 2: journey through gaza”) when, in fact, jason really just wanted the scratch for nice pressed discs and a color booklet. the org didn’t buy it, but, when third uncle agreed to do the thing as a handmade edition, the name stuck… crazy oversized lp cover packing with all sorts of inserts & stuff. elephant micah member.
henn’s new release features pieces inspired by recent employment in the lower ranks of a flower factory. this is a cdr inside of a 12″ record sleeve that comes with a baggie of collages. the music is largely improvised. see for example the three tracks of unaccompanied yelling – more beautiful strangeness from elephant micah member.
december 2009: inspiration dependently arising; blows against the empire in one hand, admiral richard byrd’s secret diary in the other. days after returning to maine after three heavy months on the road, matthew lajoie (cursillistas) awoke one morning having dreamt the existence of a lost 1973 private press concept record about the exploration of inner earth and the advanced civilization thriving at its center. agartha; shambhala: the domain of the arianni. using byrd’s account as the thematic framework for the album, he feverishly poured forth a representation of the dreamt record, writing and recording the entire lp in a single 24-hour period – guided by sonic ouija. the result is a cosmic antenna with dials tuned to the planet earth rock & roll orchestra, obscure psych-prog spacecasts, and classic rock radio, all refracted through the dusty, cracked and scratched cursillistas prism. performed entirely on a borrowed thrift store electric guitar and broken microphone, herbcraft discovers the bitter water of agartha was birthed in the now to scatter the seeds of agartha’s message in our aquarian dark age.
both carolyn hester coalition albums are fine examples of u.s. west coast-style hippie fuzz psychedelic folk rock, like neighb’rhood children, birmingham sunday and similar outfits. they were recorded in 1969 and 1970 on the metromedia label and are considered to be a must have for u.s. dreamy folk-psych music collectors. first ever reissue on vinyl. limited edition, deluxe 180 gram vinyl, exact reproduction of the original first pressing.
must have for u.s. dreamy folk psych music collectors. first ever reissue on vinyl. limited edition, deluxe 180 gram vinyl, exact reproduction of the original first pressing.
hevoset is the duo of two of the most enigmatic individuals of the finnish underground, namely jan anderzen and jani hirvonen, both hailing from tampere. anderzen is ringleader of a mysterious multitudinous beast known as kemialliset ystevet (fonal records), a part-time member of avarus and islaja and records solo as tomutonttu (ultra exzema, beta-lactam ring records) with a new album coming out on dekorder this year (hopefully). hirvonen is best-known under his uton monicker with two lp’s on dekorder and a stream of releases on last visible dog, digitalis, ruralfauna, jewelled antler, pseudo arcana and his own ikuisuus label. while most one-off meetings between so-called experimental and improvising musicians often sound like bad excuses for a few beers and endless jams this is quite the opposite – a heavy weight championship finale of two like-minded whizkids cross-fertilizing each other with idea after idea, leading to some of the weirdest and quixotic recordings you will have heard of the two. everything you loved about kemialliset ystevet, uton and tomutonttu is contained in hevoset…..and more. rural psychedelia, out-of-tune plucked and strummed strings, overloaded organs and effect pedals, jani hirvonen’s sweet wordless vocals, ecstatic improvised drone collages, bells, backward loops, jungle percussion and tons of unidentifiable sounds and noises shaped into tight 4 – 6 minute tracks…. awesome.
lp version of the music will be limited to 1,000 copies worldwide and sold separately from the book. covers are silkscreened with his art… last copies of this great one. with xerox booklet.
daniel higgs is a musician and artist from baltimore, maryland, who has been a contributor to the independent art and music community for nearly 3 decades. his artistic work ranges from musical records to books of poetry to visual collections of his drawing, painting and collage work. higgs is known primarily for his work as the sole lyricist and frontman of the band lungfish, a four-piece juggernaut who has released over 10 full lengths in their 20+ year career. in recent years, higgs has released a number of solo outings including the record / book combination atomic yggdrasil tarot. on much of his solo work, higgs uses very varied instrumentation, including acoustic and electric guitar, upright pianos, banjo and jews harp, and generally records entirely at home on cassette recorder. higgs has always worked in the mediums of music and art simultaneously, and for his artist music journal higgs mined his archives and notebooks from the past 10+ years. the original works were photographed to scale… beautiful stuff.
in recent years, higgs has released a number of solo outings that can only be described as the ultimate in isolation, worlds away from the hypnotic, communal rock of his band, lungfish. higgs follows up the 2007 album/book release atomic yggdrasil tarot with his new double album say god. say god is an album of gospel songs and poems as presently received by this daniel higgs. recorded with the help and enthusiasm of david andrew sitek, who graciously provided this daniel higgs with an environment in which to prosper and enjoy the adventure of recording, or, if you will, the ensnaring of songs as they migrate through time and mind, that they might be heard many places at once, with the singer absent. song seeds cast abroad, that their message, the advent of the songway, the way across, might take root, twist and fruit, light for all. it is the simple hope of this daniel higgs that the album say god may be of any use to the listener, may serve the listener, may accompany the listener in clairaudient fellowship… limited gatefold vinyl version with insert.
january is always time for new beginnings and sewing the seeds for the year to come and i can think of no better way to start things off than with this massive, dusty blast from san francisco duo, higuma. comprised of barn owl’s evan caminiti and lisa mcgee. like a phoenix from the shambles, “den of spirits” comes from a place buried deep and forgotten. these are sonic explorations steeped in the sound of the earth’s core. caminiti and mcgee have concocted an epic brew of dirt-stained drones. higuma first showed their faces on their debut cdr on the great root strata label, but “den of spirits” shows them as a band evolving and more mature. basic, tribal percussion underpins the scorchers as they soar. “the ocelot” is a short, concise epic that bleeds in mid-air, stuck like a fading star resigned to a cold, desolate fate. caminiti and mcgee’s voices echo through the dense, rich space they’ve created flowing perfectly into the contemplative loneliness of “hexed and vexed.” this certainly is not child’s play. the flipside adds tinges of hope to the mix, piercing the murk with a cascade of ultraviolet. again, it’s the duo’s voices that tell the story. “sun crown” never lets up. caminiti’s exquisite guitar explorations are puncuated by the absolutely inspiring vocals from mcgee. terrestrial choirs never sounded so good. each subtle shift teases that everything will fall to shambles at any minute. it’s a carefully constructed, delicately held-together mini-masterpiece. don’t worry, though, because when you come down, you’ll come down gently into a bed of crystal clean air. stunning all the way… pretty sweet one. edition of only 250 copies, already out of print. screen printed foldout covers.
two sweating side-long jams along the itching lines of fellow mind-travellers sunburned hand of the man, astral blessing and dredd foole. recorded smack in the middle of bible belt country, inspired by the wicked deeds of psyched master rick and his friends who used to be giving voluntary castrations in their own private creepy sm dungeon.
hintergedanken is noise guru clay ruby and karen eliot (23 productions, totem, and davenport) cosmic psych/prog beast, much in the vein of ’60s private press killers such as yahowa 13 and frolk haven. hintergedanken spews slow, atmospheric psych rock that will make any psych or doom fan salivate. packaged in a digi-pac.
recorded by jai lil diamond and scott hirsch over a period of three years in various studios, lofts, and farmhouses in california, new york, and north carolina, country hai east cotton is hiss golden messenger’s debut collection of wayward sky songs and burnt houseboat blues in hi-fi. doc snock says: many megahits here. ashra gone country with three-gun salutes of “tusk” and the reverb plates of kingston. out on heaven & earth magic recording co. in a limited-edition, hand-numbered run of 500. printed on fully recycled materials in miniature gatefold with plastic outer sleeve and woven inner sleeve.
one of the all-time 60’s classics, coming out from the california desert of antelope valley where hms leader merrell fankhauser lived for a couple of yyears. this was released on uni in late 1968, and gosh it’s a killer!!!! flower power psychedelia, great all original songs, this is one of these albums you shouldn’t miss under any circumstance. make yyourself a favour and get one of these wonderful reissues we have for you, with remastered sound, original artwork and an insert with liners by merrell and a great photo from his own archive.
one lap steel through two amps, one keyboard, one drum kit, one chord. 17 minutes of tripped-out string popping and drum scatter on one side. 16.5 mins of scraped and sustained lap steel on the other.
we’re proud to announce the first-ever vinyl reissue of homestead & wolfe’s lone and excellent album. one of the most unknown artifacts that ever came from the american psych-folk land. originally released in 1975 by topo records. this is an official reissue, fully licensed by ernie bringas (h&w founder) and anopheles records. it has an exact reproduction of the original cover, label, 4-page insert and poster as well as extra triptych insert with bio and photos. two extra tracks are also included… despite being recorded at gold star in l.a. and featuring heavy session names such as hal blaine and al casey, this irresistible femme-vox melodic folk rock/psych delight has remained mysteriously unknown for 30 years. you’ll be hard-pressed to find faults with its mix of various late 1960s california styles, ranging from lyte neighb’rhood child’n top 40 psych over carolyn hester coalition/yankee dollar folk moves into all-out west coast acid rock a la ill wind. – acid archives… beautifully done deluxe reissue! recommended & highly limited.
casual late night camfire jams by robert horton and tom carter, with laidback appearances by natacha robinson, janet and mary carter. baked guitars, boot and percussion. on special request there’s only 40 copies of this one.
wild and eclectic mail collaborations from one of america’s most recently on fire jammers robert horton, and norway’s drone master sindre bjerga. both have incredibly solid resumes of collaborations and releases, what with sindre’s ongoing collaboration with jan iversen, and robert’s collaborations with tom carter and the mudsuckers crew of pete and gabe (of yellow swans), which also includes carter. ‘can’t go faster enough to get there early’ features a massive range of instruments and sounds, from multiple instrument based layered drone to down right weirdness, and total outsider vibes. also features hal hughes, lisa graves and jan iversen. glass mastered cds, limited to 264 in white digipaks with stickered covers and a small 4 page insert of liner notes. please note some tracks feature digital clicks and pops, this is meant to be there.
reissue of classic robert horton now with new artwork and shiny plastic jewel case. again robert horton amazes and dazzles. this recording spans from 1983 until yesterday before dinner. it is so amazing to hear robert’s thought process evolve over the years yet be so cohesive to never stray from robert’s life vision. i never knew what visionary meant in the 21 century until i met robert horton.
robert founded the appliances, part of sf’s first wave of punk bands in 1979. then later formed the plateau ensemble in 1983, a tribal noise drone group who played in the bay area until 1987. from the early 90’s until 2004 horton continued to compose and record, but didn’t release any of it publicly until 2005, when he put together first light. originally released on the finish label outta (now defunct), in a tiny edition of 50 copies. anyways we’re all glad robert has opened up the floodgates, and i’m pretty excited to get to re-issue this thing in a slightly larger edition. edition of 100, photo/screen-print cover, inserts, black cds, heavy vinyl sleeves.
“warmth” is the fourth volume in robert horton’s archives series of releases (previous volumes on 23 productions, sloow tapes, & jyrk). this single, monolithic piece unfolds at snailspeed, but succeeds in wrapping itself around you like an old, familiar blanket.”warmth” is the most appropriate title, as these drones emit sonic beams of silver light. using only two reel-to-reel tape recordings and a loop, horton’s artistry is on full display. the fact he was doing this 20 years ago is a testament to his immeasurable talent.
robert horton is an amazing multi-instrumentalist/genius/alien whisperer from san francisco. he has worked with tom carter and an assortment of folks. 2nd pressing now available!!! robert horton is a sound producer of the highest order. when i received this recording i was almost instantly put in a trance. all of a sudden i was in my back yard on a mission – building string instruments triggered by wind chimes and tall totem pole flute like instruments that were played by the arctic winds. robert horton has a musical language that no one else speaks. he builds his own instruments and conjures an alien harmonic orchestra out of the instruments that existed before he arrived on our planet. in the last year he has released a slew of amazing recordings both solo and in collaborations (with tom carter and loren chase among others). this was one of the first of robert’s recordings to land on earth. it is now finally available again.
hotem is one incarnation of kheta hotem, one of finland’s finest. backed by the neverending talents of keijo virtanen, hotem is an adventure through cavernous echoes and enchanted forests. sparse acolades transcend through the overcast skies and hover above your head like a guillotine waiting to drop. this is music full of open spaces, and it is in those spaces where the true magic happens. sounds dance like fireflies in the lunar haze. didjeridu drone and walls of chromatic percussion bounce off each other in a soothing fit. hotem are quite the experience. 100 copies.
live in person collaboration of mid ranged feedback hell laden with raw human drones of cosmic existential turbulence from from matthew bower (legend of total, skullflower, ramleh etc) marcia bassett (double leopards, zaimph, ghq etc.) and dominick fernow (vegas martyrs, nihilist assault group, ash pool, etc).
green metal music, decanted collage of fuzzy scream vocal loops and mangled buried riffing, bursting w/ vivid colour power electronics and chilly black metal soundscaping. studio prototyping of the hg signature sound, shorter pieces than the usual jams, even denser than the live version, with blatant referencing of the black metal/ tibetan devotional strands that run like veins of lightning through the dense mesh of noise. out of printed edition of 1000 copies. nice full color 8 page booklet.
double lp pressing housed in a gatefold jacket. being a nabokovian and visceral garden of delights, a musical evocation of memory and desire spread over four sides of vinyl. the sound is conjured forth from dark wells to be birthed, twisting and screaming in silver winds. recorded at black dirt studios, over an intensive three day period of hermetic isolation, whilst snow blanketed the surrounding fields, this work is both more detailed and conjures a heavier, more brooding occult atmosphere and sound, than any previous hototogisu release. limited edition of 700 copies… instantly sold out at source.
hototogisu is the duo of marcia bassett (double leopards, ghq, un) and matthew bower (skullflower, sunroof!, total). for the past few years, they have been delivering intense guitar/electronics based drones of gargantuesque scales. robed in verdigris is their 16th release and only the third on vinyl. 3 tracks spread over both sides of extreme sunshine and ecstasy. a total assault of metaphysical vibrations. limited to 500…this one vanished in a wink, so act fast if you don’t wanna miss it forever!
since arriving on london racks in the summer of 1970, catherine howe’s debut album has been unavailable in its original format. less than 20 lp copies survived reflection records’ demise, and the album sat in the can until numero’s 2007 cd issue. produced by the legendary jazz pianist bobby scott, this orchestral-folk master stroke has once again been set to lacquer, remastered and restored directly from the original master tapes specifically for this deluxe vinyl release. gatefold package includes replica lp art and complete annotation on the sessions and history of this forgotten brit-folk treasure. “it’s like some missing link between sandy denny and karen carpenter, or between ladies of the canyon and dusty in memphis. if you buy no other reissue this year, buy this.” – barney hoskyns, guardian uk.
released march 3, 2008 as an installment in the oscillation iii series. sold only as a part of the set. lp released december 8, 2008 from a limited edition of 998 copies. wild life, howlin rain’s contribution to oscillation iii, consists of two fifteen minute plus monster jams. the first is an amazingly inspired and completely improvised wailing twin guitar, rock meditation on paul mccartney’s “wild life.” “black sangria” rounds out the disc with a completely improvised piece covered in heavy jazz fusion and free, latin jazz rock overtones. the band featured a slightly different lineup for these session, a lineup that in part feels like a comets on fire mini-reunion (above and beyond ethan miller on guitar/vocals is ben chasny on guitar, utrillo kushner on drums, ian gradek on bass and joel robinow on wurlitzer electric piano/nord keyboard). wrapped delicately in two paintings by raeni miller (ethan’s wife). 180g rti vinyl and housed within an “old style” lp cover.
everything began in 1977 when the poet, antonio de padua carvalho invited me to create melody for his poetries. at that time i was lead guitarist of the band the gentlemen (a garage northwest group that included ze ramalho, who released the wonderful dlp together with lula cortez in one of his line-ups and recorded a rare lp and one 45). for this unique project we invited ze ramalho, the musician and composer el’sio alexandrino (golinha), to control the four-channel tape recorders the musician enilton arajo, the twelve string guitar arrangements were done by irapuan (pupu), drummer edmilson (crauna), percussion by special guest ze cris-logo, and hugo filho (hugo leo) on nylon guitar, bass, keyboards and art direction.’ this lp is really special, brazilian charm and poetic words. even in brazil, an incredible rare album, only 500 pressed, given to friends and sold in shops — the first private pressing in this country. if sacros, lula cortez, mutantes and el congreso is something you like, you will love this one. lots of folk elements which devolve in twisted endings. something you want to play to your new girl on a crazy summer night. and for you guys in n.y. with brazilian roots (arto lindsay) this is something you should play at your next party. a great album this is. 450 numbered lps, glossy heavy sleeve, 180 gram pressing… nice to see this cool & obscure recife artifact reisued.
here is a man who creates extraordinarily complete pieces of sonic tapestry, as has been evident on a number of earlier hotd releases on vinyl and cdr. this tape brings you more than one hour of tonal and textural mastery. from thundering tnb-like cavernous metal noises, through deeply vibrant slabs of shimmering tonal bliss, always moving ahead into new areas of gritty textural explorations. attentive listening is rewarding listening, and will most likely lead to repeat listening. this piece of music demands to be experienced more than one time. 200 copies, on type ii chrome tape.
primitive sun-baked guitar clash from the baltimore-based nathan bell and dave heumann that flits between trux wrasslin beefheart / wayne rogers plays savage republic / mick flower plays pentangle styles with every stab of the wrist. beautiful new look intensely coloured / screened sleeves makes it just as nice to eyeball. – volcanic tongue.
human skab was a 10-year old boy from elma, washington who played african music with buckets and spoons. thunder hips and saddle bags is a 1986 cassette recorded by young travis roberts with his neighborhood pals and siblings. it was injected into the underground network of tape traders, zine scribes, college djs, and freak seekers who were universally bowled over by its bewildering and utterly poignant snapshot of the mid-1980s. skab’s music — an orchestration of pots n’ pans, three string guitar, poorly-tuned upright piano, broken bottles, toy guns, a garden rake, and a “snake mountain” microphone — is a response to fear of nuclear war with the soviet union, he-man cartoons, twisted sister, the coolness of dinosaurs, the uncoolness of john wayne, and ronald reagan. roberts captures the fervor of do-it yourself ethos, punk energy and the rawness of early american folk by acting on his wild child imagination and enigmatic sense of song. these rare recordings have never been made widely available until now. this reissue includes the complete 1986 cassette. the cd and mp3 version contain a bonus 1987 radio interview. the 16-page booklet in the 500 edition lp and cd contains liner notes by roberts and cousin franky along with many full-color photographs and news clippings. as bruce pavitt wrote in the 1986 sub pop zine: the skab zips around the living room shooting toy guns. he hits the family piano with his fists. he tries real hard to play guitar. he makes up songs about terrorism and radiation and throwing rocks at windows. cool!
warehouse find of the last copies of this earlier reissue… just a few copies left of this long oop void classic. here’s the scoop — the hunger released their only lp on the publix label way back in the ’60s. this edition did not have (or had very little) guitar. though it was a classic lp, it needed the guitar. sometime later a friend in california found an alternate acetate with a stirring guitar versus organ sound and different arrangements and song lengths. brian hulitt contacted mike parkison and willie daffern about this ‘lost’ sound and they claim that it was none other than ed king who stopped in to put the guitar parts on this version! the rest is history, as they say. here is the classic hunger the lost album as it originally was and should sound. liner notes by clark faville… if you dig their proper album this is essential listening! limited to 500 copies, and including an extra new insert just for these last few unearthed copies.
landing out of nowhere and traversing historical sonic planes with freeform light-speed, the hunter gracchus arrived at my desk. continuing the recent leaking tap, (so obscure and secretive no one seems to have really cottoned on yet), of european free-music, folk and psych that has been seeping into the underground, hunter gracchus sound both fresh and devastatingly contorted. listening to the fragile and intoxicating sounds generated by the hunter gracchus, your surroundings are skewed into displacement. when describing the output and production of sound experienced on the record, hg used the foundation of non-studio based recordings, stating “where the microphone’s presence seems inconsequential to the performance you hear and its placement is determined more by remaining inconspicuous than maximising fidelity.” this is a keen observation and sits well with the overall experience that the collective creates. spatial awareness is delivered through raga styled drones, but also, more inventively, through anarchic freeform playing. hg also site the bedouin music by deben bhattacharya and the vibracathedral orchestra as having influenced their sound; this alludes to what you will hear, but be prepared for a unique sound-world, all of its own (and straight out of sheffield!) an abundance of acoustic instruments are blown, strummed and plucked alongside inventive percussion that clangs both traditional and (seemingly) found objects. the improvised nature has a difficult narrative that paddles murky water through perilous terrain. this is imagined through the music, but also signified through lengthy and descriptive song titles, e.g. “elkadia priests’ ransacking of the pnac offices”. a mythology is an adequate accompaniment to a challenging and overwrought listen. there are moments where the peaceful rolling of hypnotic free folk is suddenly disrupted by chaotic, (close to a nervous breakdown), improvised attack. the de-tuned gypsy-shanty of the final track on side a, twists and turns like a serpent of rust and soiled canvas. the tort strings scrape and roll in unwavering tones that arch beyond the inevitable outcome one might assume, (then again this is the point of freeform music). side b has pastoral marches with balkan overtones that allude to foreign tradesmen and portside harlots. this has a similar disjointed glow that fans of lauhkeat lampaat will immediately warm to. this has a similar, yet rawer, feel to the recent part wild horses mane on both sides record. the record displays a combination of deep folk understanding, along with a distinctly western european ability to juxtapose misery and hope. the closing track hits a fantastic high with a mix of subtlety, drone, vocal wavering and distortion. the sounds implode in glorious sonic hollers that over lap and consume themselves in the form of an ouroboros. 8/10 — peter taylor, foxy digitalis.
half of the six songs on jana hunter’s carrion are unreleased hangers-on from the writing sessions that produced her most recent full-length, there’s no home, while the other half are alternate renditions of works that appeared on that release. but this is no mere grab bag of remnants; it’s a real tight product, all around. “paint a babe” is a throw-back to hunter’s earlier material, written and recorded simultaneously on a borrowed four-track recorder. a real sad, longing song. “a goblin, a goblin” took a little more time to create: this strong, sturdy number, replete with violins and creepy harmony, tells the tale of an indignant outcast. “you will take it and like it,” turns one central, pretty and proud guitar part over and over and over, with others mirroring it, leeching from it, grabbing on like little parasitic danglers. the original version of “there’s no home” is here, the track that spawned an entire record title, followed by “sleep” (titled, as it was originally, “ooh uuh”), from the recording that ended up on a lullaby compilation. concluding carrion is an acoustic re-presentation of the country-minded “oracle,” stripped down to one guitar, one melody, and one harmony, as it was originally conceived in its creation as homage. cd on gnomonsong. limited to 500.
finnish psychedelic masters uton and anti unleash a new beast as the hunton quintet. heavy hazy woven jams as zelig concrete and agent stepanoff. clay whistles, wooden electronics, animal hide drums. serious carpet tripping deep in the dark woods. 6 tracks straight outa porvoo, finland – namecheck all things finnish and hard to pronounce: www.myspace.com/huntonquintet. deluxe handcrafted gatefold sleeves. limited edition of 99.
one day betsy nichols traveled all the way from the east coast & showed up on the doorstep of bellemeade phonics studio. although she had never met the legendary “snock”, she was determined to sing a few songs with him & record them. here are the results. four songs featuring duet vocals & guitar. a lovely but short version of “jockos lament”, an epic version of “knockando”, the haunting “river in the rain” & some other song. not a reissue but rather a bonafide contemporary recording never before heard.
ancestral swamp is the 20th full-length album by legendary rambler, cartoonist, “outsider” folk singer, and guitarist michael hurley. it arrives just in the nick of time for the rabid snockophile. a batch of new vittles and encores of some of his classic tunes, ancestral swamp bubbles with laid-back ease and tremolodic goodness. most songs have the simplest of arrangements: hurley singing solo, accompanied by his guitar, wurlizter organ, or fiddle. tara jane o’neil helps lend a nice touch to “el dorado,” and snock calls upon frequent past accomplices dave reisch and louie longmeyer for their graceful touch on sleepy winners like “new river blues” and “gamblin’ charlie.” as with all hurley’s albums, once one sets the needle down, one is put in a certain peace and place. his voice and songs are unique, shuffling with characters and visions clear and wild. with ancestral swamp, it seems snock has left his front door open a bit wider than usual. if you lean in close, you can inhale a little of the vapor rising off the water, and enjoy a tale or two. snock has personally test marketed the ancestral swamp” and the results are in: “the ancestral swamp is actually a good party record, even though fraught with dirges of dying and death.”
first ever vinyl reissue of michael’s hard to find classic 1972 2nd album. hurley is a much respected singer songwriter (former member of the holy modal rounders), & it is an honor for us to put this out. features the following songs: ‘werewolf’ (a beautiful haunting song later covered by cat power), ‘grand canyon line,’ ‘english nobleman,’ ‘be kind to me,’ ‘troubled waters,’ ‘red ravager’s reel,’ ’sweedeedee’ (also covered by cat power), ‘open up,’ ‘jocko’s lament,’ ‘light green fellow,’ ‘get the best of me,’ ‘biscuit roller,’ ‘when the swallows come back to capistrano,’ & ‘penguins’ (a beautiful dirge played by trumpets & guitars). new back cover & label designed by michael himself… very recommended.
reissue of hurley’s 3rd lp. originally recorded in 1972, this record finds hurley exploring the full range of his stylistic canon and features some of his most loved songs such as “water train”, “the twilight zone”, “eyes,eyes” and “blue driver”. michael hurley is one of our favourite songwriters of all time and we are very proud to present this first ever vinyl reissue of “hi-fi snock”. remastered from the original tapes… yet another great album. recommended!
michael hurley is one of the last remaining ramblin’ american folk troubadours. hobo-ing around the country, making music since the days bob dylan first set foot in new york city’s gaslight club, hurley recorded his first album for moses ash’s legendary folkways label in 1964 and continued to release albums for both warner brothers and rounder. his mid-’70s have moicy album was among the top ten for the decade selected by rolling stone magazine. while many of his contemporaries are long past their prime (or deceased), hurley’s muse is still intact. hurley’s songwriting talent hasn’t gone unnoticed by a new generation of musicians. in recent years, he was invited to tour with alt-country heroes son volt and lucinda williams. he’s also shared bills with smog and palace brothers, played with the giant sand rhythm section, and has of course appeared with (and been covered by) vetiver and appeared on their records. so, the matter at hand, a new album of recordings sung and played by hurley, backed by ida, appropriately titled ida con snock: snock himself marvels at this 21st studio album, recorded at levon helms’ studio in woodstock, ny. ida’s less-is-more finesse shines on these rich recordings, melding perfectly with hurley’s playing and singing. many of these songs are already well familiar to hurley’s devotees. there are seven originals and five loving covers of ’50s rock ‘n’ roll, c&w, and vintage folk, each tune capturing hurley and band at peak performance levels.
originally released in 1997 in germany in a press size of 500. these original copies were seized by the government shortly after the records release. only 150 or so were sold before the seizing, but since copies have leaked out of whatever dank german bureaucratic basement they were relegated to. still, a very hard record to find for years, now back in print. our current reissue was remastered from the original tapes & has superior sound quality to the original. culled from michaels unreleased output between his ‘first songs’ lp from 1964 & ‘armchair boogie’ in 1972. all tracks feature just michael & guitar. absolutely beautiful folk music by the singular snock – in our opinion, one of the greatest singer/songwriters of all time… one of his real classics finally on wax again. recommended!
a mighty 45 pairing longtime missouri friends jerusalem and the starbaskets and hush arbors. a fabulous band, jats debut here with the formidable ‘i cannot radiato without you’. a spiky 2 chord blast clocking in at under 2 minutes of perfect pop. acting as a taster for the stunning ‘battle of the orchids’ imminent full length (on the gps soon), the band merge the ferocity of the sonics with the tenderness of galaxie 500 or 3rd album velvets. wacked out, often ferocious, psych blues- a taster from which appears here. hush arbors’ recent expansion to a two piece, debut here on vinyl, with ‘mr. bones’, another gem from the songwriting genius of keith wood. a gentle acoustic opening gives way to a fuller, perhaps busier, 12 string laced sound- not unlike some unreleased nugget from the gene clark ‘roadmaster’ sessions where he coaxed the original byrds to reconvene for one last time on wax… very limited vinyl only 45, on split ‘one half orange, one half green’ vinyl. get on it!
never one to go overboard with wildly overblown statements, the gps *thinks* it is about to unleash the first uk release by the greatest singer songwriter in the world. james jackson toth aka wooden wand shares a mighty split single with the equally great keith wood aka hush arbors. the single has an overall title “swappin’” and it is pretty much essential if we may say so. cunningly sleeved with each others’ other halves in “swappin’” guise and with a picture of a neatly made bed on it’s insert! … another must have single on this great uk imprint.
keith wood and his hush arbors project had a good year in 2006. after multiple solo tours and stints with wooden wand & the vanishing voice, his first cd and lp were released earlier in the year. he ended the year relocating to england and plying his trade across the pond. with all this in mind, it was decided that a re-release of his first full-length for digitalis was in order, and thus this expanded version of “under bent limb trees” was born. keith wood concocts massive emotional releases in his head and transfers them to tape using the most organic means possible. bowed dulcimer, singing bowl, banjo, and a his trademark falsetto dot the horizon of this majestic album. this graceful and subdued music has been extracted from the earth and laden with golden spirits. this two cd set, housed in gatefold cardboard jackets, is the perfect embodiment of wood’s delicate take on shy melancholia that has one foot in the forest and one on a log fire, burning with passion. his experience as the go-to guy of not only ben chasny (six organs of admittance) but massachussets god-botherers sunburned hand of the man for live appearances has clearly set him in good stead for his own recordings, and this collection only serves to magnify his deft talent and unique voice. disc one features the whole of “under bent limb trees”, newly remastered and sounding better than ever. the real prize is in the second disc, which features out-of-print, rare, and unreleased tracks culled from wood’s own collection and various limited and obscure releases. includes the long out-of-print “if there be spirits, let them come” 3″ among other things – nice full color gatefold covers.
key duo from the catalan folk scene, result of the union between ia clua (from”2+1″) and jordi batiste (one of the leading forces of màquina! together with enric herrera), after the later one’s return from military service.”un gran dìa”.the duo’s first album, was recorded at the end of 1972 with the help of such outstanding musicians as manel joseph (ex”2+1″, ia’s early band), joaquìn”max” suñer (vèrtice, tapimàn, iceberg y a neverding etc) & albert batiste (musica dispersa). the result is an amazing & varied musical tapestry, best heard in the record’s first side, a long suite covering from orchestral folk-pop with some psych leanings (“un gran dìa”,”max”) to straight in-your-face hard rock (“sleeping rock”) via typical early 70s prog rock (“oliba”) or uncathegorisable experiments which defy all rules (“reprise”) and show perfectly the freaky stage reached by the catalan scene in it’s early years (as a matter of fact, the record is sung in english and catalan – ). a piece of wax which went totally unnoticed when first released in a tiny pressing back in the days (thus becoming a big ticket item in the collector’s market) and which wah wah rescues from oblivion thirty years after it’s original release. an excellent work which deserves to be discovered by a wider public – limited issue of 500 numbered copies in gatefold cover reproducing the original artwork, including a colour insert, a colour poster and a bonus 7″ single w/ one previously unreleased song… very hip sounds & beautifully done reissue. recommended.
maine & western mass. meet half ways on black vinyl for all the dungeons to hear & see. cover art by matthew thurber. inside and label art by matthew thurber and caroline bren. mastered by nick zampiello… awesome screen printed packaging with clear obi strip. 180gm vinyl. big insert. very limited.
co-released by zeikzak, king fondue, veglia and taped sounds. this lp is a concept album about the life, energy and being of babb’s bridge, a beautiful 19th century bridge in windham, maine, usa. surrounded by a misty fairytalish spirit stream, the presumpscott river, the bridge breaths proudly and gently since 1843. babb’s bridge has transported tourists, canoers, settlers, founding fathers, forest workers, hikers, and lovers to a new path, a pledge. the record itself is a 2 years in the making singular masterpiece of the modern tongue of the collagist. skot spear, the being behind the id m monikker, has created a both retrohistorical and futuristic trip into a world of voice, tape, computer, sampling, and objects. a stream of energy, enbodied in a composition of both multitracked and direct recorded tunes. fans of e.g. al hansen and crank sturgeon will linger hapilly in this cosmos of sound. after a continuously high quality stream of releases on cdr, cassette, 7″, dvd-r etc, this is skot’s first solo outing on a permanent full lenght format. a debut lp as you might want to call it…. the lp comes in a full color cardboard jacket with a picture of the myth / bridge on the front, and paste-on handwritten text artwork by skot on the back.
the first ever vinyl release from portland’s own utterly bizarre label mangdisc. massively out-there gurgles, sputters, hisses, and mouth foam leak from these grooves. one side could really even be called a song, which is quite the oddity in the lengthy skot spears/id m theft able catalog. great totally hand made covers from recycled lp covers, sealed in fly pan am plastic bags, with hand done labels, odd inserts, etc. edition of only 200 copies – and you though you already had some weird music.
despite an insistence on boo damage southernizing i declare and for certain an entanglement of multifocused labors. ignatz isn’t no blackface minstrel show, there ain’t any reappropriation in the downspook twang. what you’re hearin hollering is the residual concoction of imperial conquest; tropical annexation. it’s an herbal, by god, with impressionist charm. no yarns on the cracked nut. find a glow or otherwise “grasp the stalk”. – valhalla. edition of 100 with full color artwork.
george herriman created ignatz in 1910. it was a vicious mouse in the comic krazy kat. ignatz’ favourite occupation was throwing bricks at krazy kats head, who thought it was a love declaration from the mouse. the brussels based artist bram devens uses ignatz as his alter-ego for his own pile of bricks. acoustic songs wrapped with effects and driven by improvisation and spontaneousness… iii projects the atmosphere of jack london and the iditarod trail sled dog onto a modern world ruled by technology. devens brings us the most genuine melancholy contemporary pop music has seen since quite some time. this album leaves the underground scenery that is troubled by trends so often far behind and just shows us the pure essence of what music has to be: raw emotions put to sound. with his third full album bram devens has once again amazed us with a masterpiece. in his usual brain-melting retro-futuristic blues folk, he summons the devilish spirits of bukka white, robert pete williams and sleepy john estes as seen through the eyes of an adolescent lou reed. iii tells a fictive and blurred story about the death of music genres. tragedies built upon screeching, atonal and repetitive melodies. smelling like a wet dog or a badly dried towel. iii breathes a much more sentimental atmosphere compared to devens previous work because of his grousing voice, that is not unlike skip james. after the closing track “dead by noon”, the tormented soul frees the listener from a heavy personal trip and leaves him dazzled. iii projects the atmosphere of jack london and the iditarod trail sled dog onto a modern world ruled by technology. devens brings us the most genuine melancholy contemporary pop music has seen since quite some time. this album leaves the underground scenery that is troubled by trends so often far behind and just shows us the pure essence of what music has to be: raw emotions put to sound.
i got a strange tape wrapped in brown paper with nasty dirt and blood stains in the mail; postmarked from finland. i opened it up and heard some wild sounds from a lone magus called ihminen. the only info inside was: ihminen, rec 26.08.04, many thanks. this tape is over 30 minutes of broken folk musings, incantations, astral meditations, and other completely undefinable musical and atmospheric creations.
ihre kinder, formed in 1968, were the pioneers among the politically and socially engaged groups in germany. their third album, 2357004 (also known as jeanscover) was originally released on kuckuck in 1971 and it is considered to be their best. a great german progressive krautrock effort, that should be part of every serious ’70s progressive rock collection. limited edition, deluxe 180g vinyl, original jeans cover and insert, exact reproduction of the original first pressing.
superastral team, iibiis rooge is the proof that the famous 1+1=3 equation is correct. modern psychedelic high wolf jams + astral social club fucked up improv electronics = something we don’t have a name for. better than a one shot collab this duo is made to last. forthcoming debut lp on dekorder.
newest one from the richard youngs / andrew paine prog/psych rock duo. one of their best yet for sure, with some real stunning moves. strictly limited to 100 numbered copies, stickered / screen printed covers.
post-pilz folk instrumentals from the mountains of tyrol. jahral is the one-man project of ewald spiss, who has been involved in music and art since the early eighties. tranquil melodies, exotic instrumentation and barking dogs echoing peaceful mountains and forests. 70 copies.
ever been hypnotized? taken back to some distant memory as if it were real? well, imperfect masters is straight from the womb. this duo of robert horton and dan plonsey is a disheveled mess of spiderweb drones and floating jazz curses. these compositions are a breath of fresh air from the sea, tingling all your senses like the day you were born. as horton deconstructs plonsey’s magical saxophone playing, you are flushed from your perch like a night owl running from dawn. at times it’s like being chased through a fantasy land and at others it’s like finding nirvana.”strike out” is a mundane mystical interpretation of the baseball season and too many beers. one thing is for sure, imperfect masters wears the crown. 100 copies.
facilidad? is impractical cockpit’s 7th full length lp since their inception more than 10 years ago in the cold and blustery minneapolis winter of 1998. after several “relocation efforts,” the band settled for 6 years in the vibrant port of new orleans just after the turn of the new millennium, honing in on their signature approach to noise infused songwriting. always brewing up their own slog of psychedelic punk the cockpits have managed to stay true to their all-analog asthetic no matter how difficult this can be on shoe string budgets. after their crew was totally displaced by the horrific events of hurricane katrina, the band re-formed in new orleans in the spring of 2006 to spend a month writing a new album, unavoidably inspired by the desolate depressed post katrina landscape. mountains of molding garbage lined the streets as cats claw and ivy tore through watermarked walls of recently abandoned buildings. the national guard paced through the streets in armored vehicles, and constant gunshots rang through the thick stillness of decay and toppled over trees. after putting together a live set there, which was to later become this album known as facilidad?, the cockpits embarked on a 2 month tour, with a 2 week recording session scheduled right in the middle. traveling in a home made vegetable oil powered motor home as a 5 piece band, with 2 dogs, and a battery of instruments, they played the album all the way through every night of the tour. the set varied wildly from night to night. the result is this multi-track recording, a culmination of all of their previous efforts summed up in an opus. balkan informed brass arrangements get smacked to tape alongside the thick improvisational gumbo of triaged hand crafted paper reed horns and drum machines. plywood gets smashed to shit and an abandoned warehouse stairwell provides an echochamber for choral arrangements complete with barking dog. on the albums closer “guru’s plume,” a homemade electric violin gets heavy usage, played in the northern louisiana michot family tuning of ebeb. shrill reverb drenched vocals are softened by intense but loosely slung rubber band looped keyboards while talismans are shaken is a steel tea cup. now somewhat disbanded, each member of impractical cockpit seems to be digging themselves deeper into whatever sonic obsession they see fit for these crucial times. but that’s not to say that this is the last time we’re likely to hear from impractical cockpit. produced and engineered by ipcp, jeremy harris and ryan fontaine. recorded to 8 track 1/2 inch tape. mastered by peerless mastering. 500 pressed. full color covers.
the 12″ in dedication to alarmist, a post-animal band from portland or from 2004-2005. they influenced the people that saw them play and took your carpet for a joy ride once or twice while you knew them. nick b (drums) aka tunnels donates some tracks of psychedelic pop unlike other recordings under the same name. recorded during the last few days of the band and after the break up. eric c.(guitar) aka ghost to falco brings you 2 tracks one almost like a 1 minute western dirge the other more in the traditions of ghost to falco style recordings. james s.(vocals) aka argumentix dabbles in the world of industrial beats and stories of a world left behind in 3034. assisted on these recordings by hando on sax. eva aka inca ore(vocals) delivers a chopped and screwed version of some of her recordings mixed with clips of alarmist live shows she picked up from friend mansion a few years after the fact. on the first track of side crocodile you can hear the ode to alarmist by m.remy (u.s. girls) as she calls in to a radio interview the band was doing. non of the 4 solo artist sound anything like what alarmist was doing and non of the solo projects sound a like. this is a great collection of eclectic music. pressing of 300. 12″ black vinyl.
eva saelens’ life quest has taken her from michigan to oregon to oakland back to portland and back again, with several overseas explorations and inner journey road trips thrown in for good measure. whatever path she’s on is long and winding and hidden in the shadow of overhanging cherimoya trees. fortunately she maps her migrations with haunted, exotic breath-and-electricity sphinxes ranging from 2006’s brute nature vs. wild magic to last year’s brainwashing birthday of bless you lp. 2009 finds her offering up another psychic harvest unto the world, silver sea surfer school, a new nine-song pipeline ride that floats through a whole new web of voice orbs and tape hiss and keyboard balladry. if anything, silver sea is saelens’ weirdest hour, layered in abstract environments, whispers, distant poetry, free percussion loops, with sudden passages of heart-dissolving ghost-piano beauty (“shine on from the heaven above,” “adventure in light”). heavily impressive, and a brave pearl-dive into even more personal waters for the inca ore lifeforce. lps come in jackets with art by saelens, plus a full-color insert. edition of 500 (40 on clear ocean-water vinyl, 180 on marbled blue/white, 280 on black).
much has been written about this incredible band. much of it isnt true. i want to set the record straight. index was formed in the early spring of 1967 in grosse pointe, michigan. i was 18 years old when i met a chain-smoking 16-year-old named gary francis. our conversation soon got around to rock and roll. he told me that he and his friend, john ford, were forming a band. i told him that i played drums and we arranged a jam session at johns home on lakeshore drive. our first meeting was incredible. our sound was full and powerful. johns lead guitar techniques were fresh and innovative. after our first sessions we knew we had something special. index was born. soon we hit the local sock hop circuit, playing at high schools and teen clubs in the area. we poured our unique sound out at the hideout, undercroft and g.p. war memorial every weekend. one afternoon john pulled out a new album he had been listening to. it was a new band with a mind-shattering sound called the jimi hendrix experience. john played some songs he had written inspired by this psychedelic sound. over the next few days, fire eyes, shock wave and feedback were written. this album was recorded in december of 1967 at the ford estate. it is recorded in mono sound with literally one microphone and with all instruments and vocals recorded at the same time. the cover photo is of orpheus and bacus, founders of a singing group john joined at yale. the stiff, board-like
figures seem to characterize the exact opposite of this musical collection. this reissue is taken from the original recordings. nothing has been added and all songs are in their original length. over the years various bootleg copies of this album have surfaced but this is the original work. – jim valice… very last copies of this 2004 self released legit reissue of ‘67 private press teen garage psych monster. highly recommended!
the soundtrack to houston at night. synths as guitar attack, phased out beats pummeling your tired brain. your head is swimming and there is nothing but concrete jungle and stucco as far as the eye can see. there is nowhere else you would rather be.
rookie railcar leaper rory dalley channels the athletic parabola energies on this uprooted and winged heap of cremated beats, petrology funk and heavily composted cadillac fleetwood groove. tape treks off in the lower paleolithic grotto mind, coalmining and telecombing the sumner beach fluorescence, shifting from shuffled sandhopper trapeze to iridized octopus kit-splash somewhere further down the floating coastline. medicated contra-fizz and sunstroke splatter dubbed straight to the ebbing tide, then windswept to tape live over the unlearned spirits of ginger baker, keith moon, mitch mitchell and levi eshleman. second side drifts the emblazoned offworld breeze of interrogated mini-koto and amethyst-clustered gunk-gaku. explict hex scenes, rug use, duck language, and totally rated basic instinct. c20. 50 copies.
new york synth duo infinity window have been crafting their game for well over a year without much documentation. comprised of dan lopatin (oneohtrix point never) and taylor richardson (prehistoric blackout), this lp shows them at the pinnacle of self-realization. equally influenced by john carpenter and the taj mahal travellers, they create traveling music; music that has the power to transport and overwhelm the listener with vibes outside of those presently available to them. the a-side consists of two tracks, both clouded in a heavy haze of fog, dark and heavy though their clarity exists underneath the shroud. the b-side’s lone track ’skull theft’ is the full circle realization of the first two tracks: a light is illuminated and the fog begins to clear. mastered by keith fullerton whitman. in an edition of 500 lps with full color pro-printed cardboard sleeves and printed labels with art by robert beatty (hair police / burning star core).
cd version of the lp. includes slipcase packaging & bonus tracks… the inner space is the stuff of legend. this obscure outfit is best known as the antecessor band of can and not much is known about them except it featured the core members of can (irmin schmidt, holger czukay, michael karoli and jaki liebezeit) and lasted just a few months before renaming themselves the can and releasing monster movie. they left two ultra-obscure seven inches as their only recorded legacy and only the first of them is credited to the inner space, it contained two songs taken from the soundtrack of 1969’s underground film agilok & blubbo. originally released by the german vogue label in 1969, it currently fetches prices around the 300 euro mark in the collector’s circuit. given the obscurity of both the band and its recorded output, we’re proud to present, for the first time to the public, not only the aforementioned singles but the complete soundtrack to peter f. scheneider’s offbeat political satire agilok & blubbo. previously unavailable until now, the original master tapes of this soundtrack have been stored in the archives of legendary german producer and music publisher hans wewerka who produced the recording sessions back in 1969. here you can hear history in the making, the first step of a group of musicians who’ll go on to achieve fame, success and recognition over the ’70s, helping define a sound (often called krautrock) that has been highly influential to this day. those familiar with can’s output will recognize some of the band’s characteristic sound, albeit in an embryonic form. songs like ‘agilok & blubbo’ or ‘kamera song’ already hint at their later pop brilliance whereas the short cues and extended free jams found elsewhere in this soundtrack reminds us from the heterogeneous roots of a bunch of musicians coming from rock, jazz and avant-garde backgrounds. all in all, an excellent glimpse into the early stages of an innovative band developing its own musical language. this reissue includes detailed liner notes by wah wah’s very own raül g.pratginestós and comes illustrated by original b/w shoots from the movie production… a very cool document and pretty essential for any serious can / krautrock fan.
the inner space is the stuff of legend. this obscure outfit is best known as the antecessor band of can and not much is known about them except it featured the core members of can (irmin schmidt, holger czukay, michael karoli and jaki liebezeit) and lasted just a few months before renaming themselves the can and releasing monster movie. they left two ultra-obscure seven inches as their only recorded legacy and only the first of them is credited to the inner space, it contained two songs taken from the soundtrack of 1969’s underground film agilok & blubbo. originally released by the german vogue label in 1969, it currently fetches prices around the 300 euro mark in the collector’s circuit. given the obscurity of both the band and its recorded output, we’re proud to present, for the first time to the public, not only the aforementioned singles but the complete soundtrack to peter f. scheneider’s offbeat political satire agilok & blubbo. previously unavailable until now, the original master tapes of this soundtrack have been stored in the archives of legendary german producer and music publisher hans wewerka who produced the recording sessions back in 1969. here you can hear history in the making, the first step of a group of musicians who’ll go on to achieve fame, success and recognition over the ’70s, helping define a sound (often called krautrock) that has been highly influential to this day. those familiar with can’s output will recognize some of the band’s characteristic sound, albeit in an embryonic form. songs like ‘agilok & blubbo’ or ‘kamera song’ already hint at their later pop brilliance whereas the short cues and extended free jams found elsewhere in this soundtrack reminds us from the heterogeneous roots of a bunch of musicians coming from rock, jazz and avant-garde backgrounds. all in all, an excellent glimpse into the early stages of an innovative band developing its own musical language. this reissue includes detailed liner notes by wah wah’s very own raül g.pratginestós and comes illustrated by original b/w shoots from the movie production… a very cool document and pretty essential for any serious can / krautrock fan.
inside is the one man psychedelic drone outfit of sandy schaare who hails from new zealand.”celestial telepathy” is inside’s debut release on 3″cdr, featuring a single 20 minute piece constructed entirely on electric guitar. to call”celestial telepathy” an electric guitar piece is probably a misnomer, as schaare manages to mutate the sound of the instrument into something completely unrecognisable as guitar. drifting waves and curling smoke trails float around as if propelled by schaare’s trademark guitar chime that appears to have more in common sonically speaking with singing bowls or bells. the disc is limited to 100 copies, packaged in pvc slipcases with an insert, features beautiful psychedelic cover-art by schaare himself… long sold out.
inspector 22 is the solo-project of todd emmert. he has both recorded and performed under that name in the chapel hill, nc area since 1997. “…lost somewhere in the limbo of folk an’ punk very much in the vein of little stevie mccabe an’ the axemen.”-roland woodbe “…a great blend of stark loner-folk disturbance and wigged out, assemblage oriented cheese.”-byron coley… nice new release on big blood’s micro label. beautifully packaged screen printed art paper covers, with inserts, etc.
inspector 22 is the solo-project of todd emmert. he has both recorded and performed under that name in the chapel hill, nc area since 1997…. ‘lost somewhere in the limbo of folk an’ punk very much in the vein of little stevie mccabe an’ the axemen.” – roland woodbe… ‘a great blend of stark loner-folk disturbance and wigged out, assemblage oriented cheese.” – byron coley… on big blood’s micro label. beautifully packaged screen printed art paper covers with vellum overlay, with insert, etc.
besides home to the hells angels, farmers and citrus grooves, san bernardino, california was also where instant orange lived and released their first single in 1968. the band forged ahead and released another single (1973), album (1973) and two 10″ eps (1974 & 1975). all of their releases were small pressings of 100 copies and to this day, instant orange remains virtually unknown. their homemade sound is a refreshing reflection of their west coast folk-rock influences that were so prevalent during the ’60s and early ’70s. all original tracks with inspiration from bands like the byrds, buffalo springfield, love, sandy bull and others. songs full of electric and acoustic guitars with nice doses of mcguinnesque 12-string riffing as well as many unsuspecting surprises (antiquated electronic effects, rambling rural explorations, long jams, experimental moves, stoner banter and other weirdness between songs, caveman fuzz, etc). a solid listen with enough original imagination to keep it interesting without the band creating an identity crisis by trying too hard to be something else than themselves. hear it all on this limited double album, but grab it before it becomes elusive like some of san bernardino’s motorcycle riding inhabitants. 450 numbered/glossy heavy gatefold sleeve/180 gram pressing/insert… one last copy of this cool one.
debut vinyl release from natural snow buildings’ solange gularte’s solo project, isengrind. modlitewnik continues solange’s fantasticly far out occult psych-folk-drone trip outs, 12 tracks across the length of this lp, considerably shorter pieces in comparison to her work with mehdi in natural snow buildings, isengrind retains a certain amount of the sound of the duo, but it is a whole other beast, in many ways much stranger and darker, but still hauntingly beautiful with some fantastic blissed out vocal drones, dreamy guitars, and psyche soaked dark drone zones. heavyweight vinyl, housed in a pro-printed full colour fold over sleeve with all 4 panels featuring stunning artwork by solange, the inside of the cover is especially spectacular. one time pressing of approx 600 copies… already sold out at source.
islaja’s third album is a journey deeper into the world that for us is a dream and a fairytale, but to her a reality. islaja as a concept has turned into a star that is expected to shine with brilliance. but she is something else. the songs tell us about the decay of our age, its demise and immorality, its plunge into heartless consumer culture. islaja herself does not burn in that same fire. her fire is an inner fire. behind her eyes and in her heart you can see and hear her true charisma. true dedication and utter disrespect for the artificial authority made by men. yet she is not the self-destructive nico or the eccentric bjerk. but a good woman. a tough one. her eyes can burn a hole in you. her songs are poems and stabbing knives.’ –sami senpekkile; islaja is merja kokkonen, a young visual artist and musician living and working in helsinki, finland. islaja records her music at home using a rainbow of instruments to accompany her personal vocal delivery sung in finnish. she has performed with avarus, kemialliset ystevet and is also a member of hertta lussu esse, a free-folk super trio with lau nau and kuupuu very sweet one.
the first jomf studio release since the critically acclaimed 2005 cd, flags of the sacred harp. produced by adam forkner, valley of fire contains three brand new finely crafted songs and a 20 minute classic psychedelic dirt road journey. the record represents two equally fascinating aspects of jomf, songwriting and musical arrangement. over the years jomf have spent equal time writing and arranging classic american folk and blues and long, freeform compositions, drawing comparisons to 1960s and 70s ensembles like ash ra temple, amon duul, amm, faust, can and the art ensemble of chicago, while at the same time developing a song crafting style passed down through generations. valley of fire picks up the trail of flags of the sacred harp and wanders down a similar path, adding elements of krautrock and classic west coast american production to create an incredible, original album. the cover of valley of fire is an original watercolour painting by american artist jo jackson, who creates mystical paintings and shows her work around the world… covers have banged corners, so reduced price.
jackwacker crawled out of the bleak bubble of the early 90’s bloomington, indiana followed by a short lived relocation to madison, wisconsin, where they soon dissolved. thriving briefly as outsiders of the midwest no-wave scene, they shared bills amongst folks like couch, duotron, the scissor girls, the flying luttenbachers, to live and shave in l.a., zerobot and lake of dracula. stearing clear of flacid progressive rock virtuoso noodling, jackwacker have instead created the perfect juxtaposition of primal noise and know-how rock sounds. plainly speaking, they just fucking rock.
jailbreak is the duo of pedal steel/vocalist heather leigh and drummer chris corsano. the name foregrounds the kind of outlaw violence with which the two reformulate rock/roll instants by bringing free jazz fire power to amp-humping sex beats. their musical alliance goes all the way back to the legendary brattleboro free folk fest, the birthplace of the ‘new weird america’, where corsano and his long-term saxophone partner paul flaherty joined leigh and christina carter for a quartet show that took the roof off the building and the skin off their fingers. since then corsano and leigh have worked together as part of taurpis tula and as members of thurston moore’s dream/aktion unit. so, who better to describe this 700 edition debut lp, than mr. flaherty: for those of you who’ve been worried that the free power noize scene has become a little too tame, (and seriously who isn’t somewhat concerned about that), a new screamin’ creamin’ duo — jailbreak — expoldes to the rescue. the rocker is a blast-furnace of blisteringly joyous witch-howling assaults on the essence of whips and chains and repressive injustice gone legal. both of these magisterial musicians are capable of extreme dynamics and subtleties, but those concepts don’t get in the way of this monster-truck of a record. and why should they when drums and guitar can slash and burn in a riotous electric smash fest like this crazed merry madcap of an album. over the top… way!
this album is a legendary artifact for all 60s and 70s music collectors, original copies in good condition change hands for about 500 us$. the spirit of the music is a tasty combination between aggressive groovy fuzz-garage-hard rock and atmospheric psych-folk with moody vocals and a poetic message, comparable to world in sound’s legendary phantasia or dr. hooker. in between perfectly arranged songs like ’you don’t walk on my street,’ ’i remember’ and the psych-trip ’sleepers,’ you’ll hear weird spoken word themes as guatamalan strange, electronic silver and heavy-riff instrumentals. this was the debut release by michael james, who’s still active in the music business with his own label, empath records, and the groups children of the risk, michael yonkers and mounting santa feat. dr. fink of prince’s revolution. this lp-reissue is produced from the original analog master tapes… deluxe reissue of this total obscurity.
the 1978 release of corwood industries #0739, ready for the house, began one of the most compelling, disturbed, and singular legacies in musical history. in the 30 years since this unique debut, jandek has released 53 albums of mournful, atonal music that continues to defy classification and accessibility. and while the past three decades of intense productivity have yielded a depth of discussion, a handful of legendary live performances and even a film documentary, no amount of time or experience can prepare a listener for the experience of ready for the house. beyond stark, beyond oblique, beyond outsider, the first jandek lp (originally credited to the units) explores musical territories no one even knew existed, with just a hollowed-out voice and a lonely, detuned guitar. in 1985, it had infamously sold less than ten of the 1000 copies originally pressed, however by 1999, when it was issued on cd, the vinyl had completely disappeared, with original copies changing hands for hundreds of dollars. this exact vinyl repress on corwood industries, is the first time ready for the house has been available on vinyl for nearly 20 years, finally giving collectors and fans the opportunity to own one of the most peculiar, solitary, and strangely magnetic records of all time.
originally released in 1981, following a three year gap between the release of debut lp ready for the house, jandek’s second album six and six stands as an incredible document of the formative stages of his cracked genius. following the astonishingly bleak tone of the first lp, the musical elements are almost catatonic. 9 songs drift by as a series of slight variations on several desolate, untuned acoustic guitar phrases. the meditative, steady music forms a dark backdrop for some of jandek’s more vivid and poetic lyrical thoughts. universal doom, loner dirges and sea-themed ruminations are all present. this is far and away the core of what was to come, in it’s most succinct and coincidentally most haunted form. this album was also the first to incorporate an image of jandek on the cover, both giving a face to the sounds and hinting at what would become a prolific series of incredible, disturbed albums. vinyl for this album has been unavailable since the initial pressing ran out, and has been sought ravenously by collectors ever since. working in direct collaboration with corwood industries, we’re thrilled to offer this exact repress, heavyweight-vinyl edition. an astonishingly ghostly album, unlike anything else and also unique to this particular phase in jandek’s evolution, six and six is a crucial piece of the puzzle that we can only hope never gets solved completely… limited vinyl version. heavy old style covers.
hip uk private press from one half of the excellent red kites. solo guitar trance with plenty velvets damaged drone and feedback. obscure all silver metallic covers. way limited.
spider reincarnated into a master-burning bunch of cheap whiskey drinkers. little popsong melodiebook. pink. style pink. very little plastic. kick off time in distortion. medley melodies.”pulp voxtrotter vocal/mental institution blues – i’m feelin’ it — whothe fuck is neil clucax?” both wagstaff (aka joincey) and jarvis are wellknown for their work in several bands like a warm palindrome and their collabs with people like neil campbell, phill todd etc – the usual trashed & thrashed imvated packaging. limited to 63.
a truely dedicated cassette of recordings done in august. icy synth tone-shards tunneling themselves through immense layers of ice before melting into a beautiful, jaw dropping audiovisual landscape which then again warps itself into guitar chords spreading warm waves of greatness dedicated to his newly born son. edition of 50. skull drawing by jarvis himself… another nice one this too overlooked uk figure.
the 12” ep is limited to 500 copies worldwide. each record comes in a one of a kind vintage record jacket. the front side is silk-screened and the back has a hand pasted track listing which is also silk-screened. also included is a free mp3 download coupon. 2 is the second 12” from javelin. their debut 12” released by thrill jockey last november sold out the week of release javelin consists of two cousins, tom van buskirk and george langford. they started making music together in providence, ri in 2004, although their earliest collaborative tapes date back to a bunk bedroom near the sea shore. they now live in new york. in performance, javelin will use colorfully painted boomboxes that form large speaker totems (“boombaatas”) which can hang from the ceiling or stack up on the floor like pyramids. the signal from the show is broadcast via fm transmitter, thereby fostering audience participation (b.y.o.boombox) or fueling battery-powered, mobile parties. the duo has played venues as diverse as the children’s branch of the olneyville public library (ri), to the museum of modern art (ny), both of which happened in the same week. when not performing, javelin is busy producing. together they have amassed a vast catalogue of music, varying in its aesthetic range. songs resemble the record collection from whence they spring, if not literally as when sampling, then figuratively as when past forms are cited and re-contextualized. sounds range from broken dance jams to relaxed instrumental cut-ups, created with love on their mpcs. long forgotten samples are chopped and re-assembled with drums, wooden recorders, old keyboards, handmade thumb pianos or whatever instruments are readily at hand. the result is a kind of mix tape fantasy (residing in the mythical “dollar bins of the future”), where r & b impresarios, amateur booty bass producers and andean flautists hold equal sway.
beautiful 7″ by this cool duo from providence! their sound although is not much like their colleagues’ in the super city usa. in javelin’s music samples and their own playing melt into a great whole of genius groovy living room music. perfect music for summer night after-parties in amusement parks. it’s so incredibly fresh you want to explode when it’s over! to avoid explosion you want to listen to the 7″ forever! not exploding means that you can enjoy your life and love this beautiful world – whoa – now this is not quite what you’d expect maybe, but pretty damn fun non the less, especially at 45rpms!
long awaited follow up to the “true story of abner jay” lp. abner jay was a man who had a grand sweeping vision of what folk music was. in his lifetime his expression of what folk music could be encompassed some serious stylistic variations. sometimes he was a one man band traveling troubadour playing an electric banjo, harmonica, & drums who tried to hoodwink audiences into believing that he was 150 years old & the standard bearer for authentic americana. sometimes he played in electric straight up r&b bands such as “koko joe & the jobhunters”. sometimes he claimed to be the “black bob dylan” strumming an acoustic guitar & singing socially conscious urban folk. on this lp we find abner in all of these modes & more. (he also does a pop song about a submarine disaster & a beautiful gospel song) culled from a mix of abners’ 45’s & lps spanning the period 1964 – 1973, including abner’s first long lost lp, which we reproduced the cover image for this lp from. we hope that this release will help to further the current wave of understanding that abner jay is an important artist who deserves a wider audience than he ever received during his lifetime. comes with a self promotional pamphlet penned by abner & a color photo of abner. housed in an old school tip on sleeve. we are very proud to get this incredibly hard to find material out into the world.
restock/repressed… compilation culled from abners’ self released lps & 7″s featuring hits such as ‘i’m so depressed,’ ‘cocaine’, ‘vietnam,’ & ‘the reason young people do drugs.’ abner jay was a one-man band singer/songwriter deserving of a wider listening audience than he received in his day. this is the first vinyl release of his material since the 1970s. great soulful folk & r&b music. most copies of the lp include a press photo of abner, transcriptions of his spoken word pieces, a reproduction of an informative pamphlet about abner & a press statement penned by abner himself. tip on jacket.
brand new split lp featuring heavy hitting uk bleak dudes… a-side is jazzfinger’s ‘killed in a clear sky’, one solid slab of fucked up tapped guitar drone and distant errie whir… like a storm of electric feedback, slashes and cuts. far out, and a real killer 20 odd minutes to make you lull out. b-side is a collaboration between culver and fordell research unit, another side long piece, that starts off with some bassed up doom chugs and slogs that sound like fucking something that could lay down by some southern lord brutality, but then it punches you in the face with its distorted churning hell. limited to 280 white label lps in black sleeves with hideous brutal artwork by french.
danish label reverse recordings have just released a jazzkammer/opec split lp. our side is a 20 minute turntable freak-out, while opec offer a more subtle but no less intense soundscape. 323 copies, silkscreened covers and a proper vinyl mastering by the good rashad at d+m in berlin. — lasse marhaug (jazzkammer) — another sweet one on this hip label. two color screen printed art on a heavy clear vinyl sleeve, screen printed round art paper insert, numbered to 323.
danish label reverse recordings have just released a jazzkammer/opec split lp. our side is a 20 minute turntable freak-out, while opec offer a more subtle but no less intense soundscape. 323 copies, silkscreened covers and a proper vinyl mastering by the good rashad at d+m in berlin. – lasse marhaug (jazzkammer) – another sweet one on this hip label. two color screen printed art on a heavy clear vinyl sleeve, screen printed round art paper insert, numbered to 323.
portland / oregon-sacramento / california: 580 miles. one of the longest trip for the first jennifer gentle north american tour. they play at the academy of fools, a sort of garage converted as an art gallery: a big open space, low ceiling, completely empty, walls without anything, no stage, no audio system, just a microphone. it seams the beginning of a bad night, on the contrary due to the wonderful view and the beautiful californian sun, or just for themselves and their fans, the jennifer gentle decided to play anyway; not their usual repertory to much noisy but just an improvisation made by their instinct. the result was a hypno jam session, relaxed, honeiric. the day after jennifer gentle play at the davis kdvs radio, where they propose and records the same jam of the previous night, which became the”sacramento session”. back to home, working on marco’s improvisations with different sounds, manipulated, mixed and remixed, they found the specular image from a distorted mirror of the”sacramento session”:”5 of 3″ is the perfect b side, the balance and overturn of that californian night. we would like also to remark you that”sacramento session / 5 of 3″ is not the jennifer gentle new studio album, but is instead a combo of a jam session together with a studio manipulation. packaging in a de-luxe and elegant fold-out cover – opaque red vinyl. very limited edition.
having toured tirelessly and stupidly for many years, i played the unlikely hot spot of columbia, missouri no less than three times one summer. don’t ask me how—logistically the cursed itinerary is still a mystery—but i can probably tell you why. the chance to play a gig with that city’s jerusalem and the starbaskets always made it a worthwhile and necessary stop. basically a duo (although sometimes augmented by other members), jerusalem and the starbaskets play unfashionable, unpretentious and completely devastating pop music, and they’re one of my all time favorite live bands. criminally under-recorded up until now (with only a handful of impossibly rare cassettes and a split lp with skarkraou radio to their name), their brand new the howling lp (radio fonico) is a great sampling of their unique vibe, sounding like the third velvets lp played by the terminals. note the righteous guitar tone any stoner rock chud would envy, and catchy, infectious tunes (with a recent emphasis on country melodies) that will stay in your head for weeks. completely necessary and great. album of the month! – james jackson toth.
fabulous split 45 on clear wax in 2 part, op-art psych sleeves featuring the mighty “everybody’s dig accounted for” by jats, total killer, raw groove blues that descend into a velvets meets the sonics freakout. backed by part time james and jessica toth (wooden wand) side project “bengal traitors” with the magical “sumtimes”. 350 copies on clear vinyl.
formidable full length of utterly whacked out, psych blues where the ferocity of the sonics meets the tenderness of galaxie 500, where the velvets meet the modern lovers via the scuzz of first album neutral milk hotel. a beguiling mix of beautifully tender pop which often descends into fuzz drenched, freakout mayhem courtesy of the most out there, incendiary guitar vibe presently doing the rounds. jats core duo consists of kim and jeremy from columbia, mo. kim’s moe style drums lending perfectly to jeremy’s riotous, devastating guitar mash up. infectious, unforgettable tunes that you will return to over and over. previous gps releases with the band were shared 45s with longterm missouri friends hush arbors, and wooden wand, and both disappeared in the blink of an eye. 320 copies on numbered, split duo tone coloured wax. packaged as ever with a loving gps eye. it truly stands alone. get on it!
debut full length by this death cult trio. first track is psychotic piece of mind captured on the concrete floor. followed by a parable trilogy about a loved canine’s murder by a zealous rural gunslinger, recorded thick in the asbestos death dust of dreamtime village – very limited and out of print.
hangzhou’s li jianhong has been performing alone and in the duo d!o!d!o!d! for several years, but he only caught western ears last year with the monumental san sheng shi, released by philadelphia’s archive cd. oceanic and desolate, lovers with cloisonné bracelet cements li as a distinctive voice in modern noise. the two halves of this record are an ideal introduction to li’s music: “lovers in misery” offers a restrained, electric swell; “time in the mirror” wallows in hototogisu-an guitar hell. without sacrificing pacing for density, li has crafted an album that decimates the retrograde psychedelic guitar landscape and trivializes the petty violence of much harsh noise. edition of 350 180gm lps in heavy-stock linen-paper sleeves hand-screened, -cut, and –glued by reuben little of 43rd parallel press.
with its immediately recognizable m c escher cover, this intriguing folk/rock/psych release from 1974 is another incredibly rare album enjoying its first legitimate reissue. a joint effort’s final effort was originally recorded and released by canada’s university of new brunswick on its little records label (little records 101); despite its lack of wider recognition, this is generally regarded by those who know as a diverse and eclectic album with a number of outstanding tracks. one pundit described it as ’a weird mix of early csny, with shades of perth county conspiracy and a dash of early eagles thrown in.’ the first side, with the superb ’winter’ is particularly impressive — largely acoustic hippy folk rock with the occasional electric guitar thrown in for good measure. side two, however, is an altogether rockier affair with standout tracks ’greed for goldand,’ an up-tempo fuzzed-out cover of ’a horse with no name’ combining effectively to elevate final effort to a different musical plane. original cover has been reproduced as well as rare original insert.
ten years ago i was asked by the director of b-movie “caged heat 3000″ to record a soundtrack for the movie, with the request for it to be a bit “clockwork orange”-like. i did so, but the results were a bit too noisy and creepy for the studio so the music sat unused and lost. it was recently unearthed, and is hereby released to the world, finally. in a cardstock folder jacket.
the birthday session features the wild burning sound of the two crossed tenor and soprano saxophones of sami pekkola and virginia genta, alongside with tero kemppainen on a deeply blues double-bass and david vanzan on exploding free drums. recorded in helsinki after ten days of tour around finland (right on the night of genta’s birthday) and first fruit of the jooklo finnish brotherhood, this session turned to be a deep exploration of the purifying fire that brings to complete and sublime liberation. the quartet session was taped at the end of a long and exhausting day of recordings in many different combinations, so the last energy came out in these three wildest improvisations. the first take “tenors force” sees the weave of the two tenors creating mirrors’ like dynamics and getting one together on the deep impressing bass lines and the flowing drums. then the sound turns on “breath time”, a moment of suspension and dilatation, to prepare the right energy for the last “soprano connections”, elevating the free spirit of fire music to its highest sensitive point, like under the grace of a divine breast. handmade collage ltd edition of 224 numbered copies… sweet one!!
joshua jugband 5 was the name used by swedish musician jakob olausson for two limited-edition cdrs a few years back. in 2002, the self-titled jj5 debut was released by my label slippy town. recorded at home on 4-track, jakob used guitar and percussion to make 30 minutes of pure grade-”l” instrumental psych-out, low-key wall-rumblin’ groove, and heavy livin’-room glow. the disc contained four untitled jam-gems. the jj5 follow-up, damascus doldrum, was released by ramadan in 2003. this one has three more untitled tracks clocking in at just over 30 minutes. again, it’s filled with great psych guitar distortion, dirty drone ‘n bellow, caveman drums, and unknown tongues. if you dig the godz, the screamin’ mee-mees, silver apples, the twinkeyz, mike rep & the quotas, hawkwind, amon duul, etc.-here’s some more, but without all the words to get in the way of your wander. and now, thanks to the good folk at gulcher, you can get these two long-gone goodies on a silver disc that’ll last longer than them dainty little cdrs. – eddie flowers.
revenants, prodigies and the restless dead is pressed on high quality virgin vinyl at rti in a hand-numbered edition of 500 copies for the world. included is a free mp3 download coupon and insert. immune is proud to present a deluxe and limited edition vinyl version of the brand new album from british guitarist c joynes. this is the second widely available album from joynes (after last year’s god feeds the ravens) and is being released simultaneously on cd by bo’weavil recordings. c joynes is a musician whose playing has consistently invoked a broad and shifting stream of inspirations. as a guitarist, there is no doubt that joynes has been influenced by some of the most idiosyncratic finger-pickers of the last 40 years and beyond, but his music goes far beyond simply this. his recordings have always offered many dimensions for the listener to explore, be it through solo acoustic pieces, larger ensemble work, or the intimate use of improvisations and hill recordings. building on previous albums, revenants, prodigies & the restless dead is a more expansive affair. joined on a number of these tunes by an assortment of friends and collaborators, a range of acoustic and vintage electronic instruments all make appearances, gradually fleshing out some of the ideas and direction that joynes clearly has imprinted in his mind’s eye, adding colour and hue to some of these beautiful compositions. while joynes remains at home with english and american forms of folk music, the twelve pieces on this album continue to demonstrate the extent to which other traditions, both eastern and western, have an equal and instinctive pull on his music. listen to the detuned and prepared guitar of ‘nyambai sawmill’, which seems equally drawn out of late 60s classical experimentalism as it does to sounds from the western sahara.
the first in a series of 5 x 45s as a collaborative project between the gps and bo weavil records. the project runs something like this: a sides feature 5 c joynes originals while b sides feature reworkings / remixes of other c joynes pieces by friends and artists involved with all parties concerned. volume 1 here is in an edition of 350 in die cut tower sleeves, on numbered yellow vinyl.
irish based label rusted rail come up trumps yet again with another superbly presented miniature 3 inch cd release from cambridge based guitarist cwk joynes. the mini album comes housed in a handmade card sleeve and is limited to only 94 hand numbered copies in total. the album features three lengthy avant folk instrumentals from joynes, who has previously released material on the bo’weavil label. the tracks feature all manner of plucked instruments including zither, prepared piano, cello and guitar. beautiful folk tinged instrumentals with little hints of traditional middle eastern folk and the avant garde sounds of early john fahey. – road records.
the first ever release on black petal by japanese musicians… the right people were finally found… and we dont even need to make a fancy explanation – this is pure beautiful pop abstracted by avant-garde tactics and obtuse lyrical concerns (like prince). cdr and seemingly too popular for this little operation.
orange you glad is the debut full-length lp from julian lynch, following a string of self-released cd-r’s and a recent split 7″ with his childhood friend and frequent collaborator matt mondanile of ducktails on the underwater peoples label. a talented multi-instrumentalist, julian has had a busy summer playing countless shows both solo and as a member of predator vision, ducktails, and real estate offshoot alex bleeker & the freaks. this album is comprised of 4-track home recordings made in his hometown of ridgewood, new jersey and also in madison, wisconsin where he is a graduate student in ethnomusicology. his interest in indian & south asian music blossomed several years ago when he was living in washington, d.c. and working for smithsonian folkways recordings. this exposure to their vast library of world music has informed his output, and he blends instruments such as harmonium & tabla with guitar-rock instrumentation. also of note is his use of circular breathing techniques on the clarinet — often a focal point during his meditative live shows.
2005 release from this drone/folk/psych project of BRAD ROSE (ajilvsga, north sea, foxglove/digitalis, etc) crazy jewel case packaging with much painting and foldout interior. numbered edition of only 67 copies! nice one.
denmark is a place teeming with half fried organic drone crews such as sarah’s charity and family underground. kaezm is the solo output for nicolas kauffmann of fu; here he channels electricity through criss-crossing patterns creating a midrange din full of lament. nic’s drones move with static builds from a variety of sources and multiple levels of echoing chorus: airy, buzzing mantras tinged with middle eastern vibes and a deepening sense of time beat down like an incessant rainfall in a storm of hiss. in an edition of 100 labeled tapes with full color art by nic.
more madness from the sprawling mymwly collective comes to us via kageplan. this project is the brainchild of native aussie katrina mcphie. in mymwly fashion, this album is a total manic headfuck. mcphie mixes rhythmic guitar playing with a bevy of samples and hypnotic vocals. this sound world is for acid heavyweights, swirling around your head like a million buzzing bees. mcphie gets help from ian mcintyre (of ffehro, majik, & soarwhole) on most tracks, but this is her show. these spaced out jams will suck you dry and leave you for dead. and really, that’s just the way we like it. 100 copies.
“misora” (which can be roughly translated as beautiful sky), the 1972 debut album by sachiko kanenobu, a woman generally acknowledged as japans first female singer-songwriter. it’s a near-perfect folk masterpiece, alternating full-bodied arrangements (produced by harry hosono of yellow magic orchestra and happy end) with sachiko’s lonesome guitar and pure, soaring vocals. discovered as a precocious 18 year old in osaka, sachiko was signed in 1968 to japan’s first ever independent record company, urc (underground record club), who changed japan’s musical landscape irrevocably in the late 60s and early 70s with artists like happy end, folk crusaders and kenji endo. sachiko was the only female artist on this era-defining label and the very fact that she wrote and sang her own songs made her a rarity among japanese women. limited reissue of 500 copies, in gatefold cover and with a 4 page insert featuring extensive linernotes, lyrics translated into english by sachiko herself, and never before seen photos from the singers own archives.
new reissue of ohio psych, folk, rock and strange from ‘71-’72. originality was not an issue with the jammers. they are ‘real.’ 500 legit pressings, black vinyl with bonus non-lp 45! also with band history insert and a real sharp looking glossy cover. ‘waiting for the messiah’, ‘midnight watch’.
debut album from this massive free ensemble from louisville which features a revolving cast of over 50 musicians including members of sapat, valley of ashes, virgin eye blood brothers, son of earth, taiwan death and the belgian waffles. the hermit consists of three extended pieces that offer spaciously abstract atmospheres as well as moments of righteous cacophony. utilizing a multitude of brass, reeds and percussion the album careens through numerous passages where intricate harmonics are created from the densely layered sounds. when the full force of the ensemble is unleashed individual elements appear and quickly recede into the squall. as the music nearly becomes unhinged, the sound disintegrates into a godzilla-like rockist thud propelled by the rhythm section and soaring horns before drifting to a sparse conclusion. the lp comes in a full colour jacket with homespun artifacts gracing the cover – very limited.
from all belgian projects maybe the best known. started the köhn project around 1997 and released three full albums on our label. right from the start köhn wasn’t happy with only providing the hip electronica world only an exploration of sounds, but decided to combine these sources to deliver a kind of pop from another angle. you’ll bump into pure electronica, pop melodies, ambient pieces and musique concrete. his soundpalet is music history uptill now. still: he did find his own signature. proof of this can be heard on the epic dble cd ‘koen’ which is mainly a sum of years of experience within a thin field. köhn also provides soundtracks to short movies and animations, produced music for dance performances/theatre plays and commercials. in between all this he tours the world (with or without visuals from hendrik dacquin) setting fire to most stages and plays in de portables. besides all this he also releases albums as jurgen deblonde on tomlab to break in completely into pop-territory. but 2003 is the year that both projects coming together more and more. other projects: jurgen deblonde, ed nolbed, frambooz, de portables, burda moden. the comeback we were all waiting for! ever since his “bruce willis” album (western vinyl, 2003) jürgen de blonde mainly focussed on music for dance and theatre productions. untill recently when he relived his old synthesizer festish. this finally resulted in “we need more space in the cosmos”, an ode to lost hero’s such as klaus schulze and jean-michel jarre. the album recalls eighties electronics, i.e. an era when kraut rock culminated into new space ages and cosmic television soundtracks. but still the köhn trademarks pop up from the very first second. his unique approach to music that made him differ from the likes of aphex twin and oval in the nineties, now shows the man as a cosmic courier of the 21st century. comes in a limited edition sleeve from the yves jeanson geometrical abstraction art collection.
once again, finnish-native keijo virtanen unloads another dirt-stained masterpiece. over the past few years he has assembled a group of artists that have become known as the free players. their collaborative efforts are like a clinic in improvisation. the interplay and spontaneity between them is epic. the free players often include members of finnish free-jazz pawnpins VAPAA, as well as KHETA HOTEM, KUNDALINI SNAKES, and others. ‘after at once’ is the ensemble’s first non-cdr release and finds them in top form. the members of vapaa play an integral role on ‘after at once.’ tiitus petajaniemi is especially key with his vocal wailings and incantantions. tribal percussion and chromatic whimsy often puncuatekeijo’s sarod-laden excursions through the mist. there’s a heavy indian influence on these recordings, stemming from keijo’s many trips its sub-continental shores. musically, ‘after at once’ is spacious, but cohesive. with the addition of the sarod on these recordings, the music takes on a life of its own. as always, keijo’s hand guides the magic and in the end, it’s still his world we’re living in.
wonderfully dreamy and spatious recordings by finnish ambient-mystic keijo virtanen, joined on these sessions by members of the band vapaa. synth and reed-instrument drones are married to discreet plucked strings, abstract percussion, and keijos harmonic singing. a 45 minute series of beautiful slow moments.
first duo collaboration of keijo & uton. here is 7 songs of droney & spacey blues jams, sometimes far away in cosmos, sometimes rockin the ground again. 60 copies.
on this outing the freeplayers move with gentle grace through realms of hazy free flowing rock and psyche spiked jammage. deeply meditative, cyclical and dreamy, perfect for the human nomind.
is there anyone in the world as prolific as keijo? i don’t think so. on”katovalo – ” we find the finnish master collaborating with tiitus petnjniemi, known for his magical work in the group vapaa. keijo and tiitus have an instant camaraderie. spiritual exercises with minimal, pristine instrumentation are the modus operandi here. inside forests of clattering chromatic percussion, mystic drones emerge. out of the mist comes keijo’s trademark throat singing, while tiitus laces melodica rivers underneath.”katovalo” is darker than much of keijo’s solo work, like the spirit of hope has been dashed for the evening as black clouds fill the sky. but keijo and tiitus use these combination electronic-organic passes to fend off the night howls and make it to the safety of the sun. another finnish gem. 100 copies.
this beautiful super-heavyweight lp, which comes packaged in a sweet full-colour sleeve reunites the uk’s premier free drummer alex neilson, who’s played, amongst others, with motor ghost, directing hand, trembling bells, tight meat duo, josephine foster, bonnie ‘prince’ billy, jandek, mv&ee, richard youngs, baby dee and alastair galbraith, with nmperign member greg kelley, whose reinvention of the trumpet is as crucial now as anthony braxton’s reinvention of the sax was 30 years ago. a screeching, soaring, scattergun array of noises come maniacally out of greg’s horn, unlike anything we’ve ever heard and he successfully straddles no wave, concrete and free jazz in a way that makes those genres seem like trite pigeonholes. limited to 500 copies.
another exercise in failure. spring 2003: with assistance from vic rawlings, i fill my room at club awesome in somerville ma w/ electri keyboards, synth, a small organ and set them all for drone. a radio plays static. record to md, output md through my stereo for low feedback. an electric fan is aimed at the microphone for the distorted vintage 78 effect (rpm, not the year). vic bowed a single cello note at some point and a cymbal was scraped. the intent: record in mono for 2 hours, communicate with the dead. after 1 hour, i couldn’t take it any more. my intended”two hours as – ” is now”one hour as – ” i fussed over it for a while. it’s kind of boring. i like boring, but – late winter 2004: i must do something with this recording. i decide to look backwards into the archives – january 8, 2000: i send out a call to arms: meet me at twisted village records, cambridge ma at 8pm. it’s scelsi’s birthday and we will play a memorial drone for him. the call was met by oliver alden, mike bullock, james baumgartner, seth cluett, james coleman, david dougan, david gross, tatsuya nakatani, howard stelzer, bhob rainey, vic rawlings. some automatic instruments played themselves. others may have been there, but i don’t remember. and you can’t really hear them anyway. back to late winter 2004: i record a new track onto my 4 track in my bedroom in allston ma. trumpet and radio static. (dj screw’s ghost inhabited my 4 track near the end of this track.) then i record a burning guitar solo for the end of my new and improved”one hour as – ” the mono drone, the scelsi tribute band, the trumpet/radio track and the hott guitar track are all mixed down from 4 track to md under the influence of samuel smith oatmeal stout. a vocal intro and headphone feedback interruptions are then added. the task is complete. it’s a bloodbath. what have i done?
i first met jeremy kelly at bottled smoke back in may and subsequently got to know him via email over the summer. simply put, he’s an incredible artist and musician. there’s a few things you should know… first, he’s an effects-building wizard. he makes a lot of his own stuff, giving his music unique sounds and textures. also, he’s one hell of a guitar player with one hell of a nice guitar. third, his circuit-bending wizardry also lends its hand to his mighty doepfer modular synth, which has its tendrils weaved all throughout his debut cd. so keeping all these things in mind, we’re extremely excited to be offering up jeremy’s first proper cd release. this self-titled effort is a cohesive conglomeration of a dizzying array of styles, recorded beautifully by ged gengras (antique brothers) with help from grant capes ((vxpxc)) out in los angeles. gengras even joins in on saz at one point, concocting a hypnotic middle-eastern jam that feels baked in the scorching desert sand. add in some blues-infused acoustic ragas that throw a nod to ben chasny’s six organs of admittance and glazed walls of analog noise, and you’re somewhere in the ballpark of this album. it’s all over the place, but never too far from the path kelly has laid down for himself. this is some serious magic. limited to 500 copies.
after recovering from a long illness i started searching through the shores and woods. i finally managed to locate mr. anderzén in the middle of an arctic desert. he sat there cross legged, eyes closed, calm as if on top of a mountain or in the bottom of the sea. no trees nor any other objects apart from ourselves interrupted the plain white landscape. sun dragged itself slowly over the horizon. the air was still. “my retreat will soon be over.” his husky voice seemed to emerge from the field of snow itself. i didn’t see his lips moving. as i asked about the last nine months he had been away he mumbled something about contemplation. “remember what cocteau wrote in opium about revealing the essence of plants? -i have gained sights of that different kind of speed of vegetation and i have heard the screams of plants he talked about.” after six long days of silence spent mostly eating drought reindeer’s meat mr a. talked again: “i had this strangest of dreams. there was no space, no people, no traces of action, just this plasmoid machine out of which erupted sounds. and then as i was receiving those aural secretions of an ultra physical automaton from the seventh uppermost world, i woke up due to a butterfly itching in my ear. there i was all covered with sweat, heart beating furiously, yet the ear was empty. it took a long time to be able to sleep after that night.” heed my words dear friends; that butterfly preserved to the ears of ours which weren’t there is alkuhärkä. -ralf normaali.
lumottu karkkipurkki (‘the enchanted candy jar’) is a musical work of two concepts: a song cycle based on an obscure finnish children’s book of the same name. the plot is simple; a boy buys a candy jar from an old ‘witchy’ shopkeepress. every time the boy takes a colourful drop his surroundings change unexpectedly and completely. he meets strange beings in the nearby forest. the atmosphere is exciting and slightly scary. ville eats all the drops and craves for more, but the woman with the shiny green ring is gone and so are the candies… the other concept, vapaa systeemi (‘free system’) has something to do with plucking stringed instruments growing moss and the speed control, but we don’t want to get too specific here. the cd is the first release of this music that provides more than a couple dozen copies for circulation. the prior ones were a tape on huutomerkki-nauhat in the year 2000 and double 8″ picture disc with gorgeous ornaentation by our man on campbell kneale’s celebratre psi phenomenon imprint a couple years later. lumottu karkkipurkki was the first release after mr. anderzén abandoned his harem (& the couple obligatory eunuchs) in order to work his way out in a more solitude manner, with his bare hands and the four tracks. so, besides from being darn good late night drooling accompaniment, this music has some sort of historical significance. – ralf normaali.
khazad doom! level 6 1/2! one of the rarest and best of all u.s private psychedelic garage pressings. to most the name conjures up ideas of hobbits and wizards, but not to psych heads across the country and in fact around the world. this is it boys, the legend, the album, the music, that has led us down the ever twining world of collecting private pressings. and we were never to be the same after it was made… in 1964 the band who was later to be called khazad doom started to dream of “making it” in bob davis’ basement in little ol’ morton grove, illinois. after 29 members and multiple names (the vibratos, the laymen), three musicians and a “crow”, they formally became khazad doom and the legend was born. jack eadon, tom sievers, steve “al” yates and steve “crow” hilkin became the band that was full of talent, dreams and perserverence. the original album “level 6 1/2″ was released circa 1971 in reportedly just 180 copies making it a mega rarity immediately. of course who would care about an obscure piece of psychedelic conceptual vinyl? the answer… many collectors worldwide rate the album in the top 5 of all private domestic releases ever! in fact, originals fetch over four figures now! this reissue of just 800 copies, and features the original album plus one cut that was taken from their unreleased second album. the compelling original cover art was kept in tact to enhance this presentation. put this great album on, sit back and take that much needed trip with khazad doom to level 6 1/2 and beyond…
kheta hotem’s live gigs offer a meditative insight into the group dynamics of this keijo-led finnish ensemble.”live at yl Fkaupungin y P festival” is certainly no exception. this entire performance (one 47-minute track) is a journey through our evolution from bacteria to havoc-wreaking killing machines. as this sprawling piece descends into percussion-heavy, raucous splendor, the quintet lets up just before pushing you over the limit. as always, there is room for each sound to grow, and by the time the magnetic drones fall back to earth, you’ve been nestled into your sweet, sonic coccoon. 100 copies.
better late than never (this was originally to be released in december), “winter solstice” finds kheta hotem in rare form, basking in the glow of the midnight sun. this finnish quintet featuring, among others, keijo virtanen and members of the free players and akisa, is a chaotic romp. with elements of free jazz creeping in from the margins to compliment the organic drones and shimmering percussion orchestra, these recordings are woven in solid gold. keijo’s throat singing is the perfect undercurrent for jilted saxophones to dance in the metallic rain. “winter solistice” is perhaps kheta hotem’s finest hour.
the late omar khorshid remains an iconic legend of the arab world, though he’s received criminally little international acclaim. born in cairo in 1945, the glittering age of egypt’s cultural reinvention, khorshid was soon to become one of its luminaries and most well-known, if short-lived, voices. he is regarded as the greatest guitarist the arab world has ever known. by the mid 60s khorshid was established with his group le petit chats, an egyptian beat group modeled after the prevailing influence of elvis and the beatles. it was at this time that one of the reigning figures of contemporary arabic music, abdel halim hafez, asked omar khorshid to join his orchestra. with baligh hamdi composing, hafez with khorshid in place would create some of the most innovative modern sounds in the arabic musical canon. time with the hafez orchestra offered khorshid instant fame, and it wasn’t long before he was asked to play with the queen of arab music, the voice of egypt herself -oum kalthoum. over the next few years khorshid became a well-established and integral part of the arab musical landscape. he was featured heavily in live concerts, national tv and radio and studio recordings, playing for the leading artists of the day. the guitar had now become an essential ingredient in the oriental orchestra. khorshid began recording albums under his own name for the prestigious lebanese record labels voice of the orient and voice of lebanon. working with visionary engineer nabil moumtaz at polysound studios in beirut, khorshid would take his music into some of the most progressive musical terrain of its time. the tracks included here in this retrospective are from the prolific span of khorshid’s career in beirut from 1973 to 1977. the venerable palestinian poet mahmoud darwish best encapsulated this time in lebanon: “unfortunately, it was paradise”. khorshid’s prolific instrumental music enjoyed recognition that transcended class and status during the brief period he shone. it’s a testament to his immense talent and some of the finest guitar music the world has ever heard. this limited edition 2-lp vinyl release features over 80 minutes of classic original recordings compiled by sublime frequencies housed in a beautiful full-color gatefold jacket with extensive liner notes… another awesome release. already out of print.
tuota tuota is the third full-length album by kiila. its songs were born of peaceful, focused work and intense rehearsals with friends, interspersed with sleep and mealtimes. the album features an eight-strong core line-up but, as always, the composition of the group varies effortlessly according to need. at this table, there is room for everyone. as musical form, songs have always been important to kiila, and consequently tuota tuota develops around its songs. on the other hand, the album consists of many details: the sound is full, the web of instruments more varied and carefully orchestrated than before. it is unnecessary to separate the electronic from the non-electronic components. different traditions of folk and pop music intermingle with electronic music and improvisation, tones and sound itself. this way, the album also poses questions about songs and songwriting. the motifs in the songs are not easy to render in english, but one can at least attempt to translate some of them: master of the house, elk antlers, tree bark, sound of rapids, fog, letters, calves, fingers. the list, however, doesn’t make the songs easier to understand in a foreign language. the words sound archaic, anachronistic or timeless, the language of the myth. but can they be something else, too? and how transparent do we want the myth to be? at the risk of sounding dull, i suggest that the songs do speak to their age, our age, the nature of knowledge and work, the fluctuations of inspiration and threat. unfortunately, it is mostly only the finnish-speaking listeners who will be able to assess the validity of this idea. the name of the album, tuota tuota, translates roughly as “well, well” and signifies a thinking pause, a moment of contemplation. the language alone is likely to give pause to an english-speaking listener, but i hope the idea will convey itself in more ways than just that. and a pause for thinking is, of course, never a waste of time. jump right in! – niko-matti ahti, turku, march 25, 2009.
so i would imagine that youd have one look at the photo of king darves we have here and think “oh brother! another guy with a beard getting over what looks like a bad case of the clap and an acoustic guitar. wheres my axe?” so were not gonna put it up here. (mystique, dig?) but its really not like that, i tell you! the bedrock of king darves new brunswick based concoction is certainly folk based but theres no headband and hes not singing of pixies in the moss. this is somewhere between rolled cigs and the foggy vision of big pink from somewhere on jersey avenue, or maybe a one-manned meat puppets. this kid has really cobbled something together in his kitchen sink! the sun splits for… the blind swimmer will shock and please when the prettiest sound of his deep, rich voice comes out of yr headphones, and itll make you tap yr toes and nod yr head like a little jersey goil. – tony rettma.
KIRBY, DAVID ~ INSIDE IT IS RINGING ~ cdr (students of decay) $10.00
this is it. long in the making, we have here thee definitive statement (for the time being) from atlanta, georgia soundwizard david kirby. and god, it’s a monster. “inside, it is ringing” is born of the same brain erasing dust as his recent “shrieks against the glass pt. 2″ and his work in the wire thicket duo. however, this record transcends those previous outings in every possible way. kirby offers cavernous drones, alien rumblings and static depth
charges here that could level mountains. his recording processes are as hermetic as they are obsessive, and, like the work of all the finest craftsmen, nothing is superfluous. play impossibly loud. inhale the vapors. and float the fuck away… out of print.
kohoutek’s a live experience and this cd-r + dvd-r captures them in that context with an amazing show and video in philadelphia this past year. this comes with amazing, original cover art by scott allison and features video by jim brophy. sweet. pick it up, only 50 copies – sweet damaged psych sounds. follow-up to last years self release debut.
levitating guitar drones and vocal moanin’ creepin’ out the suburbs of the west island of montreal. waves upon waves. dig a hole in the sand and stick your head in. found cover image photocopied on heavy card stock. hand numbered and stamped. spray painted cassettes. edition of 65.
500 lp legal pressing of seminal turkish rock legend, erkin koray. tracklist: side a1. silinmeyen hatiralar 2. yalnizlar rihtimi 3. eksirik 4. sevdi?im 5. hayat bir teselli. side b1. sanma 2. ay bir tane 3. ankara sokaklari (original version) 4. sevince 5. genil salinca?inda (original version).
after quite a while a new private press album from this wonderful finnish crew who seem to operate in their own little world. dreamy, mellow, soothing progfolk with acid flashed, sweet female vocals, mellotron, violin, etc. really lovely subtle stuff. their two earlier lps flew out of here quick years ago, and chances are if you dug those you’ll need this one too. nice. numbered edition of 500 copies with double-sided insert. 180gm vinyl.
for those that don’t know kousokuya are a cult garage pysch rock trio formed in the 70’s in the tokyo underground music scene by main member, and recently deceased jutok kaneko. despite having existed for 20+ years the bands output has been fairly sparse with a few releases on psf and one domestic us release on the forced exposure label. originally the archive release was to be comprised of a fantastic live performance on cd from osaka in 2001 but having discovered the existence of video footage from the same performance, coupled with the efforts of james a bonus dvd was added to the mix. this release represents to date the only video document of jutok and kousokuya released in official capacity and realistically represent a chance for fans of obscure psych to see a band, and artist, that basically played outside of japan only a handful of times. this pressing of 700 copies comes packaged in a ? fold heavy black stock cover with metallic silver and gloss varnish silkscreen work by the wonderful alan sherry of siwa records. the cd and dvd come in black envelopes held together by a silkscreen obi strip… sweet one.
a real classic of ’70s underground rock, the 1975 self-released sole album by kentucky band kristyl is now reissued and fully legit for the first time. regarded as one of the best guitar psych-rock albums from the ’70s and a true collector’s gem, this wonderful disc includes seven original songs with stunning guitar-work from the band’s leader sonny devore. despite being a private pressing, the recording quality is great, still revealing serious fuzz-wah, twinned guitar and blues supported by some subtly repentant xtian vocal themes. limited vinyl edition of 500 copies only, including an insert with photos and liners by kristyl fan patrick lundborg (the acid archives).
long out of print 1995 private press from this obscure & rather hip italian space rock / psych / drone outfit. two extended tracks. clear yellow vinyl in a plain black cover. very limited.
the cd is an edition of 500 housed in a hand assembled screen printed slipcase with 8 card inserts. includes lyrics in japanese and english. artwork by namio kudo. ‘light’ was recorded live in 2005 and 2006 and features duo versions of tracks from the last three self released reiko kudo albums along with two previously unrecorded songs. forgoing the big band explorations of maher shalal hash baz here tori and reiko offer an intimate live set of reiko’s heartbreakingly beautiful songs of loss and longing… beautiful music & beautiful packaging!
archive lp of material recorded by tori kudo and some fellow travellers during a stay in new york in the summer of 1981. originally released on cassette the approach on these recordings was a long way from the creepy organ driven “noise tenno” lp that tori and reiko released a year earlier. about half of ‘atlantic city’ consists of songs, teeth bared and falling apart as they come together but still in a style similar to tori’s subsequent work with maher shalal hash baz. the other half is made up mostly of extended guitar jams nodding equally to rock and blues but retaining tori’s rather unique take on the idioms. cover and insert art on the lp is adapted from drawings drawn and photos taken in ny and atlantic city in 1981… beautifully packaged & fully screen printed as always. great stuff. recommended.
unilintu is the second of two vinyl-only lps on the dekorder label compiling the best material from kuupuus first four cd-r and cassette releases, this time presenting a slightly darker and even more coherent sonic vision compared to last years gorgeous yökehrä lp… awesome vinyl slab of kuupuu femme drone folk psych greatness. sweet full color photo cover. highest recommendation!
jonna karanka aka kuupuu is one of the main movers of the (deservedly) much hyped finnish psychedelic free folk scene. originally hailing from tampere she is known as a core member of avarus, anaksimandros, kukkkiva poliisi and maniacs dream. additionally, she has recently started hertta lussu esse with lau nau and islaja and has collaborated with tomutonttu (aka jan anderzen of kemialliset ystevet) and paavi (as lussu ja paavi). “yekehre” is the first of two vinyl-only lp’s on the dekorder label compiling the best material from her first four cd-r and cassette releases, all of which immediately became much sought after collector’s items, fetching ridicolous prices on the ebay market. this lp is a beautifull collection of haunting (sometimes spooky) home baked freeform folk songs, strange lo-fi loops, vocal drones and psychedelic cut-ups, made using weirdly tuned plucked and strummed strings, bells, clattery percussion, unidentifiable wind instruments, backwards tape loops and a ton of other noisemakers all played and recorded by herself; accompanied by her distinctive voice (often looped and layered) with vocals sung and whispered in her native finnish language making the whole atmosphere even more haunting and mysterious. jonna karanka creates an intimate space where the listener feels like sitting next to her in a small chamber or outside in the woods where kuupuu sings a lullaby just for him. we’re proud to say that this has to be one of the most exciting debut albums of the year. housed in a full colour sleeve with beautifull design / drawings / collage artwork by jonna karanka herself… awesome release. highly recommended!
shrine presents a summer of 2004, post-midnight, outdoor field recording made on the footpaths of japan’s largest shinto shrine and documents the first time meeting of japanese improvising duo kuwayama-kijima with nyc’s carter thornton (izititiz, zashiki-warashi, enos slaughter). constructed with a mixture of cellos, violins, guitars, sticks, leaves, rocks, toys, security guards and wind, the music drones, hisses, screeches and whines with the humid japanese dark within which it was created. limited to 500 vinyl copies.
kyrgyz is a name that will be unfamiliar to most, but the band’s members read like an all-star team of bay area improvisers. this quartet consists of tom carter (charalambides), loren chasse (the blithe sons, thuja, etc), christine boepple (skygreen leopards skyband), and robert horton (broken mask, infinite article, etc). kyrgyz’s debut album is 60 minutes of droned-out bliss. with its roots firmly planted in trance-inducing soil, the six songs here stretch their branches toward the sun. when four artists of this caliber come together in a single setting, the expectations are high. there is tension to spare. but kyrgyz is such a perfect blend of all their talents that it never implodes beneath the pressure. horton is the hand that guides this mix of heavy, hypnotic drones, a thicket of acoustic scrawl, and even free jazz skronk – after preliminary mixes from chasse created a thick organic atmosphere, horton took that feeling and ran with it. each sound is carefully chosen and blended together magically. there are equal elements of charalambides and jewelled antler throughout kyrgyz, but again it is horton that upsets the balance to create something completely new. in the end, this is nothing short of brilliant – yeah dudes, say supergroup!
live to air in lyttelton in may 2009 when the musician pretended to be a duo from kaiapoi and conducted a fake interview with its revenant participants. ominous mists embraced the surrounding hills, before creeping toward the quiescent harbour. apologetic rainbows. c20. pro dubs times 100.
first release on this new label / custom hi-fi creator. adam kriney from owl xounds and co. lay down more deep space psych sounds. hand done full color packaging. limited to only 100 copies.
“the risk of gravitation” is the stunning new summer 08 tour mini-album by brooklyn’s la otracina, who have long wandered and forged sounds in the hidden lands of heavy psychedelia and progressive space music. this 7 track 32+ minute excursion is a major paradigm shift for the group as drummer adam kriney is now on vocal duties as well, adding yet another layer of epic intensity to the swirling chaos of evan sobel’s fender bass vi low-end destruction and new guitarist philippe ortanez’s ecstatically angular bliss-out. this disc shifts between tracks of classic la otracina free-form freakout brilliance and their current vocal-heavy jams, which put the progressive psych back into early heavy metal while exploring realms of dark doom-sludge thunder and the graceful complexity of early canterbury jazz-rock. refusing to be quantified, it is clear that la otracina remain in an orbit of their own, seeking out the cosmic weird and channeling it through hard rock power! first press limited edition of 100 numbered copies.
brand new tour only limited to 100 copies splattered vinyl with signed posters!! shifts between tracks of classic la otracina free-form freak-out brilliance and their current vocal-heavy jams, which put the progressive psych back into early heavy metal while exploring realms of dark doom-sludge thunder and the graceful complexity of early canterbury jazz-rock. refusing to be quantified, it is clear that la otracina remain in an orbit of their own, seeking out the cosmic weird and channeling it through hard rock power!
when their recent “tonal ellipse of the one” cd came out on holy mountain, the boys hit the road and created this limited tour ep to bathe the masses in astral jelly! three tracks featuring extensive collage work and new music by new bassist evan sobel. source material includes new / unreleased recordings of trio improvisations during the adam kriney/ninni morgia/jordon schranz period as well as some material from earlier out-of-print eps. a brilliant mix of acid-rock blowout, early electronic kraut innovations, and lush drones / tones.
brand new studio album! yes, these sonic spacemen have just finished yet another studio album, this one channeling yet even newer ideas into their boundless sphere of psychedelic transmissions! quite different from their current “space-metal” live show, this new studio album swirls between worlds of loner cosmic psych-folk meditations, 70’s european electronic-progressive space music (i.e. – heldon / tangerine dream / cluster / spacecraft / pulsar), overblown freak-rock improvisation and heavy-dark-brooding new music-meets-industrial sound-collage mind warp! 9 songs, 35 minutes, professionally printed cd-rs and full color inserts, 1st edition of 100!
lagger blues machine came from belgium and was founded in 1970 by christian duponchell, organ, jean-luc duponcheel, drums, jose cuisset, guitars and michael maes, bass. in 1971 the band joined the musicians vincent mottoulle, organs and carmelo pilotta, flute and saxophone. the band played very interesting progressive-rock and raised up soon to an important live-band at whole of belgium. so they performed with great success at end of october 1970 at the pop-festival, bruselles, together with warhorse and wishbone ash. in 1972 their only album was recorded which was very well done and can be considered today as a very important album in prog-rock history of the seventies. the official reissue, which is presented here, comes with an interesting insert and 180 gram vinyl – slightly banged corner. low price.
crazy psychedelic electronica. the second album from the mysterious lamppukello, a follow-up to auringonpaisteessa hämärtä – ja hämärtessä aurinko paistaa that was released by foxglove last year. crazy vocals, weird loops and some noise, handpainted sleeves, limited edition of 66 copies.
willie lane is a new england-born guitarist mostly known for his sporadic appearances (both live and recorded) backing vermont duo mv & ee, but he is also prone to indulge occasionally in solo endeavors. fans of mv & ee’s cottage label child of microtones will remember mr. lane’s “recliner ragas” disc of several years ago, documenting a legendary session from early 2003 that mv engineered and produced at his home in guilford. “known quantity” finds lane sequestered in philadelphia apartments with a tape machine, coaxing ragas and abstract blues from acoustic guitars as well as walking the plank of a pedalboard with his dangerously heavy les paul copy. the recordings date from 2006 to 2008 – a span of time that encompassed a considerable range of shifting moods and approaches in lane’s playing, in addition to yielding ample refreshment breaks. – cord-art… excellent new private press slab in a classic paste-on xerox, screen printed cover, with insert. numbered edition of 350. highly recommended.
outside of philadelphia i was born and raised, and in the playground i spent quite a few of my younger days. at the time i had a preference for brunettes but years pass and we change. when my tendencies turned toward blondes i began to hear the call of the big rotten apple and at eighteen, away i went. gone were the lonely, sweaty summer nights of pa. the crickets were still cricken’ but not in my ears. i was in new york and i was looking for action. some crave love, some seek danger but i was on the hunt for open mics and not to brag—i found ‘em. in a section of the city once referred to as alphabet on the lower east side there lurks a lot of white guys with acoustic guitars. this minor mass of songsters would meet one, two and sometimes three times a week in the back of bars, smoking, drinking and sharing with each other our newest creations. it was there that i met some good friends and came of age beginning to play my own shows and tour. one of the most endearing and standout qualities of slim’s live shows is the sureness that one is always entering a genuine gospel-like musical experience full of little miracles. be set free has captured this charisma and spirit -the “hold your heart” moments and “raise a drink” dance vibes shine throughout with lush string arrangements and the fine sonic talents of drummer malachi delorenzo and new bassist jeff ratner. langhorne’s stronger than ever vocals lead the journey blending his poetry through the beautiful chaos and bearing a wisdom that reflects a broken heart battling the perils of true hope. be set free is langhorne’s most cinematic and cohesive effort to date. slim has truly reached a point of light where these songs come from wide-eyed maturity and mastered craft. gut wrenching lyrics and gorgeous merry melodies-it would be easy to categorize it as folk, but this time-it’s much more complex than just that slice of pie. sweet hallelujah choruses bleed throughout tracks like “land of dreams” and “say yes” and turn to the darkness of blues filled “i love you, but goodbye”.
glasgow drone magic from jani hervoten (uton), chris hladowski (scatter, the one ensemble of daniel padden, nalle) and ben reynolds. a sizzling psych summit to end all sizzling psych summits. edition of 60 numbered copies.
glasgow drone magic from jani hervoten (uton), chris hladowski (scatter, the one ensemble of daniel padden, nalle) and ben reynolds… out of print. one copy only.
many positive reviews have littered the web of this cassingle. bruno from ruralfaune calls this his “song of the year.” recorded in early 2006, the first side sounds eerily contemporary. dense, layered experimental pop music from the stratigraphic future.
nukkuu (finnish for sleeps) is the long awaited sophomore album by celebrated finnish folk fave lau nau. nukkuu is psychedelic, abstract & emotionally captivating. nukkuu is an album of changes. in the years since her debut album kuutarha, laura became a mother, moved to the finnish countryside and took valuable time to carve out a space for her enchanted art in the new found tranquility of her remote surroundings. conceived in tight attics & vacant dens on off hours when her young son nuutti was fast asleep, this is an intimately crafted 9 song collection that unfolds like dreamlike musical ribbons for the senses and delivers the listener to a place of unhurried contentedness. deluxe gatefold 180 gram vinyl… totally beautiful, of course. recommended.
nukkuu (finnish for sleeps) is the long awaited sophomore album by celebrated finnish folk fave lau nau. nukkuu is psychedelic, abstract & emotionally captivating. nukkuu is an album of changes. in the years since her debut album kuutarha, laura became a mother, moved to the finnish countryside and took valuable time to carve out a space for her enchanted art in the new found tranquility of her remote surroundings. conceived in tight attics & vacant dens on off hours when her young son nuutti was fast asleep, this is an intimately crafted 9 song collection that unfolds like dreamlike musical ribbons for the senses and delivers the listener to a place of unhurried contentedness. deluxe gatefold 180 gram vinyl… as beautiful as you knew it would be!
once upon a time there was a world famous free jazz band rauhan orkesteri. all their instruments and half of the players were taken away, leaving only two peasant brothers and a pile of garbage. they abandoned melody, rhythm and the shine of chrome and started to build from the garbage the stormy temple of all miniatures, which they open for you right now. this is the top peak of lauhkeat lampaat’s work.
r.keenan lawler has spent the last 25 years developing his own personal sound world, constantly pushing himself in new directions and developing new techniques, while remaining completely focused on his vision. his experiments on 1930 national resonator guitar are the stuff of legend you sometimes hear from town to town by someone who may have had the good fortune to witness one of his performances. words such as cosmic, monolithic and deeply american have been used to describe the experience of his music. he has worked with other like-minded musicians such as matmos, pelt, rhys chatham, john butcher, charalambides, ignaz schick, philip samartzis, my morning jacket, david watson and lukas ligeti. in 1999 he self released ghost of a plane of air, it quickly went out of print and has since been heralded by many as a minimalist masterpiece. it is now available for a larger audience. lawler here pushes the bounds and very definition of the resonator guitar: bowing, picking, scraping, knocking and combining it with electro-acoustic manipulations and on site recordings. the sound that pours from the speakers is dense, affecting, cavernous and like no other, often delving from delicate picking into a flurry of notes and ecstatic drones. ghost of a plane of air is the sound of a man looking deep into his soul and coming out the other side changed, scarred and poetic. this reissue has been remastered, and includes a previously unreleased song recorded during the same time period.
in a genre built on obscured and unsung genius, corridor of faces transcends and stands out as a true psyche masterpiece. rising above any number of recently unearthed late-60s anglo-pop platters, the sole offering from small town massachusetts phenomenon lazy smoke is a cohesive, solid, classic album in every sense. ten songs that weave into one-another, painting some beautifully drifty sonic picture as they go. the first remarkable trait of lazy smoke’s sound is the lead vocals’ uncanny similarity to john lennon. if that likeness was the whole story, we would have a beatles sound-alike on our hands, and that would be that. upon digging just a little deeper below the surface, we instead find a darker tone and a patient, eerie and almost shut-in feeling resonating through the songs. while bands like the beatles and the left banke were singing about love, lament and hallucinated travel experiences, the songs on corridor of faces get sincerely dark right away. even the seemingly-light teenage love-themed ’sarah saturday’ shares an undercurrent of on-the-edge uncertainty and dread. it’s this undercurrent that calls to mind comparisons to forever changes-era love and the more damaged end of the pop spectrum. originally privately pressed in ma in an edition of only 500 copies in 1968… includes liner notes & photos.
le drapeau noir = chora + hunter gracchus + part wild horses mane on both sides as an octet… limited vinyl only release from this heavy hitting uk free music collective.
two spiritual brothers. recorded live on quebec city radio. full blown sax, free drums, and voices preaching in a language none of us have ever heard before. heard the pet store near-by had a problem with their cages, some birds got loose and nested in the studio. brothers didn’t mind, they’re real “earth people,” right, they felt at home hangin’ with their feathered friends. twenty minutes in length and it’s definitely not enough. co-released with cricxkets recordings. photocopied artwork pasted on cardboard jackets. a real bootleg feel. numbered edition of 100.
all songs were recorded during a few days in jenkeping early 2007. the recordings took place in viktor’s room in his father’s apartment (god bless tolerant neighbours). help was provided by jonas ottosson (sanchez is driven by demons) who played some, gustav karlsson (log cabin) who mastered the record and robin watkins (dialog cet) who made the beautiful purple (cd-r) and green (net) cover artwork together with jesper canell. the record includes songs that make a stunning impression. the free form tracks samerna hade rett and pink moonlight introduces a new shift in leafes music making. slow, dissonant and lose structured make the songs exciting and haunting. leafes howls with the wolves and bastard son are pop songs at their very best. interesting soundscapes and amazing lyrics brings that extra to the otherwise great songs. autumn storm is a tale inspired by the storm gudrun that caused a lot of destruction in the southern parts of sweden a few years ago. the song will surely bring tears to your eyes as you’ll hear about the animals taking shelter. the closing song wooden lung generates pictures of how modern life shapes us as human beings. the song is not without some sad parts but it’s neither without hope. in the mountain’s belly is a perfect break from the hectic urban life of ours and make you long for more of leafes peculiar direction in pots, drones and sad farmer’s broken hearts… really sweet release from this new project. beautifully packaged with a thick stack of art inserts. recommended.
wonderful release of folky pop songs from an american summer stripped down and slowed down to the bare bones. ten pieces about lost friends, angels, ghosts and mountain gods. recorded in a cool room during a hot week in a southern town.
long delayed vinyl reissue of this classic mid-2000s slab of voice-storm magic by pedal steel songstress heather leigh. originally on fag tapes. freshly remastered and with all new art by heath moerland. edition of 400.
a legendary chicago area band who should have made it with their killer 45 i live in the springtime!, here we have a selection of their best recorded material. springtime itself is too good for my ears (and here you have the single version plus a different fuzz version as well), but we get a total of 15 fantastic tracks ranging from fuzzed-out garage-psych to lighter flower-power with lots of jingle-jangle guitar, all circa 1966-1968 and all original compositions. the level is really so high we’re still surprised how they didn’t put more than one 45 into wax, really. anyway, it’s been way too long since these recordings were made available on vinyl by cicadelic (more than 20 years now!), so here’s a very welcome new release by the mighty lemon drops! … great stuff final on wax again!
“hasenlove” is the debut musical release of hamburg visual artist antonia leukers. she’s a founding member of “institut hasenbart”, a 10-piece artist collective dedicated to a meta-scientific research of hares and related social, zoological and aesthetical phenomena in reference to the art world and pop culture. leukers has previously created stitched, sewed and animated sculptures while casually growing cucumbers, working for a local in-vitro fertilization hospital and advising young people on erotic issues as a german dr. ruth for a popular online magazine. inspired by a journey to island, hearing local travel guides spontaneously interweaving their narrations with sudden outbursts of folklore chanting and an encounter with wolfgang miller’s (die tedliche doris) strategy of transforming and combining his (pseudo-)scientific, documentary and social research into a musical and artistic performance she started to elaborate her fellow artist’s lectures with musical renditions. as a passionate diy home-recording artist she has soldered her own microphones, used cheap toy instruments, gameboys and minidisc recordings of kitchen sounds to create her very own bricolage comic universe. by recycling corny aor mainstream rock/pop songs into some oddly disturbing and wonderfully weird rabbit love songs with newly-made german lyrics and combining these with some truly strange original compositions (ranging from freeform collage to distorted techno to deranged singer/songwriter stuff), she has created a musical love story in 7 parts. spiritually influenced by (though not really sounding alike) german “neue deutsche welle” artists such as der plan and theatrical and surreal performance bands like the residents her versions of popular love songs sound like a teenage/female andrew lloyd webber on bad acid. this 1-sided vinyl-only picture-disc lp is a strictly limited edtion of 300 copies. both the gorgeous design and ornamental etching on the b-side have been done by fellow hasenbart founding member renate nikolaus… all copies here include the VOM LIEBREIZ DES HASEN fanzine, an amazing 40-page fanzine accompanying the above lp with gorgeous art, lyrics, illustrations, photos, articles… screen printed & xeroxed… very cool & unusual art object!
a very obscure and nearly impossible-to-find piece of american acid folk-rock recorded in 1968 by mark levine — an underground dylanesque singer-songwriter, here backed by top-notch musicians like ry cooder and mike deasy. a complex and enjoyable piece of music from the outer fringes of the late ’60s featuring explicit lyrics (sex & drugs), and trippy liner notes and cover art.
lichens is rob lowe’s (90 day men) vehicle for performance and recording solo and with collaborators. lichens is a transfixing experience that loops wordless vocals into curtains of ghostly drone which lowe makes witchier with the addition of both acoustic and electric guitars, percussion and other effects. recorded live as a one-time improvisation without overdubs, the three tracks on the psychic nature of being reveal and extend already mesmerizing lichens live performances. holy mountain’s deluxe vinyl edition of the psychic nature of being comes housed in a sturdy old-style tip-on jacket that features original artwork by mr. lowe not available on the cd version… top notch space-out trance sounds. awesome album & great cover art too.
“the moon” kicks off lsl’s vinyl debut with some synth squelch/drum liftoff, until the trademark banjo and extremely-distorted guitar interplay begins the melodic tapestry, joined by four voices around one microphone. “no you won’t” was one of the earliest lsl tracks, recorded in an era before murk and caves. a clean electric guitar, bass, and banjo create the foundation upon which a nonchalant female lead vocal spooks some warnings punctuated by fluttering flute leads. as freaky as these folks come. hand-stamped (from hand-carved linoleum stamp) black 7″ vinyl record held in a chipboard sleeve, with a full-color photo pasted to the front and an in-house screenprinted front and back design. hand-stamped numbered to 300… loose 7inch from the tryst haunt subscription series.
“the moon” kicks off lsl’s vinyl debut with some synth squelch/drum liftoff, until the trademark banjo and extremely-distorted guitar interplay begins the melodic tapestry, joined by four voices around one microphone. “no you won’t” was one of the earliest lsl tracks, recorded in an era before murk and caves. a clean electric guitar, bass, and banjo create the foundation upon which a nonchalant female lead vocal spooks some warnings punctuated by fluttering flute leads. as freaky as these folks come. hand-stamped (from hand-carved linoleum stamp) black 7″ vinyl record held in a chipboard sleeve, with a full-color photo pasted to the front and an in-house screenprinted front and back design. hand-stamped numbered to 300… loose 7inch from the tryst haunt subscription series.
although they sprung ready-made from of the ashes of legendary candombe/beat group el kinto, one of the best-kept secrets from uruguay’s musical mythology is nevertheless the group of musicians who recorded one album as limonada. so what happened? the story starts with the end of el kinto, when band leader and iconoclastic maniac eduardo mateo decided to embark on a solo career (see our lion productions collection of his early music for more details), and the other members of el kinto said ‘let’s do something together.’ and so it was that in the middle of 1970, limonada recorded their one and only album, ‘limonada’ (sondor 33.111). it is a strange record, with backwards tape splices and abrupt song changes, that remains at the same time absolutely accessible and very groovy, in a tropicalia sort of way, which might explain why it was an immediate success. in truth, it’s a profound mystery why the limonada lp – one of the ten best sellers of its time within three weeks of its release – seems to have vanished from the consciousness of even the most devoted fans of obscure music. until now, of course. now, on to the presentation – the highest quality mastering and pressing (done at acoustech mastering/rti in california, the same people who master and press every title that audiophile label classic records makes); the resulting lp is housed in a poly-lined sleeve, inside an ultra-heavy 1960’s style jacket, which is housed in a loose-fitting plastic sleeve. inside you will find an insert with historical background on the uruguayan scene, details of the band’s past, plenty of photos, as well as a brief overview of the legendary sondor label, printed on 100% recycled paper. the lp labels are replicas of the sondor originals. a top of the line pressing all the way. limited edition of 500 copies.
lp version. limited edition of 500 copies worldwide. this is the second album from swedish folk siren lisa isaakson and her band lisa o piu. this is the follow-up to 2009’s critically-acclaimed debut album when this was the future. to get inspiration for the creation of behind the bend, lisa spent time in a small cottage located deep in the vast woods of vastmanland, sweden, where she enjoyed the last breath of the summer. every evening she and david svedmyr walked further into the woods to an old rowing boat that lay on the edge of a forest lake. in the light of the magically ever-glowing swedish summer midnight sun they paddled across the lake and then further along a forest creek with lush green trees that hung down over the fresh running water and water lilies. this is the kind of set and setting where you travel into another world… and they did. the initial recordings were made under a vaulted blue ceiling with gold stars in the old 15th century timber church of hjulsjö, sweden. the new album is filled with delicious and bewitching watery woodland folk hymnals — eloquent yet eerie. the harp has been given more space, the violin plays a greater role, the 12-stringed guitar plays graceful melodies and all is led by lisa’s gossamer vocals, as delicate as a wavering candle flame. come along for the ride… very lovely stuff here once again.
this is the debut full-length release by sweden’s lisa isaksson and her band lisa o piu. raised in a small town on the outskirts of stockholm, she spent most of her time drawing sketches in horse stables. later, these horse drawings would become song lyrics accompanied by her mother’s old guitar, recorded on a 4-track. through the years, she eventually formed the band piu together with her school buddies, and their first single was released in scotland in 2007. the single got a lot of good reviews and lisa and piu gave a couple of concerts on the british isles as well as home in stockholm. they also had the opportunity to perform with the british folk musician roger wootton who led the legendary acid-folk band comus during the early 1970s. the performances went so well that they were released as a live album. as summer came and turned sweden into a green and pleasant place again, the core members of piu went to a small cottage in the beautiful archipelago north of stockholm and recorded what was to become when this was the future. the album is filled with delicious and bewitching woodland folk hymnals, eloquent yet eerie, and led by lisa’s gossamer vocals, as delicate as a wavering candle flame. the album is produced by mattias gustavsson (life on earth!/dungen), and it somehow divinely conjures the essence of linda perhacs, bridget st. john, joni mitchell, sandy denny, vashti bunyan, and joanna newsom into one singular siren, but with a thoroughly unique, thoroughly haunting delivery… beautiful album. limited to 500 copies.
portland, or-by-way-of-michigan garage gang little claw first tripped our radar with their self-released why not 7 inch, which was/is raw and physical and swingin’ in all the ways you want a 7” to be. their la live shows proved even more ripping and charged; we were sold. so we sprung at the offer to enshrine their latest (and best) album, human taste, on vinyl for the world’s turntables to adore. packed with classic, cracked anthems (“frozen in the future,” “colors you drown”), basement weirdo stompers (“modern vampire,” “breathing tape,”) and naked art-punk riddles (“lay to waste,” “summerphile”), the lp’s two sides are slyly sequenced to seduce, blind, and devour, demonstrating a rad range of attacks, escapes, claws, tongues. it’s a great late summer record: between styles, beyond genres, and aggressively alive. taste the taste. black vinyl lps in jackets with art designed by the band, plus a pro-printed, double-sided 11×17 poster/insert. edition of 600.
adagio830 is proud to release the debut full lenght lp by our friend christian deroeck. after touring the us this fall for almost 4 weeks and released this album on cd by himself – this is the proper vinyl version. all records come w/ heavy cardboard cover, spot uv, poster inlay and heavy vinyl. christian deroeck spent most of the past decade writing, touring & recording with the brooklyn indie/punk band meneguar. in late 2006, he and bandmate jeremy earl decided to combine their bedroom recordings and release them together, as woods. they recorded two albums together and toured the us and europe. in early 2008, for several reasons, christian left both bands. he spent the summer of 2008 working as a carpenter in eastern long island. inhabiting a tiny basement room, he began working on the songs that shape on the knife. in the fall he moved back to brooklyn and teamed up with his old friend, multi-instrumentalist dylan edrich (chain and the gang), and little gold was born. recorded to tape at emandee studio in brooklyn, on the knife is a deeply personal take on love and loss, and was very much shaped by christian’s departure from his previous bands. like his earlier work with woods, the songwriting is earnest, and of course there are a few indulgent headphone tracks as well. now joined by stand-up drummer patty conway, little gold has begun to incorporate more improvisational and psychedelic sounds into their mellow, country-rock oeuvre, and in the process are becoming a notable live act around nyc… recommended!
the little wings side will be entitled magic wood (spelled “cagim doow” or “magic would”) and contains 5 new songs along with ads, commercials and noise collage parts between em. justin’s half of the record (“me vs. evil”) will consist of 15 noisy minimalist pop songs that were recorded in 2001/2002. everything from both sides was recorded at home and has a very gainy, warm feeling to it. you’ll feel happy. the lp version will be pressed on mixed color vinyl and have hand painted covers by kyle and justin themselves as well as a small booklet of drawings from the two!
what would the soil say? a fair speculation from the lands oldest apostle – “god made the earth and the earth was round and the earth stood still in its roundness – thus gave rise to the color green – the amorphic quality of this color sprang life – the first sounds involved gurggling cro-magnon hemorages – the rest is adequate history – hamburgers hotdogs hermaphrodites haunted house huge hard hair – this is my recollection, i am soil!” a true testament of northern californian 4:20-vibe/freak-out unfurled for the rest of the world – a live non-stop excavation of classic impulse! ether fused a la cro-magnon(artists alone decide – ) with a utilitarian nod to”new weird-ness” and finnish-psych-spooge – recorded in davis, ca”live in studio a” sept. 2004 – 4 colors, 500 copies, collaborative artwork – why does acid cost so much? features members of klondike & york, antennas erupt, my whole hand was wet, tally band, and black bottles.
loosers from portugal continues with their psychedelic free noise jams after releases on labels such as qbico, ruby red, meudiademorte and woodsist. a quiet and subtle guitar-driven piece, feels like a slooow and hot sunday afternoon. the flipside has more crude and dirty out there jazz madness from brooklyn’s owl xounds exploding galaxy, featuring adam from holy mountains la otracina. 420 copies, all on black vinyl.
portuguese sidelights seekers finally unveil this thick black dinner plate of drums and mosque smoke. 2-color silkscreen of a jeremy earl drawing on a textile-photocopied sleeve. edition of 340.
this new record of the restless loosers present the band in a surprising and mind-blowing rock shape. three long trippy songs spacing from the hypnotic guitars and supergroovy bass and drum riffs of “love has come around”, to the mysterious mediterranean atmospheres of “the moment”, passing through the almost psychedelic beat sound of “don’t let go”… travelling the ways of love. ltd. edition of 180 copies.
laid back, stoned and utterly frightening cemetary groove, falling somewhere between apocalyptic swamp blues and intensely weirdo folk jam recorded on a sunken ship on it’s way to the dark depths. a mesmerizing chunk of loose string hooks, primitive metal percussion rust, other worldly piano pummel and explosive shifts of damaged radiowaves, all drenched in shuffling weirdness and suffocating summertime heat. lost boys are a mysterious gang of drug-crazed truck crashing improvisers, leaning on the musically thuggish side of the tracks where fixed stares spew threats against decent society. an absolute sparkling testament on how life sucks. packaged in classic supreme tape style, the way it’s supposed to be. awesome. if it matters, edition of 30 copies – long out of print.
the revenge of the mad truckers – loner folk frustration and backalley rumble done by trashcan survivors, think primitive psych clash meets gross haircuts and smelly armpits. savagely pure recordings by scar-bearing loners that have turned their backs to society, spewing forth a half-sane beast of wiseass improvised thunder. no choruses or accessible arousing pop swirls — only sheer claustrophobic transmissions, drenched in lost boys’ typical mysterious ghost aura, infinite like space itself. packaged in full color fold out covers, in an edition of only 30 copies. classify under loner death trip – weird ass dark folk brooding. cool stuff. long out of print.
brisbane’s improvisor extraordinaires, the lost domain, have been launching sonic missives into the stratosphere for almost 20 years now. these guys were blitzing the path well-travelled by jackie-o motherfucker and no neck blues band, before either group even existed. in australia, they know how to play the blues. maybe it’s in the water, or maybe it blows in from the ocean, but one listen to the lost domain’s”white man at the door,” and there’s no denying it: these motherfuckers can play the blues.”white man at the door” follows the legendary shytone”dead set,” a compendium of pre-war inspired clssics compiled by lost domai mainman, john henry calvinist (aka david mac kinnon), and much beloved by none other than john fahey. these six tracks are like nothing else the group has released. ragtime frank (aka simon ellaby) puts in the vocal performance of a lifetime as he extracts songs like”in my time of dying” and”frankie & albert” from deep inside his bones. over an archaic bed of acoustic instrumentation and junkyard percussion, ellaby belts out gut-wrenching line after gut-wrenching line. it will bring listeners to their knees. the pre-war inspirations behind these tracks are obvious, but the execution and emotion is 100% authentic.”white man at the door” is a lost relic. it’s like something found in a dusty corner of the library of congress, begging to be rediscovered. this is the kind of album that most bands only dream of making. it is pure, whiskey-addle perfection.
who is lotus??? grinding. pulsing ugly cartoon hardcore with red-ass danse and troll grunts. using a rerigged commodore 64 and 2 mics attached to 200 foot cords. these gentleman conjure perfect soundtracks to itchy + scratchy or your next bruce willis comedy movie fight. audience interaction is a must and i can tell you dear reader that these boys get the house humpin. i witnessed 100 art students losing their collective virginity to the hot house sounds. my dad likes this record! – msg (freedom from records)their 2nd cd. co-released with a bunch of other labels. complete spazzing mouths over hard laptop beatings. roll around on the floor. real cds. full color cardboard jacket which is then shrinkwrapped. full color printing on cd. buy one!! they’re cheap!!!
nearly 40 years after its creation, weird forest is proud to release this seminal jazz album for the first time ever on vinyl. the incendiary grooves captured in this wax defy description. it is not free, funk, fusion or fire music – it encompasses all of these sounds and then blasts far beyond them. featuring the late great organist, larry young (miles davis circa bitches brew, tony williams’ lifetime, etc), this album is mandatory listening for fans of miles davis’ live evil fusion era, young’s own lawrence of newark, sun ra’s cosmic explorations and even japanese guitar terrorists like keiji haino and masayuki takayanagi. beautifully packaged, weird forest-style, in a deluxe double-gatefold cover and remastered for vinyl by weasel walter, the love cry want 2xlp is an essential document of a criminally unheralded group.
exact details on the origins of the love is so fast are vague; essentially, it was a project created by danyhell and estrella (currently in los llamarada) intended to flesh out bedroom improvisations and act as an inner search for a sense of skeletal (pop) structure amid the morass of postmodern rock effluvium. performed live and recorded in one take, the five hazy, languorous tracks certainly charge the ions with positive, crystalline zip, creating an electron hole that sounds like alien transmissions from a long-ago mars. not the band, friend, the planet! fans of the debut lp by los llamarada (s-s records) will be downright giddy with the precambrian narco-menace that comes carbonating off the love is so fast’s archival recordings. or, as the band says themselves: “this is the music we dreamed of but couldn’t play.” grab the peyote, i think i’m frida kahlo.
in early 2008, thrill jockey released gyromancy, a limited edition art book & cd release from robert a.a. lowe & rose lazar. gyromancy featured a 3″ cd of music from robert a.a. lowe and was accompanied by a 72 page perfect-bound book featuring the art of both lowe and rose lazar. thrill jockey is now happy to present eclipses, a limited edition lp-only release again featuring the music of lowe and the visual artwork of both lowe and lazar. eclipses is an extension of gyromancy. remaining in view of what came before and altering the vision. pushing out beyond natural terrestrial landscapes into those slightly more cosmic or alien in scope. it makes an appropriate addendum to the onset of this particular phase. the music was recorded at home by lowe utilizing semi-modular and polyphonic analogue synthesizers. accompanying the full length lp is a 12″ x 36″ double-sided full color poster showcasing the artwork of both lowe and lazar. this is again included to properly voice the images, which end up as a sort of storyboard to the music.
robert aiki aubrey lowe (lichens, singer, 90 day men) constructs haunting, beautiful, at times hypnotic rhythms and melodies using synthesizers. his love of the warm, bubbling, physical sounds of the synthesizer permeates these seven songs, which seem simultaneously strangely familiar yet also somehow distant and alien. fazo iv: la kvalito de speguloj (phase 4: the quality of mirrors) is a further extension of lowe’s exploration of sonic vocabularies and emotional landscapes. because the modes lowe utilizes are tonally and melodically universal to his ear, he has titled the album in the language of esperanto– the universal language constructed to foster international understanding and peace. this notion of univeral understanding comes through in waves on fazo iv. there is a certain tranquility in these tracks– something very meditative and therapeutic; a calming honesty that leads the mind inward and transcends language. limited edition of 300 lps pressed on 150 gram vinyl with full color 11×17 poster insert.
as the title would suggest represents footage james filmed of all three members of lsd march (shinsuke michishita, ikuro takahashi, masami kawaguchi) performing solo sets at philly’s best book store, bigjar, while on a short us tour in the fall of 2006. shinsuke and masami’s renderings represent a japanese working of psychy folk for guitar and vocals. ikuro offers a contrasted short piece of oscillator assemble that is firmly rooted in the avant-garde, with overtones of conceptualist art, found sound, and experimentalism. the release comes packaged in a 3 fold heavy stock cover with a pressing size of 550 copies design and silkscreen by jason killinger from birds of maya.
a four track special lp. 2 versions, one on black vinyl and one on coloured vinyl, each version is limited to 100 copies worldwide. the running time is 40 minutes and contains live material from their last european tour in 2008… all copies here are the black vinyl version in a black sleeve with paste-on photo art and an insert. very limited stock.
samara lubelski’s 5th solo lp future slip serves up a gorgeous and friendly collection of bittersweet melodies, sinister basslines, gestural polaroid lyrics, and spot-on drumming garnished with sprigs of fuzz, paired with a guitar riesling. it is a record of knowledge and innocence, of truth and fairytale, of wonder and clarity. envision france gall performing the songs of sterling morrison and mo tucker with ralph molina on drums. the show is at a loft across bowery from cbgb’s and the only person in the audience at soundcheck is jandek, cross-legged in the middle of the floor. produced by thurston moore. and here is the result: future slip is a worldly record, a record which offers ‘a taste of the new dimension’ but warns of ‘guru bummers’. to a sunny day it adds the shadows which allow the perception of depth. on a rainy day it offers a selection of cakes. anyone who does not dig this record deserves our pity, as they know nothing about the joy or sadness of life… limited vinyl version with insert. sweet stuff!!
with parallel suns samara lubelski has flown into a higher orbit with her merger of the fuels of folk, psychedelia and pop. they combine into a potent mixture that gives her compositions a vibrancy that shimmers in the reflection of their power. the music streams down and ends up in your ear through dappled arrangements that are warm and bright while still having them shaded with darkness from both the lyrics and sound… limited vinyl version. by far her best yet, and thats saying a lot. recommended!
lussu and magneetti are a finnish-american duo from helsinki. they joined forces in early summer of 2006 and began recording in lussu’s appartment shortly thereafter. their debut release is noisy, droney music: vignettes of drum beats laced with ethereal voices and reverbed guitar. at times, it unleashes harsh episodes of distorted rhythms and noise, other times, a dark universe of”spooked-out” earthy tones coming from either the finnish forest or the”spin-cycle” of your washing machine. this limited editon of 150 copies is beautifully decorated with pressed leaves handpicked near the road of a main norwegian highway. delicate and unique, this cd-r release greets its audience with both visual and aural delights – new project from jonna karanka (kuupuu), so you know its gooood! very lovely packaging too.
the end of january sees this superb new release by the magic carpathians.”gharana” has been specially recorded for reverb worship.the recording consists of three collective improvisations by the band featuring eric arn, anna nacher, marek styczynski and audrey widota. available now in a limited edition of 50 copies.
through a mutual admiration of each other’s work magic lantern & the hop-frog kollectiv have created two stunning masterpieces for a collaborative release. the hop-frog kollectiv’s somba is based on recordings on silvertone and hammond organs donated by shea m. gauer of open books and features yanqin (chinese dulcimer), ruan (moon guitar), been, electric guitar, midi guitar & flutes. the title comes from the regionally known name of three clans in the atakora mountains of the sahara desert who’s ancestral and family ties govern their society through their belief that the dead are permanently among us and constantly influencing us. magic lantern’s underwater dynasty was recorded for ukelele, guitar, flute, piano, bells, hand drums & voices. this piece could alternatively be titled underwater raga. the magic created by the interweaving flute and string melodies creates and epic soundtrack to an atlantis like hesse-esque world that’ll take you to the outer places you’ve always needed to explore. this is magic lantern’s follow up to their highly acclaimed wax release on not not fun entitled high beams. this lp is limited to 300 copies.
it’s been a while since the lantern shined its high beams out into the world but life’s a maze of alternate paths (marriage, children, portland oregon, etc) and that’s just the way it goes/went. fortunately for all lovers of heavy male psych brotherhoods the ml gang convened back in 2009 before parting ways temporarily to track their second full-length, platoon, and here it is. as oughta be expected, it’s a monstrous hot-rod cruise into screaming dual wah distortions powered by the poker faced gavin / chip rhythm section and splattered with jazzy freak-out organ (courtesy of phil / stunned), trademark drooling white light william giacchi guitar shred, and the occasional stallones echo yelp. featuring most of their live classics from the pre-hiatus era (“dark cicadas,” “friendship,” etc) and tracked / mixed by best coaster bobb bruno, this fills the hole in yr heart left by high beams. black vinyl lps in classic national geographic photo collage jackets designed by cameron araw. mastered by james plotkin. edition of 700.
magic lantern came into being at the mid-point of the decade, sparked into existence by a simultaneous period of musical discovery for philip french, william giacchi, and cameron stallones. inspired by the psychedelic approach to musical tone and structure in various eras and genres of rock (not at all excluding germany and japan in the ’70s), the three realized they ought to make use of the new creative tools they’d stumbled upon, and began jamming the summer away in twin poles of long beach and whittier, ca. over the course of a year they recorded every jam and compiled a full-length’s worth of home-studio demos which later became their self-released cd-r. at the same time, each member was developing solo and side projects to channel parallel universes of sound. a year after their first jam together, magiclantern decided to make the leap to playing live and recruited good friends and like-minded musicians chip knechtel and gavin fort to be their marathon rhythm section. the jams from their cd-r were used as the blueprints for the band to develop a raw, stripped-down sound that emphasized hypnotic rhythms and improvised guitar duels. after being invited to play at the tee pee records showcase “manifest destiny” in august of ‘07, th’ lantern kept up a steady diet of shows in la and long beach for the next year, earning a local following and two highly limited tapes on not not fun records. through the spring of ‘08 they began writing new material as a band and developing the new songs live. in the summer they recorded these jams with sound wizard bobb bruno, which led to the not not fun lp high beams that september. at this point the band had fully emerged from transition into a shared creative vision of five musicians, each possessing a sin
companion banger to the platoon lp, this 33 rpm single finds the lanterns firmly in retro motor city rave-up rockist terrain, covering the cult classic “showstopper” on the a, backed with their own james brown soul revue funk-rock shaker “cypress” on the flip. recorded during the platoon sessions and mastered by james plotkin. black vinyl 7 inches in cosmic boogie collage jackets designed by cameron stallones. edition of 500… already out of print.
documenting last summers tour with lambsbread and featuring guests joshua burkett & steve gunn. on pete nolan’s own elusive imprint. crude block printed envelope covers with insert. way limited.
all hail this new supergroup of finnish mystics. the magick travelling backpack band is no longer showering, but is bathing with rocks and grime all over western europe. they’ve been booted out of that magic forest that burned down years ago, anyway. so who are these moaning, droning superstars? the backpack band on this go around is keijo, uton, j. koho & tiitus (of vapaa, the free players, kulkija, etc), & christelle gualdi. and it’s gualdi who keeps things in check. while the finns do their best to muck everything up, spilling buckets of psychedelic mud skronk and painting the windows and walls as black as coal, gualdi’s crystalline voice calms everything down. sizzle. 100 copies.
super quality recording of a great i trust my guitar era magik markers show in baltimore back in 2003. the early band were in full effect here, creating tight organic instant no wave compositions each night out of naive guitar, rocking/shambling beats, screams and whatever happened to be going through elisa ambrogio’s mind each night. this is a really cohesive show and it kind of sets the record straight about what the early markers actually sounded like. the banter’s on point too. cool document.
a formality and restraint the markers have never exerted on their previously recorded material is present on boss. now the markers are jainists, with their mouths masked so as to not inhale even one tiny insect, here pursuing the killer gentle with a vengeance. recorded in the cavernous dark of echo canyon west, with producer lee ranaldo working the boards like a diviner, boss documents the markers with a previously unheard fidelity and orchestration. idiosyncratic song structure and melodies interspersed with a destructive drum stomp are reminiscent of the early electrified blues of junior kimbrough, or the black hole rhythms of kousokuya. mixing a gentle vulnerability with a winded egomania, the markers have always had a musical tunnel vision; boss is that vision made manifest… self released edition of only 500. screened covers. wicked.
another killer markers gem on pete nolan’s great & elusive arbitray signs label. two more discs in the series that started with the awesome road pussy’ disc a month or two back – these ones are equally great. as burning, damaged, grooving, ridicolous as ever. nice sreenprinted art paper envelope packaging with insert, to match road pussy’. recommended and surely quite limited.
this new cdr captures the markers live and in other peoples home studios and spaces. tales from the american road, where the markers creepy crawl their way into the heartland only to set it on fire. weird old organs, an army of vipers, and smeary punk jams. learn the story of the blue snake and feel the hate as the markers try and levitate a room full of southern college kids who think pavement covers are cool. hand screened art card “battle of algiers” style sleeves… the usual crude screen printed envelope covers with xerox insert. way limited.
one sided lp of the infamous bloody face cutting show in beligium. instrumental noise assult edited and remastered to slow motion shit attack – altered vinyl version of the cdr we had awhile back. great double sided screenprinted fold-out chipboard covers. ultra limited and instantly out of print, so don’t sleep on it.
recorded in san francisco a few months ago in a home studio zone.. moves like some kind of deep space taffy pull.. haz from jazzfinger really likes this one… screened covers.
another insane markers release. this includes some of the same stuff as the ’road pussy’ cdr, but is not the same album, rather the entire road pussy session… got it? crude screen printed envelope covers, this time a bit oversized. damn limited, no doubt.
lost in between heaven and hell, sprawling psychedelic grooves picture brothers of the occult sisterhood, terracid and friends painting spirals of red dust on snake dancing bodies in front of a new golden dawn. edition of 83.
traditional japanese folk instruments processed through the lens of acid mothers and lsd march instigators. new psychic territorial landscapes the cosmic cartographer mapped yesterday before tomorrow.
acid mothers temple main man kawabata makoto links up with lsd march guitarist michishita shinsuke to create another amazing platter of fantastic sounds and vibes. maru sankaku shikaku (circle triangle square) finds the duo moving on from the electric guitars of their previous duo releases to an all acoustic album featuring ethnic instruments from around the globe. two side long pieces mesh drone music with an ebb and a flow usually found on soundtracks or the soundtrack in one’s head. new psychic territorial landscapes the cosmic cartographer mapped yesterday before tomorrow. limited to 500 copies on swirled colored vinyl in a gorgeous gatefold sleeve.
after being a fan of kawabata makoto’s music for a long time it really is great to be able to announce this new solo recording on reverb worship. we discussed doing a release sometime ago and due to his touring and musical commitments it seems to have taken a long time to come to fruition. however the wait has been really worthwhile and here is the result. “subjection of drone” is a solo improvised “live” recording from a performance at music japonica in osaka, japan on 4th october 2008.the cd features one long track which flows in different segments starting off with ethereal jazz styled technique then into bowed string playing, then multitracked drone, followed by glissando styled effects finishing off with ever increasing guitar noise. the piece comes to an abrupt end followed by polite applause. the cd comes in a one time edition of 100 hand numbered copies. each cd is different and comes in a resealable polythene style packet.
limited edition of 500 copies in a letterpress jacket by 43rd parallel press. we don’t know where we came from features acid mothers temple leader kawabata makoto on both electric & acoustic guitars. recorded at kaccho-buu matsuzaka by takayama manabu. layout by important…now out of print.
hooray! boy am i happy to be putting this cracker out. recorded live, without the cumbersome weight of newfangled techniques such as ‘overdubs’ (gee-whiz!) which may seem a little commonplace for you hip-to-be-square cats until you realise that the good mr malcolm plays two guitars and percussion with his feet. his third guitar, the guitar he actually holds in his hands, has about half a million strings and a number of contact mics imbedded where the sun-don’t-shine to amplify a host of springs, triangles, and other junkyard ephemera. this is a second-to-none ride through a world of sunshine, as viewed through net curtains from a darkened room in suburban new zealand. charming, stupifying, and profoundly accomplished. the noise of music!
manaia is the solo project of jen strickland, who wastes no time in establishing herself with this cdr as one of the more evocative solo artists stepping across the modern garage-psych landscape. “faith” is filled with the kinds of peculiarities that keep me coming back to a disc. the vocal delivery, the recording quality, and the guitar tones, all have a genuine “worked over” quality that gives this album an immediate depth. strickland’s voice cries out and whispers cryptic mantras that speak of spiritual yearning and discovery but all without sounding cliche or cheesy. ~ foxy digitalis. features 2 way-out cover versions of buffy sainte-marie’s ‘he’s a keeper of the fire’ and a creepy a capella translation of townes van zandt’s ‘if i needed you’. amazing hand-assembled packaging – screenprinted silver ink on deep blue metallic-infused paper. limited edition of 100 copies. exceptional packaging as always. nice!
somewhat of a concept album, each disc has a theme : exile, anger & faith, and each disc features a different recording situation. overall the sound comes off something like early pj harvey or sandra bell – emotionally taught female vocals accompanied by often chugging / chrunchy electric guitars, as well as occasional drums, synth, clarinet, slide guitar & electronics. a power dose of soul – amazing hand assembled packaging, each set is housed in a lovely handmade iridescent paper box with metallic embossing, art paper insert, vellum inner sleeves, and stenciled discs. numbered edition of 50 copies, only available here.
the fabulous third lp by mandrake memorial, one of the best bands of the us psychedelic sounds history, is the release chosen to open our new wah wah deluxe series. this marvelous 1970 lp from the poppy label is reissued for the first time ever on full 180 gram vinyl glory, housed in its original escher gatefold sleeve and complete with a colour insert that reproduces the original lp insert plus contains some interesting texts courtesy of poppy label founder kevin eggers and mandrake memorial member craig anderton. for those unfamiliar to this top band’s sounds, we’ll just add that their three lps shall be up there with the best works of the best bands that came out from the states in the psychedelic era. think of the west coast pop art experimental band, pearls before swine, united states of america and the likes. puzzle is a masterpiece that not only benefits from the master work of the mandrake members, but also from that of producer ron frangipane. the combination of talents delivers a perfect mix of classic psychedelia with beautiful orchestra passages.
new album by the most relentless free-rockers in the solar system. recorded after maniacs dream’s trip to zanzibar, where they succeeded to find the beauty of antiquity. ‘how beautiful! like in the homeric times!’ bella blossa said of the harem that inspired him to write the last song on side a. the song is a speed of light free fall into the orange hole, like the whole album! in time! comes with beautiful psychedelic covers by bema bergman!
with two acclaimed seven-inches under their belt, the mantles answer the call for more with a stunning debut lp sure to please all who cross its path. the mantles have been dead-on in distilling a contemporary pop / psych concoction that mixes equal parts early chills with early dream syndicate–and really, who among us wouldn’t want a bottle of that with which to quietly tipple the day away? recorded by greg ashley, the lp taps said hybrid, and if anything, burrows deeper into the core of rock, extracting essential magma that fuses early sf ballroom psychedelia, byrds-ian jangle-pop, and the velvet underground’s extraordinary ability for serpentine leads and bridges. and yep, that pretty much covers all the bases. look for the band to embark on their first us tour in september, supporting ty segall coast to coast.
david maranha’s recordings stretch back over 20 years with the portuguese avant trio osso exótico, as well as collaborations with z’ev and minit. a followup to marches of the new world (2007), antarctica is made up of two side-long excursions into monolithic drone-rock. in the vein of tony conrad & faust, “venus in furs,” la monte young and terry riley, maranha’s ensemble is driven by keyboards, strings, and hypnotized-heartbeat percussion. like the great white expanse of the titular continent, it can be taken in simply as a glorious wash of sound; listen to it closely, however, and you’ll hear the smallest details jump out in high relief: a feather can move a mountain. an edition of 300 copies in silkscreened covers. digital download coupon included.
matt is a composer and researcher here in portland. he is a student of speech and hearing science and a co-editor fo a rm magazine. his recorded work is mostly made up of finely tuned field recordings and prepared instruments. if i had to make references i’d drop keith barry, olivia block, and andrew chalk. beyond his works for cd recording, matt is increasingly focused on scoring and performing works for large groups of musicians and ‘non-musicians’ using traditional and self-made instruments. chiasmata is an edition of 90 copies, photo cover, inserts, pink cds, heavy vinyl sleeves.
kawaguchi masami (miminokoto, lsd march, broomdusters) returns with his new rock syndicate, recorded live in tokyo. monster guitarpsych feedback screech and heavy dosed garagerock insanity. 100 copies.
deluxe 2lp set pressed at rti with heavy duty tip-on jackets from stoughton. b-side includes two bonus tracks not found on the original cd. featuring contributions from alan bishop and charles gocher of the sun city girls on both the album and bonus tracks. graphic design by stephen o’malley. at last the long-awaited reissue of a west coast outsider death cult classic! from the forests of the northwest, an uncharted document of shamanistic psychedelia. recorded mostly during rituals deep in cascadia and filtered through destructive electronic meditations, this record is a trace down the tributaries to the origins of mmob’s no-age mystery. featuring members of sun city girls, earth, asva, eyvind kang, and more. this deluxe reissue contains 20 minutes of lost, unreleased music from the original sessions presented in glorious gatefold vinyl… real sweet heavy covers with obi strip.
echoing like a long lost werner herzog soundtrack, totem two is a record of subtle meditations and deep electric hallucinations from the crystal caves of the northwest to the orchestral desert portals of turkey. totem two finds mmob exploring the disappearance of the mystic and the schisms of our age. in times when forces move against our souls, these are the first sounds of music that can only be described as no-age, a resistance is making itself known. featuring members of earth, asva, burning witch, the diminished men, and more, as well as special guests from secret chiefs 3 and the thriving istanbul music scene. mmob has now solidified into a 7-piece cosmic psych force. like a reverse dark side of the new age sound, on the totem series master musicians of bukkake perform ritualistic electric excursions into the outer and inner reaches. relying more on the electric power of psyched guitars, analog synth chants, and exotic heavy percussion. this totem trilogy echoes with the delusions of a west coast death cult. outer-spaced gamelan, dusty fuzz rock from celestial deserts, meditations of a deranged krishna gathering, and the blurry acoustic guitar majesty of the cascade mountains all reveal themselves here in epic form. master musicians of bukkake’s newest offering in the totem trilogy, totem two marks yet another psychic and sonic shift from their first record visible sign of the invisible order (abduction records 2005/lp via important records 2010) and its predecessor in the trilogy totem one (conspiracy records 2009). on totem two, master musicians explore and meditate deep on the death of the mystics, the forgotten ones, the schisms of our time, and the inability to realize the primary clear light for what it is. totem two shifts from electronically altered bön cult rituals to outer spaced sufi sects. finally succumbing to the fully orchestrated no-age darkness of the religion of the future only to end in delusional ‘enlightenment’ atop mt. shasta, scrawling the deranged rambling of new age psychosis on the crystal walls of a cave. every sound and note played is put to tape by a group with a singular purging purpose. recorded, mixed and produced by randall dunn (six organs of admitance, sunno))), earth ,etc.), at aleph studios in seattle, wa. ‘perede kaldirma’ was recorded in istanbul, turkey at the legendary ada studios, november 2009. featuring a collaboration between mmob and turkish musicians from the istanbul music scene, it features amazing ney solos by serkan bagkenesen. over the years, ada studios in istanbul has been the host for records by erkin koray and baris manco to name a few. inspired by and for lovers of: popul vuh’s work with werner herzog, early vangelis and tangerine dream, as well as philip glass’ kundun soundtrack… limited vinyl version with obi strip.
newcastle seems to be having some kind of insane surge of awesome musical activity in the last few years, and it seems unstoppable. least stoppable is powerhouse mike vest who is creating some serious jams with his outfits bong, blue queen, basillica and now the heavy sludge dual guitar drone beast master slave with pete ryde. 3 tracks of heavy guitar drone, with the last track having an almost weirdo skaters feeling to it. limited to 50 hand numbered copies in bright orange sleeves to burn your eyes while the music burns your mind!
this group has been called mountains of matallama, mountains of matalama, mountains of mata llama, mountains of mattallama, mountains of mata lama, mountains of mattalama, mountains of mattalamma, and on down the line. for the record, this record, and the rest to come this is matta llama. residing in ny matta llama have been playing together longer than they would like to admit. what do they play? blood music. the music works like that of the circulatory system chugging and pounding. at other times it can turn out a wispy, crispy tune of flickering light. all of this delivered via drums, keys, guitar, and bass with the occasional seasoning of vocalizations and in/organic dripping. with this, their first record, they offer 5 cuts culled from years of rehearsals at the hint house. these impromptu rock excursions gleam with but a taste of their musical existence, and with that expect more to come. matta llama. with deluxe foldout poster and fancy matte cover art! 500 copies.
anopheles records is proud to announce our latest archival release, the first ever authorized, high quality vinyl lp reissue of baltimore, maryland’s maypole, whose sole album, & #145;the real,’ was recorded in three days in july 1970, and released in early 1971, shortly before their label folded, dooming the album to stillborn status commercially at the time. the lp is an ambitious, 50-minute feast of tight harmonies, powerful arrangements, fluid improvisation, and flat out great songs, and serves as a touchstone for twin guitar-driven, west coast-styled psychedelia, soaring power pop, and blistering hard rock. if you’ve been looking for an lp to file next to your public nuisance and morgen lps, then this is your tonic. the stature of maypole has been muddied by the previous cd reissues, but this lp edition gets it right. featuring state of the art remastering and pressing, a high quality full color ‘tip on’ jacket featuring original artwork, and a full color insert loaded with lyrics, photos, and complete historical notes by maypole founder, dennis tobell, this is the closest to ‘classic psychedelia’ anopheles records has delved in to date, and we’re glad we didn’t settle for something second rate.
this is, without a doubt, the most outright beautiful tape we’ve ever released. san francisco’s mccann (who’s on a roll of sorts with recent solo killers on stunned, dnt, and his own roll over rover) teams up with longtime friend manata for a full-length collaboration. in the grand tradition of synth/guitar duos like fripp & eno and budd & guthrie, mccann & manata lay down perfectly soothing waves of ethereal ambience. like standing in a tide pool and pondering the vast ocean—infinitely pleasant, yet a strange, otherworldly presence lies beneath. your summer will be a little better with mccann’s synth and viola and manata’s guitar as the soundtrack. with full color art, inserts, and labels by matt yacoub. edition of 75.
lo-res video preview of coppicing. the first video available from sean. twenty minutes of visual and auditory regeneration. features some easter eggs, so look around. comes with a download of the soundtrack. ntsc dvdr, limited to 100 copies.
scientists recently figured out that the northern lights are the explosive result of an electromagnetic tug of war between the earth and its moon. a cosmic battle of polar opposites in stereo? sounds like it’d make a great tape. 98 clear tapes with white imprinting. in 4×6 re-sealable baggies, with oversized full color covers. most feature full-color printed inside spread, about 20 feature hand cut and glued orange vellum “sunspots” designs. composite of photos from summer roadtrips through the southwest by nicholas longworth and tevia romaine… out of print.
genesis reminds of the best early ’70s uk progressive records and is practically impossible to find even in bad condition. limited edition, deluxe 180g vinyl, from the original analogue master tapes, exact reproduction of the original first pressing.
mccully workshop is one of the most important south african rock groups. their 2 first albums, inc. (1970) and genesis (1971) are considered to be among the best, rarest and more expensive south african psychedelic/progressive rock albums — sought after by all serious collectors worldwide. inc, is a great psychedelic album. limited edition, deluxe 180 gram vinyl, from the original analogue master tapes, exact reproduction of the original first pressing.
reissue of the arhoolie lp originally titled fred mcdowell – volume 2. a beautiful set by the mississippi blues legend. one of fred’s best. intense delta blues… licensed from arhoolie.
melodic ballads and new songs from emeralds guitarist spark new innovations and memories thought to be lost. one third of the drone masters emeralds… very nice album.
the debut solo release from former ash castles on the ghost coast member and current iron kite and rubble player shawn david mcmillen. five epic, mostly instrumental songs performed with bowed bass and metal, indian goat bells, analog synth, a rusty old autoharp, amplified springs and an abundance of guitars. features guest appearances by bc smith (iron kite, etherea planes indian) and matt martinez (friday group). one-time vinyl-only edition of 500 copies, packaged with eye-blistering artwork by mcmillen reproduced in a sickening black cast created with multiple passes of ink.
this lp was recorded in new zealand in 2004, and is the duo recording of new zealand guitarist donald mcpherson and japanese guitarist tetuzi akiyama. a beautiful meeting of 2 virtuoso acoustic guitarists, both thoroughly schooled in the vast world of improvising. donald mcpherson, a native new zealander has been playing the guitar since the tender age of 12, studied at the otago art school in the ’80s. and in the ’90s he released a number of extremely limited lathe-cut folk records. this record finds tetuzi and donald playing melodic folk improvisations that grow and morph into compositions that on each listening uncover some new layer of beauty. both playing on acoustic guitar, they have a level of communication and understanding of each other’s playing that allows a musical connection to grow and blossom into a full-length recording of delicate melodic mayhem – 180gm vinyl, heavy fold-around covers with insert, hand numbered edition of 550.
a reissue of a tape that was initially an edition of only 5 copies. blending homemade synths, field recordings, and vocals, an epic recording that requires a closer listen. buried under the tape hiss and piercing highs there is many details that could easily be overlooked, minimal beats, cryptic vocals, radio interference and insect song. isolationist psychedelic noise. color cover on black shimmer cardstock, with an insert containing texts / collage, on silver paper, clear labels. hi-bias chrome tapes in an edition of 56.
this one could easily be described as something of a gps curveball 45. following last year’s rapid fire -4 day- sell out of the band’s debut (lp), the 45 here features 2 tracks of kraut grooves, incessant bubbling moog freakouts like some holy mash up of add n to x, holy fuck vs. cluster, neu! and co., or some imaginary ’70s czech horror flick soundtrack set to an oil wheel backdrop, in tasty psych sleeves, numbered to 300 copies only.
debut lp that came and went in 72 hours. whacked out, moog mayhem that recalls the likes of cluster and harmonia in tandem with early stereolab and holy fuck. 200 numbered copies sold out at source.
switching instruments and experimenting with recording techniques, meneguar has cooked up a totally unique (and surprising) record. the in hour channels the spontaneity and aesthstetics of swell maps, the pop hooks of the zombies, and lyrical collage of guided by voices. everything was home recorded at their little xanadu in brooklyn, rear house, home base to jeremy earl’s woodsist label (blues control, sic alps, wooden wand, jana hunter) and the changing roster of meneguar’s alter egos (woods, shepherds). only six months since their last record, the in hour represents a serious departure that still holds true to the band’s undeniable pop sensibility.
messenger girls trio, the excelsior salon trio… comprised of sir richard bishop (by appointment to her majesty-what the old broad did to deserve that, we’ll never know) and david knott (improvisationally board certified music therapist), in congress with robert millis and jeffery taylor (often known for their recreational duties in both climax golden twins and afcgt). the quartet last released a trio album in 2002 for the anomalous record label. or perhaps the trio released a quartet album. after that richard bishop toured. dave knott put people’s minds back together or took them apart–it just depends on your point of view. climax golden twins devoured 78rpm records and other victrola favorites. meanwhile the quartet trio tape kept rolling-cassette players, digital devices, dictaphones, micro cassette, wire recorders, phonautographs, notes on paper. edited from hours of material recorded between 2002 and 2008. mostly improvised in living rooms and on front porches. mostly in seattle: on goat hill, at the shabby greenwood grotto studio and at the sun city girls’ cavernous blue west headquarters, may it rest in pieces. mostly with acoustic guitars and percussion. occasional insects were wrangled into the proceedings. layered. sliced. stretched. messed, tweaked, poked, prodded, beaten and slipped luxuriously onto a vinyl platter for your listing enjoyment and listening pleasure by the epicureans at uzu audio. 545 copies of 180 gram vinyl, packaged in a custom made gatefold jacket, silkscreened, stamped, and numbered… beautifully done, as always.
the duo of helga fassonaki and andrew scott has quietly become a force in the world of darkside improvisation. over the years, their sound has evolved like amoebas from the ooze, growing and expanding into something otherworldly. walls of guitar sherds blast through blackened holes in the cosmic continuum searching out another eye to gouge or another heart to pierce. this is metallic bliss pushed to eleven. where “republican trees” hits it stride is when the lines between beautiful and abrasive get smudged. scott’s guitar playing becomes a torrent of aural hell blowing fuses from here to his native auckland. fassonaki takes this in stride and the two push each other back and forth finding a natural rhythm that simultaneously enchants and disturbs. by the time helga starts wailing on the final track of the album you’ve been rocked from your foundation, left to flounder alone in the muck. you can’t really ask for more than that, can you? … triple fold-out screen printed cover. limited to only 100 copies.
helga + andrew transplanted to la from new zealand which should be severe culture shock but they’ve made the move without losing the fire of their electric light darkestra. vertical guitar shred and rickety amplified eastern instruments gathered on strange trips, this cs showcases their dense intensities, blown to hell, a million layers of stratospheric fry. have a future cdr comin up on root strata too that’s worth scoping.
meth teeth reside in portland or. and in some ways embody the rainy day big country vibe of the city with its youth culture dreamers, old druggies, and rustic history. there is something that is really hard to pin down about meth teeth, the songs rely on simple ramshackle rhythms, upbeat shinny guitar interplay, and big fat chord churners, and a lot of tambourine banging away on the snare drum. ultra catchy summertime rockers keep you sad and lonely, and upbeat and hopeful all at once. – shawn reed/night people.
completely isolated and fully deranged. weathered blasts of feedback and digital rumble. recorded live to cassette in verdun. too many nights spent getting lost in the douglas hospital fields can really make a man turn on himself. tortured screams and unrelenting microphone violence. most likely as a direct result. photocopied artwork on coloured paper. photocopied insert and labels. hand stamped. numbered edition of 100.
filleted over two sides of wax, here we have a rare meet up of three of the brightest lights in the twin cities musical orbit. on march 21, 2009, paul metzger – best known for his transcendental gypsy raga guitar and banjo meditations – jumped in the ring with percussionist davu seru and veteran multi-instrumentalist milo fine for an evening of uncompromising spontaneous composition. medusas lair is stunning, inscrutably wily, living music. one time edition of 300 lps pressed on
180 gram virgin vinyl. milo fine: drum set (bowed cymbals), b flat clarinet, prepared piano remains, voice; paul metzger: modified guitar; davu seru: drum set.
anamnestic tincture is a live album by virtuosic musical carpenter paul metzger, culled from many hours of concert recordings. side one comprises metzger’s public debut on his modified banjo, recorded in 2002 at a former church-turned-underground art space in minneapolis. one of his most memorable compositions, “after milo” later turned up as an untitled improvisation on his cd for the chairkickers label. jumping ahead six years (and several more banjo alterations later) to side two, the glittering “orans” gets a workout at a memorial show for the artist matt zaun. as an acknowledgment of the occasion, metzger also gave a one-time-only performance — “dark green water” — on another of his mutant instruments: an acoustic guitar with the body drilled out to accommodate a cymbal set into its face, and ten assorted strings of varying lengths laid over the top, giving it a particularly metallic and dissonant sound. anamnestic tincture is released in an edition of 425 copies, with an original vintage snapshot mounted on each cover… awesome new album in great looking home made covers. recommended!
paul metzger continues to pile up the plaudits from critics and peers alike for his virtuosic string-slinging, gaining notice through his cd on chairkickers and his split lp with ben chasny and chris corsano on roaratorio. metzgers modified banjo is tricked out with additional sympathetic raga strings, although the compositions on gedanken splitter are informed by much more than eastern drone music alone. recorded in the same period as 2007s deliverance on locust music, thisis a more agged and aggressive (although no less accessible) affair. metzger winds these improvisations around thornier threads than on his previous releases, and while never turning completely abstract, gedanken splitter moves even further away from anything resembling typical banjo fare. this is mesmerizing and singular playing… excellent new album! recommended.
wow! gorgeous first-ever reissue of this rare spanish band’s lp from 1971. great west coast-influenced guitar sounds, progressive hammond grooves, nice soft pop vocal harmonies (reminiscent of csn¨y), and cool folk-inspired acoustic guitars melt on the sources of the ultra rare lp of the band originally released on the palobal label from barcelona. this lp and two 45s, including the mega rare non lp single ’toma tu parte de felicidad’/’triste y solo’ whose b-side, a killer version of garden odyssey enterprise’s ’sad and lonely,’ makes original copies raise up to the 500/600 euros tag among mod/garage/freakbeat djs and collectors. these were their only releases under the mi generación name (although the band is also known for their studio work on the cover albums sonido eléctrico and sonido acústico, issued by the joint label.) the mi generación lp is a killer gem that will please anyone into the cool sounds of the late ’60s and early ’70s. but for those who want more, they’ll get it: for the first time in many years, here’s a chance to get the mega-rare triste y solo picture sleeve 45 for far less than the 500 euros you will have to pay on the collector’s market. get that top version of ’sad ¨ lonely’ you’ve danced to at parties, which by the way surpasses the original in your vinyl collection! ain’t that enough for you? no problem! in addition to all that, we are ready to include a whole unissued second lp that the band recorded in 1972 but was never released at the time. more cs¨n inspired vocal harmonies, acoustic guitars ¨ beautiful songs by this great, underrated band. a deluxe package! two vinyl lps housed in a colorful sleeve, plus the mega-rare 45 perfectly reproduced with its original color picture sleeve and all. strictly limited edition of 500 copies.
before michael yonkers would revise the history of recorded music with the clarion chords of microminiature love, he was in a band called michael and the mumbles, and they made this self-titled lp in 1966. in the premiere spin, their would-be debut comes off as a naive, teenage trip thru the typified garage band moves of this era. but repeated listening reveals a darkness beneath what some dullard might be deceived by as it’s crisp, winsome visage. it’s only to a slightly less visible degree that the mumbles lp has the same characteristics that would make micro the singularly original piece that is; it’s emotionally bleak themes, dissonant undercurrents, and recklessly wild performance. so, once again we have a michael yonkers lp that is going to turn yr world upside down, make the college girls scream and leave you wondering how many more times this can happen. seriously, pigeon falls up here looked like a riot on the sunset strip. indulge yrself. ps. michael and the mumbles is on the king of all known formats (with a digital download coupon, natch) only, the mastertapes used herein are 45 yrs old and aside from the glitch on “cold town”, they sound amazing.
picking up where the lawless nursery / echo lake compilation leaves off, the lark sees multi-instrumentalist songwriter will ryerson achieve new mastery of an already distinctive style. song and sound are here inseparable parallels, with ryerson’s language as colorful as the sonic experimentalism in which he dresses it. part ‘outsider,’ part upside-downer, this resembles no other underground pop music.
previously released on cd by sunbeam, now issued as a 180 gram double vinyl release. mighty baby are firmly established as one of the best-loved underground bands in british rock history. combining elements of blues, folk, jazz and psychedelia, their unique brand of experimental rock n’ roll is brilliantly captured on these rare recordings, finally given an official release here. three tracks were captured live at a gig supporting u.s. legends love in march 1970, while the remainder were taped soon afterwards at london’s olympic studios. finding the band midway between the blazing psychedelia of their self-titled november 1969 debut and the mellower sounds of their october 1971 swan song a jug of love, the set comes complete with sleevenotes, rare photographs and an introduction from their bassist, michael evans, making it simply essential for all fans of the band.
this is the 2nd lp by migrantes (jason bill {guitar, air organ, hammond organ, cymbal} & caroline vickers {hammond organ & vocals}) of tucson, az. pressed in an edition of 536 copies and housed in a lovely printed full color jacket, this is a sublime record! “for those that have never been there, the desert signifies space, sand, and nothing. when i (who live nowhere near any deserts) first visited jason & caroline (who live smack in the middle of one), that was what i had thought too. i was a bit surprised that the desert in fact looks nothing like its platonic counterpart – it is in fact interlaced with ropy thorned plants, crawls with life of every species, and is inevitably circumscribed by distant mountains. for some, monsoon moods may capture the real desert, the one where home fires burn under looming stone, where love and life flourish in austerity. for me though this lp somehow encompasses sweaty nights in 100 degree summer warehouses, ghostly drives through norfolk shipyards, the slow crack of datura pods drying in the sun, and all the other things that have grown inside j&c to buoy them up into this warmly inviting space illuminated by their big hearts. a stunning record that camouflages the simplicity of its ingredients with songs of glowing precision and vox-laced hammond drones of vertical majesty.” – tom carter.
lp version, deluxe full color gatefold sleeve. limited edition of 500 copies only. after an 11 year silence, here’s a new album by the mysterious and legendary swedish psychedelic multi-instrumentalist, s.t. mikael. this is part one of a suite of two separate albums. mikael spearheaded the diy psychedelic rock/folk movement of the late 1980s/mid-’90s, with a collection of albums that now fetch up and over $1000 on ebay. during his long absence, s.t. mikael grew more secretive and reclusive, but all the while he was still writing music. now that he’s finally back, here’s a chance at last for the world to join his psychedelic world again. the music, stretching out in many different directions, has been done freely and spontaneously in an extremely relaxed and happy environment. he also joins forces with dungen’s reine fiske and fredrik björling, whose musical expertise now also grace the grooves. these otherworldly acid tripper recordings now exist in the real world and s.t. mikael proves, once again, to be a gifted songwriter and an unconventional performer with a very personal ear for acoustics and an emotional honesty seldom seen these days. melodic folk-rock elements flow with waves of heavy fuzz-phase leads; weird, detached, haunted vocals echo over the band and the whole thing seems to teeter on the brink of psychedelic oblivion. this is not psychedelic revival, but the psychedelic now. his soaring vocals, surreal lyrics, fragile, folky melodies, heavy fuzz riffs, mind-bending soul funk and penchant for the spiritual and mystical make this a fascinating voyage that is so mind-twisting, soul-swirling, upper psychedelic that your third eye takes you on a joyride through an altered state! this album makes your brain start thinking in those pebble-splash-pond-mind circular expanding waveforms that reveal the password to tomorrow.
new solo studio recording by japan’s reigning surrealist blues poet. forty plus minutes of all new material recorded in france during mikami’s 2008 european tour. numbered heavy weight vinyl only edition of 333 in handpulled screen printed sleeves. includes lyrics in japanese and english (title track alone is a trip through painted omelets and the moon to a rusty french bicycle). while mikami is building up a massive body of work through his long running association with psf records this is the first of his studio dates to be committed to vinyl in decades. singular and essential… another total class siwa release. already sold out at source.
evan miller has been a staple around digitalis hq for the past few years since he busted onto the scene via too many killer night people tapes. over the course of many, many releases, miller has traversed all manner of different landscapes. perhaps he’s best known for his post-takoma acoustic jaunts, but there’s always been elements and vague hints of drones that circle underneath his picking like tonal sharks, looking for any sort of bait to jump out at. well, “three improvisations” puts it all together one in fine package. side a features two short songs for six-string guitar. to the point, they pull in melodies and keep them caged up until the exact, perfect moment when they are set free. it’s deceptive in its simplicity. side b adds electric elements (c/o phil ochs) and field recordings to jumble millers various sides into a cohesive whole. 95 copies with coffee-dyed tape labels.
iowa city’s evan miller is never one to stay in the same rut for too long. his earlier releases were composed of fahey-esque spells, heavily emotional acoustic guitar work emanating tones of nostalgia and simplicity. on transfigurations on lap-steel guitar, a new zone is crafted with lap-steel guitar and tape collage, creating equally nostalgic music from the other end of the spectrum: delicate, minimal drones. tones interweave and textures evolve: it is evan’s most personally progressive work, combining past themes and reinterpreting them on another medium: electric lap-steel guitar. mastered by pete swanson. in an edition of 450 full color pro-printed cardboard lp sleeves and printed labels designed by jeff witscher (secret abuse / callow god).
cole is back and this time on a ton of labels (different versions of this album will be on stop drop, marriage, paw dawns, and arbor). the entertainer extraordinaire brings his playful melodies and clever rhyming in attempts to cheer you up and maybe make you dance a little. cole sings song about how much he loves you, as in, this wasn’t recorded with his girlfriend in mind, but actually you! very similar to the more recent playfulness shown by adrian orange and calvin johnson; totally positive and uplifting. this is a much more cohesive album than cole’s previous arbor release, “no strangers”. in a numbered edition of 50 copies in sewn/stamped sleeves with stamped discs.
i recorded it in 2000 a few months before i started the pseudoarcana label, and given that my initial idea for p.a. was for it to focus on harsher and more abstract musics the simple melodic folk songiness of ’short road’ resulted in it sitting on the shelf for much longer than it perhaps should have.there was a great poet who said of his work that all he had ever done was write the same poem again and again, trying to get it right. i’ve sometimes felt that i only have the one song inside me, and i’ve approached that song from a hundred radically different angles and have ultimately become convinced that this song can never in fact be realised in any definitive way. but that one song is still there inside me and there are places on ’short road’ where i think i come as close to realising that song as anywhere – edition of 500.
vinyl debut from the ohio duo of mist (john elliot and sam goldberg). following up their “certain expansion” and “stole colors” cassette releases on pizza wagon, mist offer up two full sides of their best material yet. electric organs. beautiful and dreamy preogressive synths, kosmik string synth zone. mastered for vinyl by james plotkin. limited to 500. pro printed covers. front cover photo by ashley krantz.
really wild, psychotic, exotic, progressive psychedelic beast from brasil – all those attributes in an extreme way! long freaked-out tracks driven by furious organ and massive fuzz – wahwah guitar assaults, also added distorted vocals (portuguese lyrics) that creep deep inside your cranium – one of the best ever! comes in usual world in sound quality with original amazing triple fold out cover that is beyond belief… repressed totally deluxe reissue of this great brazilian psych rarity. ultra-heavy textured tri-fold gatefold cover, 180gm vinyl, etc.
for one night only the mongoloid men (connelly, olson, young and nyoukis) came lurching into a brighton basement. cheap beer and indian food in their stomachs, beards and hair full of hash smoke. a swarm of metallic insects shitting debris into ears of those who attended. horrible, horrible noise.
the monks were five beat playing american gis stationed in germany who, after their discharge, decided to stay and continue their musical mission. meeting up with a team of local managers, they transformed themselves and their sound into a holy racket like the world had never known. this five-person order literally birthed the above genres through a fuzz-drenched evolution of sound, bursting with social commentary and future primitive rhythms. their landmark studio album black monk time is packaged with numerous period photographs (many unseen) and an extensive two-part essay by canadian music journalist kevin howes (jamaica-toronto series), and includes bonus material… brilliant deluxe reissue of this classic garage slab. includes a whole second lp of bonus singles & rarities, 180gm vinyl, heavy gatefold 60s style foil stamped cover, rare photos, etc.
today, ‘garage,’ ‘psych,’ and ‘punk’ are three overused words to say the least. they’re dropped from every direction to brand, market, and sell, but looking back to the mid-1960s, there was only one group of musical mavericks that clearly defined them. the monks were five beat-playing american gis stationed in germany who, after their discharge, decided to stay and continue their musical mission. meeting up with a team of local managers, they transformed themselves and their sound into a holy racket like the world had never known. this five-person order literally birthed the above genres through a fuzz-drenched evolution of sound, bursting with social commentary and future primitive rhythms. krautrock? it started here. do we hear non-believers? we are not making this up. if you aren’t already converted, it won’t take long. light in the attic is ecstatic to present the monks recorded legacy in the lavish and lovingly researched: the early years 1964-1965… brilliant deluxe archival release. 180gm vinyl, heavy gatefold 60s style foil stamped cover, rare photos, etc.
phil from ussr first time on vinyl wackies – silkscreen book madness art by jacob horwood, dylan nyoukis, sekitani norihiro, jeff garcia, andrew zukerman etc. edition of 150… totally mind melting package here. recommended just for the looks of this thing!
happy live document of this prolific band. party mixes and coversongs, including a collab and dirty rhymes – . monotract released some stuff on labels like spite, gameboy, animal world and white tapes and will release records in the near future on load recs and ecstatic peace! the cover is a great foldout cumshot by jelle crama – one of the hippest cd covers yet!
her first ‘official’ solo-output since 2005 – after collabs with jessica bailiff and birch book. pretty much focussing on organ sounds and harmonics, in her unique style: scarce, minimal and haunting tracks. somewehere someone is probably more dark and droning than previous works. ltd to 185 copies, comes in handwritten and handstamped sleeves… quite cool & lovely stuff.
in an era when “variety of sound” means a flip of the radio dial and then a burst of blasé melodies, pretty monsieur mo rio has emerged with his fascinating oeuvre. as you listen to his music, you will hear and experience the exciting, warm aural magnificence that is monsieur mo rio. with influences ranging from swinging baroque pop to bossa nova, his songs will remind you of summer, spring smells, and a love that will be. and while we applaud the result of this musical journey through monsieur’s mind, we must not forget that this chèr ami was not only the author, conductor, main musician, and singer on this album, he also was its engineer – really pretty fantastic fake-french pop from this german wonderkid that mixes said french grooviness with kinks damaged pop craft, a heathly dose of experimentation, and supurb studio trickery & talent.
san francisco’s moon duo feature the combined forces of wooden shjips’ erik johnson and sanae yamada. led by, ‘catch as catch can’, a blistering sonic stew and b/w the a cover of the scientists’ classic speaker burner “set it on fire”. taking threads from the fabric of loop, neu, silver apples, the psf canon and the red eye / black eye label oeuvre the band weave a tapestry of droning motorik rock noise… first release on this new label, sure to vanish quick.
san francisco’s moon duo was formed in 2009 by sanae yamada and erik johnson (wooden shjips). inspired initially by the legendary john coltrane and rashied ali, moon duo counts such variant groups as silver apples, royal trux, moolah, suicide, and cluster as touchstones. utilizing primarily guitar, keyboards, percussion, and vocals, the pair plays space against form to create a primordial and disorienting sonic stew. they released two acclaimed records in 2009: the love on the sea 12-inch single on sick thirst and the killing time ep on sacred bones. escape, their debut long-player on woodsist, marks the fullest realization yet of the young group’s evolving sound… sick new full length!
moon duo is the solo alter-ego of wooden shjips guitarist and singer ripley johnson. under the moon duo moniker johnson creates expansive krautrock influenced tapestries of warm cascading fuzz and controlled feedback, organ, and accenting keyboard. this four-song 12-inch is the second moon duo release and it incorporates a much more concise, composed and driving sound than before. johnson expands on ideas only hinted at on the sick thirst 12-inch, adding a driving drum machine beat behind the thick walls of layered sound. don’t sleep on this one.
moon pie features alison and michael from death chants. the live band sometimes features fellow ex-death-chanter paul, now of the recording projects aswara and muntjac. the music is psychedelic, prismachromatic, and pan-galactic, with inspiration drawn variously from shoegaze, folk, vaudeville, and albanian urban lyric song of the 1930’s, all presented in a collagey psych/dreampop context. the ep has 6 tracks and is 21 minutes long. each copy is packaged in an individually collage-decorated clothbound cover.
you may recall a while back in reverb worship’s early days being introduced to the music of sand snowman with his two wonderful “i’m not here” and “the twilight game” albums. featured on these and also on his more recent “two way mirror” album on tonefloat is the gorgeous vocals from moonswift. not only is she a very cool singer but also a talented songwriter and musician too .evidence of this can be found here on her debut album simply titled “moonswift”. the cd contains three long tracks clocking in at over 35 minutes. on this recording she is responsible for most of the music aided by guitarists mike baluk and sand snowman. this is an outstanding album with a delicate understated jazzy psychedlic feel. electric guitars weave in and out of the spaces within the music giving a dreamy chilled late night vibe. the cd is available now in an edition of 50 hand numbered copies in a stencil sprayed sleeve… first edition, sold out at source.
a scabrous grab bag of weirdo recordings assembled by thurston moore: hardcore basement slam jammer with mark ibold (bass) and john moloney of sunburned (drums), a rough demo cue made for an hsbc tv ad (w/ steve shelley-drums – uncredited – sorry steve!), a few noise b-sides from various lost releases and a couple of long psycho-bead kosmi-killers and some subterranean acoustic luv n all wrapped up n a pic disc with art by t moore extracted from his street mouth series of collages… picture disc. edition of 500 copies.
i gave a kiss to a giant leech. it sucked me in. with a little effort, i wriggled to its opposite end and out into a different world, but i can’t say how it differed from the one before. likewise, all the atoms and other bits of matter that pass through us – that we swallow and transform – bear more or less fresh fruit, as they are reborn through us. boris morgana’s rotti frutti is not just an oral delight, it’s aimed at the whole organism. it percolates, hisses, comes and goes: gently as well. furtively it infiltrates the brain through the ears and causes reactions. and maybe these inner oscillations move on to the hands, feet and other organs: maybe they carry the germ of a wholly new fruit. when it comes about, it’s too late: everything has changed and one can’t but accept it – allow the rotten fruit to issue forth.
moses was formed in 1969 in esbjerg, denmark by søren højbjerg — guitar / jørgen villadsen — bass / henrik laurvig — drums and vocal. moses played their own heavy and punshy and stoned progressive blues. their record changes from 1971 has now become cult in the collectors market. by the end of 1969 the band got a contact with the independent record company spectator records in denmark and in the summer 1970 they recorded the only album, changes in 2 days in the spectator record studio in ålborg, denmark. finally the rarest and perhaps best album on the rare danish spectator label. the music is strongly influenced by the cream and other hard psychedelic guitar bands. it took us quite a while to get a deal together and we are happy now to close the final chapter of the spectator story with this great release of moses. extra heavy fuzz-guitar madness all over with strong bass and drums and great vocals… numbered edition of 500, heavy sleeves, 180gm vinyl with insert. originally released in denmark 1970.
a loss for words, folks. s…thing…ain’t like nothin i heard period. twisted, gnarled up like the milkweed and splattered like it’s oozy juices. warty and aggressive, like something pullin viciously from every corner. beautifully tremendous, yeah tremendous. like the very end of something. or the very beginning of something. -valhalla. edition of 100 on orangey yellow shells with hand-cut labels, inside folds, and inserts.
very hip private press avant solo guitar stylings from this seriously talented portuguese fellow. one disc is solo acoustic, one disc is solo electric. all recorded at home.
electric guitar 1-9. rec 2008… guitarist born in lisbon, with public activity since 1989. from that to 1997 he studies and experiments with prepared guitar, mainly acoustic. since then his interests shifted to the development of a personal language for fingerstyle electric guitar and started working in a regular basis with bassist margarida garcia. a lot of acoustic guitar has been played at home in the last years, and it has also been possible to find him playing with bands osso exótico, curia, dru, and collaborating with david maranha and afonso simões. worked with sei miguel from 1997 to 2005. founds the record label headlights in 1998. draws and shoots… newest solo outing from this rather amazing guitar player. limited to only 300 copies and packaged in a nice mysterious letter press printed heavy black paper cover, to match the curia lp. nice.
motor ghost is the new project of drummer / vocalist alex neilson and multi-instrumentalist ben reynolds. & #145;a gold chain round her breast’ is their first recorded document as a duo. from the brooding opener through tracks of soaring electricity to the beautifully fragile a capella rendition of the folk song & #145;leaves of life’, this album sees alex and ben exploring darkness and light and all shades in between. alex’ drumming provides much of the backbone of the album supporting and conversing with ben’s acoustic and electric guitars, loops and the call of the dümuk (a greek horn). the album comes in screenprinted sleeves, all of which have been hand embellished and are individually numbered. the first 100 copies of the album include a 3& #148; bonus cd-r containing a 4 song solo vocal set alex performed at the macbeth in london the day before the motor ghost studio session and feature exclusive and extensive liner notes by scottish folk singer alasdair roberts. these will sell on a first come first serve basis… killer new lp on a new label. lovely hand printed covers. limited to only 300 copies.
third full length release from this new haven, connecticut rock band, but the first on the band’s own label. the mountain movers went into the studio with 10 new hits and some serious psyched out guitars. the results were documented to 2 inch 16 track reel to reel and put onto vinyl for your listening pleasure. “the day calls out for you” finds the band focusing on guitar driven songs, which is a departure from their previous piano and horn colored albums. heavy echoes, heady tones, and strong songwriting really make this a gem. vinyl only, hand-numbered, and limited to 270, the front and back covers feature the beautiful artwork of head mountain mover daniel greene. included is a cd of the album, courtesy of the band. the line-up for this recording includes: dan greene (singing, guitar, art), rick omonte (bass, noises), joey maddalena (lead guitar) and john miller (drums).
our very first one sided lp, which is a bizarre trip from michael curtis hilde’s mountainhood project. this one follows on from the two lps on time-lag’s red records label a few months back which vanished super fast, as well as other releases on reverb worships and yod. total outsider midnight missions into weirdness… strange strings twang and rattle into the darkness, a very strange experience spread across one side of black wax. limited to 300 copies in pro-printed wrap around sleeve featuring art by michael… ultra-zoned stuff. nice.
last year i discussed with michael hilde the idea of doing something special for my 100th release on reverb worship. michael very kindly agreed to do something memorable and very worthwhile. “live at dearborn house” is a 5 track 3″ cdr ep. we are very proud to announce this release which both michael and myself have spent a lot of time and effort preparing and working on. michael spent roughly three months doing the artwork. each and every one of the 100 covers has been hand drawn, painted and numbered by michael himself. the artwork is totally gorgeous and straight from a very talented and creative mind. you can see all of the cover designs on the “mountainhood” page on this website and on my myspace page too. no doubt michael will be posting up images too on his website www.mountainhood.com. made in a limited edition of 100 hand numbered copies. each cd is individually titled. this release has been priced to compliment the hard graft, labour and artistic input involved to create such lovely collectables such as these. you are not only getting a twenty plus minute “live” cdr but a individual work of art as well… far-out sounds & totally great hand done packaging with michael’s unique a wonderful artwork all over.
northern california’s mountainhood has a long long long discography, and we’re psyched about the latest. shine shine is sometimes sweet folk songs, sometimes a wild party (like a bunch of horsemen dancing around a stump), and just about always full of plenty of goblin voices. take it on your roadtrip and get nostalgic about redwoods and the moon. with an 8-page minibook of art by michael hilde. edition of 200.
300 exquisitely handmade copies. part 2 in the larger multivisorial dreamsaga called: the light, the road, recorded in nyc, continues the epic narrative of kria blisses’ journey to/through the chrystal palace first introduced in goldenness, part 1. packaging painted, pencilled, photographed in new almaden, northern california or point lobos, big sur, also forms a narrative whole broken down into several acts or series perceivable only by over-eye. this record follows his sold out records on time lag, ecstatic yod & reverb worship. this is volume ten in our arts & crafts series. each record in the series is released in handmade packaging by the artist on the record. it’s clear that michael hilde poured countless hours into these jackets so we’ve documented each one. there wasn’t enough time to photograph the inside covers which are as detailed as the outside. hilde went beyond all expectations… great new single, each copy with hand drawn/painted packaging. nice.
hopefully mrtyu requires little introduction, because the project evades easy description. an odd compound of vedic imagery, metal misanthropy, and violin agony, this music moves away from any particular fan base in pursuit of its distant, darkened idols. ornate shroud is mrtyu’s most potent spawn to date. hewing closer to song form than previous releases, the album conceals antony milton’s violent guitar and violin work behind mrtyu’s characteristic murk. its pieces transition from jagged riffs to eerie ambient scrapes through wooly feedback, approaching the uncanny. although the year is yet young, 2009 will likely not produce a bleaker aggraga record. edition of 350 180gm lps in heavy-stock linen-paper sleeves hand-screened, -cut, and –glued by reuben little of 43rd parallel press.
the first real album. the final album. all six classic originals and one new patric cunningham song. forty minutes. digital, high quality fidelity. the most listenable, most proud, most quality mt. moon release in the whole catalogue. the manifesto. the will and testament. the definitive arrangements and versions, the ideal, the end… mt. moon was a band led by songwriters jakob battick and patric cunningham, featuring instrumentalists/vocalists ryan higgins, zach brown, michelle dempsey, mike wellington, and tim cunningham. we managed to play four shows, record our first hour-long radio session, and create an ep, a live album, and one seven-song, forty minute album in the summer of 2008. it was all supposed to only last from may to july anyways… pretty cool private press local release. bing band dream folk collective sounds. color cover art, hand written liner notes, etc.
lovely free sounds from taiwan. wind blew the sea & brought many circles with drops. moon married the sea & reflected in the surface. he asked the reflection: where is my best friend? wind played his flute & the sound brought him to the brightening woods of the giants to see the god of mountain. the god of mountain told him loudly through all animals’ voices in the woods: it’s wind! edition of 90.
as organ scientist mudboy is back in europe, lexi disques is happy to present his new 7-inch. mudboy comes from providence, rhode island, the town of lightning bolt and hp lovecraft. he released cassettes, cdrs, vinyls, texts on various european, belgian and american labels including his own free matter for the blind label. he’s also making sound/light installations and silkscreen visuals. a short cv is here if needed. music for any speed is based on a reflexion on time. artwork: mudboy (printed on newspaper). with poster & download code.
crashing circles in the midnight horn cdr (about 45 minutes) a collection of all-acoustic improvisations by sam hamilton, mark sadgrove, andrew scott & eve gordon. droning bowed-strings are the predominant sound, with a few gentle percussive sections. very cave-man, very hippie, but very beautiful too – these two pieces were recorded in the dead of night, in concrete echoey spaces in the urban environment (too close to the neighbours at times). 1st edition of 50 copies, and sewn and stamped covers, each disc with a unique wordfind – just found a few copies of this long out of print disc.
cd reissue of siwa #6 in screenprinted gatefold sleeve. first released on lp in 2000 in an edition of 300 which sold out pretty much overnight. three tracks recorded at kid ailack art hall in tokyo in the late 90’s. just over 40 minutes of solo improvisations for er-hu, voice, kengali, rings, cymbals. the recording has been remastered for the digital format but contains the same material as the original lp.
fuzz and buzz improvisations tuning in with the higher forms of new england reverb. turning deep, lonesome abstract guitar feedback modulations upside down into mad psych blues of the dog. edition of 100 copies.
with highrise being basically an in-active band the last few years narita munehiro has been keeping his electric guitar skills sharp with gigging around tokyo in varies duo’s and other small groupings. (as evidenced by the fantastic cd between narita and drummer hano on psf) this archive release documents 2 live sets from narita recorded in late 2005 and the summer of 2006 that put on display the recent solo works of the man who the term psychedelic speed freaks was really captured from. running time of around 40mins one time pressing of 600 copies packed in an extra glossy 2.5 panel sleeve with appropriately chemically treated photographic work from the live dates.
paul grimes, member of the now defunct death chants walks a surprisingly personal path on this album. very outside the common psychedelic genre he draws a path of his own. on warp, grimes scrapes together a faboulous blend of easy listening, light marbles and more retro space tunes. a hot mix of elements of kitaro, joe meek, and even some hits of an introspective dennis wize. fantastic stuff for the upcoming summer hangovers.
second mystery release from paul of death chants. layered modular synth, flute and more with drifting echo waves… way out there. nice double sided color covers. green tapes. numbered edition of 95. sweet.
murphy blend’s (named after a pipe tobacco) only album, is one of the best and rarest early german progressive rock records. excellent hammond organ, that delivers a unique heavy psychedelic krautrock sound. it was originally released on the legendary kuckuck label in 1970. english lyrics. limited edition, deluxe 180g vinyl, heavy exact texture cover.
debut vinyl full length by this long-time h-town expat/pedalsteel visionary. past cdrs on her and dave keenan’s volcanic tongue imprint have sketched out the breadth of her possessed solitary vigils, but her three pieces here are even more untamed and unique. voice, electric strings, song tendrils blowing in the soul’s breeze. edition of 500… sweet…
blaring new cd from heather leigh of heavy-metal minimalists scorces/charalambides/taurpis tula/jailbreak et al. this one creams the most mind-flaying assaults from her recent euro-tour with tight meat and the skaters alongside some spontaneous audience actions as documented on the elvis-in-prison cover shot that extends the whole jailhouse rock ethos of her recent fag tape into new vectors of then. with just electrified pedal steel and vocals heather takes the whole keiji haino/munehiro narita school of protesting strings into the kind of primitive folk-doof environs that nurtured both donald ayler and abner jay and folds them in on each other to birth a music that feels as primal as it is sophisticated, as physical as it is phantom. if you like your energy hand-made and with a feel for the full interaction of flesh with hallucinatory power sources, then this is the place to plug in. limited hand-numbered run of only 121 copies with printed discs and stamped sleeves in high quality plastic slipcases… long out of print.
new project by italian space-brothers improv duo my cat is an alien, recorded in remote western alps in fall 2007. forget all the space psychedelic textures… forget all sort of space toys… this is a totally different affair: this is haunted music created with wooden primitive instruments, distant echoes from the other dimension. a pagan ceremony to welcome winter. stunning film by roberto opalio to introduce you to the reign of the phantoms. private edition of 99 handnumbered copies; in heavy cardboard with paisted artwork… quite cool new offshoot project from the space brothers.
mutantea is anla courtis (reynols), j.koho (kulkija, aan, vapaa, keijo & free players) and jani hirvonen (uton, aan, last night on earth) — recorded early 2006 in helsinki, at the night time, in the middle of darkest winter, after the show in gallery, just before going to sleep. three electric guitars, with differert effects and styles to play, together in this mass, which gave us this wave called ‘mutantea’. includes also arts by bart de paepe (sloow tapes).
i must confess to temporarily losing contact with the complex universe of matt valentine, perhaps our decade’s greatest american vernacular artist, about a year ago: swamped by the (admittedly unrelentingly powerful) wave of solo and duo acoustic guitar cd-rs he was releasing, i put my hands up in the air and stood back to breathe. consequently, records such as green blues and its predecessor mother of thousands, both performed with constant foil erika elder and their rural pick-up gang the bummer road, hit like a sucker-punch. for one, mv & ee have focused their occasional prolix tendencies while maintaining their fondness for destabilizing psychotropic song forms. secondly, these records represent a great squaring-off of valentine’s interests: multi-limbed guitar improvisations; soaring post-buckley freedom melody, best exemplified by mv’s space chanteys album from years back; and loose-arm group-sound that swallows american primitive threads such as free jazz, early 20th century blues and the rustic melancholy of the grateful dead circa american beauty. green blues is one of the first records released by a newly energized ecstatic peace!, thurston moore’s imprint, who’ve hooked up an m&d deal with fontana/universal. it’s appropriate that green blues appears on first blush to be mv & ee’s most coherent recording, the first half of the set tackling c21 campfire songs that nonetheless still carry within their dna the intensely fucked structural liberties that are part and parcel of valentine’s song writing. opener “east mountain joint” floating out on humming mellotron supplied by j mascis, is a celebratory flash, but it’s tracks like the following “drive is that i love you”, which smear hypnotic acoustic guitar mantras with black-tar electric guitar fuzz as wasted as royal trux’s self-titled debut album, that carry the most weight. most songs on the set are built from simple acoustic guitar, around which collect waves of distortion, floated flute and violin and purring tambura and dulcimer, sediment and grit that pulls the focus out on the aperture. by the closing two songs, “grassthighs” and “solar hill,” mv & ee have dropped most of the overt structure and let the bummer road fill in the gaps with fractal detail. mv & ee have been the primary instigators and aesthetic anarchists in the american underground for some time now, and green blues is another kick to the solar plexus from the duo and their extended family. luminous yet dense with foliage, filmed through a haze of smoke and fog, it’s their strongest collection of songs to date. – jon dale – nice triple digi-pak cover. featuring : mv, ee, mo’ jiggs, nemo, sparrow wildchild, samara lubelski, willie lane, tim barnes, and j mascis.
a mysterious bootleg of a wild mv & ee concert featuring tom carter and j mascis as the golden road. one track with 4 guitarists, 3 numbers with j on guitar and tom on bass and one cut with j on drums. deep spaced out rural rock sound…the vibe and layout is exactly like one of mv & ee’s heroine’s, impeccably copied and presented here. i got in touch with matt about it and the bootlegger sent a box of copies to their door. mv is cool with it for now… very elusive title here, better act fast.
real raw ‘you are here’ sound captured live in the deep tapers pit by number one uk golden road archivist pete coward. this disck is a window into sweet harvests from a handful of shows, most notably an electric “easy livin” eye opener from a back room in brighton from the ‘gettin’ gone in aquarius’ tour, plus a soaked “tea devil” from dylan nyoukis’ ‘colour out of space festival’ as well as a blown out epic “canned happiness” from this years ‘golden cherry ball’ jam at instal. fasten yr jaw on the big league chew-z “environments” bubble featuring the usual heads (mv/ee/doc dunn/samara/chris davis) along with mick flower, chris corsano, the cherry blossoms and phil todd. child of microtones and ecstatic peace joint release – golden roadies unite! edition of 199… metallic printed art paper covers.
orbiting the earth in vermont is matt “mv” valentine, once the brawn of the tower recordings, and erika “ee” elder, ceo of heroine celestial agriculture and the mv & ee medicine show. together with their dog zuma, they run the child of microtones library of exploratory music–sometimes their own lunar blues, sometimes finger-picking-style noise/space, sometimes lonesome frontier folk. mv & ee have landed at the dicristina building bearing drone trailer, featuring the golden road: doc dunn (pedal steel, guitar, harmony), mike smith (bass, fender rhodes, harmony), and james anderson (drums, engineer). you may recognize these names as part of mv & ee’s touring band when they scorched across new england and the rust belt en route to terrastock this past june. drone trailer is a consolidation of the previous musical high-life of the duo’s space shanties for the 21st century. in other words, mv & ee explore their unique mix of lunar raga and astral string band music, with a couple deep-space burners/covert jams such as opening blast “anyway” thrown in to bust it all open. nobody is gonna mind if they hear a little crazy horse and prime-era dead here as well! previous releases on their own child of microtones label, along with notable albums on time-lag and ecstatic peace.
still riding high on the glorious steed that was green blues, matt valentine and erika elder entered a western mass studio armed with enough fresh material to choke a whole team of horses. you may ask, “how can this be?” well, since recording their ecstatic peace debut the duo has toured extensively, all the while writing tunes, scavenging esoteric guitar equipment and revamping their backing band to suit the environment of gettin’ gone. a new sound has organically evolved that will most certainly astonish listeners new and old… deluxe limited heavy vinyl edition. gatefold cover.
side a is called ‘limits’ and it’s a full golden road blaster with riffs as meaty as a new york deli sandwich, ripped-up mv vocals and swirling ee vocals through a fat leslie speaker. side b is a sleww, stonnnned (possibly 4-track) recording called ‘jacked-up’ with a haunting, almost dissonant vocal from mv and one of the greatest examples of erika elder’s intuitive, whacked-out electric mandobird playing we’ve yet heard… limited to only 300 copies!
this summer loving bliss festival of a record is everything we hoped it could be and more. side a, “moment spacing” is a two-and-a-half-minute blast of “ooh-la-la-la-la-la” joy that wraps a posi+ aura around the world. b-side, ‘bong judge’ is the stoned, slowed down, phaser-drenched, stretched-out basement tapes version of (almost unrecognisably) the same song running at six+ minutes. the most beautiful record we think we’ll hear all year. featuring: mv – guitars/vox, ee – lap steel/vox, willie lane – guitar, sparrow wildchild – vox, janane tripp – vox, chris livingood – vox, samara lubelski – bass, john moloney – drums… last copies.
restock… in house micro label private tour version. recorded at oxfam café in medford, ma. 11/03/08. line-up here is matt valentine, erika elder, doc dunn and the muskox crew.
restock… in house micro label private tour releases. live set from unrock, krefeld, germany 5/17/08. line-up here is matt valentine, erika elder, samara lubelski, and doc dunn.
still harvesting and sustaining in the deep woods of vermont , mv & ee (matt ‘mv’ valentine, once the brawn of the tower recordings, and erika ‘ee’ elder, ceo of heroine celestial agriculture and the mv & ee medicine show) are following their 2008 release drone trailer with their feature-film-for-the-blind barn nova, which marks their return to the ecstatic peace! label. mv & ee aspire to the sort of beautifully rewarding standard in their documented output that sun ra or the grateful dead achieved. it is with ecstatic peace! that their most consistent works have been born and continue reach fans with the golden road, their most constant band. together with doc dunn (pedal steel, rhythm guitar, vocals, drums) and mike smith (rickenbacker 4001, vocals), who appeared on drone trailer, as well as j mascis (drums, guitar, plate reverb) and woods’ jeremy earl (vocal, drums) they take you on the ride now known as barn nova and here they jam. justin pizzoferrato also appears contributing percussion, space echo and aiding once again at the controls. this album was recorded at mv & ee’s own home studio ‘maximum arousal farm’ as well as their current local new england rooms of choice, ‘bank row’ (an old mid 1900s bank) and j’s home studio ‘bisquiteen.’ these kindred spirits share a wealth of ideas including a serious reverence and desire to upgrade/expand the classic-rock idiom. barn nova marks the return of ’spectrasound,’ mv’s production technique that places tones dancing all around the stereo sound field: it has to be heard to be believed. this effect is all the more impressive that the majority of it was created recording live, rather than conjured through studio post-production during mixing. especially potent on the a side-ending stomp ’summer magic,’ where erika’s economical leads go head-to-head with j’s on a particularly mind-blowing live-in-studio effort; it brings to mind the vibe of green blues, mother of thousands and even an electric moon jook with matured songwriting. inspired by the likes of jerry garcia, john cipollina and tom verlaine, matt valentine displays an insatiable appetite to play in various idioms with constant exploration and development. meanwhile, elder’s harmony leads recall the glorious twinned guitar lines of canned heat’s al wilson & henry vestine at their most potent… limited vinyl version with poster.
brand new limited cassette, limited to 200, printed green tapes, and full colour artwork. super raw bliss rinden psychedelic jamz! recorded live to tape in santa cruz, live some kinda private recording from back in the day fool – and no doubt will disappear this fast becoming something like that, right>>? and here’s a few words from the mv about this dusty lil’ gem…. ’howdy folks, good timing… any time off with youse is good time. i finished this transmission on new years day, feels real good. it is a live set from santa cruz, a gallery called the attic last year on 2/17/07. ralph mazzeo’s art was up on the walls by coincidence, his first ever solo show…real kool sync. seymour glass of bananafish/glands of external secretion/brent lewiis ensemble/etc…rode with us to the gig to hang out. charalambides opened up with explosive harmonics, tom was using a homemade fuzz pedal that grant acker (of un/slurp dogs fame) built, grant also taped the show, on cassette, his reel combined with our child of microtones master is the veg wheel~ of this capstan…was a real hip afternoon/evenin’…the ’choice’ to use this came to me earlier in the month on the first of two december full moons for some reason and i dug the joint out, i say some prophetic ramble about oxide. ahhh, the synapse… long live the blackest rainbow’… nice color covers, printed tapes. instantly out of print.
here is the first ever all live lp of “mv & ee” material and it is the perfect example of the scene in the tapers pit. the familiar tunes which have become staples in their set shine with an unheard intensity with killer solos and sonic excursions into the unknown, and then there is the deep of their singular ‘environments’, their space which manages to showcase the pastoral freakouts and cosmic raga forms so singular to this unique band. just as their recent run of releases on ecstatic peace! and dicristina consolidates the mv & ee private press universe and child of microtones orbit with the essence of the maximum arousal farm sound “home comfort” does the same to distill the gems of their live shows onto sweet wax. for those familiar with matt and erika’s cottage label “heroine celestial agriculture”, known to the heads as “heroine”, this lp reads like a best of curated by the ‘you are there’ swingin’ pig and the results are a stunning cross section of their duo exchange, funky trio with woods’ jeremy earl and big band exploratory stomp with doc dunn, muskox and willie lane of the golden road. here is the true sound of “mv & ee” with the songs, the extended jams and the feeling. this seminal duo and all they sail with need to be heard live and need to be heard live often, what a glorious document from the tapers pit. that’s tapers pit twice in a paragraph, class. peace. full color jackets with insert. limited to 550.
brand-new self-released com in a numbered run of only 99 copies packaged with full colour sleeves and inserts from the duo of matthew valentine and erika elder. a collection of massively dosed studio recordings, liberty rose opens with beams of elegiac solo guitar before dropping into a classic slow-burning jag with puffs of echo/delay damaged vocals melting into hallucinatory afterimages while erika slides quicksilver runs all the way down your spine. “crow jane environs” has a deep desert feel that could almost be mu if it wasn’t for erika’s oracular vocals and mv’s post-takayanagi soloing. the stark, stripped down version of “death is my friend” features a stunning/chilling vocal performance from erika and doc dunn joins the duo for the last two tracks, with “out in space” as dazed and lonely as anything on skip spence’s oar and “streams” featuring clouds of lucid unison vocals that you could disappear inside. i guess at this stage child of microtones has the same relationship to the ecstatic peace releases that richard youngs’ no fans imprint has to his releases on jagjaguwar, functioning as a repository for some of the most psychedelic, experimental and personal music to escape from the personal stash. and this is a major instalment. dedicated to dr ragtime. – volcanic tongue.
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 interprations 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 long blazing 11 minute space jam. the flip side opens with the classic blues soaked ‘tea devil’ with erika’s laid back 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 drum kit. straight from hear we head into a completely trance inducing psychedelic haze of wild jamming with a totally different version of ‘environments’. the whole of the bside 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… already sold out at source.
in house micro label private tour version. recorded at johnny brenda’s in philadelphia 6/13/08. line-up here is matt valentine, erika elder, doc dunn and the muskox crew.
ragas of the culvert, previously self-released as a cd-r in an edition of less than 50 copies as well as a quickly sold out cassette on fuck it tapes, is a glorious revisiting of the lunar raga style that created so much of mv+ee’s past. this meditative and purely instrumental six track voyage is guaranteed to transport you to distant worlds. ragas of the culvert will be from an edition of 840 copies pressed on 180gm rti vinyl. the record will be housed within “old style” stoughton lp sleeves bearing a new design by both matt and erika… all copies here include the pre-order only bonus cd, ‘total loss songs’, that featuring 50 minutes of previously unreleased and newly recorded material, complete with b&w cover art. sold out at source, so act quick.
the box set documents the mv & ee live experience in various incarnations between 2002 and 2009. the music is entirely unreleased material (with the exception of guitar barn featuring j mascis and tom carter, which was issued as a bootleg cdr in the heroine style, but was actually unofficial). highlights include a 2002 mv & ee medicine show performance, the guitar barn jam with j mascis and tom carter, a new band, mv & ee with the wolfpack, a recent set with jeremy earl of woods, as well as classic bummer road and golden road jams. the box set will be presented chronologically and culminates in a pete’s pix vol. 2 featuring 7 tracks from various dates mainly in the uk (including tracks from the thurston moore curated atp in 2006, and dylan nyoukis’ 2006 colour out of space fest – both of which feature chris corsano). limited to 250 copies. the tapes: the mv & ee medicine show ‘citybillies’ brooklyn, ny 5/23/02 (previously unreleased) – mv & ee with the bummer road ‘the suncatcher blossoms a novatone’ tonic, nyc 7/18/2005 (previously unreleased) – mv & ee with the bummer road ‘abstract blues and egyptian mud’ campfire sounds, acra, ny 7/15/06 (previously unreleased) – mv & ee with the bummer road ‘pastis king’ paris, november 11th, 2006 (previously unreleased) – mv & ee with the golden road ‘barn joint’ red barn, amherst, ma, 10/16/07 (feat. j mascis and tom carter) (previously out as an unofficial bootleg) – mv & ee with the golden road ‘lobstora vs tone crabs’ floristree auditorium baltimore, md, 6/14/08 (previously unreleased) – mv & ee with the wolfpack ‘yurt aspects/rural centrifuge’ wickermania festival, the yurt, goshen, ma 8/2/08 / tinderbox, brattleboro, vt, 8/3/08 (unreleased) – mv & ee with jeremy earl ‘”he’s on tonight, saddleback”/”multiple gravitrons” cakeshop, nyc, 1/20/09 (previously unreleased) – mv & ee with the wolfpack ‘mamma zooed’ the triple, richmond, va, 1/23/09 (previously unreleased) – mv & ee ’smoked bossier’ art space, shreveport, la, 1/29/09 (previously unreleased) – mv & ee with the golden road ’sequential circuits’ vintage by the pound, toronto, on, canada, 2/7/09 (previously unreleased) – mv & ee ‘pete’s pix vol. 2′ 2004 – 2006 (tracks from cambridge uk, colour out of space, thurston’s atp, oxford, london, and more. features nemo, chris corsano, samara, willie, jiggs, sparrow, simoes) (previously unreleased)… beautifully done & already sold out at source. very limited stock.
in house micro label private tour version. recorded space gallery on 16th january 2009, portland maine. really sweet classic style duo set, heavy on the new ‘drone trailer’ material.
the always prolific matt valentine and erika elder are back at it with the debut 7-inch on electric temple records, sweetheart of the nascar. rising from the depths of the grass-roots, free-riding psychedelic underground, mv&ee provide the nighttime companion over two midnight-oil burning tracks to their recent masterwork for thurston moore’s ecstatic peace label, barn nova. the a-side titletrack, “sweetheart of the nascar” is perhaps one of the duo’s heaviest tracks to date, pushing the threshold of rust never sleeps-era neil young into sludge metal meets mark hollis ambience. the b-side, “crow jane variations” is a slow-burner featuring erika elder’s reverb-drenched echoes behind a wash of lap-steel guitar and minor-key rustic psychedelic vibes. sweetheart of the nascar was recorded with matt valentine’s mind-boggling production technique, spectrasound. the spectre sound engineering was done by james anderson, while the final mix was done by long-time producer/engineer justin at barn row studios and matt valentine himself at their home studio, maximum arousal farm. the inventive technique is highlighted on “sweetheart of the nascar” with two drummers playing – one in the left channel, one in the right, spread across a gorgeous stereo-pan. matt valentine and erika elder hail from vermont, where they live with their dog zuma and a heap full of sears amplifiers and ruckus making material. over their decade long career, they have aspired to follow in the ways of the grateful dead, releasing numerous albums, limited runs, and bootlegs. the last mv&ee recording, barn nova, brought the duo their most criticially acclaimed national media attention to date after a decade of small-run releases, having positive vibes sent from pitchfork, popmatters, junkmedia, strangeglue, and many more. after having a recent stint with alt-rock legends dinosaur jr. and a current run with avant-heroes flower-corsano duo, the group is at their most prolific, delivering a slew of live performances throughout the u.s. and europe. limited one-time press, brown vinyl edition of 500 copies.
limited edition of 300 hand-numbered copies packaged in heavy duty screenprinted metallic ink jackets done by neil burke at monoroid. my cat is an alien’s new surprising master work is a concept-album split with their side project, praxinoscope. as always, in a world full of compromises, mciaa represent fierce independence and complete freedom. take roberto’s own words in the liner notes as the best introduction to this work: ‘one day we realized it was no more possible to discern archaic art and post-modern art in our palette; it was clear that they were both reflected in the same hall of mirrors. in other words, alien art and archaic art are the same thing. all archaic art deals with death, sex, transcendence and eternity. we’re all living days suspended in the void. the difference is in consciousness: this is real artists’ duty. beyond and other than this, only oblivion.
original soundtrack from roberto opalio’s film ‘alien blood’ (2005-2008), currently shown at sonic youth etc.: sensational fix museum exhibition, opened at life museum (france) in june 2008, and already scheduled around the globe for the next couple of years. the improvised score by my cat is an alien follows the minimal and surrealistic beginning of the film with sparse echoes of eerie sounds, growing in dark timbres and pathos. maurizio opalio’s heavily effected ‘blood percussions’ compress the air, while roberto’s wordless vocals, along with his space toys, alientronics & mini-keyboard are on the razor-edge of another dimension. the finale comes as one of the most epic crescendos ever performed by the italian duo. one of the most impressive and innovative mciaa’s recordings to date. special only-vinyl edition limited to 200. audiophile black vinyl lp in nice-textured cardboard handmade folder sleeve, with full-color paste-on artwork showing still images from the film.
another bout of glittering jewels, sputtering star systems and piercing high drones courtesy of your favourite astral-obsessed italian duo – as ever, their sonic output is at once reassuringly recognisable but still disconcertingly bizarre, forever reaching upwards and outwards, seeking to escape the confines of gravity and atmosphere in favour of celestial salvation. — dave stockwell, foxy digitalis.
private press ltd. edition of 110 copies / the entire surface of side aa features an original painting by roberto opalio in white translucent acrylic film etched texture; individually signed and numbered by the artist. a new special space art limited vinyl issue from maurizio and roberto opalio, aka audio visual improv duo my cat is an alien. a 23 minutes piece of cosmic wilderness crescendo… my cat is an alien are one of the most prolific bands on the planet. the vast spaces traversed on these recordings is mind blowing. it’s like some sort of aural personification of the kinetic energy that exists between roberto and maurizio opalio. for lack of a better word, it’s dazzling. everytime their stellar soundwaves emanate from my speakers, i’m like a moth to a lightbulb. i zone out and am completely entranced by this music. hushed beeps and glacial guitar drones do me in everytime. add in various other cosmic debris like reverb-soaked vocal howls, cymbal bursts, and various other space toys and mciaa stretch out toward the horizon like varicose veins to the sun. my cat is an alien are determined to take you on a journey through the darkest corners and deepest crevices of the galaxy. this is essential music. – brad rose, editor, foxy digitalis… nice one & very limited stock.
the entire recording of the improvised live performance at ed pinsent’s “sound projecting” radio show, broadcasted by london’s resonance 104.4 fm on december 10th 2004. in these sessions mciaa don’t play their usual cosmic guitars, but only a couple of space toys & toy-microphones, plus a pocket theremin & mini-casio provided by pinsent on the occasion; also featuring pinsent himself at turntables. a different aspect of mciaas experimental research, as well as a new amazing adventure through the ether. absolutely a key-document for all the fans of the band – reissue of the long-out-of-print cd-r, in a special private press edition of only 158, with heavy textured cardboard sleeve + full-color insert, individually numbered… sweet & beautiful vinyl edition.
entire session of one of the latest mciaa’s live killer performances, recorded at feedback festival in dijon on september 29th, 2007. split over 6 sides of c20 analog tape cassettes, the duo’s performance couldn’t but draw inspiration by the name of the event, launching a massive attack of feedbacks from the highest spheres. private edition of 60 handnumbered copies; in heavy cardboard with paisted artwork.
another voyage into the inky blackness with the cosmos-loving italians and another gem. mciaa have gone from making dronescapes that were merely beautiful to listen to (merely!) to vast vistas of sound that seem to exert an almost gravitational pull into their depths. this opens with roberto opalio’s parched vocal trances and the calming ching of oriental bells and builds into a soporific sea of echoing guitar notes with bells rippling through it like a warm wind. for some reason, the line from”astronomy domine” about”the blue you once knew” comes to mind. the sound then appears to collapse in on itself before ebbing into freefall. divinely beautiful. — boa melody bar.
“here we are/ dancing with the dark shadows/ here we are/ dancing with the dark shadows” this is the incipit of the first side of”when the windmill’s whirl dies”, the new work by the space-brothers maurizio and roberto opalio, alias my cat is an alien; and here we are indeed, ready to dance with the shadows which surround the light, as the intimate and vividly estranged mood originated by the floating guitar tunes will enter the furthest meanders of your mind. both the words, recited and shaped by roberto from his own homonymous poem that suggested the title of the album, and the oblique minimalism of the complex musical texture made of flowing space sounds, represent the abstract neo-expressionistic substratum of the whole corpus of the work. moving throughout a nebula of space dust and debris, the starting spoken-word vocals alongside the percussive section sound as powerfully impressive as the violent imagery of trees beaten down by the storm, while the whispered silence of”perspective of time” and”fallin’”, on side two, discloses the emotional and existential universe of an isolated broken soul, lost in a world of inanity. this is the center of the no-thing universe, where each single word or sound assumes the aspect of a sort of pagan prayer that speaks the language of astral folk-blues. in this context, mciaa’s outer space becomes a re-found uterus, meant to be the form of a new self-biogenesis. at the same time, space is conceived as symbol of the eternal theatre surrounding the mysterious cycle of life & death; such infinite space, despite such limited time. this cosmic-chant of the new millennium may heat our nights like a flame left to enlighten the shadows of the coldest darkness. at the end of it all, some words will still be ringing in our minds:”so, we’ll never forget the light”. after 2004’s key-work”the rest is silence”, mciaa’s”when the windmill’s whirl dies” comes as the second act of a trilogy dedicated to the great void. a beautiful recording housed in a thick, heavy duty gatefold sleeve. edition of 600 copies.
some soups are best eaten boiling hot. this soup comes close to being stripped naked, smeared with goose fat and feathers in a far off southern bar. someone vomits down your neck and swings your nutsack across the room. its just like trading braincells for amphetamine, a joyous almost cheerful adventure into the bowl prepared by dylan nyoukis and friends. eerie sounds from forgotten times, starring the radioactive behemoth and the voluptuary nobbler to drink you under the table. burying bears with melting feedback cheese. its a downward spiral of flammable gas under pressure that sets your hips straight against the wall. no cowboy dramas or desert road plasma, but a dismembered spirit shuffling among the autumn leafs. as with the teeth of lions you know the time has come to testify. halfway through youre one step away of leaving for vacation without your slippers. anybody. a dizzy maelstrom of home recorded freenoise blatter. chants crawl into the mix accompanied by childlike instruments for an en-garde slaughter fest with the four horsemen. the implied honor-like atmosphere is swept aside in favor of party time on a sunken submarine. a sinister force holds the soup in its power, evoking spirits too intense for average living rooms. now suppose what could have happened when the arthurian knights would have exchanged their magical potions for a sip of the mysterious blue soups of the south? be a slug in a saloon and join the acid bikers cult. fold out covers with obi-strip designed and screenprinted by janus prutpuss (covers for quetzal, trumans water, starfish pool, sickboy, stifled cries and lets not forget the tons of sweat for prutpuss and rotkop) with the kind help of knust from nijmegen – edition of 180 copies – another amazingly packaged audiobot release!
the follow up to their excellent debut cdr, the mystery water saloon boys is phil todd’s vehicle for group workouts in atmospheric and psychedelic jams. this disc features the duo of PHIL TODD (ASHTRAY NAVIGATIONS) and CHRIS HLADOWSKI (SCATTER, NALLE) exploring everywhere from twisted deep space raga to edgy paranoid ramblings using strings, effects, voice, reeds, wind, and percussion all mixed and mangled onto a very damaged old tape deck – limited.
vinyl edition of this nomadic psych-soul trio’s beloved 2008 studio debut, released on cd on greg weeks’ (of espers) language of stone label. this edition has swank glossy jackets, plus an 11×11 pro-printed insert, on colored vinyl. one time pressing of 500.
debut vinyl album by contemporary electric guitar wizard bill nace, ‘too dead for dreaming’ begins in the form of a deconstructed blues piece, slowly exploring the territories of atonal composition, string–scraping and feedback, crashing all these styles in an instinctive, personal way. his affiliations with x04, northampton wools and vampire belt converge here in a unique flux. bill’s ability in creating sounds, follows a clear logic of ‘construction of tension’ that eventually explodes into pure sonic mayhem (part 2) then switching the attention from your blowing ears into new, obscure tonalities, with a spectral meditation that develops in the last part of the album and mirably closes the circle. it’s all here: one man, one guitar. a bulldozer. limited to 200 copies , hand printed and numbered.
mr. ruaradidh sanachen has been getting a name for himself recently with his one man kosmische metal space ritual project nackt insecten, releasing plenty of limited edition “stuff” on a whole bunch of labels. in february 2008, as part of glasgow’s wonderful instal festival, he was seen cradling a suitcase full of howling drone/noise aboard glasgow’s tube trains, and what a show it was – check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2v5nrb6nllo for a glimpse of the fun. as nackt insecten’s relentless sounds meshed in perfectly with the locomotive rumblings, i thought to myself what a fine 7 inch single it would make. and sure enough, over a year later, here it is. an explanation made by a member of the “audience” to a worried fellow traveller provides the title. this package also contains a cd of new nackt insecten studio concoctions, a conceptual sequel to the recent lp on blackest rainbow records. a real cd too, not a cdr! cover art by goldenlab’s fliss horrocks and the inclusion of a genuine glasgow tube train ticket completes this handsome package. limited to 200 copies.
side a features 4 tracks, sort of snippets of larger drone landscapes build from what sounds like burnt-out spacestations and lost may-day transmissions of shuttles travelling into the unknown. side b is one long 15 min drone piece that slowly works its way into total blacked-out nothingness. the atmosphere of the whole release warps you into some creepy sci-fi movie with the sound of xenomorphed arachnid hordes slowly eating it’s way through ancient space waste and abandoned spacecrafts. all in all, a haunting and throughout focused release by this insect! edition of 60 with artwork by jf.
we’ve been huge fans of marissa nadler for a long time (obviously) and when the opportunity presented itself to put out her first album on vinyl for the first time, we couldn’t pass it up. it contains some of her most beautiful and haunting tracks including “mayflower may” and the poe inspired / written “anabelle lee.” the album comes out a few months before her new album little hells is released…. 2nd time on vinyl actually, its just been out of print for awhile. super deluxe ultra-heavy 60s style gatefold cover this time, which is a nice upgrade. limited to 1000 and sure to go quick.
this album already has gotten a 8.3 album review on pitchforkmedia.com. we are proud to announce the latest release from renowned boston folk inspired artist, marissa nadler. on her fourth solo album, marissa nadler finds multiple ways to envelop the listener in splendid gauzy moods without becoming monochromatic. a master of creating rich dreamscape atmospheres, nadler’s voice shines and glides even more with a full band accompanying her. produced by chris coady, the starry musical guests include longtime collaborator myles baer, simone pace (blonde redhead), and dave scher (farmer dave). few contemporary artists can match the stunning ride of marissa’s reverb vocals that are a journey into themselves on every rose tinged track. little hells displays a brighter leap in musical maturity and attention to detail, as the fantasmagoric sounds delve into melancholy nuggets, sometimes erotic, sometimes gutting, but filled with a gorgeous sense of serene hope more so than previous album, songs iii: bird on the water… heavy 60s style covers, limited vinyl edition.
imagine for a moment the wicker man manned by the late teiji ito – resident avant composer for harry smith & maya derren – with psych folk giants comus sitting in for good measure and you’ve got some idea of what glasgow avant folk trio nalle have put together on their mesmerizing sophomore effort the sirens wave. centred around hanna tuulikki’s rich and expansive vocals, with a heady, kaleidoscopic mix of vintage whirling oscillators, moog synth and buzzing harmonium, alongside the intrepid string explorations of chris hladowski and aby vulliamy, these six pieces continue the long trek through other worlds of sound to form a dense, cohesive suite that meshes everything from japanese gagaku, european plainsong, near eastern modal drones and more. with siren’s wave, nalle have procured a special place where folk conventions are curiously uprooted & seamlessly meshed with other worldly avant tendencies. features members of the family elan, scatter & the one ensemble of daniel padden… limited 180gm vinyl. gatefold cover.
nautilus is the solo project of heidi diehl of vanishing voice/time life, long-time br transatlantic e-mail buddy who we finally got to meet just over a year ago on the very brief vanishing voice tour. since then, she has begun recording solo material under this alias, and has self-released one cd-r which blew our minds, and likewise blew local long-time br friend ben nashs cranium apart. the nautilus side opens with still rings, a far-out trip of weirdo outsider dripping mind-fuzz, like some kind of spatial insect gathering. tallahasse woman rings more bells with the sound of vanishing voice and heidis psychedelic string playing, and subtle vocals buried below it. jeans theme is another sweet track of tranced-out guitar with approaching percussion and waves of vocal drones. ben nash holds his side with two nearly 8-minute tracks, opener plymouth bredren blues has definitely got the blues, as mentioned in the title, theres some serious woe in the wah right here, and some almost paris, texas moments. interloper / latch also starts off pretty bluesy, but halfway through goes to a speaker-shredding guitar shaker, with some seriously serious riffs, that are almost breaking up as they begin, and then reverting back to the blues mediation of the beginning of the track. a great release, in an edition of 300 copies… great stuff! recommended for sure.
subterranean substances flipping over into parallel visions of increased awareness. bringing the aura of inspired nakedness to fruition. exposing percussion by brett womersley. 70 copies… another great release from this dude! hot stuff. recommended.
vinyl debut for long term blackest rainbow brother ben… i’m extremly happy with this one. 8 tracks, 34 minutes. opening with a reworking of ‘kuad 9873′ from his blackest rainbow debut cassette… bleak drones smothered in vocal lulling, and finishing with a sweet guitar piece swirling in a lake of percussion, vocal and drone. ‘nightcall’ shows a more middle eastern psychedelic droning, bowing, wailing, and satanic mutterings. track 3 is the title track ‘the seventh goodbye’, and is the most ‘full band’ approach of ben’s acoustic psychedelic folk jams, but this blurs into sax blurts, waves of melancholic vocal drone and writhing riffery. perhaps similar to voice of the seven woods or six organs of admittance. side b opener ’smoke and flattery’ is the most experimental – multi percussion, echoes of whispers, finger grating guitars. ‘magnetophon pt iv’ is not ben’s recent sloow tape of a similar name, but a bluesy haze lsd dream, building into a drenched ecstatic guitar drone. following this is ‘what will always be pt.ii’ which is reminiscent of jack rose, or james blackshaw, the most beautiful composition on the lp. this bleeds into the final surrealness of ‘angel no. 7′ field recordings, bleak, fearful and empty. i’m honoured to release this gem. limited to 250 hand numbered copies on virgin vinyl, with black, white and red pasted on covers, plus a black and white insert. all artwork designed by darryl norsen who designed our (vxpxc) sleeve, and done a few beauties for important records, as well as posters for sunburned, six organs, hush arbors, magik markers and more… killer vinyl debut from this great under the radar uk dude. paste-on color art, insert, etc. limited to only 250 copies and sold out at source. recommended & act fast.
formless, yet totally purposeful impressionism from travis of warmer milks; totally blow out guitars layered over mysterious might, it’s almost meteorological. the tape’s totally autumn: breezy synths, rain-drop-drop percussive jewels, air-shifting riffs; when a recording reveals an certain experiential wisdom, (here through some sort of kaleidoscopic spasmodic vermism) it’s clear t-t-t-totally precise artistry was necessary–totally “next level” material. in addition of fifty (and numbered) totallly full-color “double cover insert” tape.
new double disc from the french duo of mehdi ameziane and solange gularte, aka natural snow buildings. shadow kingdom continues their journey through some of the finest experimental folk laced with beautiful drones, all recordings are new. stand alone cd version of the lp (plus two bonus tracks), 2xcd housed in an a5 16 page pro-printed comic featuring artwork by solange. this is identical to the cd version that comes with the lp, but obviously you don’t get the lps, the lp sleeve artwork, and insert that the lp has… limited to 500 & instantly sold out at source, so don’t hesitate here.
so here it is, the vinyl debut from the french duo of mehdi ameziane and solange gularte, aka natural snow buildings. shadow kingdom is the vinyl debut of this highly regarded project, and it continues their journey through some of the finest experimental folk laced with beautiful drones, all recordings are new. an epic piece of music, only deserved an epic release. you get the full length record across three 180 gram lps in a full colour sleeve featuring the superb art by solange. includes the cd version that features 2 bonus tracks housed in an a5 16 page comic by the band, plus a black and white insert. all sleeves and the comic book are pro-printed. mastered by ben nash. the artwork on the lp and insert is exclusive to the lp version… limited to only 500 copies. another epic dose from these, sounding as great as ever. instantly sold out at source, so don’t hesitate here. recommended!
this might sound like hyperbole, but i’m not exaggerating when i say that “the dance of the moon & the sun” was the greatest cdr release of all-time. the packaging, the music, the overarching feel of the whole release was nothing short of perfection. it was criminally limited (though understandably so with the intricate packaging & booklet) and eventually found its way onto various mp3 blogs and other file-sharing resources online, and it became the stuff of legend. but what of the music? it’s the rarest of cases that one would want to listen to 2.5 hours of music by a single band in a single sitting, but natural snow buildings is that rare exception. there is no filler on this monumental masterpiece. it is the history of all things. it is an epic poem. it is a love letter to the world. nsb find their way through dense forests and towering peaks using every weapon in their arsenal. the aching beauty of “wisconsin” is the perfect piece of ambience in the tradition of windy & carl. “john carpenter” is loose and subdued, washed in reverb with a nod to the dirty three. the title track flickers in the night sky like the north star, beckoning those who hear it’s heady call. the 25 minute stunner, “felt presence, ghostlyhumming” takes flight and never returns to earth, losing you in the darkness. it’s desolation will rip your heart out, while putting much drone-based music to shame. in the end, though, words can’t do something this special, this important justice. it is perfection defined. packaged with all new artwork in arigato packs from stumptown printers with 6-panel insert, featuring new liner notes from time-lag’s nemo bidstrup. limited to 500 copies… long sold out at source, we scored a few last copies. if you don’t have it yet, better go for it, cuz this one is a real stunner. highly recommended.
two of the most intense young “free” dudes from different parts of the globe (kelley from boston, neilson from leeds) unite for this completely weird record, taking free music to a different level, recorded on top of eachother via mail. this sounds like moving the heaviest metal closet on a little rubber boat from brighton to the east coast of the united states, kicking off with a heavy free jazzy tune full of retarded trumpets stuffed with little babies screaming for a change slightly changing into ice cold acoustic metal scraping ambience. tons of different sounds to discover and very unclear whether they came out of a trumpet, a drumset, a mouth or a whale. comes in a black and silver fine line drawn cover by dennis tyfus. limited to 400 copies – sweet!
david vanzan, virginia genta, maurzio abate, luca massolin, paolo pascolo, ali de zan. rec. june 6th, 2009. welcome to the temple, where you’d see the sun and the moon… experience the eternal balance between day and night, good and evil… gatefold cover. very limited.
david vanzan – percussion, voice, bow harp, bass, anologue electronics. virginia genta – soprano sax, ocarina, flutes, marimba box, bells. maurizio abate – kalimba, zither, hurdy gurdy, tape delay. rec. during the age of the dragon. deep, esoteric stuff… red vinyl, various color inner sleeves. very limited.
filthy, ragged, drone-damage from the mastermind behind the insanely credible pseudoarcana label, and recently crowned third member of black boned angel. crackle and smoldering fuzz turn over and over on itself at ever more terrifying pace until everything within its gravitational grasp begins to smell of burning plastic. frightening, shamanic, and dare-i-suggest bluesy (think fushitsusha not gary moore!) yet set within a down-on-the-farm, antipodean, post-xpressway context. the future of drone. the future of rock. the future of goddamn everything!
neu’s third album repressed on super thick, 200g vinyl. ‘75 is a unique entry in neu’s discography, mainly due to the fact that the album was created while band was going through growing pains and creative differences (this was their last album till much later in the 80’s). it had been a few years since the second album, and keyboardist/guitarist michael rother had grown very fond of the ambient style, while his band-mate klaus dinger (ex-drummer for kraftwerk) preferred a more aggressive, rock sound. as a compromise, they decided to record one side of the record (side a) in the old neu! style with dinger on drums and rother on keys. side b however, was a much more radical change in style with dinger on lead guitar and vocals leading to a much more experimental punk sound. both sides are equally fantastic listens and together they give a great variety to the album, reminiscent to the varied styles found in some of their peers albums at the time (such as ‘faust iv’). to aid with performing on the album, and more importantly, live, hans lampe and brother thomas dinger were enlisted to help execute more music than was possible by two men. upon its release, and arguably to this day, ‘neu! ‘75’ is one of the most diverse records available from the krautrock scene. while this can be seen as a positive point, the differences in musical direction (as well as personal issues) not only isolated the dinger/rother duo, it isolated their already small fan base. neu! broke up (for the moment). excellent space-out music for the cosmic heads in original gatefold sleeve, and on extra-high grade vinyl too.
this is what can be called one of the major sensations in the raga influenced psychedelic/acid folk field. also some of the earliest recordings in this genre and hitherto unreleased. after the release of the light of day album in 1966 the now legendary pat kilroy and susan graubard went on with playing and creating music together. what you hear on this album is what they recorded for warner brothers in the summer of 1967, a true groundbreaking adventure of the highest order. they expanded in the direction they started in 1966 and the result is far beyond and superior to everything i heard from that time period before in this musical style except for tim buckley. no wonder that it didn’t come out at that time because those recordings were for sure far too adventurous for warner brothers and also for almost other leading music companies at the time. incredible — and i mean incredible raga influenced psychedelic/acid folk with some of the best songwriting i know of with monstrous lyrics and deep lead vocals. also a wide range of instruments were played like incredible raga-esque acoustic guitar, electric bass, spanish cowbells, bell tree, silver flute, bamboo flutes, viola, tamboura, conga drums, tables, acoustic and electric bass and tambourine. pat kilroy sadly died of hodgkin’s disease in december of 1967 at a very young age. if this record had a proper release at the time, it would be a major classic and a milestone today in the psychedelic history book. this cd release contains six superb never before released bonus tracks recorded at warner brothers studios and kpfa-fm radio station during 1967. be ready for an incredible musical trip along with an amazing, long and very intense story behind… brand new cd issue of this amazing archival release, with awesome bonus tracks!
new yaki is gown and partli cloudi, culled from fahey tributes, grain elevators, jazz vangaurds, and apartment recordings towering above blackball records. exotic drones and percussive memory loss. analog delayed reactions. also guests babel and matt o))) on a couple tracks. vintage folkwaste library covers, limited edition 69.
joanna newsom releases her first album since late 2006’s ys, making up for lost time with a disc for 2008, one for 2009 and one for today. featuring ryan francesconi and neal morgan from joanna’s ys street band, have one on me is an extravagantly packaged (and extravagantly nicely-priced) collection of fantastic new joanna newsom songs — her most colorful record to date… limited vinyl version with large format booklet.
stunning, rare as hell album from the rich zambian ‘zamrock’ scene from the ’70s — have you ever heard of this record before? the ngozi family (ngozi means danger, and dangerous is their music indeed!) were also the band backing for chrissy tembo on his now well-known my ancestors album. they released this one in 1977, and you’ll be amazed when you hear it if you’re somehow into hendrix, black sabbath, heavy psychedelia or afro psych-rock. most of the tracks on the lp follow that direction, and the rest enter the afrobeat sound — but most of it is fuzzy, heavy psych-rock as you can expect. this release has a surprising high quality sound and is limited to 600 copies only. one of the rarest rock albums of the whole world!!! get it while you can!!!
our first split cd, two complementary mini-albums merged into one mind-altering whole. philadelphia-based niagara falls follow up two fine cds on their own honeymoon music label with perhaps their most evocative electro-acoustic drones to date, an aural tour of a misty archipelago located just off the coast of dreamland; 3 tracks, 30 minutes. meanwhile, the clear spots roll up one of their most fried rural noise fatties yet, assembling various wreckage from last year’s successful orbital barn launch into an imposing edifice that towers over the scree on the far side of the ridge; 1 25-minute track in 4 parts.
sequence of prophets, the third full-length album from niagara falls, finds the band once again radically altering their instrumentation and composition methods. upon the exit of erich breimhurst and jeff carpineta, sam cusumano and noah levey joined norman fetter in the latest incarnation of the group. the trio of norman fetter (ex-golden ball) (percussion, keyboards, and guitar) noah levey (keyboards and guitar) and sam cusumano (synthesizers and electronics) self-recorded the album in spring of 2008 at the band’s own honeymoon compound in the fishtown section of philadelphia, which has also been home to espers, golden ball, ex reverie, fursaxa, sharron kraus, heather leigh murray and christina carter. on the opening track, flatlands, the band employs a cacophony of insect nosies, long sustained keyboard drones, and tribal drumming, as well as sam cusumano’s hand-made acousto-electric devices and circuit-bent keyboards, to create a symphony of fluctuating electronic weather patterns. sequence of prophets is an illustratration of the band’s journey from free-form improvisation towards a more solid sonic anatomy. calling to mind the early experimental albums of tangerine dream and popol vuh, niagara falls has created a new synthesis of ambient new age experimentalism and neo noise. limited edition of 500.
ninni morgia: guitar, bass, el.autoharp, el.sitar, keyboard, percussion, kalimba. daniel carter: saxophones, trumpet, clarinet, flute, voice. jeff arnal: drums, percussion, thumb piano. brooklyn-based guitarist ninni morgia (quivers, the right moves), in this occasion with multi-instrumentalist daniel carter, one of the most active and talented musicians of new york’s free jazz community, who has played, among others, with: sun ra, sunny murray, test, matthew shipp, other dimensions in music, plastic ono band… and drummer/percussionist jeff arnal, create a beautiful mix of psychedelic free jazz and indian raga with a wide range of instruments like thumb piano, kalimba, bells, gongs, all centered around morgia’s versatile guitar work, previously compared to great masters like keiji haino, sonny sharrock and hendrix. on the various tracks of this 2lp, morgia’s guitar goes from miles-electric style funky-wah and the acid trips of jerry garcia, to the fury of haino and sharrock, and finally reaches the ecstatic visions of the great kosmische bands popol vuh and ash ra tempel. the record has been mastered by audio wizard scott colburn (sun city girls, magik markers, animal collective).
not too long ago, john clyde-evans made a huge splash with his phenomenal solo lp on england’s fisheye imprint. he also performed as an collaborator with the seminal uk group, hood. after taking a seven year hiatus and committing to the path of sikhism, he returned as tirath singh nirmala. his continually unfolding backstory is interesting enough, but it’s his music where the real magic and mystery stretch their silver wings. nirmala returned to making music after his close friend and collaborator, vibracathedral orchestra’s neil campbell, gave him some free software and set him on his way. nirmala responded with nearly a dozen self-released, highly limited cdrs. the releases were filled to the brim with eastern-influenced, transcendental drones and uplifting spiritual sound explorations. his manipulation of sine waves and use of obscure asian instruments creates a wholly original and unique sound. as on his solo lp as john clyde-evans, nirmala’s ability to concoct sprawling, majestic drones using such simple terms is unmatched.”bluster, cragg, & awe,” nirmala’s first non-cdr release, is the perfect beginning. it collects the best tracks from those now impossible-to-find releases and adds one new song and one collaborative piece with scottish guitar guru, richard youngs. it is a journey that lasts less than an hour, but contains a lifetime of aural experience, wrapped into one, shimmering golden package. oh yes, tirath singh nirmala has returned.
from elevated drones to gut-spit vocal edits, blown woodwinds and heavy electronics, this is one of the finest summations of music made in ‘the tirath era’ – english artist john clyde-evans has retired his tirath singh nirmala name and now flies under the jce banner. tirath/john has also recently worked with neil campbell in astral social club, released a collaborative lp with richard youngs, and was previously a member of the hood crew. edition of 100.
another well-smoked slab of glorious “what the fuck?” by visionary caterwaulers of chaos and ex-chicago blues cruisers, no doctors. equal parts backwards boogie and straight skullfucking confusion, “t-bone pt. 1″ stomps one through hard and thick, slinging broken barn-boned riffs that collide head on with sputtering cross-eyed measures of brilliance and back again. “t-bone pt. 2″ ensues after a quick flip to side b as you and your square-minded notions are slapped straight in the face with a wet hose spewing talkin box (!) snarl and ultimately delivers your blown mind on a broken piece of hobo-stew stained porcelain.” – noel von harmonson (comets on fire). “like the grateful dead and royal trux, no doctors possess the ability to start off playing the most rudimentary of folk forms and then subtly shift into exploded, free-form sonic excursions.” – justin f. farrar (east bay express).
recorded close to the group’s inception in 1994, languid red marchetti is the nnck sound in its empirical form, rhythmically a-linear and fundamentally abstract. while nnck would go on to become a seven piece performing group, recording and touring extensively, this recording documents a smaller group of four original members engaged in the hermetically sealed sonic exploration which best locates their aesthetic origins. from the group’s statement on languid red marchetti: ‘a proto-intuitive latihan of feedback + pre-scaffold juxtaposition of layers which would come to constitute edifice, and eventually dwelling. where we would soon occupy this sound, it here was a force in and of itself, its directionless propulsion compounding into substance and landscape.’ this deluxe edition planam lp comes with a nnck generated essay on sound imaging through improvisation and is packaged in a full color jacket depicting ‘the hypothetical dissolve/corruption + subsequent inevitable repetition of suprematism.’ edition limited to 340 copies, with full-color cover, infra-suprematist inner sleeve and ultra-liner notes insert by keith connolly.
recorded close to the group’s inception in 1994, languid red marchetti is the nnck sound in its empirical form, rhythmically a-linear and fundamentally abstract. while nnck would go on to become a seven piece performing group, recording and touring extensively, this recording documents a smaller group of four original members engaged in the hermetically sealed sonic exploration which best locates their aesthetic origins. from the group’s statement on languid red marchetti: ‘a proto-intuitive latihan of feedback + pre-scaffold juxtaposition of layers which would come to constitute edifice, and eventually dwelling. where we would soon occupy this sound, it here was a force in and of itself, its directionless propulsion compounding into substance and landscape.’ this deluxe edition planam lp comes with a nnck generated essay on sound imaging through improvisation and is packaged in a full color jacket depicting ‘the hypothetical dissolve/corruption + subsequent inevitable repetition of suprematism.’ edition limited to 340 copies, with full-color cover, infra-suprematist inner sleeve and ultra-liner notes insert by keith connolly.
the first release of dokuro is the 7″ of nodolby, two tracks of guitar ferocity melted with blasted synths and tape manipulation of howling voices. the b side featured the droning trumpets played by demis da rold. the art work was drawed and curated by merlo and hand printed by canedicoda. nodolby is the sound’s onanist expression of michele scariot (part-time lover of emanuele “kabu” bortoluzzi in the electronic combo ent) , he run this project privately since ‘98, during all these years nodolby was like a slumbering creature that wait in his lair the right moment to attack you. his sound archive goes from guitar abuse to computer scorias through turntable detonations and it will be release in the future by dokuro… purple vinyl edition of only 66 copies.
as a wee lad – i would make these treks up to portland from my smaller home-town down south – i’d hit these spots like the x-ray and thee o hell cafe – and suburbia – and catch all these weirdos doing their thing – i saw jacike o motherfucker, smegma, daniel menche – all the og motherfuckers here in puddletown – . and i saw noggin – who were probably the least forgiving, most punishing slab of skree my virgin ears had heard – seriously rough guitar/violin scrapes and feedback – i still don’t have any idea how they made all of the sounds they pulled out of those little twigs – fast forward ten plus years, and i’m a bit older and making a small racket of my own – we’re on tour with gang wiz and playing up in bellingham, wa with noggin – all are stoked. the noggin bros rock up with no amps and two violin cases – so – now noggin’s as abrasive as ever, but totally acoustic – now – a few years further down the road – and jyrk is releasing their return to electric playing, which is a great amalgam of their intense electric skree and their acoustic athletics. all smashed up into this lil cdr – edition of 150.
nonhorse is the solo act of gabriel lucas crane from wooden wand & the vanishing voice and this is his debut album. on haraam, piles of mysterious old cassettes are used as source material to create magic in a stunning way over 42 moody minutes. different audio fragments on top of each other, over and over again, hand-mixed and orchestrated at what feels like must have been ritualistic tape laborations taken place somewhere where the sun never shines. various echoes from the past are buried under layers and layers of manipulated voices, train signals, animal sounds and god knows what. abrupt endings which burns like fire in your head. churches in flames, the soundtrack to the house with the laughing windows played backwards, alien autopsys, cemetery fog, total devestation – haraam is a beautiful junkyard nightmare, a horrifying and atmospheric album. 13 songs. mastered by pete swanson.
g lucas crane. the breakdancer. g lucas crane. the tapemanipulator. g lucas crane. the new york city guide. g lucas crane brings us a 60 minutes roundtrip of weird fidelities and strange sounds. i enclose what the mind of lucas communicated me through resonating electric wires. i wrote down this given information using the technique of automatic writing: “its tape one in the goblin universe series. the rare zero tape is the only tape to survive the arson of rozwell labs 2029. it was one of 6, the rare one through rare 6 were all holding sound patterns corresponding to analysis levels, the audio detritus left over from mental examinations. the exposure to these tapes responds to latent interdimentional experiances, womb style, aeomeba style. the silver disk is the symbol of the gobiln universe and altered opened mind in general. its yer “classic” unidentified flying object. a smooth, silver disk that turns pink red orange hues when its about to punch through off into the multiverse. apparently, it also turns blueish purpleish when landing. awesome mode! anyway. the rare zero tape survived and was taken to the quarentine site in los alamos nv, approching the rare zero tape causes an audiable “swarm of bees” sound to increase in anger and intensity the closer one gets. touching the rare zero tape with skin causes negative aura proxisms and results in instant death. listening to the rare zero tape does not kill, just touching the original. a military robot was charged with dubing the master and sending it to you. it is the sound of perliminary examination. the further 6 levels have been lost. good god.
ecstatic worship from the south australian crater cult… really great ecstatic string drone plus thumping drums kinda thing… in the usual totally amazing black petal packaging. nice one.
and so it ends where it began (well, almost). “mud dragons” is a vast departure from those backporch folk tunes of yore. rivers of sludge and silver clouds of analog electronics are the modus here. it’s deconstructionism at work, and still, i am the north sea. the end. 99 copies… the final foxglove release!
two ten minute tracks come smeared across this tape from brad rose’s the north sea. drone music, slowly shifting, and peppered with acoustic folk-oriented instruments and percussion, hinting at this artist’s background, but obviously looking forward to a drastic change in sound that is obvious from his recent releases under this project as well as activity in ajilvsga. color digital printing on a royal arsenal of metallic vellums; silver, gold, plum, purple. 2-panel j-card, 1 panel of real marble, an internal horizontal obi, and silver labels. edition of 100 on hi-bias chrome tapes.
it’s been a long time since i released some of my own music, but i felt such a personal attachment to this album that i wanted to get it out immediately. this is also conveniently known as ‘the tanpura album,’ as every track features the instrument used in some way. this is music for baking in the clay deserts of the frontier. it is for the back-alley snake charmers in the streets of bangalore. it is the sound of the bengali dawn, with its tribal rituals and ancient sage spirits. there’s nothing else left to conjure. 100 copies.
anyone familiar with the extensive north sea discography is aware of brad rose’s keen ability to mix it up between eastern-tinged folk instrumentals and more straightforward strummers, which usually feature rose’s classic low-in-the-mix mumble-drunk vocals and charmingly loose playing. “nikolette (reborn)” finds him revising a beautiful, quivering folk song from 2007’s baby blue bones cd (mymwly) with the more-confident-than-ever vocals now at the forefront, and an army of acoustic strings and hand percussion backing this boxtop prophet’s hymn. corsican paintbrush’s contribution follows suit, foregrounding eden hemming rose’s soft, lilting vocal melody and some rhythm-keeping strums while keeping a lush, hazy swell of drones and cave-echo vocals as the backdrop. equally ethereal and dusty, like 4ad dream-pop marred by dirt under fingernails and ash from the campfire turning cheeks black. black 7″ vinyl record has a hand-stamped center label, and comes packaged in a textured black art paper sleeve with flower petal inclusions, with line-drawings and stamped titles in white ink, and an embossed screenprinted insert featuring liner notes and a topographic street map of tulsa. limited edition hand-numbered to 300… loose 7inch from the tryst haunt subscription series.
brad rose of digitalis has been busting the north sea jams for quite sometime, and in the last year or so its developed from being a luscious garden, to a complete metallic desert of industrial waste land, christian bale and his co-stars would probably feel at home with this being the soundtrack to the next terminator flick, and who knows, maybe it will be? the a side, cyclones, is a pure doom soaked 11 minute beast. side b’s milk money is a fuzz layered nightmare of scolding blowtorches burning at your face and mind… intense and bleak. bleak forestry cover art, pro dubbed cassettes, limited to 100 copies.
this is the first official solo full-length release from tulsa’s the north sea (brad rose). rose is easily one of the free-folk movement’s busiest exponents, splitting his time between running the digitalis and foxglove labels, the foxy digitalis webzine and writing his own music under a variety of different monikers with a host of collaborators. somehow, he has found the time to craft exquisite idols, which elegantly follows a hugely acclaimed collaboration with uk’s rameses iii, night of the ankou. however, whereas night of the ankou explored both acts’ occasional leanings towards ambience and drone, exquisite idols shows rose digging deep into the dusty vaults of his american heritage and drumming up an album dripping with blues, folk and free experimentation. this is folk music as played from a snow-drift in tulsa, in a midwest wasteland or a forgotten forest drenched in moonlight. it is personal, secluded and almost lonely, but rose never allows the melancholy to take over. from the jubilant opening crackles of “eternal birds” right up until the rockin’ stomp of “feather-cloaked silver priestess,” there is the distinct feeling that although this might be labeled free folk, there’s a barn somewhere full of like-minded drunkards waiting eagerly to get dancing on them there hay-bales. just flip to the rip-roaring folk stomp of “take it from me brother moses,” take a swig of moonshine and let your feet do the talking. exquisite idols is an album steeped in tradition, yet its greatness comes from rose’s ability to absorb other cultures so easily — there are traces of indian traditional music, greek music and more, all hidden within the cacophony of banjo, guitar and clanging percussion. this is what sets him apart from his contemporaries and makes his music so absorbing… limited vinyl version.
brad rose as been channeling some seriously heavy vibes lately. picking up where ajilvsga left off, rose spews forth even more thick unholy shimmer. hints of past pursuits loom just beneath the surface, lush forest drones are completely overpowered by caustic metallic doom. c30 edition of 100.
brad rose joins the black petal family, with contributions from valerio cosi. tender earth-bound songs for hand and hoof eventually grow wings and scramble straight into the core of the sun. cdr with handpainted covers… very limited & out of print.
you thought you knew what digitalis industry honcho brad rose played the bouzouki? well, you haven’t this set of recordings yet. thought lost in the postal system or perhaps at the bottom of a pile of packages on some other label’s desk, it is now time for this incredible acoustic document to be unleashed. reverbed-out folk tunes at their finest. this release is housed in a sturdy cardboard package, stamped with the north sea seal, and contains a printed insert and a non-spraypainted cd-r (cuz brad hates that stuff)… very limited.
grey-area exact lp repro edition, originally released on fahey’s takoma label in 1967. charlie nothing was the fractured-psyche pseudonym of author, organic farmer, beekeeper and philosopher/clown charles martin simon, inventor of the dingulator (guitar sculptures made out the metal from american cars). the psychedelic saxophone of charlie nothing made
a minor splash in the european free jazz melting pot upon its initial release, but the albums non-dingulating psych sax improvisation, accompanied by gong, conga drum and banjo (supposedly borrowed from tiny tim), is highly sought-after by the adventurous and heavily medicated. limited to 500 copies.
one of the newest and most surprising discoveries in the 60’s & 70’s rock rarities field, this caused big hype among collectors in the last months. certainly easy to understand, as it’s an ace album no one had heard of before. guitarist william nowik recorded this obscure instrumental record back in 1974 in the ny area. psychedelic, progressive, very early floyd sounding at times, crimson-esque, and a kind of sound that reminds on the british early 70’s underground but with an experimental, trippy touch. fourteen tracks in total, but played and arranged in suites. seems that only 200 copies were pressed and never distributed, so it has taken 35 years to be discovered for the first time. this wonderful reissue comes with the intended original artwork (it came out in green and black cover instead of the black and white that william wanted), has nice remastered sound and includes an insert with rare unseen photos and extended liner-notes.
finland and new zealand meets again on this second collaborative album from uton and antony milton (first one under the nthnthsthsth moniker was released as a limited cdr on celebrate psi phenomenon back in 2004). a perfect clash of two beautiful worlds over 2 sidelong tracks divided into several shorter segments. layers of majestic droning sounds, field recordings, voices, guitars, percussion… full colour artwork by jani hirvonen and liner notes by jon dale. limited to 520 copies.
continuing in the series, nudge deliver a smoky dirge perfect for autumn. lineup consists of honey owens (of valet, former jomf) alongside brian foote and paul dickow (ex-fontanelle, foote et al) – limited to 214 copies in a sweet embossed, hand-stamped, sewn art paper jacket.
number none’s tentacles stretch out deep into the deepest depths of the wild oceans crawling along deformed creatures deprived of all oxygen who get some heavy hallucinating going ending into a tranquil state of sonic watery bliss. each copy comes with handmade papercut of a green exotic looking squidopus. numbered edition of 65 copies…. looong gone one.
great, causal yet commanding drones from this chicago duo. extremely well done twilight ghost drones. there’s something really unnerving about these subterranean transmissions – like landing on a newly discovered planet, and realising it’s all quicksand – edition of 50.
numinous eye is an improvised psychadelic-cosmic-noise-rock project based around mason jones (trance), and generally featuring the participation of various collaborators. side a is from a live set in tokyo at the end of 2005, with koji shimura (acid mothers temple, high rise, mainliner, white heaven) on drums and higo hiroshi (friction, shibusashirazu orchestra) on bass. side b was recorded live in the studio with chris van huffle (ex-subarachnoid space, gay barbarians, etc) on drums. limited to 490 copies on orange vinyl with insert and sticker.
the first release from new guitar-drum duo featuring ex-subarachnoid space guitarist mason jones. this one’s with drummer mike shoun (ex-caesura, prismatics). long, noise-psych-drone-rock tracks perhaps echoing fushitsusha, but with a bit more rock. in a cardstock folder jacket, hand-printed with a linoblock print cover.
the debut by roope from avarus, pylon and maniacs dream. nuslux plays good-humoured and chilled out electronic minimalism by mostly self-built analogue instruments. on this cd-r you can also hear some violin and the last sounds of a now passed out old yamaha sampler. the result is a celebration of sound waves, dry pulses, and harsh harmonies. the main mission is to try to get (back) near the listeners ear. this cd-r contains the very best 14 short songs of the enthusiastic and productive first sessions in the spring 2007. edition of 200.
100% minimalistic short circuit grooves! the pots of two d.i.y. oscillators are placed in three glasses of water to create parallel and random pulses and beats. the result is brutal, cheesy, funny and minimalistic dance party. probably the best nuslux item so far! … way out sounds from roope of avarus!
two solo pieces for voice and reel to reels (well one also has oscillator), plus one interlude. includes the first ever solo live joint. like if terry riley had down syndrome when he hooked up his time-lag accumulator. ‘like he was being eaten alive by goblins.’ – audience member.
forty-four short poems for amusement and contemplation, hand-bound and packaged as a “cd without a cd.” compiled from several years-worth of word experiments and traditional american pseudo-haiku. populated mosaics wonders, for one, “what do things look like from above?” … really sweet little book from elephant micah mastermind. recommended reading.
proof that there´s still excellent albums out there to discover. drawing mainly on artrock and early light-prog aesthetics, o.w.l deliver an ambitious song cycle which at its best transforms into dazzling psychedelia. a pro-level recording and elaborate arrangements that utilize keyboards, flute, vibes and multi-tracked male vocals make for an appealing surface, and unlike the typical moody blues derivates, there´s lots of personality and depth. the mood is cerebral and refined, but the commitment and songwriting should impress even those with no immediate love for the genre (like me). the dominating style is dreamy melodic prog-rock like the british album spring, but the vocal style and ghostly soundscape may at times recall freeborne and time on shadoks, while the chamber music intimacy reflects a possible pearls before swine influence. there´s more keyboard than guitar, which is typical for the style. impressive on many levels, with hypnotic eastern lysergia on “midnight carnival”, the album´s epic center-piece. the artist was formerly with the pre-lp mountain bus, and recorded this as the first in a projected series of albums. – patrick lundborg, author of the acid archives… of wondrous legends is a chicago baroque psych classic recovered from the dustbins of history. to the few who have heard it, it has earned comparisons to tim buckley, pearls before swine, and 60s british prog-folk. o.w.l was founded in 1968 on chicago’s north side by stephen titra. a founding member of the beloved midwestern hippie jam band mountain bus, titra left that band just as their dead-inspired, bluesy jams gained serious regional traction in order to fully devote himself to the inward looking, singular vision of o.w.l. of wondrous legends was recorded at chicago’s universal studios over a six month stretch in 1971 and a handful of test pressings were produced and circulated, but despite serious interest from a number of major labels, this gem went unreleased. the passage of time only further helped ensure the album’s place in near total obscurity until a copy of one of the test pressings was unearthed in a chicago junk shop in 2004. following several years of collaborative efforts on this lost epic, of wondrous legends now sees its first public release after some 35 years of obscurity. mastered from the original source tapes. features copious liner notes and vintage photos. 180gm limited vinyl pressing.
the first full-length album from east coast doom lords ocean. three rogue waves clocking in at a full 65 fathoms, unleashed with the deep low-end drone of sunn o))), burzum’s screams, the crushing heaviness of buried at sea, and the art rock of mogwai. slothful and suffocating. includes a non-cd bonus track-a cover of the cure’s “siamese dream.”… deluxe uk import of the out of print important label release. portland maine’s finest doom unit! silver embossed cover, 180gm splatter purple vinyl. limited edition.
KOHOUTEK ~ HAIR ON THE SIDEWALK ~ dvdr & cdr (sockets)
whilst chilling on a train i got an email from this guy vincent who is “v” about maybe doing a release for him and i checked it out and damn it sounded good… folk-spectral-ether drone… a real nice blur of field recordings, various instruments and far out vocal… after many disasters with masters and file downloads, and months on this is finally coming out… its one helluva hazy starry summer night trip.” limited to 50 copies in envelopes with pasted on paisley embossed paper, and insert.
deep space cosmic whisperings, prog spirals and sonic exorcisms minced into a dense narcotic fog of melodic guitars, bowed strings, keyboard mutilations and spectral murmurs, slowly creepy from the speakers to flood the room with trance vibrations, occasionally lifting itself up into clatterings of drum and bone, or prayer like voicings. there is a visual quality to this music, a narrative flow, like bearing witness to strange events, creepy and portentous – more sweet mystery sounds. nice full color covers.
long out of printed. numbered to 50 copies.
the richest hues, soaked in heavy decay. the brightest tones, steeped in analog fuzz and digital fog. the sound of one hand waving away the smoke from a burning bush. this new cd-r from (vxpxc) stacks layers of analog and digital keyboards with looping guitars and voices, and peppers the whole mix with a slew of acoustic instruments (from banjos to accordions to violins). this cd-r is protected from the forces of nature by a black plastic clamshell perfectly matched with industrial photos by andrew smrz… quite limited.
long out of print, last copy.
out of print. one copy only.
brand new cdr from trio of grant capes, justin mcinteer and tim goodwillie recorded in la. wavering multi instrumental folk-psyche-drone jams across 4 tracks, total bliss! again comes in the same lightweight paper as the wwvv with fold out all over artwork by darryl norsen. limited to 110 handnumbered copies. this was previously intended to be a cassette, but the band decided they wanted a cdr instead… very limited.
after their monster 3xcdr set from earlier this year, we just knew that one day the los angeles-based (vxpxc) would steal our little hearts. on this, their final session of 2005, these boy wonders extricate spacious, intricate compositions from the spiral galaxy drones of yesteryear. a vast array of instrumentation provide the perfect canvas for these majestic spells. this is music that grows from the roots, falling head-first into the icy tendrils of the new dawn. their voices pierce the organ murk and guitar expanses like lonesome souls begging to be freed. this is magical toward oblivion.
the 1972 debut album by turkish ethno psych-rockers 3 hur-el. the three hür-el brothers, onur (bass), haldun (drums, percussion) and feridun (saz-guitar + vocals), were one of the very few turkish groups at the time not playing covers, but only self-penned compositions. having played together for their whole life (other projects included trio istanbul, biraderler, alizeler, and oguzlar, and all three brothers were members of the selçuk alagoz orchestra), they formed 3 hur-el in the late 1960’s, releasing two wonderful albums as their all-too-brief recording legacy. feridun created the double-neck saz-guitar (a combination of electric saz and electric guitar in the same body), and haldun’s drum set was an assemblage of darbukas (a turkish percussive instrument also used in north africa and the arabian peninsula) in different sizes, made by the copper masters of the beyazit bazaar in istanbul! the hür-el debut is a brilliant set of turkish ethno-influenced folk-rock with a psychedelic progressive feel, some great electric guitar and fantastic eastern percussion. this very rare album is now available again on vinyl (the cd version on world psychedelia also in stock), with remastered sound from the original mastertapes. includes an insert with detailed liner notes and photos.
this is the second album by turkish ethno psych-rockers 3 hür-el, originally released in 1976 on the diskötur label. comprised of three brothers, onur (bass), haldun (drums, percussion) and feridun hürel (saz-guitar, vocals), they were one of the very few, if not the only, turkish groups at the time not doing any covers, but only self-penned compositions. hürel arsivi is an absolute killer of an album and easily one of the top turkish psych records ever released. it has a more western feel, with brother feridun here infected by a fuzz-virus and his own two-arm guitar (one for guitar, one for saz). also there’s much more heavy drums than percussion, in an astounding blend of psychedelic rock and traditional turkish instrumentation, and of course, plenty of distorted fuzz guitar and electric saz. includes an insert with detailed liner notes and photos.
the first public appearance pairing christian henjes and juergen gleue (inspired by and with names derived from lsd-25, they would become ch-39 and jg-39) was in 1976, at the dada nova (a space occupied by otto mühl’s aao commune) in midtown hannover, germany. dada nova would be a space of enduring clash. from the subtlety of a shat upon organ to the ejection from communal meetings by bodily force, the aao would display that the presence of the 39 clocks was one of their constant grief. known for pranksterism and the destruction of the clubs in which they would perform, friction in every form would continually follow the band. in 1979 they were thrown out of a show in kassel at dokumenta (their sounds had disturbed joseph beuys). they created an outrage (they wrote a tune with the title “art minus idiots”) at the filmtage hannover with their avant-garde super 8 movies made under the disguise of director zachius lipschitz. rumour claims that at a hannover show at the cafe glocksee, they played the vacuum cleaner and a circular saw instead of guitars, and there was even a knife throwing incident in bremen. inspired, then, clearly, by protest in the broadest and most romantic sense (they wrote a tune with the title “radical student mob in satin boots”) their’s was a sound attuned to classic american punk / nuggets. although, this is not bomp rock; theirs was a thrust that purposed deconstruction and reassembly in the most modern sense. this collection was put together with the non completeist in mind (originals of some of these records are as rare as italian underwear), intending to display the general 39 clocks vibe, but also some of their more curious wrinkles. and as the clocks were always interested in where they were going and not where they’d been, the chronology here is strictly reversed. diedrich diedrichsen wrote the first review of the band (in spex), and we at destijl are very pleased to have had him scribe liner notes.
50 foot women is a san francisco-based duo with jessi leigh swenson and elaine barry kahn. swenson is known for her trance-forming work with the believers and duck, kahn is a wild card. combined, they create and destroy small forms with the ease of kettle fish.
a two part experimental acoustic guitar offering funneled through a train load of pedals and effect and then ejected from a marshall 1/2 stack performed by michael gibbons of bardo pond (and all things philadelphia and psychedelic). recorded by myself in 2007 at the worlds nosiest book store bigjar in philly. the cd edition comes housed in a slightly taller sleeve with two color silk screen work by alan sherry of siwa on a heavyweight 140lb paper. the front cover is die cut with an inserted picture from the performance printed on vellum, all hand glued and assembled by myself. edition of 500… nice one & beautifully packaged.
reissue of first 6majik9 disc, previously available on foxglove.
more brothers of the occult sisterhood related psych drone goodness. nice hand painted covers.
cosmic jewels and meditation jams by the musicyourmindwillloveyou tribe. 6majik9 creates a path of sound experiments in the australian bush and brings us some moody soundscapes of short acid melodies. come with the guru in this psychedelic and tribal journey – limited to 93 copies.
the latest offering of psych/sludge from the only real band in the universe. at times space travel, air decorations, or pleading sufferance.
interviews with book of am, ed yazijian, geoff mullen, ghosting. art and words by ilyas ahmed, juan arkotxa, tara burke, darrell buxton, tom carter, cybele collins, sara czerny, bart de paepe, paul grimes, jani hirvonen, phil legard, samara lubelski, leslie mackenzie, marja mikkonen, thurston moore, roberto opalio, zachery reno, matt valentine. silkscreened coverfrogs by colleen kinsella… very sweet little read! recommended.
a middle sex? who the fuck are a middle sex i hear you cry… one of the best out there bands in the uk that nearly no one knows, totally ruling manchester duo of phil and karl. fluxing between minimal scrape and pound rhythms to noisy tumbling weird jamzzz using there trashed guitar, drums and electronics, with the odd weird vocal splatter thrown in. this is fresh from the jungles of manchester… it really gives me a jungle vibe – you’ll see what i mean. colour sleeve, edition of 55.
another hot jammer from the session in the fall 2007 from the trio of steffan deturck, jan-m. iversen and sindre bjerga. blissful drones, crackling electro-accoustics… this should have been out last year, but we didn’t want to flood the market haha.. small edition on 1-sided “ecological” tapes…
mysterious finnish psych folk is a cool deluxe cardboard package. limited to 120 copies.
out of print. one copy only.
the band abstract truth existed only for a very short time, but it was a time of super-creativity. they exploded on to the durban music scene early in 1969, released 2 studio albums during 1970 on emi, which we have here. the 3rd album cool sounds for heads is only a compilation of these 2 lps. ken e. henson on guitar & vocals / peter measroch on piano, organ, flute, harpsichord & vocals / george wolfaardt on bass, flute, drums & vocals / sean bergin on sax & flute. silver trees is a milestone in south african music among bands like freedoms children, astra and third eye. musically it follows the same routes as uk bands like bloodwin pig, traffic, spooky tooth and many others. progressive underground of the best kind, with organ, guitars, flutes, sax and great vocals, sometimes with zappa-style guitar solos… from south africa, 1970. edition of 500 numbered lps, matte heavy gatefold sleeve, 180gm pressing.
ken e henson on guitar, vocals and sitar / robbie pavid on percussion / brian gibson on bass & vocals / sean bergin on sax & flute. excellent early ’70s melodic wistful freak-rock, blended with african sounds featuring assorted instruments: keyboards, flutes, electric guitars, saxophone, percussion, etc. a refreshing approach with an eastern touch. if you like uk bands such as quintessence, if and blodwin pig, this album goes in the same direction. it is more trippy/stoned and acoustic than the silver trees album… from south africa, 1970. edition of 500 numbered lps, glossy heavy sleeve, 180gm pressing.
a mountain of melodie and shimmering strings makes a ghostly trail under sweet vocal clouds with percussion eruption and hot vapor guitar.
acid mother’s temple’s glorify astrological martyrdom is sure to appeal to the myriad amt fans who have made crystal rainbow pyramid a new fan favorite. professionally recorded mega riffage for a super defined clean sound. kawabata and company deliver this focused rock explosion full of hyper repetitive heavy hooks and freaked out pitched up vocals. cover art by seldon hunt… tour only lp, very limited stock.
mysterious woods bootleg. four beautiful acoustic versions of “rain on”, “twisted tongue”, “to clean” and “the number”. one sided, white label twelve inch with a pasted-on cover image. very limited, origins unclear… awesome little document and sure to not hang around long. recommended.
rich in energy culled from the land surrounding, an eternal glow emanates from its center. from the place that gave birth to the mighty keijo comes aekie. the sound of groaning trees sparks new life on this album as aekie, who is an integral member of vapaa, takes flight in the summer rain. when the room gets uncomfortably quiet, he fills the air with humming drones fit for a king. in the darkness, he moves majestically. in the light, he is born. numbered edition of 115 copies.
over the last few years brandon nickel has been honing his sound and making a name for himself with the, as of recent, very impressive isounderscore label. not afraid to embrace technology, aemae sounds is at times restrained, and at times a whirling maelstrom of ones and zeros, yet always carefully constructed, each release taking months of editing and re-editing. here the sound falls into the later, more intense mode of aemae, and a fitting way to retire the name, as mr. nickel is using his own name to perform under. comprised of edited live material, yet the heightened composure is still evident. the a-side is a lot of gear, screaming at each other more or less really, digital mulch. the flip offers a slightly more restrained sound, and could be visually compared to a sheer obsidian cliff on a foreign planet where the air is ten times the density of our own planet, the geological formation slowly rising along the horizon until it falls off the edge. silver offset ink on metallic black stock, 2-panel j-card. edition of 111 copies on hi-bias chrome tapes.
a new collection of material culled from recordings made in 2004 through 2007, mostly at the blueberry studio space in brattleboro vt. aethr myth’d members and some local guests in a sprawling unformed free process. this disc was made to be available on the band’s recent east coast usa tour, limited to 200 hand assembled copies. next planned shows will be at various random stops in europe.
afcgt = 3 parts a-frames + 2 parts climax golden twins. this is a vinyl release of their self release cdr that was limited to about 75 copies. those lucky enough to have heard that cdr, along with those who have caught one of this beast live in the past year know just what to expect. not quite as robotic and structured as the a-frames, not quite as loose nor remotely as mellow as the twins ever are. raw, noisy, dirty, psyched out punk rock. this record is in the red all the way through, and by the end your speakers should be nearly as blown out as the amps used to record these tracks. this is a supergroup set to lay waste to all other supergroups. pressed in an edition of 550 on 180 gram white vinyl. packaged in a tip-on style gatefold jacket with silk-screened art.
debut release from this mystery industrial-psych unit with triangle points resting in greenpoint, bushwick & ridgewood, nj. imagined soundtracks for malaria-induced fever dreams. full color paste-on covers, limited to 215 numbered copies.
age of disinformation is a lucid nightmare supergroup featuring members of dallas/denton/ft. worth area ensembles great tyrant, zanzibar snails, yells at eels, tidbits, subkommander & aphonic curtains. at midnight on may 23, 2008, surrealist impresario aaron gonzalez assembled a 6-piece ambient group called age of disinformation, billing the event in advance as “an improvisation on the current state of psychological and spiritual breakdown as it relates to viral ecosystems of economies of information.” those were the only instructions the incoming players received. the end result: a 47-minute cloud of transmogrifying cadmium clouds with mercury lining, mutated voices meshing with dark electronic scree tempered by beautifying moments of translucent cognition, paving the way for the formation of the eternal unimind. the way to evolution is …. disinformation? limited edition 200 cdr, featuring design by nevada hill based on a collage by aaron gonzalez.
i’m going to keep this short and sweet. ilyas ahmed is incredible. born in pakistan and raised in new jersey, he now plies his trade in portland, oregon. “between two skies” and “towards the night” is where it all began. released in criminally limited editions of 50 copies each, both albums are now fully remastered by pete swanson and repackaged in beautiful gatefold jackets from stumptown printers. also included are extended liner notes from david keenan. i think he sums up both these albums best: “call it abandon, a facility for letting go, for moving on; either way ahmed’s music is *gone*. and all we have are the recordings, scattered notes to prove that he once existed and felt it all as deeply and miraculously as any of us. and right now, from wher ei’m calling from, i wouldn’t ask for anything more.” ahmed’s original voice is a welcome addition to an oversaturated aural world. he has gone on to put out numerous self-released cdrs as well as a new cd/lp on time-lag. but in the beginning there were these. what “between two skies” and “towards the night” make crystal clear is that his vision and his voice were there from the very beginning… much needed reissue of these two great cds. sweet packaging too. highly recommended!
portland, or. bedroom wanderer ilyas ahmed emerges from the shadows and offers up his first new batch of songs in some time. over a year in the making, ‘goner’ sees ahmed telescoping his previous acoustic wanderings into fuzzed out rockers and a hypnotic set of beautifully tight knit nocturnes. the whole things kicks off with a massive rush to the head called ‘earn your blood’ which has ilyas effortlessly channeling any number of stoned out trajectories found in a topanga canyon ditch circa mid 70’s. massive waves of hiss still penetrate the mix, and so do the smeared vocal trails, it’s just that it’s all a little more in focus this time around. the comedown into ‘exit twilight’ with grouper at the helm is a haunting broadcast that will for sure knock around in your skull for days. edition of 1000 cd’s in an offset buff case with maroon ink… awesome.
improvised guitar & drums racket, released 30.3.2006.
jason ajemian is perhaps best known as 1/2 of the magical born heller (w/ josephine foster). ajemian also plays in a number of excellent jazz ensembles throughout chicago (like dragons 1976). but on”love songs invade your mind too,” ajemian steps to the forefront and does nothing but impress. over the course of nine tracks, ajemian shows that true power of a love son. now, these aren’t your typical sappy affairs, these are songs extracted from deep within ajemian’s smitten soul. using little more than upright bass and voice, ajemian’s stark incantations are deeply affecting. ajemian’s approach here couldn’t be simpler. but his talent and ability morph these pieces into something grandiose and magnificent. you don’t find honesty like this anymore. 100 copies.
ajilvsga is brad rose and nathan young, and blood nocturnes is their second full-length disc of prehistoric freakouts documented for a postmodern age. from twin-guitar-noise bonfire immolation roaring at midnight on the open plains, to tranced-out percussive acoustics recorded in secret deep in the bowels of the earth. don your ceremonial animal skins and join the ruckus. five tracks, 38 minutes.
near passerine devotionals is a new, vinyl-only label residing near toronto, ontario, canada. for our debut release, npd is proud to deliver this mammoth caustic-drone masterpiece from oklahoma’s native sons, ajilvsga (brad rose – he who runs the digitalis imprint, and nathan young – not the wolf eyes guy). trading in their guitars for synthesizers, this prolific duo has unloaded a pair of rocket blasts that are sure to flip your skull. the a-side is ear-meltingly delicious, slowly ramping from deepest drone to sheets of piercing skree. the flip takes the pummelling even further, incorporating a sinister rhythm and ghost-vox from brad’s wife, eden. it’s the soundtrack to your beheading… we feel that this is some of the best ajilvsga action yet! and it’s on vinyl!! comes sheathed in a 12″x18″ poster on heavy stock silkscreened by the mighty vgkids; artwork courtesy of evan caminiti (barn owl)… limited to only 300 copies.
with their third release for peasant magik, ajilvsga push their sound even further. huge slabs of densely layered scum continuously churn while rose and young summon shards of electricity from the high heavens. edition of 100.
the consistently mind numbing crushing noise project from nathan young and brad rose (the north sea, digitalis), like a black swarm of god knows what tearing your mind apart. if you dug the north sea cassette we released last year, you should def check this shit out. limited to 100.
finland’s akisa is back with another dose of dark and heavy jazz-inspired soundtracks to the end of the world. this is music with no hope. no light. no anything. when all is lost, this is what we’ll be hearing as we march in chains toward the fire. the combination of saxophone and guitar melts in your ears like a slow-acting poison. fists full of feedback reach up and rip out your hair while a distant voice beckons like a death siren of the cosmos. this shit just freaks me out in such a good way. so fucking bizarre.
this lp was recorded in new zealand in 2004, and is the duo recording of new zealand guitarist donald mcpherson and japanese guitarist tetuzi akiyama. a beautiful meeting of 2 virtuoso acoustic guitarists, both thoroughly schooled in the vast world of improvising. donald mcpherson, a native new zealander has been playing the guitar since the tender age of 12, studied at the otago art school in the ’80s. and in the ’90s he released a number of extremely limited lathe-cut folk records. this record finds tetuzi and donald playing melodic folk improvisations that grow and morph into compositions that on each listening uncover some new layer of beauty. both playing on acoustic guitar, they have a level of communication and understanding of each other’s playing that allows a musical connection to grow and blossom into a full-length recording of delicate melodic mayhem – 180gm vinyl, heavy fold-around covers with insert, hand numbered edition of 550.
the second release highlights the improvisatory aspect of van wissem’s activity, but as is always the case with him, the approach is not so easy to categorize. hymn for a fallen angel pairs van wissem with another rigorously iconoclastic artist, japanese guitarist and off-site alum, tetuzi akiyama. van wissem improvised to a recording of akiyama that he had entered into garageband, a program which allowed him to “see akiyama’s notes coming.” the result is something like a duo improvisation in which the participants are separated in time, with one player given the benefit (or burden) of precognition. this is austere, yet open music that unfolds slowly and laterally, with van wissem’s lute and akiyama’s bottleneck guitar tightly echoing one another or sounding together in strange clusters of tones that are allowed to decay slowly into deep chasms of silence. full of spectral chords, microtonal glissandi, and iron concentration, hymn draws firmly from the work of both artists in forging a sound world that is as barren as it is deep. tetuzi akiyama – martin hd-28 guitar, bottle neck. jozef van wissem – baroque lute, bottle neck, edits… beautiful stuff. edition of 500. nice silver on black cover art.
the japanese guitarist tetuzi akiyama performs an improvised set as a duo with canadian percussionist jeffrey allport on july 1, 2006. this recording is of the first and only time these two well-regarded improvisers have ever played together. living on opposite sides of the pacific, this show became an opportunity for allport and akiyama to each perform some of their most advanced techniques in improvised music with a player whose style was truly compatible. allport approaches every side of his drum, the rim, the snares, the steel clamps, and of course, the skin to produce a challenging repertoire of sounds that defy the drum’s gambit, segues from tibetan drones to electronic clicks and cuts, distant steamships to nearby popcorn. akiyama’s preternatural improvisations along the neck and body of his guitar meditate patiently on each bluesy sound, almost as if his fingers were playing along the surface of a slow-moving river. every note that akiyama plays becomes a sensational interruption causing ripples, splashes, and oxbows in the flow of the music. performed live at a sold-out western front, vancouver’s oldest and most significant artist-run venue, akiyama and allport propose a rich new vocabulary for music. two tracks on vinyl mastered by toshimaru nakamura. this lp documents an unprecedented collaboration between two modern masters of far left improvisation.
tetuzi akiyama has been a major player on the free music/improv scene in tokyo for going on 20 years. pre-existence first came out on cd as a part of the great ’wooden guitar’ series from locust. akiyama’s playing here is one of a minimalist approach, discovering and investigating the empty spaces between each note. he does not follow the takoma guitar school style of finger-picking, but a far more warped primitive country blues feel, with a meditative quality. you never know where you are going to be led with his guitar, down roads rarely traveled. with his dense tapestry of sounds, akiyama evokes emotions that at times are uncomfortable, but of real beauty. open your ears and let the music take you far far out there? 180gm vinyl, heavy textured covers, and hand numbered to 550. awesome.
this 7″ from scotch tapes features san francisco noise/ psych band, al qaeda. its a collaborative affair with side a getting help from mike watt (the minutemen), gabe serbian (the locust, holy molar) and chris carrico (aarktica) while side b features weirdo hip-hop act, occassional detroit. it comes packaged in incredible art by kevin yuen who has recently done tour poster art for the likes of sunn o))). its limited to 324 copies and is pressed on silky smooth green/aqua marbled vinyl. al qaeda recently toured in support of this 7″ with watt, serbian and rob crow (pinback) making appearances on stage with them.
2nd release following debut on foxglove. more bone less meat less muscle more sinew fewer thoughts less synaps some time less space – color paste-on art with insert. nice.
one half of a two cd-r set. cut from a number of recording sessions from a year or so leading up to ‘alps III’ as well as outtakes from those recordings. california kosmische. edition of 100.
one half of a two cd-r set. cut from a number of recording sessions from a year or so leading up to ‘alps III’ as well as outtakes from those recordings. california kosmische. edition of 100.
electronic reverberations. pounding metallic crashes. sonic wails calling for the end of something we’re not sure of just yet. keep listening as all hope for a better tomorrow quickly crumbles into a venomous pile of tape hiss and radio transmissions from the planet we used to call earth. we’re truly fucked. colour photocopied artwork by sarah taylor. photocopied insert. spray painted cassettes. hand stamped and numbered edition of 100.
altar of flies hails from the snowy world of mjölby, sweden. this moniker of mattias gustafsson (not to be confused with the broken face’s mats gustafsson, or the saxophonist of the same name), and throughout “trapped under watter”, this swede swims in metallic waves of ecstatic drones. gustaffson concocts washes of noise and feedback and bends them into shape, stretching the limits of each stolen note. this music is as thick like syrup, and just as fucken sweet. packaged in covers designed by the always impressive mattias frisk.
amanaz was formed in 1973. 3 songs are in the native language bemba, and 9 songs in english, recorded in kitwe, the 3rd biggest city in zambia up north. musically is goes in the same direction as blo, the witch and question mark, but this album is way cooler and stoned with amazing fuzz guitar all over which sounds like an african version of early cream. the cover make it look very traditional but after a few spins you are aware that this one is very special. it’s soo cool, so tight produced and easily to compare with uk underground albums with a touch of african beats. still completely unknown, so this album has not been scored yet by the collectors scene. a real surprise… new edition of 300 on 180gm yellow vinyl. great album!
the mystic worlds of valerio cosi and the solo joint collide as amber lions……one long track navigates through a dreamworld of saxophone, synth, strings and more strings all glazed in a mercurial fog. magnificent. 3″ cd-r edition of 90.
explosive subtle motion and jarring delicateness collide and co-mingle through these two long sides of classic colored seven inch vinyl. here we find much more than just a single demonstration of west coast melding of east coast minds, there is something else in the water? full color covers in shiny plastic sleeves, limited and color vinyl.
restock… a lot of crazy shit can happen to a man when he goes solitary in a ramshackle catskill mountain home for an extended stretch of time-especially for a city kind of guy. but if amen dunes’s 12 tracker dia is one possible outcome of the guy alone-in-a-cabin- story, then a little tape saturated brain frying is something we should all live comfortably with because this is a batch of seriously raw & inspired loner psych grit that owes a debt to the diy soundz of the george brigman s of the world. that was 2006. these days the lone wolf behind amen dunes -damon mcmahon calls a small two room apartment overlooking the temple of earth in north-central beijing home, where he watches old men fly kites and sing opera every morning. who knows what’ll come out of that. 180gm vinyl.
amolvacy is aaron moore from volcano the bear, dave nuss from no-neck blues band, and sheila 16 of the laboratory theater group, nyc. the band creates compositions from its improvisations centered around strong elemental percussion, radical theatrical vocals, and classical acoustic instruments. recurring themes in amolvacy’s texts are the pain of relationships, the affirmation of the feminine in myth, the hero’s journey, and continuous need to flame the passions of the heart. “a la lu la” specifically addresses the gap of language in facilitating accurate communication, a gap that only music at its most primal can fill. the back of the album features text by jose da fonseca & pedro carolino, two portugese who in 1855 created an english phrasebook titled “english as she is spoke,” but who faced just one problem: they didn’t know any english. the linguistic train wreck that ensues mirrors the play of language, sound, and unintentional humor on “a la lu la.” clear vinyl in custom die-cut sleeve.
so concludes “lover go from hence”, a tale of tumultuous romantic upheaval on the new amolvacy record ho ho kus. here we have hearts wrenched from guts and firmly planted in the dirt; but also sprouting new romance, seduction, and… the church? and the french??? francois rabelais wrote garantua and pantagruel – a major influence on this album – in the early 16th c. to caricature the faux morality of his time. amolvacy offer ho ho kus in the same cantankerous spirit, but this time perhaps to parody their own morality. love, marriage, sex, affairs, betrayal, and loneliness are all exposed in naked vulnerability and placed on the chopping block for emotional dissection. lead vocalist sheila donovan (ex-tall boys) is a longstanding member of the laboratory theater company in nyc, and her partners are aaron moore of volcano the bear and dave nuss of the no-neck blues band. together they are the amolvacy family. all things were shared in the making of this record, nothing hidden, no secrets left untold… clear vinyl, elaborate die cut sleeve, quite limited.
(one) side is amon düde (avarus) / the hoopo (hetero skeleton) doing some plundered gamelan and david hasselhoff rapping about the jungle… the other side features new sparkling anthems by nuslux (roope from avarus, pylon, maniacs dream, lal lal lal, etc..)
captured live on the most patriotic of holidays, improvisations edited down into 8 pieces, quirky and mystical, clattering drums that sound from another world, saxophone, and a thick cloud of electronics. surreal. packaged in marbled cream art paper, with a color transparency, riveted together in three places, each looks unique, and color labels. edition of 80 hand stamp #’ed copies on hi-bias chrome tapes.
2005 release. french noise. wild packaging as always from this now defunkt label. numbered edition of only 25 copies!
caethua and debbie diaper have been teaming up off air well before thursday and tend to use those nights of their radio show inside outsider sounds to wind down after the week has just flown by. put to tape and assembled in the last months of their sorely missed studio, walking on ice. layers of loops and vocal sound forms, a.d. illustrate for the listeners a spelunking holiday that goes on a little too long, just a little bit further, the mouth is just around that corner. a small light illuminates a small cavern just fine…… what did you see? featuring andy neubauer of impractical cockpit, doggerella decided upon, flak mask, curtain call, uke of spaces….. etc, and caethua of sports, uke of spaces corners and sax wand fame. 300 pressed. screen printed on painted recycled jackets.
tenebrae is theo’s fourth long-player and second with amish (also see dearly beloved, [ami-025]), marking the return of his patently unique songwriting, which includes a variety of regionalist folk-stylings — the mountain music one discovers along the appalachian trail; a southern gothic lyricism; northwestern eco-spiritualism; and above all, the music discovered in the woods just beyond a tent revival. angell’s densely hermetic iconography reflects an artist well-versed in myth, the avant-garde filmwork of kenneth anger and stan brakhage, and the ethno-poetics of brion gysin. oh, and theo’s singing voice is unquestionably one of the most expressive and expansive in outsider folk today. theo grew up in rural oregon, was home-schooled along with his siblings by his minister father, which provided him little exposure to mainstream pop culture; the tunes on tenebrae reflect these conditions, documenting both a reverence for and rebellion against isolation and spiritual absolutes. to that end, the title song, which is the latin word for darkness, references a religious ceremony that involves the extinguishing of candles in advance of holy week. the album’s song-cycle reworks various primitive musical forms to new and celebratory ends, twisting these styles into a unique brand of folk-psychedelia. for this outing, the tabernacle hillside singers include, among others, matt valentine, p.g. six, tom greenwood and samara lubelski. tenebrae highlights again theo’s unique poly-vocal pyrotechnics and will no doubt prove to be one of the most beautiful records of the year… comes in a heavy mini-lp style gatefold sleeve, with foldout insert.
what can i say about theo angell? he’s an artist, a musician, a filmmaker, a shaman. he lives and works in new york city, but plies his trade all over the country. angell is perhaps best known for his work in hall of fame and jackie-o motherfucker, and also as part of samara lubelski’s live band. but with the release of “auraplinth,” all that will change. this is theo angell’s opus. this is his masterwork. it finds him at his absolute peak and delivers an album unlike anything else. he uses his voice to etch out a detailed map of the stars, made up of dirt and bone, proving the organic nature of the cosmos. “auraplinth” is an amalgamation and invention, joining foundation with the ether. both of these forces are constantly at work throughout these 15 tracks. his voice is molded into every possible form. at times it reverberates above a river of folk-inspired melodies, while at other moments, he creates a bed of sound with wordless vocal moans. that voice is the glue that holds this great document together. on “auraplinth,” theo is once again joined by the evolving cast of characters known as the tabernacle hillside singers. this time it includes cynthia nelson (ruby falls), dan brown (hall of fame), & josh stevenson (magneticring). packaged in full-color, heavy duty gatefold jackets with original artwork by christian holstad (the front cover image is actually from a victorian death mask of theo himself), complete with full lyric sheet. the album is mastered by yellow swans’ pete swanson… nice one!
theo angell: introduction to thlowlth fissure – thlowlth is an entity who was birthed in 1996 during a seance in answer to the question “what is dark and green and fills our mouths when we’re not thinking?”. fissure was latter attached as a sire name denoting a lineage of tone splitting and throat separation. this collection reveals thlowlth’s close relationship with the moog synthesizer. el nino came through in ‘97 in response to the catastrophic growing pains of our tilting weather system. the desire was to conjure the sound of a detached electrical power plant hurling over the humid southern states. within this hurtling mass is a moment of sadness and loss at the sight of one’s home floating down the street. the storm moves on. in moog killer, also recorded in ‘97, we have painful vocal drones alongside sine waves. this uneasy alliance turns into an epic battle with the wild bull! it’s a story with tension, violence and tender resolution. “all change, feels strange, even better, better than before.”voxcual is a moog imitator is simply one long vocal improvisation recorded in the late fall of 2001, with reverb. goodwillies: revenant sun – these are the ur-songs, remnant fruit bodies of 1999-2005. my thick skull’d realize, that sound through: answering machine, telephone (land and cell and land), cardboard tube, a wahl two-speed vibrator, tears & semen divided by bee’s wax, and electronic voice phenomena laid up into a deep deep hallowed angelino unemployment in the paradise of a green, too too green, late middling late to early, too early ending-beginning of an echo park scene-thing and the sweet sweet a.c. of fax monica’s salvian closed curtains & windows, & sweeter east los fatherhood compound-coupled-tripled with the growth of a soft cult, sleep cult, a turn in silence and its ancillary friendships, alas black is black even, pink, come back shadows in heat, rub on me; a pirated copy of sound edit 16 version 2 does make, music? long, long before i knew, before i blew, the jasmine of a banana-dill-mint vapour, with more than, much much more than, more, than a little help from my friends, & a greater family and greater still where they meet, again, in pink. heaven is for quitters, reincarnate. for elves protect & fairy kiss, you.
kokura was recorded under dark skies and howling winds, deep in the bowels of a japanese club as the country shook outside. kokura is the fruits of a collaboration between acid mothers temple/mainliner main man kawabata makoto, argentinean guitarist anla courtis (reynols) and japanese underground musician rokugenkin. based around hushed, mellow guitar drones and hypnotic, yet restrained guitar wails, kokura is the first fruits of their labors and captures the sound of life beneath a hurricane. like sunn o))) on half volume! – limited edition of 400.
one copy only. out of print.
two live pieces recorded in christiania free town, denmark february 07. immensely mind melting repeato-madness from ex-reynols sound thinker playing mouth harp on one side and bursting deep psychedelic mutant tones on homemade violin on the other. edition of 50, with full color artwork by j.h.
a talisman, a living mandala. recorded in buenos aires, 1992-93 (!) and now brought to life by the chants of birds, this is anla courtis ‘ornitology’, a poem about the secret forces of nature and the most sublime forms of communication hidden in the forest. earth, water, wind and fire the elements that are all living inside these three gems, starting with a spectral ballad, “quetro”, and exploding into the second track, ‘escua’, 16 minutes of epic guitars flying over an endless sea of visions. the last track, ‘tersina’, is the final redemption, and it comes through as a primitive-electronic assault! pure magic. 140 grams vinyl, limited to 105 copies only, screenprinted artwork (by canedicoda), half of the covers come in yellow with green print, half in green with dark print.
limited edition reissue of rare and sought-after uk psych-folk album from 1971 by a band formed by tiger taylor (ex-eire apparent); their album makes one think of how the byrds would have sounded had they been british. it’s a folksy/psychy album that is really hard to find as an original deram lp; the record combines melodic folk tunes with guitar-drenched rockers; great singing and delicious original songs make this a must for fans of melodic acoustic rock; features a great version of ’so you want to be a rock ‘n’ roll star’ with some cool fuzz guitar work.
following their acclaimed debut here on -house of alchemy- and two stellar discs on phantom limb (vol.5) and foxglove (vol. 3) comes volume 2 in their mangled and distorted un-series. this air is thick this time around, musty even. prisoner children run the castle halls making these strange sounds, deranged echoes, lost in a maze. electricity flows through this one, via frayed cords. percussion jars you from stasis, leaving you only to gasp for cool crisp air. and then things really get unwound. cd-r edition of 123…. sweet oversized foldout covers with photo.
volume five of this duo’s phenomenal acoustic guitar manipulations, this is actually only their second release. following the critically acclaimed debut release on the house of alchemy, this album finds the brothers in a much more communicative and realized state. for fans of six organs of admittance and clipse alike… sweet sounds and more nice packaging too.
about to drop some other serious albums on nnf and stunned, this tape features side-long blissworks that will gravitationally-bind you to anything with a clear boarder. features the new drummer for pocahaunted and robedoor playing with his brother and others. thick and enjoyable.
you don’t need a cassette description to school you on the knowledge that blood is thicker than water, but if that’s what it takes to make the lesson stick, so be it. or, if you want a shortcut, just peruse the discography of connecticut-bred brothers cy and ged gengras. they’ve been harvesting jams together under the antique bros banner for, shit, almost four years now, and in that span have trawled through a thousand different hybrid strains (creep-folk, math-psych, chaos improv, etc). but the inter-family familiarity hasn’t bred contempt (take that, old proverb); on the contrary it’s spawned a secret psychic/musical language the rest of us ain’t privy to. and, despite a hefty local bias (ged’s an la/nnf hero, drums for pocahaunted, robedoor, and vibes), we can still say with honesty and confidence that season’s feast is easily our fave antique b full-length to date. the ragers are dense and bearded, the acoustic passages evocative and hazy, the ambient lulls sticky as fresh resin. there’s a flow and a focus here that’s rare within the ab discog, and it makes for more meat on the bones, more flames in the fire. if yr already a fan, you’re in luck; and if you’re new to the antique canon, this is the place to start. pro-dubbed tapes with hand-typed/stamped labels in bags with full-color art by amanda. edition of 100.
the antique brothers have made a lot of racket in the past year, earning praise and accolades from the likes of the wire and the terrascope. but such love is deserved. cyrus and ged gengras are at the head of the latest generation of psychedelic troubadours, leading their clan out of the desert and into the sonic abyss. what sets these brothers apart is that despite the amazing quantity of music they’ve produced, there’s no repition or lax quality to be found. from acoustic, folk-tinged scrunches and vocal exorcisms to flickering drones and blues-inspired fuzz, “hospital daze” finds the brothers gengras poached on vicodin and whirring away through the end of time.
oklahoma free form folk by way of the far east turns to spiritual out-jazz and back again. gorgeous. ghosts linger in the dusty halls where this music echoes. edition of 123.
anyone who read our deep water interview with norman, ok’s anvil salute knows what big fans we are of the group. and lucky for us, they’ve returned to the acres to grace us with their ironically titled fourth full-length disc, a full hour of gloriously unwinding instrumental great plains folk rock. both their most focused and most varied work to date, it takes in everything from angular modal epics to sweetly melodic miniatures to ethnic-infused psychedelic drones, all seemingly rendered live via lovely you-are-there room-fi acoustics. heed that rooster’s crow…
those of you lucky enough to have heard not not fun’s “free beasts” cassette compilation may remember apple snails from it. that’s all i had to hear from them to know that i wanted more! apple snails cover the first side and are about as close as you can get to folk drone (is that possible?). lots of slide guitars and dark drones that will leave you with an amnesia induced trip. side b belongs to the mighty acts of god, which is a lovely lady, niwi. electric guitar is the main instrument used, with others guitars and keyboards(?) soaking through that create this very vibrant transcendent feeling, that honestly, the first time i heard, left me speechless. red cassettes with ‘grid’ labels, and fabulous artwork by the even more fabulous jeremy earl of fuck it tapes. edition of 100.
following up releases on crocomodile and an exquisite split cassette w/ the mighty acts of god on dnt, jeffrey mitchell’s apple snails take a whole new approach on “only a macadam road,” and the results are stunning. it’s full of ambient drones that sound like they were born in the northern lights. the road is bathed in darkness, but tiny fragments of light seep through the murk every so often in the form of acoustic melodies and glockenspiel bursts. it’s music that transports you far, far away. we’ve been working on this one for what seems like forever… so long in the making that the inserts actually say foxglove132, but good things certainly come to those who have waited for this apple-eyed gem.
a glorious split from foreign land brothers and sisters. the a side’s got vincent caylet, a french-man who has been dropping little fog clouds for the past few years as one half of monks of the balhill and sittin’ solo as “v” and the pistil cosmos. now as archers by the sea he works out a set folk songs, overflowing with precious melodies and covered in layers and layers of heavenly memory-clouded reverb, warm tape hiss, and in-the-red muffles. over the course of these five tracks he pulls it all together into ear-filling dense beauty. on the flip side are kawrelia soul collective, a family of russian/finnish folks with a room full of pots and pans and an affinity for making kitten noises. delay-stuttering acoustic lullabies, coos and squawks, junk percussion, and the great feeling of the open air. water-colored and handwritten tape labels in a embossed sewn-felt pouch with an insert and a painted-tied-pouch of shells found on the banks of the gatton rocks swimming hole. edition of 50.
armaggedon was one of the best and rarest early ’70s german heavy progressive rock albums. it was originally released on the legendary kuckuck label in 1970 and nowadays it is regarded as one of the finest heavy rock albums of the early ’70s. it contains great originals and an excellent version of spooky tooth’s ‘better by you, better than me.’ this album, is a perfect example of the early ’70s german progressive krautrock scene and should be part of every serious ’70s progressive rock collection. english lyrics.” also includes a cover of jeff beck’s “rice pudding.”
if you’re already ready for more manic teenage improvised art punk from finland here it comes! unlike those pre-teenagers in the demars, armas huutamo is the real thing! they are right in the middle of their teens! that means you can hear all the beautiful anxiety, creative energy and forever growing new pubic hair the age involves. the awesome songs presented on this 7″ have been picked from 50 other songs the duo made during the hyperproductive summer of 1998.
cult new wave band the art museums tell sordid tales of artists, lovers, and poseurs. bay area psych burnouts josh alper and glenn donaldson converged in san francisco in the summer of ‘09 to record anglophile jams on a tascam 388 tape machine (state of the art home-recording circa ‘85). rough frame is their debut lp for the woodsist label. they would make a hi-fi studio record if they had the money, but reviewers would probably still say it was lo-fi. the art museums are into: art, poetry, whaam! records, and films about mods. the art museums are not into: flared trousers, drip coffee, or dirty sneakers.
latest basement clacker from the nav. blown tape levels, idiot rock n roll (with moron mantra drumming) and the shimmering of a sexy mile-long windchime in space. it s a bit like smearing sugar all round the inside of your mouth and going into the park to hand out fireworks. and its not even xmas yet! holy fuck.
the latest in ashtray navigations’ ongoing vinylization of our out-of-print cdr catalogue has this amped-up mindbender from 2007… yes, the one with the cute little doggies on the cover. except now they’re on the label and the vinyl is pink. and there is no cover, just a pvc bag so it matches the red culture reissue. one side featuring a thick dinner of swirling tambouras, electric sitars and synths blasting out of tiny battery amp speakers wrapped in buzzing tinfoil (a description of the methodology here and not just the sound!). one side of clubfooted samba rhythms and twin guitar sustain overload which offers a key as to why ashtray navigations’ set at thurston’s atp a few years ago was roundly condemned as “santana” in certain circles. ashtray at its heaviest and most monolithic, though those words are often apply, i guess. pink vinyl lp. limited to 250 copies… very limited stock.
the jodido triangular live sound of ashtray navigations ( – lamf) caught upstairs in one of leeds’ very most exotic wallpaper dens. the walls dripped honey and yet we did not make too much of a mess. features melanie delaney (sculptress) and phil legard (xenis emputae travelling band) as well as the usual. very ‘eavy, very ‘umblin’ – clear packaging, as always.
now into his 10th year operating under the ashtray navigations moniker & with releases on such esteemed labels as menlo park, jewelled antler, siltbreeze, american tapes, celebrate psi phenomenon etc, phil todd continues to conjure up his own unique brand of rural psychedelic folk musik. with his prolific output unde various guises (anna planeta, a warm palindrome, inca eyeball, target shoppers, dogliveroil, green monkey, tea culture etc etc – ) not to mention his previously longrunning label & distro – “betley welcomes careful drivers”, phil todd has been a tireless champion & exponent of fucked-up rock, avant-folk, mangled pop, allout noise, indeed “outsider” art in all its forms. for “electric cointelpro” we are treated to 4 superb tracks of organic drone & inspired electric gtr aktion. an excellent addition to an ever-expanding resume – xeroxed/stapled transparent covers.
it’s a big pleasure for me to release the new full-length album from leeds-based underground legend ashtray navigations, featuring 9 new tracks recorded in studio during 2008 and dedicated to the memory of the great american composer martin denny, father of exotica! “exploding blue floor” is one step ahead into phil todd’s hallucinatory travel into the galaxies of the unknown. a cornucopia of what he has been doing for more than 15 years with unique dedication and passion. passion is in fact, the first word that came to my mind listening to this music where acid guitar riffs, concrete sounds, delicate acoustic passages and vintage warm electronics, live in absolute symbiosis. power to the imagination, breaking down the walls between song and improvisation, structure and freedom, melody and noise. just like looking inside a kaleidoscope, this will be the perfect soundtrack for your daydreams! blue-night coloured vinyl, artwork by phil todd and silkscreened by canedicoda, with insert. edition of 242 copies.
….and a new one from easter 2009. believe it or not, these are the first 2009 ashtray navigations recordings to be released, so there. and this is quite definitely the last in the “painted clamshells” series of cdrs (this time they are mostly yellow, fact fans). sort of a response to a review which described ash nav as “obviously heldon-influenced”…news to me, but i decided to go for it and prove the reviewer right. but imagine a bunch of early 70s frenchmen playing all of their psychedelic records, all of their ocora records and all their prog/fusion at once whilst angry drum machines beamed in against their will from an alternate future blast out very mutated hip-hop beats. apparently mr. r.pinhas was an attendee at a paris ash nav gig and is said to have remarked “i thought they only had pop music in england these days”. this release may prove him right also. this is also the first ashtray release to be almost all digitally recorded….and you’ll be surprised how fucked up it sounds – gawd bless technology for giving us so many options. our most fun-packed cdr for a while. limited to 100 copies.
green-colored vinyl. recorded in leeds, june 2007. originally released as cd-r limited to 100 copies. “classic ashtray navigations, two hallucino-kinetic tracks each side.”
this newest candle burning outing from the long going uk psych project headed by mr. phil todd continues the quest for the farthest possible cosmic frequencies through fx, guitar, synth, and saz on a bed of field recordings. some tracks in here almost enter the pantheon of new age music! edition of 200 copies.
double cdr! two tracks each exceeding 40 minutes. snakestrings (i.e. disc 1) is a trip through strings and soundboxes, phil todd plays esraj, kemence, electric sitar and guitars until the electronic instruments rebel and propel the whole thing into psychedelic overdrive. hollywood taught you to kiss (i.e. disc 2) is based around another todd/crowley/legard trio excursion. dedicated to sun ra and andy warhol respectively. limited to 99 numbered copies.
five blasts of guitar/drums action with electronic gush cerebration. business as usual then. great back cover snap of mr.legard and mr. todd in the shadow of the trunk. ms. delaney took the picture. only one of these people appears on the record. can you guess which? like i say, life is predictable stuff. limited to 100 – color covers.
a quickly happening dvd release from tokyo artist ai aso whose probably most well know outside of japan for appearing on michio kurihara’s solo cd’s and handling the b side of a lavishly packaged 2007 split 7″ with wata from boris fame. the chamomile pool dvd documents concert footage from ai aso from 2007 in tokyo. hypnotically delicate, angelic and minimal in structure ai, accompanied by her band, and with guest appearances by wata and kurihara, for a portion, craft her unique blend of songwriting and psychedelic musicianship. produced by atsuo, of boris, and edited and directed by ryuta murayama of foodunited (responsible for boris dvd’s, greenmachine, stupid babies gone mad). to date represent ai’s first non-japanese release. offset printed dvd disc face comes housed in a heavy stock diecut letterpress printed fold cover. pressing of 600 copies.
wheezing skyward born machine groans and gasped tremolo root to a kinetic pulse, while distant melody zones ascend to circulate around the bass flex on this face chewer by neil campbell. on the flip is the first vinyl cut by glockenspiel, flocculent tones weave with tom rub and bowed metal harmonics, drifting on the back of a drum dub to the heart of a snow-blind haze of feedback, amplified string scrape and analogue electronics. spin at 45. art by noah campbell.
content this time around is highly nitrous, with much overloaded top-end twinkle. check for some particularly screwy (and often barely-recognisable) versions of tracks set for release on qbico and important records later this year, taking the demented recent asc live persona and twisting it further with heavy collage/layering techniques. offset this with remedial drumbox stumble and mysterious processed tracks and you know there’s only one hotel you can be checking into. edition of 150 in colour asc corporate house-style. 7 tracks, 42 minutes.
more jams culled from sessions both live in the field and at home, again sometimes touching on alternate-universe takes on tracks destined for lp and cd issue. huge chord swathes, babbling ectoplasm rituals, crunching delay unit swing, weird time tricks, scattershot beats, all propped up with shards of the patented asc heavy tonal foundation. edition of 150 in colour asc corporate house-style. 8 tracks 44 minutes.
recorded live at stuart arnots place by neil campbell and arttu partinen (avarus) on june 16, 2006. amazing textured paper custom covers with hand stamped paste-on art & insert. numbered edition of 150 copies.
new single by neil campbells ever-evolving solo project, astral social club. neil (a band, vibracathedral orchestra) with assistance from karl bauer (axolotl) unleashes two electronic psychedelic noise jams with distorted loops, cascading feedback, and the sound of hypnotic drones recorded in space. 500 pressed.
featuring two tracks of fearless sonic bliss and two long journeys to a state of sustained ecstasy astral social club’s “plug music ramoon” was recorded in one day on analogue 2″ tape. the lp combines percussive sticks and bells, resonant electronics, keyboard odysseys and some experimental vocal work from helmsman campbell. whilst club member john clyde-evans’s laptop contributions provide much of the backbone groove of the album, stewart keith adds light and shade on a variety of keyboards and toys. together they weave a rich tapestry of sound and noise. but it’s campbell’s dense guitars that thicken the very stem of these four tracks and leads his astral social club to conjure up his visions. this limited edition 12″ comes housed in a gorgeous hand-printed silkscreen sleeve. limited edition of 500.
neil campbell & mel delaney. rec. west yorkshire, winter 2008/09. new asc effort on qbico, a duo this time. this is the social club for astral spirits… red & pink vinyl.
philadelphia drone crew featuring rafi & paul from death chants. lush psychedelic moves morphing into some nice synth/mumble creep out. 3 tracks in 30 minutes recorded at black dirt studio. cover art by jeremy earl. limited to 100.
space hymns echoing in swirling psychedelic synth patterns, zoned guitartones and out-there primitive percussion. featuring members of death chants and muntjac. devotional raga wrapped in appropriate silkscreened offering. 80 copies.
a vision artifact of ancient future harmonies and inner cosmosis. supreme inner cranial reverbational reflections of where you are. unspoken language and incorporeal communion. recorded by jason meagher at black dirt studio, vinyl pressed at rti, housed in custom stoughton gatefold jackets lovingly adorned with screen printing, color photo and hand drawing. hand numbered ed. of 320… total zoner of a full length from paul & rafi’s post death chants duo. way deep vintage/future sound voyaging. other-worldly tones & moans. a recommended trip for fans of sus & jakob, angus maclise, and all stoned-avant sound art.
cassette version of the above lp. two long midnight fireside all acoustic jams from sparrow (prisma, the bummer road, etc.) nemo (drona parva, time-lag records, etc.) and the three members of visitations. tranced percussive strings, ghost vocals, and creaky rhythms and wrapped up in each other. limited to 60 copies with color transparency sleeves and no info.
4th vinyl release on the label, and the first wax for this maine crew after a cassette release on sloow tapes. two long midnight fireside all acoustic jams from sparrow (prisma, the bummer road, etc.) nemo (drona parva, time-lag records, etc.) and the three members of visitations. tranced percussive strings, ghost vocals, and creaky rhythms all wrapped up in each other and slowly unfolded… numbered edition of 299 with stamped labels and full color paste-on art front & back. zero info.
limited edition of 200 on heavy transparent vinyl, housed between two thick perspex plates with four interchangeable translucent paper inserts, hand numbered with photographs of real found numbers, bound with white 10/0.1 electrical cable and sleeved in a thick pvc pocket. all pieces apart from the title track have been reworked and re-edited from the companion compact disc, released on riot season records – damaged in-the-red stereo electric guitar/drums/electronics assult. totally wild and blasted sounds, and one of the most amazing packaging jobs we’ve ever seen. can’t beleive we scored more of these, so grab one now before its too late.
ben chasny & hiroyoki usui, aka “L”. one copy only.
here is another unknown us beauty. recorded in 1968 august played a lot in small clubs. the clubowner gave them the chance to record an own album. they played it straight onto tape with no overdubs in a couple of hours. only 100 copies or less where pressed. the music reminds me a lot of lazy smoke. it has that pepper style but the sound is more rough. beautifull compositions played in a garage style – recorded usa, 1968. 180gm vinyl, heavy covers, numbered to 450.
so delicate, the sounds that unfold here. brad rose and ville mosquiitto return as autumn galaxy with another discharge of aural marvel. they tip-toe around one another, laying out a finely-crafted set of music that manages to be both dense with texture and startlingly fragile. fractured sound-scapes, shattered banjo and endless buzz are just some of the elements at play here. cd-r edition of 123.
shimmering blankets of glass sound lay fallen upon concentric ears this spaced gorgeous collaboration between brad rose and ville moskiitto unfolding slow in delicate patterns very pretty – great stuff packaged in a lovely metallic gold cover with color paste-on art and a full color insert.
here is your introduction to phase two. while there is a certain degree of continuity in the approach, ii is a noticeable extrapolation of the avarus sound. the albums six tracks span collage-esque pieces of audio junk to deconstructed song forms to subtly dense instrumentals. waves of stretched electronics, distorted clank and warbling bass throb create layers of chaotic wreckage until a sudden collapse reveals an underlying stasis. unnoticed patterns now conscious pull the listener into another time/mind continuum. step into the g-a-p. the lp is presented in a full cover printed sleeve with suitable “found” photo art – for you to figure out what its all about – limited to 400 or so copies… slightly bumped corners, reduced price.
all-new exclusive avarus! fourth secret eye full-length and tenth release overall from this incredible finnish band that pretty much defines modern psychedelic kraut improv. primitive, primal and tribal, desolate and mournful, dreamy and pastoral, motorik and hypnotic. buzzing, clattery, droning, stumbling krautrock flecked with shimmering free-noise, avant ambience, delicate folk fuckery, and chaotic caveman psychedelic space rock. avarus iv starts where the rasvaaja lp ended. the iv, too, consists of tomas regan’s careful high-quality recordings. on the iv avarus makes and even longer dive in the warm and clear pond, into which the water is poured from both kraut and space rock, and from micro music and slapstick. the recording was made after the us tour, which guarantees the firm harmony satisfying the most demanding listeners. the delicate talent and the hilarious team spirit guarantee a recordful of heart-warming harmonies and surprising turns delighting an unprejudiced mind. the wondrous adult rock of avarus is born from an uncompromising love for music. the finished recording deserved a fantastic cover, too. this in mind, the graphic visionaries amanda and pauliina spent their summer holidays swimming, drinking beer, and drawing their kaleidoscopic davy crockett epos inspired by music. lp only – 160 gram virgin vinyl, pressed in czech republic, direct metal mastering, full-color labels and jackets, all-exclusive new jams. limited to 200 copies… sure to go quick, so don’t miss out if you’re a fan.
long touted as the forefathers of finnish freeform psychedlic music, avarus, a collective bearing members from the anaksimadros, kemialliset ystävät, maniacs dream, and more, document their first tour of the united states on “kirppujen saari”. the sounds contained show a departure and growth from typical avarus recordings. the a side long track begins with a psychrock romper complete with full “band” instrumentation, slowly it deconstructs itself into the abstract electric/acoustic stylings and sonic spattering familiar to their previous work. slowness builds into full on clatter filled walls of vocals, toy keyboards, horns, strums, and other acoustic junk, creating a unique and massive drone. the opposing side is pure acoustic drones composed of vocals, horns, and tribal beats. room filling ambiance, corner clatter, and morphing silence also find a way to unobtrusively build themselves into the piece. in an edition of 350 lps on coke bottle clear vinyl with printed labels by bart of sloow tapes and proprinted full color foldover art by the band… nice one!
when you go to finland, a country where 95% of the population is inbreed, chances are that you will meet at least 7 members of the avarus family! you can smell them from a mile away, they’re the adults raising their kids on homebrew white spirit, continuously producing the kind of farts you can’t hear though the stench is worse than the ones that sound like a brassband. behind every finnish tree there is a member of avarus humping another avarus member, and rarely a kemialliset ystavat member (the other 5% of finns). the governement of finland is not proud of this sick family, they try to keep it silent, rarely give interviews to press from other countries and make sure planes hardly fly out. though for some reason arttu partinen, roope eronen and tero niskanen made it as a trio in a small boat to the usa. the only instruments that made it were a few balloons and a crappy casio. on arrival they found a microphone, a drum and more toys, climbed the wfmu building and played the craziest session ever! like a bunch of children discovering the 50’s euro avant garde scene, the 60’s psychedelic free jazz and pre-punk scene, the 70’s sound poetry and punk scene and the 80’s disco scene in one afternoon!! this lp sounds like a mix of all of that i guess. limited to 300 copies, comes in a psychedelic duo coloured cover by dt.
restock of 2005 release, last copies… xmas 2004, brooklyn. brian sullivan and nate nelson of mouthus meet up with karl bauer of axolotl for some sonic celebration and let the tape machine roll. two side-long psilocybe-inspired scoops of shimmering and stumbling drone / zone / sludge ragas. better dust off your bib. full color printed photo-collage covers, insert.
originally released in 2005 as a limited edition cd-r on yellow swans’ jyrk label, this three-way collab now gets a proper run on wax. recorded in oakland at the huffin house before the swans made the retreat back to portland. despite the weight of these players when they rock alone, this jam really never gets into full on white out territory. instead, it’s loaded to the brim with wavy neon distortion and soothing low end that occasional drops out into huge washes of emptiness. the opening passage of gms guitar flecks sympathizing with karl’s string wash is alone worth the price of admission. red vinyl with lime green splatter. edition of 500.
karl bauer and eva saelens (axolotl and inca ore respectively) are two like minded bay area psychers operating on two opposing levels. axolotl marks the a side with skyward streaking drones and ethereal loops tinged and focused, ringing with the joyous bliss of upward passage. an endless array of vocals, electronics, and violin looping and looping, building and growing: stasis. inca ore makes her craft from an earth bound level. oneness with her surroundings, roots firmly planted. eerie incantations and meandering harp play foreground to layer upon layer of looped vocals and murky ambience, charting your way towards forever. in an edition of 450 white purity colored 7″s in black and white pro-printed collage fold-over sleeves by eva with a numbered insert.
B
brand new hand-numbered edition of 552 12 inch ep from this great new european label gipsy sphinx that also just released the vanishing voice ‘nordic visions’ set. here karl bauer uses violin, vocals, electronics and percussion to assemble swathes of hypnotic, tripped-out noise that falls somewhere between terry riley’s circular, pulsing explorations, sonic boom’s radiophonic workshop gargles and swirls, and burning star core / vibracathedral orchestra’s wall of sound. the a-side is an ecstatic fog with the b-side the gentle star-gazing come-down – limited/numbered to 552. from the fine folks who brought you the vanishing voice nordic visions lp. nice paste-on art packaging too.
new psych damaged batch of nocturnal hookum from karl bauer. zoned out crackling, tones and sweet sk-1 blowout all brewed up into a sweet load of tingling psychic non-songs and grot beats.
northern europe 1867: a winter so harsh, a spring so cold and a summer so late. a dead harvest. the failure of the crop meant starvation and thousands and thousands of people died. bark bread, lichen gruel and families slowly fading away. this bleak period, ended in 1869, resulted in that more swedes than ever emigrated to northern america and other places for a better life. based around those years, gothenburg’s ättestupa here creates an absolutely terrific soundtrack to this misery with their new 3-song ep. exploring the dark past of their native country sweden, this is a well-executed journey into the neverending well of hopelessness. into the struggle of nature and mankind. you’ll recognize the sound from the rtb lp from last year and the abisko tape, but here they are taking everything up a notch. the unique production is getting close to perfection, a raw and disgusting thick sonic bliss with a continuous crunch. a sharpened blend of noise, kraut and black metal with a crude melancholic atmosphere. vocals buried deep under the soil and guitars being more prominent. organs, screeching metal junk, tape loops. pounding drums. the recording reeks of bad times and tremendous coldness and it’s hard to grasp for air. no hope and definitely no joy. recorded during the first three months of 2009. limited to 330 copies on black vinyl.
this is the follow-up to the self-titled debut lp that came out last year on release the bats. this time the music is even more grey and pale, three tracks wrapped in near-suffocating bleak atmosphere. dealing with the dark rural sweden of the past, this is music with folk tones in its veins, and played with callous hands. this is the spirit of the 19th century farmhands who never took the easy way out and abandoned their soil to go west. it’s grim up north. 165 copies, on type ii chrome tape.
north of the church, only the worst of mankind was buried. under the dark soil you could find people who had ended their own lives. murderers. thieves. here in the shadow, the poor souls were gathered for their last rest. begraven mot norr, the second album from ättestupa, is themed around funeral customs and death processions in the past centuries of rural sweden. the first lp was described as a mix of folk tones, 70’s german prog, noise and black metal, and via the att korsa den flod som kommer dränka oss alla tape (abisko) and 1867 12″ (dnt), that mixture was refined. with begraven mot norr, ättestupa returns with their most accomplished and complex recording so far, a natural progression from änglamakerskan (their praised contribution to the utmarken compilation 10″). opening with an eerie violin over a rushing river, the bleak tone is immediately set. set to a backbone of monotonous drumming, guitars and organs take the freezing lead. abrasive electronics interesects with field recordings and a sparse and elegant use of acoustic instruments. the chant-like vocals lure somewhere in the background, working as an instrument on it’s own. often based on scrap metal junk abuse and tape loops, the droning interludes from their recent live sets are incorporated and work as perfect passages between the sinister arrangements. the overall atmosphere is more melancholic, paving itself through different shades of grey with a calmer and more distinct sound than before. recorded between summer 2009 and spring 2010. 2 tracks, 35 minutes. mastered by viktor ottosson. comes with a a1 poster. 521 copies. covers printed on 350gsm paper with black-printed inside. black innersleeves.
debut by trio of stephen o’malley (sunn0))))), daniel o’sullivan (guapo), and vincent de roguin (shora). taking its title from the iliad, the music here is deep and cosmic, completely unlike anything you’d expect from such heavyweights. more in the tradition of “spiral insana” and “cyborg” than anything, the tracks float along in a masterful collage of activity, where careful scene changes highlight o’sullivan’s classic but artfully placed rhodes bombs, de roguin’s organ, and o’malley’s guitar. extraordinary effort has gone into editing, mastering, and shaping these pieces; these are not tossed off improvisations or “side-project” orphans. housed in cd and lp jackets hand-printed by alan sherry/siwa. lp was cut by john golden, expertly pressed at rti. first vhf vinyl in 7 years! – very limited press & very limited stock.
third earth shattering outing for vincent de roguin (shora), stephen o’malley (sunn0))), ktl) and daniel o’sullivan (guapo). for faking gold and murder, the core trio is joined by percussionists nicolas field and alex babel, as well as renown guitarist alexander tucker and the inimitable david tibet. faking gold is heaviest outing, driven by a weighty low end and the full fury of babel and field’s free-wheeling drums. the trio’s electronics, guitar, rhodes, and organ ride the waves of sound in a tightly-controlled blare, leaving plenty of space for tibet’s declarations of the mystical and supernatural. tibet is on top form here, rising out of the tempest at just the right moment, almost plain-spoken in places and grounding the squall at times, voicing the apocalypse at others… brooding, primeval, dark alchemical epics are full of a ferocious intensity, sounding more like a starlit night being ripped open by lightning than a musical group. intelligent and primal, like a demonic workshop, battering up pandemoniums and dreaming of gold and murder, @thenor are spectacular.- david tibet, cover design by nicola todeschini and vincent de roguin. deluxe lp is 180 gram, pressed at rti, in letterpress cover on heavy black art stock by stumptown, with custom gold on black inner. cut by john golden. a fantastic sounding and looking item… beautifully done release.
live improvisations + electronics for the 1st release of this french duo – 4 tracks – 72mn – limited to 50. packaged with the usual foliage.
700 press of all-time killer garage lp from 1968, illinois. ‘minister to a mind diseased’ and ‘tables of grass fields’ are the two cuts that grab me, but the whole lp is killer from start to finish. exact cover reproduced here and glossy. just a 700 pressing — will sell out quickly. in conjunction with gearfab, void records brings you this mammoth release! … much needed new reissue of the gem.
marking the vinyl debut of a couple of so maine’s favorite improvisational psych outfits, this split 33rpm 7″ runs amok with some murky kraut-leaning grooves. bad bus’ side builds from loose tom drumming and echoey vocal moans into a locked-in bassline stomper. tempera’s track buzzes its way through lo-fi live loops, beats backing aetherial vocals, a complete electro mindgroove. hand-stamped black 7″ vinyl record held in a hand-ripped, machine-stitched patchwork record sleeve. hand-numbered to 300…loose 7inch from the tryst haunt subscription series.
private press on 200 copies. only one copy only.
the second bad drumlin grass record is the first vinyl release on milvia son records. way back in july of 2006, sensei rebel chose the bands schizophrenic inaugural cdr (birth/afterbirth) as his ambient pick of the week. forsaking the drone (at least temporarily), bad drumlin grass presents two solid sides of junk n roll instrumental freakouts that careen into the void like cigarette cherries dropping into the fake beard of a paranoid neo-folkie where, like sonny bono, they just sit there and *burn*. these are not the lost hams rehearsals tapes. imagine richard thompson and garth hudson rehearsing for 10,000 hours and touring with this heat. this record is the exact opposite of that, except for being recorded live without overdubs. 300 copies for the world.
the first recordings by meg baird under her own name. meg has been singing and performing since she was a kid with her sister laura as a charter member of the traditional folk duo the baird sisters, though she is currently best known as one of the ‘female larynxes’ of the communal philadelphia band espers. or we should say, best known as the siren-voiced singer for same. or, perhaps, we could let nick carraway describe the quality of her voice for us: ‘the exhilarating ripple of her voice was a wild tonic in the rain. i had to follow the sound of it for a moment, up and down, with my ear alone before any words came through. we asked meg to record something with a country-waltz flavor, and she courteously obliged us with a graceful and bittersweet cover of ‘waltz of the tennis players’ by the under-appreciated ’60s folksters fraser and debolt. the mushrooms are growing in every new boot print, my, my, my.’ for the b-side, she recorded an alternate version of ‘dear companion,’ a track from her forthcoming lp. it’s an ancient melody, an aching lament sung ‘in the style of the chapel,’ with meg whisper-singing right into your ear, or maybe just to herself as she folds the laundry and does the dishes. you can see things more clearly when you shut your eyes – lovely color covers, heavy vinyl, very limited, and oh so beautiful.
one of the more unexpected – if worthwhile – byproducts of the 21st-century underground american folk revival is a renewed interest in solo acoustic guitar music. spare, haunting, pastoral sounds have a struck a new chord, and the words john fahey and takoma are hip again. just check the mighty tompkins square and strange attractors labels for the proof in the pudding. matt baldwin, raised in california’s rustic pacific grove, educated in the alternative mecca of berkeley, sits in the center of this quiet, swirling scene. he is the visionary wildcard of today’s solo guitar music, the ambitious fever dreamer, the serpent in the grass. towering tall with long blonde locks, he conjures from his axe dark and mystical realms. he calls his music ‘new age,’ and he may not be joking. featured on tompkins square’s 2006 berkeley guitar lp, baldwin now steps into his own with his debut solo release. unlike many of his peers, he looks beyond the traditions of fahey (whom he calls ‘a teacher,’ not a god). he brings portentous and progressive elements into his music, alongside a dreamy country lilt. he covers krautrock legends neu! (‘weissensee’) and metal vikings judas priest (‘winter’), and culls inspiration from prog heroes yes on closing epic ‘rainbow.’ his music comes on like a creeping moss, verdant but threatening, comforting yet unsettling. it will work its way inside you… limited vinyl version. heavy covers.
you all may not be familiar with the project, but it’s william sabiston of (part-time) axolotl fame. dude is a wild percussionist who’s collaborated with tons of folks, but most recently in a group bulbs. i’m not even sure how to describe this release – i suppose”freedom techno,” a ficticious genre imagined by roope eronen, would be some sort of applicable term. william weavs all sorts of percussive sounds; bells, electronic drum pads, synth and acoustic drums into a complex whirl of pulses and clicks that will occasionally congeal into abstract loops, minimalist techno riffs, dub-zones or some sort of cohearance, before whatever beat he’s imagined crashes in on itself – those familiar with william’s solo track on the axolotl cdr,”oranur,” will have some idea what to expect. but then, i’ve been listening to this thing for months and i still don’t know what’s happening when i listen to this thing. limited to 150 copies – screenprinted covers.
back in print on vinyl… the magically twisted, imaginative and personal debut album from engaging songwriter devendra banhart. twenty-one songs performed with banhart’s unique vocals-his occasionally warbling falsetto is alternately bizarre, comical and often a little frightening-advanced acoustic guitar work-which veers schizophrenically from gentle grooves into jolting, non-rhythmic stabs and weird harmonic flights of chaos-and the wildly surreal nature of his truly exceptional lyrics. comparisons have been made to the first three tyrannosaurus rex albums, nick drake, comus, daniel johnston, and karen dalton. wonderful to say the least. – michael gira.
lp version, with cd. fire presents as part of their fire records embers series a deluxe remastered reissue of bardo pond’s first album, bufo alvarius, originally released on drunken fish in 1995, including a bonus track. bardo pond is a wide-eyed philadelphian psychedelic rock unit that exists as a shining point on a graph. a scintillating cross drawn on a celestial arc, marking their place among the 13th floor elevators, calico wall, spacemen 3, my bloody valentine, and, more recently, jackie-o motherfucker and mv & ee. explicitly narcotic — there’s no room for coyness or prissiness in space rock! — the band was initially an excuse for abyssal guitar drone exploration by brothers michael and john gibbons. but bufo alvarius (named after a potently hallucinogenic toad), their classic 1995 album, marked an important turning point. it was like the flickering cine-8 film of someone falling off a cliff played backwards. a hazy figure leaping out of the void, pausing at the second their foot touched terra firma. it was the juncture where their music clarified out of chaos and started to coalesce around formations of post-rock, shoegaze and psych structure while always threatening to dissolve into a blizzard of reverb, white noise, fuzz drone and echoplex. this was the album that saw them graduate from cult local concern to cult global passion, stepping out from the monolithic shadows cast by their influences. it is difficult to pick out individual high points on something so clearly designed to be listened to as a whole, but the lysergic ebb and flow of “capillary river,” the aqueous beauty of “absence” and, of course, the half-hour long centerpiece of (cd-only track) “amen” demand full attention from the listener. the previously-unreleased “fixed” rounds off an album that is transcendent in all the right meanings of the word.
over their recording career, bardo pond has released countless tracks that have appeared only on singles, compilations or other formats. this material has frequently stood equal in stature to the band’s densely sprawling full-length albums. in an effort to start compiling this hard-to-find material, both the band and three lobed recordings are proud to announce the debut of the cypher documents series. the first installment in this ongoing series compiles seven studio tracks that have never before been released on conventional media. the tracks themselves take the listener to many different places — be it the aggressive and sludge-guitar attack of ’slag,’ the sparse tones of ‘quiet tristin,’ or the extended psych exploration of the thirteen minute epic ‘black turban.’ closing out the disc is ‘from the sky,’ an exclusive and extended thirty-one minute psych-rock epic. this track is appearing on this disc for the first time anywhere in any form — it is the expanded session that the original five minute mp3 ‘in the sky’ came from. while not originally designed to be released together as a single album, the time span over which they were recorded makes the seven tracks on cypher documents i possess a definite cohesive flow. as presented, this disc acts as a sort of ‘lost’ album that displays exactly how the band sounded in the meantime between the release of set and setting and 2001’s dilate.
limited edition pressing of 1000 copies on vinyl heavy enough to hold some of bardo pond’s headiest jams. this is the first of four vinyl only bardo-related releases coming out simultaneously on important records. gazing at shilla is bardo pond’s first release on important. the two pieces, both very different in sound and feel, have sat patiently in the bardo archive waiting for the most opportune moment for release. ‘eight-thousanders’ and ‘kali’ are both entirely improvised pieces with no overdubs. slide blissfully into a smokey heaven and then forget your mind in a lower world of strange tones on side a. if you’re still able to flip the record when the needle hits the runoff groove, you’ll find yourself exposed to the goddess kali’s naked blackness. bardo is out. are you in?
limited edition of 1640 copies. in early 2008, bardo pond and three lobed recordings teamed up to assemble batholith, a collection of tracks that were close to the band’s heart but for various reasons had never been released. the result was an extremely cohesive and vital statement that was positively received by both old and new bardo pond fans. during the compilation of batholith the band had to agonize over the wealth of material that they were sitting on in constructing the ultimate tracklisting – there were too many good songs! the band approached this “problem” by structuring two sister albums, batholith and peri, each possessing their own musical themes and each fully capable of standing independent from the other. for this reason, peri is every bit as potent as its predecessor. the meticulous sequencing of peri’s five tracks provides a classic bardo pond experience. while the initial description of the material might lead one to think that these tracks are “outtakes” or cutting-room floor type material, neither conclusion could be further from the truth. the band is quite excited to finally see all of the material on peri venture into the public. for example, “chicken gun” will be recognizable to the band’s longtime fans. a former live staple from 1996 through 1998 (even making an appearance in the band’s set at the first terrastock festival), it is a propulsive and fiery rocker every bit as monumental as some of the band’s classics such as “lb.” and “tommy gun angel.” “the path” is a subtle number featuring floating flute work from isobel sollenberger. the album-closing “silver pavilion” is the sort of meditative psychedelia that has been bardo pond’s calling card over their lengthy career. the track dates to the band’s extremely fertile, yet barely documented, period between the release of “dilate” and “on the ellipse.” “silver pavilion’s” slow, enveloping build properly see the listener to the door and is reminiscent of such flawless bardo closing tracks as “rm,” “aldrin” and “night of frogs.” peri is pressed on 180g rti vinyl and is housed within heavy “old-style” one-pocket stoughton gatefold jackets bearing new collage work from michael gibbons. the record is from a one-time pressing of 1640 copies and, as an added convenience for our vinyl-loving friends, will come packaged with a glass-mastered cd (not cd-r) of the material present on the wax… all copies here are accompanied by a bonus cd (tlr-068) of previously unreleased bardo pond material, only available as a special pre-order bonus.
recorded by george mitchell in 1978, this lp was originally released by the southland label under the name ‘william robertson.’ due to cecil’s superstitions and legitimate fears of the taxman, he insisted that it come out under a false name. cecil was an unusual blues musician, giving each song its own feel and rhythm. another underrated american original. this is a co-release with big legal mess records.
campbell kneale moves ever closer to the glistening, levitation altar, with backwards bliss-shimmer, spooked chant and analogue squawk and squeal, kaleidoscoping around triumphant snare punctuation. bark haze (thurston moore & gown duo) hit back with focused power-drone guitar duelling from the heart of the bong, smoking out into tunnel-visoned, crumbled-amp chunder. artwork by campbell kneale/kim gordon.
newest blackest rainbow hot on the heels of some truly killer releases from the artists involved, both who seem to have really pushed there sounds and vibes to new levels this year… barn owl’s side has been mastered by local jammer ben nash, and its three tracks of sparse drone layered with bleak guitar epic-ness, tingling chimes and dark mountainous whispers. the guitars here sound delicate and beautiful, but it remains bleak and empty, if you enjoyed their lp on not not fun then this is a real treat. tom carter’s 16 minute ‘train kept’ follows pretty damn nicely from his recent ’shots at infinity’ releases on important, a far cry from his more psychedelic folk experimentations, here he slashes and riffs like many a legend, and maybe, just maybe, it’s a slight tribute to a certain band too? this is a fully wild piece of work. black sleeves, pasted stark landscape cover, with a insert of liner notes. limited to 380 copies… instantly out of print, last two copies.
the conjurer is the latest offering by bay area duo barn owl. this new long player finds evan caminiti & jon porras finally (by way of an actual recording studio) documenting something that is a bit closer to their very heavy live sets, with expanded peaks of white light distortion and enormous valleys of bottom end. each side opens with a brief funeral dirge to set the mood, a precession of bare bones drum beats and bell like guitar statements that bridge the gap to the wider open spaces of the almost side long ‘across the desert of ash’ and ‘ancient of days’. it may seem obvious, or even a little overwrought, but it has to be said that these guys really do evoke all kinds of cinematic drama with their music. apocalyptic westerns, bleak melodramas, mother nature fever dreams, it all seems to come to mind amid the evening guitar passages, incantations, flute tones, and finally, the solo piano that emerges lost among the electric mayhem to close the album. considering the amount of terrain, the conjurer is far from being scattered or rushed sounding. the record as a whole moves at a crafted even rhythm, slowly merging from one scene of violence to the next of almost silent recovery, then back up the mountain again. an edition of 500 lps, half colored deep red, half black. cover etching by evan caminiti… nice one & sure not to hang around long.
great collection of studio outtakes from ‘69 and ‘70.
awesome collection on this label that has ben doing a really great job of unearthing high quality pink floyd & barrett rarities. side a is a good selection of previously unreleased studio outtakes, syd’s collaboration with kevin ayers, and ‘dylan blues’ on vinyl. side b is syd’s full final studio session from 1974, most of which has never be circulated before! full color cover, thourgh notes, marbled purple vinyl. recommended!
tender drawings and tender sounds. personal and sincere visions by bart de paepe, the cloudy head of sloow tapes. 16 pages, part full color and part b/w. and a short cassette of recent family thinkers sounds. one part is jams, other part is strange tape collage.
this one is two side-long triple guitar jams by ben chasny (six organs of admittance, comets on fire), elisa ambrogio (magik markers) and brian sullivan (mouthus, eskimo king, white rock). extremely dense and crunchy – hold this one back to set the mood at your next summer of love party. like our other vinyl releases, this one will be pressed on 180g rti black vinyl and will come from an edition of 845 copies. look out for the beautiful and heavy wrap-around silkscreened covers (by alan sherry of siwa) on this one. as a bit of a first for three lobed (and a trend that we hope will continue with most of our vinyl releases from this record onward), packed in with the lp is a pressed cd (not cd-r) of the same material present on the album. the cd is not available separately and is included as an element of convenience and portability for all you vinyl folks (and also as an effort to help convert a few of you cd folks into vinyl folks!).
another in the wooden weavil series, this time an unreleased live robbie basho recording from germany in 1980. this program appears to have been recorded in one go. robbie scatters his americana numbers throughout, beginning with ‘redwood ramble,’ ending with ‘california raga.’ this date finds robbie in fine fettle, his playing sharpened by the intensity of touring, his mood seems ebullient, at times (as on ‘fandango’) he comes off like john lee hooker’s sun-kissed cousin, stomping furiously along to his playing. there is sweetness to his material, yes, but this is not, as jack rose put it, ‘music for wineries.’ there is the galloping muscularity of basho’s playing, coupled with the sheer hugeness of his sound; the fearless employment of dissonance as part of his musical make-up; a love for the unexpected chord change. robbie was a voracious and uncompromising player. basho’s singing was as integral to who he was as his guitar playing, and when he opened his mouth, he filled the room with sound. say what you like about his lyrics, no one can accuse basho of dilettantism, of dabbling, or of trying something on merely for effect. whatever bag he was in, he was in all the way. liner notes from glenn jones & stephen basho-junghans, and beautifully remastered by glenn jones… wonderful archival release!
whether working with the paintbrush, the guitar or the pen, steffen manages to conjure up works of extreme intensity, focus and creativity. initially, highly influenced by basho, the japanese poet and diarist of 17th century… living on the ‘wrong’ side of the then still standing berlin wall (wrong side for collectors of world music, probably the right side for internalising a persons unique creativity). not everything from ‘out side’ culture penetrated through the wall, but fortunately one very important track did: elk dreamer’s lament by 60s guitarist robbie basho. the style of playing heard this track completely changed steffen’s approach to music, so much so that steffen junghans become steffen basho-junghans. listening to robbie basho’s playing, you can indeed hear the influence / similarities but don’t be fooled, sb-j is certainly his own man. ‘is’ steffen’s first release in 3 years and first ever uk release offers a world of micro trance subtleties as well as epic landscape raga journeys all brought to you on 6 and 12 steel string guitar. with multiple releases all around the globe steffen offers a very unique approach to the instrument. not simply trying to be just another john fayhee and while taking clear influence from robbie basho, treads his own path from experimental simplistic minimal space to unexplainable complex finger picking (but never for the sake of it). in tune with the intensity of the record we’ve gone for a 200gram super deluxe heavy weight vinyl that comes with a free digital download for those long walks with the ipod… numbered edition of 500.
second cdr on br from mike vest of bong’s solo project of hazy lo-fi ritualistic temple drone for smoked out fried brains. one long beast of a track at over 35 minutes. limited to 100.
totally seamless electric/acoustic mindmeld from the duo of jacob heule (ettrick) and tony dryer. double bass, floor tom and cymbals trigger electronics, which are processed to create spontaneous compositions ranging from articulate harsh noise to quiet moments reminiscent of comus, u.s maple and brigitte fontaine.
helena espvall and masaki batoh are known to open-eared music listeners for their collaborations with other artists — artists with names such as ghost, espers, damon & naomi, fursaxa, tom rapp, lukas ligeti, bert jansch, among many others. by collaborating with each other, they’ve made one of the most beautiful recordings either one of them has yet participated in. they first met at a festival in the united states in 2006. batoh presented helena with a handmade bamboo instrument; short on spare celli, she gave him a copy of her solo cd. afterwards, they stayed in touch. at some point helena suggested an improvised musical collaboration. batoh wrote back and said: ‘actually i’m too busy now to think about music… if my idols moondog, henry cowell or toru takemitsu wanted me, i’ll refuse their orders.’ several weeks later, he had a change of heart. he contacted helena and said that he felt they should record not improvisations only, but songs as well. helena made a demo of some scandinavian folk songs that she remembered in her spirit from growing up in northern sweden, thinking that maybe they’d record one. the recording session was held in tokyo over four days in december 2007. for instruments fans, this session might be a treasure. so many strings were used: 6- and 12-string guitar, banjo, cello, hurdy-gurdy, harp, contra bass, chappa tibetan bells, kin (buddist metallic bowl), timpani, bass marimba, vibraphone, thunder sheet & on & on. six of the swedish traditional tunes were reconstructed, along with batoh’s arrangement of ‘death letter,’ a classic son house delta blues song. additionally, a european medieval tune was addressed in its own arrangement and expression. ‘zeranium,’ a dreamy folk tune that batoh wrote for damon & naomi (they didn’t use it), was re-arranged for this session as well. the improvisations were done on the last recording day, with no overdubs. ‘completely free’ was the essential concept. for one of them, they were joined by batoh’s fellow ghosts takuyuki moriya (contra bass), kazuo ogino (piano,celtic harp) and the santur player mayumi nagayoshi. the same morning, helena had received notice that her grandmother suddenly had died, and that a dear friend had chosen to end his life. two death letters in one day? there is great emotion reflected in the improvisations. and great depth and beauty throughout the whole helena espvall & masaki batoh album… limited vinyl version in a heavy gatefold cover.
handmade covers. a confusing, odd record. 2 lock grooves begin the edith side. bedroom meanderings that steve stapleton might be proud of. released around 9/11/01. really! tons of confusing inserts. 200 pressed.
it’s the final beach fuzz recording made with barry dean on drums and also features the eyeball-melting saxophonic skree of solar fire trio’s dave jackson. it was recorded in warrington on 29th oct ‘08 and is a more melodic yet typically cacophonous jam than previous releases. we hope you dig. out now on cd-r, limited to 80 copies.
5 minutes pulled from 2 epic, cacophonous jams make up both sides of this first beach fuzz 45. following on a slew of home spun cassette and cdr releases on their own golden lab label as well as blackest rainbow, lotus birth and others. insistent, narcotic drone pieces featuring bowed, scraped lap steel, wailing echo drenched synth wash with occasional mo-esque, circling percussion. 300 only in cool, fliptop, yearling lined card fliptop sleeves.
take a vacation at the beach house and let the baltimore duo of victoria legrand and alex scally take you to a place where slow hazy pop fills the room with organs, slide guitars, reverb echoes, and unforgettable melodies. nine songs influenced by 1970s southern california, mid-’90s england, andy warhol’s factory, and 1940s appalachia… their debut repressed on wax.
last ever copies!!! recorded in 1970 but not released until 1996. follow up to their highly heralded album ‘welcome’ which is a classic psych album. this one is psych flavored pop/rock. comes with paste-on sleeve… long out of print high quality archival release.
devastating psych noise power drones by ernesto gonzález, an 18 year old kid from venezuela who moved to belgium with his family 3 years ago. thick layers of hototogisu-like guitar drones interfere with endless tape loops and warm washes of analogue jungle color tone to work up to an overwhelming fuzz guitar climax, leaving listeners helpless, ecstatic, puzzled and bemused. ernesto has been making music for over three years now, has various solo as well as collaboration projects going on, has released a slew of amazing selfmade cdr’s and has recently also become a full time member of belgium’s finest: freefolk/krautrock outfit silvester anfang, who’ve got an lp coming out on eclipse later this month. a promising new star in the psych drone skies’85 djid hums is the vinyl debut of bear bones, lay low: over 45 minutes of pure psych drone bliss pressed on heavy high quality 180g vinyl, complete with paste-on art and flashy insert, housed in a thick cardboard jacket with resealable plastic sleeve. limited to 525 hand-numbered copies.
ernesto gonzález traded the chavez regime for comfortable living in a dreary place called waterloo, near brussels. he picked up the guitar, practiced his hendrix skills, got introduced to the world of scorching fuzz, demented kraut rock jams, drone lords and kosmik trance and decided he could as well do all that shit by himself. after his debut on gipsy sphinx, vallée de dith is his second official solo outing, leaving the drone in second position and focussing heavily on kraut rock work-outs. this is the ultimate south-american take on moolah, ash ra temple and neu!: excellent riffing, brain-melting space synth and far-out hippy meditation. probably the best venezuelan album since angel rada’s upadesa. phill niblock hated it!
a prison is a noisy place. the clanging of bells announcing the prison routine, the whir and ratcheting, banging and slamming of electric gates and mechanical metal doors, the ebb and flow of human vocalizations as hundreds of people caged against their will respond to their conditions in myriad ways – to express their loneliness, or discontent, or rage, or insanity, or merely to cheer or boo a play in a football game on television – punctuated by the shouts of guards who must enforce their authority to maintain what passes for order in such places… all of this and more is amplified within the confines of reverberant concrete walls, conspiring to make it difficult to find, much less preserve, one’s peace of mind. i composed mantra: soundscapes for meditation in response to several requests from some of my fellow prisoners. i was asked to create some gentle music that they could listen to on their personal cassette players as an aid in practicing meditation and relaxation techniques widely accepted as valuable tools in the process of healing mind, body and spirit. the challenge was to produce a musical composition that would help to mask the noise of the environment without being intrusive or demanding too much of the listeners attention, while incorporating combinations of tones and textures that may aid an individual in achieving a relaxed, meditative state of consciousness. by all reports, including my own experience, mantra succeeds in its intended mission. as environmental music, it also seems to work well as a focusing agent when doing some types of creative work, or when reading, and to enhance the restfulness of sleep when set to play continuously through the night at low volume. you may find other uses for it as well. for all i know, it may help plants to grow more healthy, or soothe a teething baby. we are all doing time in one way or another, and the stresses of day to day life make it imperative that we find ways to generate harmony within ourselves from time to time. i hope that mantra will serve you in this regard as well as it has served some of my friends in prison. peace. – bobby beausoleil. artworks by bobby beausoleil.
a complete anthology of the recordings made for the lucifer rising motion picture soundtrack by bobby beausoleil with the freedom orchestra and the magick powerhouse of oz. this fully authorized and definitive release will include: remastered recordings spanning 11 years, from the ’67 recording to the tracy prison recordings of ’78. – 4 full-length lps worth of lucifer rising material with half being never-before-heard sessions personally selected by bobby beausoleil. – 9 new pieces of art from bobby: 8 record sleeve panels and one 2’ x 3’ poster. – 2 posters: one by bobby beausoleil and one by dennis dread. – a much-extended version of the “fallen angel blues” piece by bobby that originally appeared in the kenneth anger dvd set. – ”hymns to the solar temple”- impressions on a visit to bobby at the oregon correctional facility in pendleton, oregon by dennis dread. – ”the saga of a soundtrack” by michael moynihan. – art from dennis dread for the back of the lp box, also to be included as a 2’ x 2’ poster. – art from dennis dread for the front lid of the box which will provide a window into the works of bobby’s to be found within. – remastered by robert ferbrache, well known for his work with blood axis, 16 horsepower and others. – all art has been created specifically for this release… quite amazing document here. recommended!
recorded live to tape in two days, after a sleep deprived month of beefheart style creative lockdown, begushkin – dan smith’s 8 headed hydra – lay to rest the twilight folk of 2007s nightly things and reemerge with the wicked & strange hard rock gypsy shake of king’s curse. smith yells and carries on like a man posessed with tales of the damnation of a robber king and the band plays it ultra tight & ultra heavy. king’s curse is higher tier creep rock…. ‘at times like an impossible mixing of leonard cohen, will oldham, and michael gira stirring up a series of haunted gypsy hymns. mournful and melodic with half-seen shadows walking through the trees at night, and fever dreams swooning in the moonlight. mysterious like lyrically compressed american gothic short stories.’ george parsons, dream… 180gm limited vinyl version.
a long three track cdr collecting a particularly insulated and homespunera of the believers development. especially the longer-than-album-side rendition of their standard, ‘down to the lake’. step inside, take a breath, get to know this album. perhaps you will glimpse the reasons why so many in the valley are holding their breath for the believers debut lp – features members of son of earth, shackamaxon, duck, idea fire company, sapat, so many other spins, the whole meatball is here. packaged in simple xerox folded jackets, origami style – yeah! go believers!
fabulous split 45 on clear wax in 2 part, op-art psych sleeves featuring the mighty “everybody’s dig accounted for” by jats, total killer, raw groove blues that descend into a velvets meets the sonics freakout. backed by part time james and jessica toth (wooden wand) side project “bengal traitors” with the magical “sumtimes”. 350 copies on clear vinyl.
2 very very very hip bands. first part in the series of split-tapes with breaking world recs. ben and george sing about daddy’s digweed and bad boys. buffle has the blues.
released in autumn a 7-inch of benjamin franklin (buffle, ex-rot). a-side is a dark ambient piece of music while b-side is a shiny minimalist casio pop-song. the sleeve (which is more a package) is silkscreened and available in fluo green, flashy red or gold (ok it’s just painting and glitters and it can hardly look like gold but it’s beautiful anyway).
a dark trip in the neither world of benjamin franklin (buffle, r.o.t.) sleepwalking along deep low humming casio rumblings and floating urban soundscapes. 70 copies.
the first ever official vinyl reissue of this folk-psych gem from new york city, usa. originally released in 1977 by winter solstice -group’s own- label this is a very rare (r3-r4) album nowadays. and hopefully it deserves every cent that you will spend for purchasing an original copy. its strange mixture of haunting melodic folk and dreamy psychedelia. both male and female vocals participated by roger and wendy penney (who had also presented the extremely rare “roger & wendy” lp back in 1972) while autoharp, violin, percussion and sound effects (wah wah, fuzz, phaser, delay) offer a “unique” atmosphere. this is an official, fully licenced and autographed, vinyl edition. exact reproduction of the cover and label with extra 4-pages insert with bio, photos and lyrics. all in high quality special papers. pvc protective outersleeve. includes one extra unreleased track from 1974. limited to 400 black vinyl copies, 180gr, copies. pvc protective outersleeve… top quality reissue of this pretty great private press oddity.
totally unreleased (on vinyl format) album by legendary nyc psychfolk duo. all the recordings range from the late 60’s to the late 70’s. our opinion is that “the missing tapes” is their best till today offering. just take a listen to “did you love me” and “lost worlds” songs. original, unique and bizzare sound not unlike their first album (see anazitisi records arlp 70-21f). half of the 10 songs are penned by roger penney while the other 5 are covers on: dennis deyoung’s “come sail away”, joni mitchell’s “circle game”, richard farina’s “swallow song” (what an adaptation!!!!), fred neil’s “dolphin” and an exceptional “high flying bird”. from the original 2-track master tapes with excellent sound quality and licenced by roger & wendy. it includes a 12-pages large booklet with story, lyrics & photos, decorated by wendy’s paintings. fully laminated. pvc protective outersleeve. 180gr. vinyl as usual. limited, to 200 black and 100 coloured copies, edition… black vinyl copies here. highly recommended if you dug their s/t lp!
repressed… another new slab from bethany of pocahaunted… this time on orange vinyl and sure to vanish quick once again.
reissue of the long sold out cassette only debut from bethany cosentino (formerly of pocahaunted). these five tracks were released in an edition of only 200 copies on cassette back in the summer of 2009 on blackest rainbow. here these 5 tracks clocking in at a total of 14 sweet minutes are reissued just in time for bethany’s first visit to the uk and europe. copies of the cassette have been extremely hard to come by with best coast’s growing popularity following a series of excellent 7″s on ppm, group tightener, art fag, black iris and atelier ciseaux, so the time definitely seemed right for this reissue. this will be the very first best coast cd! glass mastered cd edition of only 1000 copies packaged in pro-printed cd wallet with new artwork featuring beach loving 80s kids.
really cool new out-of-nowhere private press from israel. haunted lo-fi male/female duo that trip into the same sort of dust baked bedroom visionary zones as early charalambides, or more fried mazzzacane/bloom. totally spooked femme vocal stretching out over equally zoned & exposed slo-mo electric guitar pluck & moan. really good stuff. each copy has a unique hand painted white on black cover. recommended.
the brand new self released disc from this amazing project featuring colleen & caleb from cerberus shoal, threads, fire on fire, etc. off the cuff abstact improv spaces with goobs of reverb, strange instruments, and spooked vocals mix with straighter, and generally pretty dark, acid folk songs. male/female vocals, accordion, many different guitars, multiple personalities, toy drums, and plenty of mystery sounds. their 6th private press release, as usual packaged in a totally beautiful one-of-a-kind multi color/layer screen printed art paper cover, with vellum insert, extra art, printed disc, and more. extremely limited. could be their best yet! very recommended maine goodness!
finally a release on night-people from raccoo-oo-oon tour mates and chicago’s best basement improv unit binges. killer drums, percussion, electronics, saxophone, guitar, and bass from these two dudes chris and anthony. binges are ultra focused and tight, chris glides around on his kit with supreme precision with anythony juggles a bunch of loops, noises, and instruments all at once. one of the most solid and exciting underground bands around right now. artwork by the band printing by sdrreed.
two sides of total existential rebirth! placental for you and bird by snow, a 7 inch baby of the cosmos, belching new sounds, and visions. replete with new-metal guitar tones, falsetto cave paintings, and gasoline-riot guitar solos (think blue cheer in thunderdome). begging the question what is paradise? a waterfall? or a burning sky-scraper? each cover is hand printed from a linoleum block by bird by snow, at no extra cost to you. limited to 300. recorded at home on 8-track cassette tape.
to you, children of the zeitgeist, we give ’sky,’ offered in the same generous spirit as this bountiful world itself. ten songs of reggae-infused, psychedelic, folk music. existentialism you can dance to! open-hearted sound-fields, vast and colored with tiny blue-grass orchestras, authentic dub banjo, black cloud back-beats, and (if you can believe it) california soukous guitar! open eyes wide, and take in ’sky,’ bird by snow’s outrageously lush follow-up lp. cloudy or clear, day or night, let us be absorbed in the one-always-giving moment, and know the sky not as vacuous hole, but as container (whole). limited to 300, on beautiful tranparent-blue vinyl. hand silk-screened gold covers, with a lovely hand-made booklet too. recorded at home on 8-track cassette tape, mastered by george horn… who mastered “zuma” by neil young and crazy horse… last copy.
a new calf sparkles in the field at dawn with after-birth upon her. standing strong and brave with wobbly legs in a precarious world. with totally fearless surrender she steps forward, still wet from the inner universe of the before birth being. with the same naked abandon we offer this 3rd long-player by bird by snow. ten free-pop-mantras, ancient-babies of modern song. the most fertile bird by snow record (so far) each side of this album has its own name, in order to give the tunes more mind-space to flourish and expand side a is ’songbread’ and side b is ‘another ocean.’ in this record-world we find bbs harvesting perspectives in an old-growth forest of ontology & swimming joyfully in wide-wonder-waters of multi-instrumentalism. cellos, drones, pianos, field-recordings, tape-collage & all manner of drumming, strumming & singing confer and conspire here. many of these songs have been two years in the making, grown and regrown on musical tours through the generous world. songs with fresh-washed faces, and crow’s feet in the corners of their eyes. ’songbread / another ocean’ is also some of gnome life’s most beautiful and ambitious packaging! the cover is a color lithograph poster, and the lp also includes a deluxe handmade booklet of literature, lyrics, ideas, and points of entry. and a second semi-transparant poster of poetry called: “slow poems” by fletcher tucker (a.k.a. bird by snow). this edition is limited to 550 copies, and is on completely clear vinyl, and comes with a cd! recorded at home on 8-track cassette tape, mastered by john golden.
bird microphone follows up last year’s paper mines split with cursillistas with this collection of original songs and appalachian child ballads. fitting six songs onto this 45rpm 7″ record, bird mic. mixes her trademark dulcimer plucks and cut-up bell percussion clacks with a new focus on voice. love songs that aren’t afraid to expose the dissonance; traditionals on the a-side, originals on the b. preview here. black 7″ vinyl record with center labels hand-stamped on the a and hand-drawn/colored on the b-side, held in a heavy off-white cotton paper sleeve, with double-vision two-color screenprinted covers and an offset-printed back. hand-numbered to 300, and embossed… loose 7inch from the tryst haunt subscription series.
death-defiling split disc of zodzoric psychedelia from these hot leeds zombies! neon death slittes is the axle-greased alterego of phil ‘xenis emputae travelling band’ legard who contributes four tracks of greasy blues amphetamuck that will have fans of pink fairies/deviants/gong/third world war choking on their wet dentures. recent american tapes/no fun stars birds of delay occupy the other half with a knob-scorching oscillation/voice seizure recorded live in sunny edinburgh. ltd.100 in tracing paper sleeves with on-disc gocco print – very hip one with sweet covers.
birds of delay is a leeds duo whose first half lives in london (and loves whitehouse and rush) and the other in berlin (and loves farley jackmaster funk). with several releases on labels such as chocolate monk, american tapes, troniks, hospital productions, or their own: alcoholic narcolepsy, luke and steven have been crafting and sculpting their psychedelic-electronic-noise-drone sound for over half a decade. but who cares and what does that sound description mean anyway? if you ask them, they’ll simply tell you a living room at the bottom of a lake is a projection into a total rainbow bliss zone! edition of 240 copies.
during the last euro tour of wolf eyes, john olson (of american tapes, spykes, guam river etc – ) and mike connelly (of gods of tundra, hair police, failing lights etc – ) decided it was enough! they screamed “i’m not going to bed!!! i never wanne sleep again!!!”, they missed their flights and stayed in antwerp with the ultra audiobored horror crew for 7 more weeks without food and drinks, just dry weed and cancerbags to suck on! after that intense test to see if they could adapt to the antwerp life style, they finally met up with legendary belgian eccentric cacti and hat collector cassis cornuta, this psychadelic character brought his whole space synth and tape lab over to radio central to record an intense last gasp jam with the hardly breathing olson and connelly, the end result is an amazing trip to space and back to the mental hospital! like pouring lighter fluid and tabasco up your genitals or like olson states it so beautifully; like pissing on your own hand, freezing it and then using it as a lollypop for 5 days! comes in a gross 6 panel cover design and with an etch on the b side! – very limited. amazing packaging!
by trade sir richard bishop is a dealer of rare occult books and fine paper ephemera. for many in the musical cosmos, he has occasion to travel the smoke filled carnie circuit as 1/3 of the sun city girls medicine show. but in the twilight hours of a shadow world once sensed only by few, bishop is a dazzling unaccompanied guitarist. on improvika, bishop rides a very tall horse through a surrealist’s cowboy set that’s 1 part bruit peckinpah muscularity & 2 parts illuminated jodorowskian symbolism.. a very strange place, indeed. armed only with a single steel string wooden guitar, bare-knuckled bishop fends off the horrors & dangers of the night with ease as he spits out glorious white robed arabesques, django-inspired gypsy arcs, & latin terracotta flourishes like so many spinning tumbleweeds in a one horse town that is his alone. improvika is sir richard’s solo installment for locust’s long running wooden guitar series. 180 gram vinyl, packaged in deluxe silkscreened art paper… sweet new pressing of this great album.
another album of acoustic guitar music from sir richard bishop — are you ‘freakin’ nuts? the freak of araby is a new direction for our distinguished gentleman, and just in the nick of time as well. sir rick’s had it up to here with solo acoustic guitar records! the freak of araby isn’t even a solo record! and there’s no acoustic guitar on it! so let’s have no more of this kind of talk. over his years with sun city girls, richard bishop threw a wide variety of music and sound against the wall — and all of it stuck. among those who know, he’s reasonably fluent in any number of international music traditions, playing them for (mostly) fun and (sometimes) profit all over the place. the freak of araby is the debut of sir richard bishop and his freak of araby ensemble, a talented quartet of players getting deep into the middle eastern mystic with hand drums, percussion, bass, drums, electric guitars and a heavy dose of moroccan chanters, all of it captured with depth, detail and sympathy for the eternal enigma by engineer scott colburn. but a sir richard bishop album with a backing band — how did this happen? after recording a cover of ‘ka’an azzaman,’ written by elias rahbani, one of lebanon’s finest songwriters, something dawned on sir richard. half-lebanese by birth (it didn’t just occur to him later), he found himself suddenly possessed to really dig into middle eastern sounds. a pair of original melodies not fully developed at a prior recording session had the arabic inspiration, so these were reattacked and finished in short order. soon, sir richard’s head was flooded with some of the classic sounds spun for him by his grandfather back in his (way) younger days, like farid al-atrache, oum kalthoum and fairuz, along with other personal favorites, such as the guitarists omar khorshid and mike hegazi. in addition to the studio improvisation, ‘taqasim for omar,’ the whole of the freak of araby is dedicated to these inspiring players. check ‘em out. in addition to his soul-stirring electric guitar playing, sir richard grabbed a couple of moroccan chanters and blew the house down on ‘blood-stained sands,’ providing an epic (not to mention epochal, heh heh) finish to this journey to the center of one-half of the family tree. this is music meant to be played live, and sir richard’s freak of araby ensemble intends to play it everywhere there’s interest in hearing it. so get your freak on.
repressed… this is an essential document by one of america’s most original and inventive unaccompanied guitarists working today. while my guitar violently bleeds is a splendid three piece gem in which the good sir branches out & nods to points west, east & otherworldly. classic spaghetti western tinged spidery fretwork(“zurvan”), fushitsusha style feedback drenched psych decay (“smashana”) and a brilliant lengthy raga epic (“mahavidya”) round out the proceedings by the sun city girls master musician.
since its discovery in the late ’90s, dave bixby’s legendary $2000 private press album from 1969 is considered by all serious record collectors as the king in the loner/downer-folk genre. after being involved in ’60s michigan folk and garage-rock bands such as the shillelaghs and peter & the prophets, bixby started playing acoustic guitar and experimenting with lsd. after a year of drug abuse he felt broken. starting a soul-searching, spiritual journey, he wrote ode to quetzalcoatl and most of the material for his second album, harbinger’s second coming in just a month and a half. assisted by fellow musician brian macinness, who played some guitar parts on the album, bixby recorded this record in a living room using an echo-laden 4-track machine. the sound is lo-fi and sparse: just acoustic guitars and some occasional harmonica & flute, added to bixby’s haunting, emotional vocals, spiritual lyrics and solid songwriting. the opening cut, the eerie and painful “drug song” sets the mood perfectly for the rest of the album. never again has an acoustic folk album sounded as intense as this. reissued for the first time under license from dave bixby himself, and carefully remastered from vinyl (no master tapes exist) at shadoks music studios. includes an insert with extensive and detailed liner notes by matvei procak — the guy who found bixby in 2006 — plus some rare pictures. this vinyl release also includes a free mp3 download code… recommended!
features: climax golden twin rob millis’ column talking machine with a report back on 78 hunting in india… an incredibly fun discussion with peter stampfel, founding member of the holy modal rounders, about harry smith, the fugs, santeria, amphetamines, god, coincidence, music and much more. conducted by allan macinnis, this 19 page feature includes an illustration by peter’s daughter zoe, plus a supplemental 3 page interview with antonia stampfel… an interview with gerd kraus on the legendary… krautrock bands limbus 3 and limbus 4 and the heady times that they grew out of… patrick marley’s nickels and dimes with discussion of church police, dennis duck, neil campbell and blues control… reviews of vinyl, books, compacts discs, dvds, and a cassettes both new and old: robert ashley, henri chopin, coach fingers, bob cobbing, loren connors, eric cordier, robert de grimston, father of the flood, henry flynt, tom heasley & toss panos, hisato higuchi, insect factory, jackwacker, dan koeppel, annette krebs, christina kubisch, kuupuu, the league of automatic music composers, mecha/orga, tatsuya mori, tham kar mun / yandsen / yeoh yin pin, organum, itaru oki, pigeons, colin potter, michael prime, sara sackner, conrad schnitzler, tom james scott, seven that spells, d. charles speer & the helix, stimulus, sun city girls, carter thornton, titmachine, giancarlo toniutti, uton & valerio cosi, vapour theories, michael yonkers, “artefacts of australian experimental music 1930-1973″, “ethnic minority music of southern laos”, “shadow music of thailand”, “thai pop spectacular 1960s-1980s”… classified ads… on the cover: an indian record stall… 56 pages, 5.5″ by 8.5″, 20 lb. paper, b&w; approximately 760 copies printed…
56 pages – a massive overview of the life and work of avant garde percussionist stomu yamash’ta, including his first english-language interview in over 30 years. a child prodigy, his meteoric rise in the classical world spawned a new world of improvisation and avant classical in the late ’60s and early ’70s before melding eastern concepts with jazz fusion via his more well known outfits come to the edge, east wind, and go. includes never-before-revealed insight into collaborations with toru takemitsu, takehisa kosugi, masahiko sato, the baschet brothers, and others. years in the making, this exhaustive survey corrects misinformation and apocrypha carried down for decades, and opens a new window to yamash’ta’s current projects featuring instruments made from resonant stones. – akio suzuki’s uk travelogue translated by the expert on japanese underground alan cummings – michael griffen, one half of noggin, remembered by aaron gorseth – andrzej zulawski’s films – a history of the beautiful limited edition releases by raymond dijkstra – onde, the new belgian group made up of members of the late noise-maker’s fifes, include timo van luijk of af ursin and in camera – rob millis’ talking machine – patrick marley (former publisher of muckraker magazine) with his column nickels and dimes – reviews of vinyl, cassettes, compacts disc, dvds and books, both new and old… sold out at source.
the no-neck blues band’s dave nuss recalls his time with the source family which led to the first yahowa 13 performance in new york city and their new lp. as much about dave’s experiences throughout this and how it brought him into the family, as about discovering the wealth of their archives and continuing energy… an extensive interview with reformed vancouver noise band tunnel canary by allan macinnis. allan speaks not only to the leader of the group, nathan holiday, but also tunnel canary members past and present mya mayhem, ebra ziron, and dave sheftel about their intense performances, early influences, their specially altered instruments, life and musical philosophy, and the different reactions in the early 1980s and now, matched with photos from their recent live shows and one from the archives…. a remembrance of noggin violin player michael griffen by his friend aaron gorseth…. a feature on the belgian group onde featuring former members of noise-maker’s fifes; supplemented by photographs taken on tour by dan burke of illusion of safety… a feature on the new label assophon, home to the sea donkeys, spider trio and factums with photographs by mark sullo…. rob millis, waxing on about the preciousness of shellac while discussing the drive to recycle that raw material in the war years and the price that artifacts from that time can command…. eric lanzillotta’s reviews of vinyl, compacts discs, and books, both new and old by bill bissett, bob cobbing, helena espvall & masaki batoh, malcolm goldstein, the howling hex, dieter schnebel, and “radio mynamar (burma)”…. patrick marley’s column nickels and dimes focusing on american tapes and drunjus…. cover star: djin of yahowa 13…. 56 pages, 5.5″ by 8.5″, 20 lb. paper, b&w, approximately 800 copies printed.
sewer mist catharsis is beautiful but frightening droning electronic ambient noise from norway in the vein of zaimph, kevin drumm, or mb. limited to 30 copies.
solo live blurt from 25 june 2008 from sindre bjerga, one half of bjerga / iversen. background drones hit in immediatley accompanied with some minimal scrapes and sputtering kinda growth aura from aforementioned drone, there’s a real static vibe cruising through this. occasional clunk and taps blur away as the heavy dense drone consumes the lot like an electric mist, with feedback clots clogging up your lungs, and creepy terror sounds. limited to 50 hand numbered copies, each with indvidual handmade weird paper and an insert, everyone looking entirely different.
striate cortex presents two live sets from sindre bjerga’s recent uk tour, recorded in sheffield and hull, respectively… mildly toxic clouds of gas are slowly and inevitably turning into densely marbled columns of psychedelic, splintered drones… like a sprinkling ray of light from a distant sun turning into a massive black hole sonic migraine… edition of 50 copies with individually handmade covers. standard editon of 40 copies and 10 “art-edition” copies on gold discs and extra photos… standard edition copies here.
out of print. one copy only.
black boned angel return with their second riot season release, following the eternal love/eternal hunger vinyl lp (repose 013lp). sharing a similarly bleak ground to corrupted, sunn 0))) and earth, new zealand’s black boned angel return with their fourth full length album verdun, and perhaps their most sombre and fully-realized work to date. the battle of verdun was fought between the german and french armies, and was one of the critical battles during world war 1 on the western front. it resulted in more than a quarter of a million battlefield deaths and at least half a million wounded. verdun was the longest battle and one of the most devastating in world war 1 and indeed in history. over the course of 50 minutes, bba soundtrack that brutal conflict with their trademark dark ambient drones and doom-laden riffs.
diggin’ deep into the montreal free music vault of yesteryear. 15 minutes of totally free improvisation recorded live in 2003 at pasalymany bar (rip). originally recorded for the birthdays of colin, serene, and sime. members of rivers and mountains along with other pasalymanians. found cover image photocopied on heavy card stock. hand stamped j-cards and cassette labels. hand number edition of 66.
i fell asleep late last night right after i jammed this latest burner from sean mccann and black eagle child. that was lucky, let me tell ya… this split is a total tropical dreamscreamer. each one of them gets a side, but it doesn’t matter – the message is the same: it’s time to zone the fuck out. crisp capricorn tones drizzle down like pink sunkissed mists from the heavens, totally enveloping your aural sensibilities. guitar zoners and gooey, synthed up flow-ers take you through the perfect lazy river, floating on scarlet sonic waves to the stars. this is the new space race. if all drones were drenched in this much bliss, we’d all be rotten to the core…limited to 77. packaged in a fabric pouch with insert.
18 minutes of blind mindless heaviness celebrating their deepest feelings for montreal. still can’t figure out if they dig this city or not. sludged and dragged, this is a one-sided battle. side a has gold spray paint with black splatter. b side is straight black, empty. cassette boxes contain gold foil, red arcylic paint, and black spray paint. xeroxed insert. edition of 77.
guitar, cello, electronics, and various small rackety sounds collect themselves into a haze of infinite possibilities. – byron coley. for this new 10″, the duo is joined by guests margot goldberg and joe grimm (a.k.a. the wind up bird). this quartet version of bf/bs is the very same lineup that performed at terrastock 6. 10″ vinyl-only release limited to 500 copies worldwide. silkscreened metallic silver covers by mike taylor (lungfish, avarus, dan higgs). 21 minutes of music, all exclusive material… nice little slab.
following recent releases under the directing hand moniker on memoirs of an aesthete and chocolate monk, alex neilson (jandek, ashtray navigations, richard youngs etc etc) conjures another slab of percussive clatter to excite yr inner ear. joined on this journey by frank janiurek, the duo lay down a thick bed of organic drone before reaching for the stars with some inspired levitation tactics.
another new guise for spencer clark (the skaters) zoned solo trance sounds. primitive percussion paterns, zonked sci-fi synth, etc. limited.
fully re-mastered vinyl edition of what was originally a europe-only cassette released in an edition of 80 copies from the solo project of spencer clark of the skaters/vodka soap/monopoly child et al. spencer describes black joker as being more drone-focused and with faster percussion than the recent monopoly child sets. indeed, the percussion is thrifty and up-front, with arcs of criss-crossing time signatures generating maximum space/time confusion. the combination of trance-informed momentum and bubbling electronic sci-fi tones sounds closest to one of the sun ra arkestra’s most future-visioned takes on “ancient aethiopia” while expanding on the classic post-angus maclise feel of all of the best skaters material. comes with pro-printed 80s style 12” maxi-sleeves with liner notes by fortean authority, itinerant visionary and skaters road mangler in-absentia charles berlitz.
black magic disco is the new all-star band featuring tom greenwood (jackie-o motherfucker), maurizio & roberto opalio (my cat is an alien) and ramona ponzini (painting petals on planet ghost, praxinoscope). the project was born out of an idea from tom greenwood, founder leader of the avant-folk-blues ensemble jackie-o motherfucker, who invited maurizio and roberto opalio, aka the italian improv duo my cat is an alien (mciaa), and their close collaborator ramona ponzini (also involved with the two brothers in the projects named painting petals on planet ghost and praxinoscope, as well as in the new collaboration with z’ev) to perform with him for two months of touring throughout all europe in may/ june 2005. as one can imagine, the result was killer. the music which came out of the live performances was totally explosive, combining ramona’s japanese vocals & hypnotic chimes with greenwood’s psych-blues guitar attitude & wild turntablism, over mciaa’s alien cosmic flux of electric guitars, space toys & percussions, creating a still unheard mixture of sounds unifying archaic & post-modern, western & eastern, sky & earth. couloured vinyls (1 solid red / 1 solid white). comes in a luxury gatefold cover, including a huge 70×100 cm. poster (by roberto opalio drawing).
the josh/roy anti-society drone/drums duo drops its first (and last?) lp. a dripping cavern of red-eyed vibes and numb inner examination. uncomfortable, epic. edition of 270. comes with a poster. co-released with illinois sweatshop arbor.
including the tracks from their split cassette released last year on dba, this 12″ adds 1 foot village bonus track and 2 black pus bonus tracks. this music is raw, distorted, and totally fucked up drum rock. each 12″ includes a 16″ x 22″ poster that is a full color animal photo with art by brian chippendale screened on top. brian is the dude behind black pus and he is the drummer of lightning bolt. this release is all about drums being punk as fuck. edition of 300. co-released with deathbomb arc.
this vinyl-only split-lp release is a meeting of two of the most interesting bands coming out of hamburg, germany at this moment, both continuing the long tradition of both challenging and explorative music coming from this city in the last decades. from krautrock to the origins of the so-called neue deutsche welle from experimental sound artists to some of the finest pop ambient, hamburg is regularly spitting out some of the most singular artists on this planet. both aosuke and black to comm have absorbed influences from all these sources (and a million others) while working towards their very own individual vision. the two brand new tracks by black to comm are continuing the massive organ/voice drone alchemy of the last double-lp while refining and personalizing his sound, reaching new heights of blazing sonic mysticism. aosuke have decided to home-record their new material, continuing their loop-oriented, monotone yet highly melodic ambient journeys. working with repetition and small abstractions, all instrumental “loops” are played by hand and recorded live without overdubs (one of the main principles of the guitar/electronics duo), creating surprisingly concrete dormant and somnambulistic soundscapes while fortunately completely lacking the washy and drowsy effects of most ambient music. black to comm is the one-man project of marc richter who is the brain behind the dekorder label as well. so far he has released two albums on his own label (“rückwärts backwards” and “wir können leider nicht etwas mehr zu tun…”). aosuke is the duo of tobert knopp and ulf schütte, the latter being a label head as well (tape tektoniks). last year they have released their debut “monotone spirits” album co-released by hamburg’s audiolith label and south germany’s meudiademorte label.
this vinyl-only split-lp release is a meeting of two of the most interesting bands coming out of hamburg, germany at this moment, both continuing the long tradition of both challenging and explorative music coming from this city in the last decades. from krautrock to the origins of the so-called neue deutsche welle from experimental sound artists to some of the finest pop ambient, hamburg is regularly spitting out some of the most singular artists on this planet. both aosuke and black to comm have absorbed influences from all these sources (and a million others) while working towards their very own individual vision. the two brand new tracks by black to comm are continuing the massive organ/voice drone alchemy of the last double-lp while refining and personalizing his sound, reaching new heights of blazing sonic mysticism. aosuke have decided to home-record their new material, continuing their loop-oriented, monotone yet highly melodic ambient journeys. working with repetition and small abstractions, all instrumental “loops” are played by hand and recorded live without overdubs (one of the main principles of the guitar/electronics duo), creating surprisingly concrete dormant and somnambulistic soundscapes while fortunately completely lacking the washy and drowsy effects of most ambient music. black to comm is the one-man project of marc richter who is the brain behind the dekorder label as well. so far he has released two albums on his own label (“rückwärts backwards” and “wir können leider nicht etwas mehr zu tun…”). aosuke is the duo of tobert knopp and ulf schütte, the latter being a label head as well (tape tektoniks). last year they have released their debut “monotone spirits” album co-released by hamburg’s audiolith label and south germany’s meudiademorte label.
incredible, spooky-spiritual-drone masterpiece by the most hip german experimentalists black to comm (mark richter) and the free-noise group datashock companied by new member marcel tirkowsky. here all together creating a flavor of blissen alien soundscapes, whirling on, changing and evolving all the time, generating hyperzonic tensions inside the crown-chakra so long that the eyes start to see pulsating flames inside and outside your imagination. rich in colour of sound and for sure not a restless headfuck, but a stony stoned psychedelic vibration of something spiritually exciting, something which reminds the outer inner worlds, and how close they are. the fog of the lake & the ghosts of the forgotten old new days. recorded nearby berlin’s goldmund festival in august 2007, in a place which used to be a summercamp for kids in the times of gdr the point which alone may cause the climbing in such a mystical level. peaceful & strange at the same time. includes 9 minute quicktime video by renate nikolaus! music and video recorded at goldmund festival, wukensee / biesenthal 08/2007. 150 copies.
black to comm is the solo venture of dekorder label boss marc richter. having released two and a half albums on his own label he is slowly establishing himself as one of the more prolific drone artists out there with a forthcoming album on the american digitalis label, a collaborative cd with datashock on ikuisuus, a 7″ on the irish trensmat label and a collaboration with xela in the works. “fractal hair geometry” is richter’s most refined and original work to date, picking up where the electrifying drone works of his monumental double-lp left off. like the last records this album is centered around recordings of a variety of vintage organs. while “wir kennen leider…” often featured pure harmonium sounds and spacious recordings of chuch organ and mellotron, the new album opts for a more electronic, effects-laden sound, sending an old farfisa compact deluxe and casio sk-5 through an armada of analogue & digital effects pedals. the results are massive one-chord drones layered into dense & ecstatic, flickering & pulsating clusters of psychedelic electronic sound. additional wordless vocal effects, hyperventilating & sizzling drum machines and hypnotic violin and guitar noises make for a hyperactive sound that never stands still even though most of the music is pure drones (sometimes consisting of more than 50 recording layers). decidedly simple but gorgeous melodies shine through the mist from time to time, making a black to comm record always much more accessible than your average drone album. there’s even a heavy 4/4 bass drum smuggled into a track dedicated to the late leigh bowery, one of the most enigmatic creative figures of the mid-80’s uk club scene (and singer of minty). guests include jonna karanka (aka kuupuu) on piano, guido mebius on trumpet and current black to comm (live) band members renate nikolaus on violin and ulf schitte (of datashock, aosuke, etc.) adding electronic sounds. along the lines of the music, seminal german artist oliver ross has created a massive multi-layered neon-coloured collage artwork which is printed on special ultra-heavy cardboard stock.
the whole album is very dream-like, mystical and fascinating, like being in the middle of a fog bank and loosing your sense of direction but always knowing that you’ll find your way out one way or the other. – mats gustaffson/the broken face. finally, here’s the vinyl version of the debut album by hamburg’s black to comm. strictly limited edition of 222 copies, hand screened grey cardboard sleeves, full colour insert, postcard and gold stamped labels – sweet stuff.
wir können leider nicht etwas mehr zu tun is the rather weird title for black to comms 2nd album release within 12 months, this time coming out on a gorgeous vinyl-only double-lp with a beautifully strange gatefold sleeve in a limited edition of 500 copies. black to comm is the nom de plume for hamburgs dekorder label head honcho marc richter’s sonic voyages. in 2006 he released a 7″ lathe cut picture disc (“levitation”), his debut album & “rückwärts backwards” on cd and very limited vinyl and compilation tracks for the finnish 267 lattajjaa and ukrainian quasipop labels. while the first album was mainly constructed from dusty vinyl and shellac loops, the new album is based on “real” instruments including several antique organs, electric harmonium, acoustic & electric guitars, bells, clattery percussion, vintage effect pedals and tape loops thereof. richter builds up massive psychedelic one-chord drones, minimal yet dense and heavily layered, full of spacious details and swirling melodies buried within. each track is slowly building, drifting and floating hypnotically into a warm and shimmering black ocean of sonic liquid, creating a mesmerizing and mysterious mass of sound. while most of the works are thick monotone layers of organic sound theres some sort of simple songwriting gleaming constantly through the mist, making this a highly accessible drone album. guest musicians are hamburg visual artist renate nikolaus on electric & acoustic guitars and voice and electro-acoustic musician gregory büttner on trumpet – another great album from this project. sweet packaging too.
i’m extremely pleased to announce that james blackshaw will now be releasing his absolutely spellbinding music via young god records. he has received attention as a 12-string guitar prodigy / virtuoso. he used to be in punk bands in england, but then he started listening to people like john fahey, robbie basho, etc., and i assume locked himself in a room for 12 hours a day for several years and just played constantly. it takes intense discipline and a religious commitment to get to the place where he’s at with his instrument. but his music isn’t about his ’skill.’ it’s not showy. it’s deeply meditative — the secret language of a pre-thought, pre-dream place. blackshaw plays soulful and kaleidoscopic, ever-shifting mantra cycles of incredible beauty. just his guitar by itself, with its swirling overtones, cascading notes, and a thousand points of light, resembles an orchestra, but with further orchestration-piano, strings, wind, and vocals-the music is positively cinematic and mesmerizing. the 18-minute-plus gem on this record is ‘arc,’ performed on piano with the sustain pedal on full throttle. blackshaw is joined on this record by joolie wood (current 93, simon finn), and john contreras (baby dee and current 93) on cello. lavinia blackwall (directing hand) is a classically trained singer and contributed vocals. – michael gira… includes cd version of the lp with one extra track.
when uk-native james blackshaw plays his 12-string guitar, something spiritual takes place. performing and recording since 2003, his name is frequently mentioned as one of the foremost modern solo acoustic guitarists. now at the age of 25, blackshaw, an untrained musician born and still residing in the suburban environs of greater london, draws as much inspiration from early religious music, south-asian folk music and composers such as arvo pärt, simeon ten holt, steve reich and charlemagne palestine as he does from john fahey, robbie basho and the early takoma records roster, constantly breaking boundaries in what could be conceived as a somewhat limited medium. in his part improvised and part written songs, blackshaw makes expert use of eastern and western scales, chord changes reminiscent of european classical music and incredibly intricate fingerpicking patterns to make a sound that is both challengingly minimalist, yet warm and approachable to anybody who might hear it, with a rare sensitivity that conveys immense beauty, hope and sadness.
blank dogs are actually singular: it’s the insanely prolific one-man brooklyn-based band of mr. blank dog. we don’t know too much about the biography of the guy behind the bedroom new-wave pop/punk and he’s usually covering his face with masks or bedspreads, but that’s fine. the aura of anonymity allows you to focus on the sounds — and, really, he might be releasing a ton of things, but there’s definitely a higher jam-to-crap ratio. it’s like joy division vocal lines with the cure’s synth and guitar melodies filtered through ancient submerged keyboards and eroded recording equipment. and that voice? all the feedback in the world can’t hide his knack for melody. blank dogs have been making plenty of rumbles in the noisier and more secretive outposts of the underground (half his discography’s sold out), but troubleman unlimited’s just repressed his very recommended full-length on two sides (on yellow vinyl in an edition of 500) and in the red’s releasing a 20-song double lp (or single cd) called under and under . it’s all new material. he’s also playing his first shows in nyc, so if you want to take a peek, you can. all this to say: seems like blank dogs is on his way out of the basement. –stereogum
we are a tribe of bro/ho’s who sing songs of ancient fields. we all own pot except for the ones who own beers. we use trombone, flute, trumpet, guitars, drums, synth and upright bass to make songs of enjoyment for the gods. we scramble not, yet in our haste to please we drink all the cups of drugs of dance and mostly scream. we want to burn the dead babies birdessess and paint our naked bodies with our blood but must care not for it. will you help us care and scream to the tune of our holy birth right of liberation from the townspeople?
long form folk-doom-drone excursion comes on in layers, like sediment underneath a raging woodland apocalypse. the yin-and-yang solo projects of wolfgang nessel colliding head-on into one cosmos-worshipping 41-minute shape-shifter of cortex-splitting rifts. edition of: 100.
underwater peoples records is proud to offer alex bleeker’s passion fueled project as our first ever lp release. built solely on love, our label strives to deliver uniquely genuine pieces of artwork. it is a special privilege to find ourselves linked to this heart felt treasure. alex bleeker & the freaks self titled album was recorded live on june 11th, 2009. the bulk of the session took place in the basement of julian’s childhood home, in ridgewood, nj. the group consists of alex bleeker (real estate), matt mondanile (real estate, ducktails), martin courtney iv (real estate) and julian lynch. some of the songs mirror the boys collective disposition, that of a gentle and warm young man. others however, invite the listener in for a glimpse at that same boy’s restless, virile soul. a sensitive type may describe it all as raw, live, honest rock and roll with heart. alex bleeker & the freaks have been friends since high school and as healthy, red blooded american men so often choose to do, they’ve channeled their romantic energies into an electrified musical powerhouse. it’s as classic and genuine as an adolescents playboy collection or a fat, bald man in a red corvette. – up.
two florida 19 year olds make mature pysch pop, receive blog love from stereogum, i guess i’m floating, indie rock café, and kanye west, sign to kanine records and release debut album “season dreaming”. limited run of cd and vinyl lp with printed inner sleeve and digital download card. track listing: 1.the warm current’s pull 2. heavy cloud hustle 3. the dinosaur ride 4. anxious place 5. the planets explode 6. sleeping habits 7. jimmy dove 8. kissing minutes 9. ghosts 10. shells. vinyl is limited 500 one time pressing only.
warehouse find of the last copies of this 2003 reissue…. very rare arizona psychedelic trio from ‘69. fuzz guitar, psych-y leads and great cuts like ‘ride the ship of fools’, ‘cry for love’, and ‘visions’. plus two incredible bonus tracks never before heard.
lieven martens (dolphins into the future, taped sounds) and eva van deuren (orphan fairytale, pluim) are sea sponges on this tape. edition of 100… awesome packaging from the this great cassette label as always.
art guitar rock noise from sunny queensland… out of print.
a one night only 5-piece when we were joined by julian bradley, neil campbell and sticky foster in leeds. just what you would hope for, tape loops, drone, vocal damage, confused percussion, reeds etc. a ten legge brew-up.
recorded live at resonance fm. full on duo in kick back mode, trying to burrow out of the airwaves into the listeners spine via tapes, voice, violin, oscillators, percussion and various other junk. a very pleasant magnetic headache.
perhaps the rarest greek rock album, released back in 1972 in very small quantities (300-500copies) and never again re-released in vinyl. here, we talk about a combination of psych-folk and flower power hippy rock with male and female vocals, great melodies and an acid overall atmosphere. acoustic guitars, sometimes heavy and sometimes fuzzy electric guitars, organ, bass and drums create one of the best greek psych albums, although overshadowed and low promoted back then. blue birds was one of the very first greek modern bands as well as one of the most long-lived. although they had started in 1963 as a garage-beat band they delevoped in a hippy band producing some fine singles & #136;êas well as this album- in the early 70’s. as the original release, this reissue is housed in an envelope-like gimmix heavy cover, contains the poster and the greek lyrics sheet. extras are a 4-pages insert with english lyrics and band’s bio and a full-coloured, high quality, psych post-card – killer album and another very high quality exact repro greek reissue. recommended.
new tape from my buddy cybele who’s based in providence… total free violin slashes and carves busted out, then dropping right off to some super quiet and minimal experimentations… one to shred your speakers! awesome stuff, previously had tape on raccoo-oo-oon’s night people label. limited to 60 hand numbered copies with stamped labels and colour covers!
there where only 4 good and rare albums on the danish spectator label: terje, jesper & joachim (which we have just done on lp and now on cd), moses (we are still working on a deal), days (we are about to negotiate a deal) and the rarest of them all blues addicts. what a guitar work this is. ivan horn really kicks ass with his extra heavy guitar. as good as the heavy cream songs, in parts as creative as jimi hendrix. the musical range and the guitar style is as good as the best early eric clapton work with the far out techniques of jimi hendrix. all own composition, long tracks, extra heavy guitar, english vocals & heavy drum sounds. ivan horn: guitars, vocals & kazzo, mich brink: bass, gibber thomsen: vocals & congas, henning aasbjerg: drums. if spectator would have kept rock music their musical style instead of switching to jazz, those 4 bands would have been successful on the international rock circus… recorded denmark, 1970. great crude b&w art, heavy covers, 180gm white vinyl, insert, 450 numbered copies.
local flavor is the fantastic newest shimmer from blues control. while past releases have been beauteous extrapolations into the miasmic core of psychedelia and billowing fog of ambient space, local flavor is the one where all the chickens have come home to roost. the opening track “good morning” is practically a sideways step into boogie rock (horn accompaniment provided by none other than jesse trbovich and kurt vile); with the proper seismic shift, it could almost be heard as an alternate reality take on “re-make/re-model.” it’s easily the band’s longest stomp in the forest of rock since their debut cassette, and, man, them boots leave a bruise! the remaining three tracks morph and ebb harmoniously-in true blues control fashion-the timbre occasionally elegiac, yet more often riffing on a plane that has yet to be transcribed.
as you may or may not know, it can sometimes get pretty hairy working at a record store when some smelly, denim-clad dude walks in asking for the blues. if you’re lucky, he’s at least wearing a belt when you point him over to the records that are now relegated to an open spot on the floor. that’s just one scenario; who doesn’t love those other blues fondly recalled with names like blues addicts and blues creation? and let’s not forget that other queen of the blues— barbara from just farr a laugh. blues control might just be the missing link between van halen and legendary experimentalist henry flynt. they are a duo. lea cho plays swank but grounded atmospheric keyboard parts (think harold budd), through which guitar player and manipulator of assorted junk-on-table russ waterhouse cuts, whittles and lays to waste. it’s a hazy, spaced world that exists between fuzzed distortion, jabbering electronics, and a lazy, stay-in-bed psychedelic glaze, with rhythmic keyboards pulsating below it all a la a guy named florian– and you can choose which one you want. oh yeah, i gotta mention the humid bikini-vibe that permeates the entire album. so, is there a blues angle to it? yeah, but you’ve got to bury yourself in it or dig your way in. come out stinking if you want.
two mysterious no-age beings from the other side of denmark evocates a cassette of no-fi hallucinative waves of broken skies and scorched earth. pure analog hell. edition of 50 – another sweet hand packaged release on this mighty fine label.
in the deep dark recess of our psyche, lies the perverse & primordial urges and desires that many of us know not to act upon. boduf songs (mat sweet) has obviously never been told this, as he perpetually oozes doom in the form of heavy laden and silently destructive music that could best be described as dark, gothic folk. “on the brink…” carries such beauty and brilliance, through sweet’s usual juxtaposition of a gloom ridden acoustic strings & downbeat voice, with the more redemptive radiance of the underlying melody and drone that is a by-product of the main instrumentation. like simultaneously being hugged and punched in the stomach in the same action. side two is occupied by a cover version of morrissey’s “everyday is like sunday”. stripped down and laid bare, a simple structure, accompanied by acoustic guitar, vocals, and xylophone, adding not only a sinister/beguiling childlike element, but also a wonderful uplifting rhythm that contrasts beautifully with the disparaging nature of the lyrics. the word “glorious” doesn’t do it justice. this is music that may make your heart turn black, and shrivel to the size of a newborn baby’s thumb; but it’s music that will leave a smile on your face… even if it is wry. 5ma packaging : outer case card flip-lid box, with button catch, printed letter pressed artist name. housed inside is a fold over letter pressed folder, carrying a standard full colour 7″ sleeve, and a clear 7″ lathe. along side this is two screen printed 7″ inserts, a digitally printed card, and vellum insert, housed inside a vellum envelope. also, each copy has an individual polaroid photo taken by mat sweet himself (in france), and a boduf songs 1″ pin badge. note, this record has no centre label. side a is only distinguishable by feeling for the small notch placed close to the centre hole… beautifully done release on this long-time-coming new label.
65 minutes spread out over 4 sides. presented as a retrospective, including some previously released select tracks, and some not heard before. the style can vary from track to track, some dominated by small sounds and buzzing loops, to epic and beautiful drone pieces, and electro-acoustic improv fused with noise. instruments that are audible include saxophone, guitar, and drum machine. bodyvehicle manages to keep the avant garde classics in mind while still looking forward in a way that few acts can. presented in a black vinyl album, with color art on blue/gold shimmer vellum cover and color on transparent labels. tracks listing is printed on blue shimmer paper, which is glued to the inside. edition of 50 hand stamp numbered copies on hi-bias chrome tapes – instantly out of print. very limited stock.
interest in this has surged recently and quite rightly too, as this is one of the best acid-punk lps ever. clearly inspired by “electric comicbook”-era blues magoos, these long island kids had a problem with both drugs and their attitude! their originals are excellent vox organ/fuzz teen garage psych and the reworked cover versions pretty demented as well. the cough syrup high school-play vibe of “deaf, dumb ¨ blind” must be heard to be believed. not a perfect album, with a few sections that drag on, but the highs are higher than on almost any other lp of this kind. possibly the best on the label, at least if you prefer the 60s teen-garage approach over hippie longhairs. – acid archives… heavy covers, 180gm vinyl, limited to 1000 copies.
described by kris kristofferson as “one of the three best songwriters in the country,” kentucky native jay bolotin’s songs have been championed by the likes of merle haggard and porter wagoner, among many others. yet jay’s eponymous debut – released on the major subsidiary commonwealth united label – had the halflife of a mayfly when it went into circulation in 1970 and today it remains as phantasmic as the prairie ghosts that have long populated his native kentucky. however hasty or uncertain the release of the album may have been some 40 years ago, one thing is certain: in a darkened room in new york city at the end of a kentucky childhood, a 20 year old jay bolotin cut a singularly enchanted album of unhurried, low key loner ballads with the confidence and honesty of a seasoned journeyman. jay bolotin is an unqualified singer songwriter gem that will appeal to fans of leonard cohen, townes van zandt & alex chilton. features kenny lyon on bass & mark taber on piano & harpsichord- both veterans of the providence, rhode island scene, the fugs’ bobby mason on percussion and david mowry on guitar. deluxe 180 gram vinyl featuring new liner notes and lyrics inserts. remastered & reissued for the first time since it’s elusive ‘release’. “dear father” featured on numero group compilation lonesome heroes.
tie yourself on a feedbag of slightly decayed dog bones and crushed plastic kids toys you found in a cheeze whiz dumpster, throw you inhabitations out the window and dance your ass off to these highly damaged, anthemic, home made synth and drum songs. this is analog plunger punk at its best!!!! featuring: members of child bride, dreamhouse, blue shift and riddlin’. 600 pressed. full color cover.
over 70 minutes of beautiful white light healing vibes spread out over 5 songs. all music recorded in the summer of two thousand and six in the “frozen earth cabin” in dublin, except “sea cave” which was recorded live to cassette at lazybird… oversized color covers.
bong are newcastle’s finest doom stoner band, as you’d expect you got distant vocals, totally wild psych guitar, heavy solid drums, but the thing with bong that gives them a totally different vibe from all the weak band is they got a damn sitar in there, and it sounds so damn killer. on the flip we got a slice of quttinirpaaq, we released a cdr by this dude last year to some damn good reviews, its hard to understand how so few people know this dude. it’s basically the one man band of texan matt turner who definitely doesn’t bust out the texas blues or country styles… this isn’t no straight up doom though, opening with totally weirdo keys and feedback, with what sounds like some droning vocals and bizarre clicks, this is pretty out there. that is until three minutes in when matt plugs in and then trashes a drum kit, whilst all this other crazy shit is going on. this is a fucking killer act, as far as i am concerned this is genius, not like any other drone doom vibes going on out there right now. limited to 300 copies.
on earth is the first studio document created by the group, recorded with marcelo spinna at the space in may 2006 with production assistance from pete swanson (d. yellow swans). while previous cd-r releases were entirely improvised, on earth is comprised of three untitled pieces composed by the group with elements of restrained improvisation. musically, each piece has a specific concern, ranging from extremely subtle microtonal shifts to distorted crashes of intervals against one another. on earth captures the reductive bonus sound with all the sustained tones and sparkling textures, but with a more focused and succinct delivery.
outrageous reissue of this masterpiece of european acid folk, originally released in 1977, now issued as 2 super high material audio cds (playable on any cd player — enhanced audio quality that will rearrange your nervous system) housed in a mini-lp style gatefold sleeve accompanying a 144-page book reproducing the original engravings by bandleader juan arkotxa…. a unique combination of recordings and artwork which stands up as an enduring testament of the fertile hippie scene which flourished in the baleric islands during the seventies. known to record collectors and psych/folk/prog music aficionados alike, this multicultural band formed in the island of mallorca in the mid-’70s and recorded a beautiful (and outrageously scarce) album which has gained cult status as years passed by. the book of am was originally devised as a beautifully illustrated book focused on various world folklore and traditions, coupled with 4 lps which would represent a musical. this (never completed) 4lp set would correspond to the four phases of day (dawn, morning, afternoon, night). only the first of these records (morning) would eventually see the light of day in a tiny private pressing which changes hands nowadays for obscene amounts of money. a round-the-world trip through the folklore, legends, lore and cosmogonies of some of the world’s cultures, from ancient egypt to celtic traditions… top quality new import only reissue of this incredible album. if you missed the mega-limited & long gone wah-wah reissue, grab this one quick. highly recommended.
the cathedral of junk was started in 1988 in austin texas as a backyard art project and has continually grown ever since. brett humphrey of the band x=x set up this show and when one of the bands backed out at the last moment i asked the band lead sister ii (joshua hume) to play even though i had never met him. i saw that lead sister ii was on the ikuisuus label, liked his music, and figured since we both lived in austin we should play a show together!! it turned out that it was his last day in austin before moving to japan. he was a very thoughtful polite young guy who played very intriguing music so now we have this cassette release on ikuisuus of two great austin texas bands meeting each other and playing together for the first time!!! enjoy. – carlton crutcher, book of shadows
2nd private press solo release from rafi of death chants, aswara, etc. more excellent smoked out late night sounds. pure space folk. 2 side long tracks. lovely hand water colored heavy art paper covers, with hand written text. numbered edition of only 76 copies. recommended!
these three lps were originally privately pressed by the artist(s) in minuscule editions sometime in this new century. it appears that very few copies were circulated outside a close circle of acquaintances and it was only by chance/luck that they found their way to us. each lp contained no information whatsoever, the only hint was the name stamped on the plain white jacket. clouding matters even further was the fact that each of the three albums bore a different moniker. musically the lps share a consistent solitary vision, one that treads an inward-looking path that leads to far-reaching psychedelic excursions.”boots” is a prime example of the range of these albums. side one features five tracks of acoustic guitar and raw vocal accompaniment heavy on the loner vibes. the flip changes directions entirely, offering a wild ride of percussion and electronics. likewise,”c.c – live at rainbows end” follows a similar course, although the mood is somewhat less solemn (though no less introspective) on the tracks featuring voice and guitar. the counterpoint here is the near side-long track of barely audible field recordings from an unrecognizable location.”snake & remus – no tape outside” is a continuation of sound and thought. interchangeably piano, electronics and percussion supplement the songwriter, adding a haunting layer to the already subdued mood. the final side contains instrumental passages of processed guitar strum that weave delicate waves. the lps are presented in a box, its own cryptic coffin perhaps, with individual stamped jackets consistent with the original lps. as it says, “it’s just a box man”… very gone stuff here that fits right in with the best of the ultra underground 90s private press vortex. recommended… possible connection to those long gone terry & jim collins lps, maybe arian sample & tommy roundtree too? you take a listen and decide….
long regarded as musical pioneers, boredoms have continually pushed sonic boundaries and inspired musicians for over 20 years. their albums and their performances defy categorization, each one a completely unique event. after only being released on cd in japan, thrill jockey is proud to bring super roots 10 to the us. the album is only available as a limited 2 x 12” release. the album is produced by eye and all the artwork was created and designed by eye as well. super roots 10 features a remix from norwegian artist lindstrøm who has released music on the label smalltown supersound and has also done remixes for franz ferdinand, lcd soundsystem, and the juan mcclean. also featured is a remix from japanese artist altz who has recorded albums for bear funk and jet set records japan and previously done remixes for the boredoms in addition to tal m. klein, cro-magnon, and harp on mouth sextet. boredom’s music is very rarely available domestically on vinyl. this 2×12” is pressed on two high quality virgin vinyl lps at rti and is cut at 45 rpm for maximum fidelity. includes a 24”x 24” full-color poster of artwork from eye. super roots 10 is limited to 2,000 copies. this is sure to sell out upon release.
totally insane & wonderful art object here. price is a doozy, but this thing is superb. this special japanese only box set version is limited to only 500 copies. includes a full 2nd lp of bonus material, both lps pressed on audiophile clear, instead of black, vinyl, a dvd with full packaging, as well as a 50 page, full color, hard cover, embossed, deluxe cloth bound book… all packaged together in a heavy clear plastic box with irridescent metallic printed cover and official seal. yowzer. just one copy left here!
second breath of the occultists. alchemical dispersal and hex dilution. features one member each from brothers of the occult sisterhood, terracid and 6majik9. formation like a triangle but with fewer angles, a single point. drifting outsider strum and trance while watching the suns light fade and the colors shift, then inside amongst the cables and fields, under a flowers thought. free jizz? … nice hand made packaging as you’d expect.
new cdr from this american experimentalist who’s had previous releases on reverb worship and basses frequences. six tracks across only 19 minutes, totally far out dream tone keys blending into one another pushing you into an almost nightmarish state of mind. eternal could almost work as a 70s italian horror soundtrack with its minimal blurred humming almost reminiscent of some kind of devil organ. limited to 100 copies. pro-manufactured cdrs with on disc print.
new cdr from this american experimentalist who’s had previous releases on reverb worship and basses frequencies. six tracks across only 19 minutes, totally far out dream tone keys blending into one another pushing you into an almost nightmarish state of mind. eternal could almost work as a 70s italian horror soundtrack with its minimal blurred humming almost reminiscent of some kind of devil organ. limited to 100 copies. pro-manufactured cdrs with on disc print.
all songs by ayal senior. you may know ayal from his preface to john faheys last book “vampire vultures.” first in a series of five releases on beniffer dedicated to torontos most prolific outsider folkie, edition of 50.” – beniffer editions.
pictured in all its tantalizing, eye-popping glory in hans pokora’s 1001 record collector dreams, this hellishly-rare austrian avant garde lp from 1972 is nothing short of astonishing. there are no instruments, but rather varying configurations of solo, duo and ensemble vocal improvisations, presumably informed by the aforementioned (and nearly impenetrable) code (or “charts”). although this might be seen as part of an interesting continuum, this unique and prescient music will stun even the most astute followers of outsider art. describe it, you say? sweet jesus! “shape note singing for acidheads,” perhaps? from an avant-classical perspective, one might mention late-’60s penderecki as a possible reference point (along with ligeti, or perhaps even nono). in improvised music, the spontaneous music ensemble’s larger workshop groups similarly feature masses of vocal sounds; comparisons with alan watts’ this is it are as plausible as they are inevitable. ultimately, though, nothing will quite prepare you for this lp. in fact, when an original copy landed at nero’s neptune headquarters, one notorious “outsider” label chief/collector extraordinaire’s peni-meter became so perilously engorged, that he nearly burst with envy, casting ridiculous offers of rare wax and unmentionable “favors” nero’s neptune’s way while begging to let him take over. in other words, it is strongly recommended that you purchase this limited reissue while you can, while securing appropriate spiritual condiments for the trip. after all, you can be anyone this time around. strictly limited edition of 500 copies only. packaged in high-gloss, tip-on sleeves, and pressed on 180 gram vinyl.
previously reissued on cd by sunbeam, now issued on deluxe lp format as well; 180 gram pressing. the third and final album by the edinburgh-based duo of david mcniven (ex-human beast) and angie rew was barely released in 1971, but has gone on to become one of the most treasured “acid folk” albums of all time. comprising the epic, 21-minute title track and four unforgettable stand-alone songs, amaryllis features a heady, trippy blend of true acoustic melodies as well as outstanding support from musicians including danny thompson and terry cox of pentangle, and is an essential purchase for all fans of psychedelic singer-songwriting… highly recommended lp sounding better then ever on nice audiophile vinyl. nice!
mckinley jones (ex-expo ‘70) dollops out a spoonful of star-gazing cosmic folk/astral flower picking, full of fly-by guitar buzz and synth warbles, melted field recordings intertwined, dipping from dark vibes to light all the way to the melodious happy ending. a short but sweet collection full of interesting twists and turns in a cohesive vision of nights laid out in the grass dreaming of blooming lands. tied up in wrap-around sewn wallpaper border pouches with an insert and a flower bud. edition of 50.
james blackshaw & jozef van wissem form a holy alliance on this palindromatic masterwork… totally fantastic album of lifted lute & 12 string bliss. limited to 1000. very recommended.
here’s an assemblage of seemingly disparate recordings, including one tale of selling clam chowder to the russians. it’s not instrumental per se, but, as the title suggests, contains ‘no sung words.’ think of it as the appetizer for what david brant (you’ve seen him playing bass in vollmar) has up his sleeve with this exciting new project.
this is a self-released debut vinyl record made up of music for 4 and 6 steel-stringed guitars and one piece for piano. no vocals… but if you listen close… recorded in ohio, new mexico and montana between 2007-2009. jackets printed by stumptown printers. hand-numbered; in an edition of 305 copies… really sweet new out-of-nowhere private press solo guitar lp with a thick lonesome vibe. recommended.
wild slab from this minneapolis brother/sister duo, ripping through some very damaged high energy garage rawk mischief. white stripes for acid heads? who knows – sweet eye-popping screenprinted covers. some are glow-in-the-dark style, some are silver. both are lovely. edition of 500.
newest release on big blood’s tiny private cdr label from s. br. oak of upside-down cross, deceh, etc. seriously zoned-out ultra lo-fi hiss saturated acoustic ragas, machinery hums, cut-up meditations, and an awesome totally blown-out version of ‘dark is the color of my true loves hair’… lovely screen printed doubled-sided art paper covers with inserts. nice.
…we like to play with fire and also botos like this… flaming tunes catching with angels chants… we accept the bet for the winner!!another 9 crazy trip from the massive band from blissland handmade hard cardboard limited to 116 copies.
intended as an aid in the transformative pursuit of prehuman awareness or empty clatter as model of spacetime.
as far as the southern hemisphere goes, australia’s budding underground has often played second fiddle to that of it’s island neighbor, new zealand. but a new crop of aussies is levelling the playing field. leading the way is the brother/sister duo of michael and kristina donnelly aka brothers of the occult sisterhood. these cosmic travelers are soaked to the bone in dust, like relics from the past. they speak only in tongues and send out shortwave psychedelic radio transmissions into the bleeding edges of drugged-out folk sludge. botos’ organic compositions are familiar to many by now. after a string of cd-r releases on time-lag, celebrate psi-phenomenon, and others, this is their first pro-pressed offering. building on transcendent themes and saturating everything in an all-encompassing puff of bong smoke. endless walls of instrumentation create artificial bounderies that the donnellys destroy with far-reaching, hypnotic drones. by the time “goodbye” comes to a grinding halt, it feels like the stuff of legend. brothers of the occult sisterhood are only interested in blowing your skull to smithereens while cradling you in their arms. they are simply magnificent, and there aren’t many doing it better these days. the first 500 copies come in silkscreened sleeves done by the new zealand crazies at united fairy moons.
as far as the southern hemisphere goes, australia’s budding underground has often played second fiddle to that of it’s island neighbor, new zealand. but a new crop of aussies is levelling the playing field. leading the way is the brother/sister duo of michael and kristina donnelly aka brothers of the occult sisterhood. these cosmic travelers are soaked to the bone in dust, like relics from the past. they speak only in tongues and send out shortwave psychedelic radio transmissions into the bleeding edges of drugged-out folk sludge. botos’ organic compositions are familiar to many by now. after a string of cd-r releases on time-lag, celebrate psi-phenomenon, and others, this is their first pro-pressed offering. building on transcendent themes and saturating everything in an all-encompassing puff of bong smoke. endless walls of instrumentation create artificial bounderies that the donnellys destroy with far-reaching, hypnotic drones. by the time “goodbye” comes to a grinding halt, it feels like the stuff of legend. brothers of the occult sisterhood are only interested in blowing your skull to smithereens while cradling you in their arms. they are simply magnificent, and there aren’t many doing it better these days. the first 500 copies come in silkscreened sleeves done by the new zealand crazies at united fairy moons.
they’re back…your favorite australian improv band was everywhere from 2004 to 2007. so many great releases out on digitalis, student of ducay, mymwly, root strata…and then a little break happened. since a couple of months the collective has returned, mostly with 6majik9 records. now we’re proud to release the first botos cd-r for a long time. recorded in 2008, team lead by drummer michael donnelly features joel stern on guitar for a free improv jam full of percussion and electricity, far beyond the psyche folk genre. artwork by michael donnelly. 100 copies.
reissue of the second botos disc , previously available on foxglove… probably their best! last copy…
one track, 45 minutes of sonic tripping. many many parts seamlessly (seemingly) flowing in and out of one another. tribal, witchy, cataclysmic. dig it. music from down under. way down under. features incredible new art from cory card designed specifically for this release. edition of 123.
original, sealed tapes from the 80s, although she updated the dates
every time she did a new pressing (sounds of the sea is from 1981 but
says 1990)… joanna brouk was an extremely early new age type musician who had a radio show on kpfa even before hearts of space. she put out five tapes of music recorded between 1976 and 1982. you can hear an early interview (1972) and some of her most minimal and severe drone music via this link: http://disquiet.com/2008/02/28/joanna-brouk/ … two side-length pieces — maggis flute and healing music. maggi is maggi payne of lovely records fame, today an instructor at mills college. this long improvisation based on brouks directions later provided the basis for a short symphonic piece by brouk in the mid 80s. healing music (1976) is one of brouks first piano works, a self-taught rondo of deep, hypnotic power. – yoga.
original, sealed tapes from the 80s, although she updated the dates every time she did a new pressing (sounds of the sea is from 1981 but says 1990)… joanna brouk was an extremely early new age type musician who had a radio show on kpfa even before hearts of space. she put out five tapes of music recorded between 1976 and 1982. you can hear an early interview (1972) and some of her most minimal and severe drone music via this link: http://disquiet.com/2008/02/28/joanna-brouk/ … brouks most unusual, ambitious, and remarkable recording consists of two side-long suites, atavesta, and the sailor and the nymph. lonesome whistles, flutes, drones whale songs, and wordless vocal wails suggest the experimental album kate bush never made, or a de-progged “sunborne” by constance demby. a startling, haunting work, highly recommended. – yoga.
original, sealed tapes from the 80s, although she updated the dates
every time she did a new pressing (sounds of the sea is from 1981 but says 1990)… joanna brouk was an extremely early new age type musician who had a radio show on kpfa even before hearts of space. she put out five tapes of music recorded between 1976 and 1982. you can hear an early interview (1972) and some of her most minimal and severe drone music via this link: http://disquiet.com/2008/02/28/joanna-brouk/ … brouks last tape (for now) finds her revisiting old themes explored on earlier recordings with the addition of digital synths. the sounds are still cosmic and weird and way ahead of the curve. great j card cover photo features ms. brouk blissing out in the woods.” – yoga.
original, sealed tapes from the 80s, although she updated the dates
every time she did a new pressing (sounds of the sea is from 1981 but says 1990)… joanna brouk was an extremely early new age type musician who had a radio show on kpfa even before hearts of space. she put out five tapes of music recorded between 1976 and 1982. you can hear an early interview (1972) and some of her most minimal and severe drone music via this link: http://disquiet.com/2008/02/28/joanna-brouk/ … early san francisco experimental music figure bill maraldo achieves remarkable, just slightly off piano tones on the side-length title piece. side two, chimes and bells / winter chimes / golden cloud layers finds brouk combining piano tapes with saron, electric piano, and moog. – yoga.
bruce blucher and paul cahill (both of trash) hook up with drummer bo martak (king loser) and singer viv crowe for a one-off single from 1994 – great long gone dose of new zealand underground lo-fi folkrock, with great female vocals and good vibes all over. on bill meyer’s excellent and all too brief roof bolt label.
long out of print. pocahaunted cohort. nice color covers. last copy.
finnish underground fun. blue tape, pro-dubbed, 100 copies.
what needs to be said about a band that invents a new dance for every song they make and play flute by hanging it from a car window during their tours? the wind plays the flute like buffle their casios, percussions and guitars. so we hear a pure feast of love and joy. flux of funny sounds meet clumsy and naive repetition in a way that would make holger czukay hot of jealousy in his pool. and there’s nothing better in life than to be hanging out in the breezing streets of belgian winter and be saved by buffle feeding you different kinds of vegetarian pizza slices – newest lal lal lal cassette. recommended & limited.
bull at his most righteously drugged, this third release is a mere two songs spread over a looped path of colored time. bull as guru. bull as shaman. e pluribus unum takes his past triumphs and brings them higher, to an acid-singed multi-colored height. at the end of the day, bull’s prowess on the guitar wins over everything and the result is an answer to the psychedelic wonder-bands that sprang into the scene since his last record. the instrumental answer to ‘in-a-gadda-da-vida.’ original artwork… 180gm vinyl, heavy 60s style covers. originally issued by vanguard in 1963. fantastic album! his masterpiece.
the debut release from the man who defined the folk guitar ’60s explosion. blending eastern and western styles, living on the jazz/blues line, bull’s guitar playing has influenced anyone and everyone even loosely associated with the new weird america. featuring the legendary jazz drummer billy higgins on the side-long song ‘blend’ — a song that started a genre. original artwork… 180gm vinyl, heavy 60s style covers. originally issued by vanguard in 1963. fantastic album!
considered to be one of his finest moments, bull’s second record goes beyond his first, wearing an electric halo while he continues to explore the boundaries of the guitar. ‘blend 2,’ his answer to his first record’s opus ‘blend,’ is a must have for all of those who love john fahey and six organs of admittance. a ghostly, warm record as a whole: bull is on top of his game and once again reinventing the way the ear hears the hand as it plays the guitar. original artwork… 180gm vinyl, heavy 60s style covers. originally issued by vanguard in 1963. fantastic album!
it’s not often you come across an artist you can genuinely refer to as a ‘cult legend,’ but vashti bunyan is truly that. a full thirty-five years after her only previous album, the singer returns with a new solo work, her first in all these years, and it is a breathtakingly beautiful album. far from some kind of appendage tacked onto the end of an amazing story and a past classic, lookaftering is a fully beautiful album in its own right. produced by fellow edinburgh resident max richter (who has a wonderful solo album of his own, blue notebooks), and co-arranged with bunyan, it’s a rich, beautifully arranged and stirring album. developing gradually and organically — with work initially taking place between richter and bunyan’s homes, and then at various studios in edinburgh, london and glasgow — lookaftering is anchored around bunyan’s voice and picked acoustic guitar, and richter’s piano playing and arranging. its instrumentation includes a string quartet, oboe, harp, french horn, recorder, flute, hammer dulcimer, glasses, harmonium, and rhodes piano, and it features contributions from joanna newsom, devendra banhart, adem, adam pierce (mice parade), robert kirby (nick drake), otto hauser and kevin barker (espers, currituck county).
Originally released way back in 1965 on the Decca label (as just ’Vashti’, no Bunyan), “Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind” was actually the young London-based singer’s debut record. Written by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards, the song was handed to Vashti by Rolling Stones manager/guru Andrew Loog Oldham, who had recently discovered her via an industry friend. Vashti was put in the studio to record the song with the backing of a full orchestra. The track was backed by her own beautiful song, “I Want To Be Alone” on the B-side and released as a 7″-inch single in May 1965. Despite a whirlwind of promotion around the release and some very positive reviews, the single flopped and Vashti subsequently left the Decca label to pursue more pared-down ambitions. Remastered from a rare existing copy of the original 7-inch, “Some Things…” is revealed as a classic Stones-style pop stomper with a rich, full orchestral effect and a centre-point of Vashti’s inimitable vocal. Both eternal yet very much of its time, the record may have gained a slight patina of crackle and pop, yet has lost none of its charm through the decades, and somehow still manages to sound thoroughly fresh and full of wonder… limited to 1000 & recommended.
members: clay ruby – feedback, voice, paia 4700, samples, microphones, homemade oscillators, metal, organs, earth, distortion, delay, insect, reverb, electric piano and analog tape. burial hex first made itself known to aurora borealis a few years ago when browsing obscure blackened electronic treats online. the subsequent purchase delivered a rather bizarre cassette tape, totally without markings, and a cryptic, darkly printed simple cover bearing ancient symbols and occult schematics: the curses of earth, indeed. it conjured all sorts of imaginings — nocturnal rites, lonely vigils with archaic analog equipment, moonlight, madness. in 2007, aurora borealis found itself face-to-face with burial hex across the strings of the ether, in communication via email, almost wholly by accident and coincidence. taking this to be a sign, perhaps the hand of destiny, a deal was secured to release something. more instinct than reaction, no one knew what to expect. the ‘oppressive necro electronics’ of the recordings heard so far gave little idea of what lay in store, of the new depths to be explored, the madness to be embraced. initiations, the debut recording for aurora borealis, is a lengthy proposition. clocking in at one hour thirteen minutes, it represents a journey, a metaphysical odyssey of uncertain outcome. from the psycho-religious clamor of ‘will to the chapel’ with its jihadic cries, through to the somnambulant, subterranean oscillations of ‘8 pentacles,’ the way ahead is far from clear, the atmosphere claustrophobic and threatening. for fans of prurient, wolf eyes, whitehouse, dead raven choir, throbbing gristle, nurse with wound, masonna.
originally released in a micro-run of 200 in 1996 as the first release on joshua’s own feather one’s nest label, it is with deep honor and respect spirit of orr has prepared this reissue version with hopes that it will be as much a treasure to hold as the original. we have carefully used the same stampers as the original, however this edition will be pressed in colored vinyl. also included will be a booklet containing art from joshua, and an extensive set of liner notes with impressions of this record from several of your favorite record heads, angela sawyer, clint simonson, john olson, thurston moore, willie lane and more. this reissue is housed in recycled lp jackets much like the original, though this time the jackets will be reversed with taped spines and a reversal of the original art… great album finally available again! recommended!
hototogisu-the duo of uk experimentalist matthew bower (skullflower, sunroof et al.) and new york-based-guitarist marcia bassett (double leopards, zaimph, ghq)-are all about impact, about taking the physical aspect of sound and hallucinating it to the point of abstraction, so much so that for all of the complexity of their music it often sounds like it’s standing still, simply hanging in the air and vibrating without anything approaching a ‘plot’ to bring it to a point. by contrast, burning star core, the trio of drummer trevor tremaine, robert beattu on electronics (both of whom also play in hair police) and c. spencer yeh on violin and electronics, are more overtly propulsive, usurping ‘classic’ rock form via electronics and drums but still focused on momentum, on the jam as a form of structural gravity, on the unfolding of action via development over time.this all-improvised studio meeting is the perfect reconciliation of both tendencies, of hototogisu’s obsessive layering of strata after strata of violently conceived noise and of burning star core’s epic, post-kraut thunder-punk style. -david keenan, glasgow, november 2008.
limited to only 500 copies worldwide on deluxe 10″ vinyl. includes exclusive artwork insert designed by hair police’s robert beatty! the first in a 6 part series from the avant garde’s young upstart c. spencer yeh. burning star core may not be a name familiar to everyone, but in the murky world of the avant garde he is already something of a legend. notching up performances with chris corsano, thurston moore, john olson (of wolf eyes), jessica rylan, hototogisu and many more, his name has become synonymous with the new wave of avant-noise. ‘amelia’ is the first disc in a five part series which collects rarities from almost ten years of recording activity, and here we see him exploring the bubbling psychedelic world of synthesizer heavy krautrock. from the initial synth-heavy rumbling and growling of ‘i wanna make a supersonic woman of you’ it is clear that yeh is on a mission to throw your brain into a psychedelic overload of colour and creativity, but it is on the flipside – the eleven minute ‘the point of departure is no return’ that he really gets into the progressive spirit and conjures up images of tangerine dream at their best. micro-arpeggios are layered underneath gasping winds of analogue synthesizer to create something which should really be a soundtrack to some kind of late-70s fantasy sci-fi film. this is the lighter side of burning star core, but shows the kind of creativity and bubbling genius you can only expect from the mind of one so renowned – recommended.
what can i say? burnt hills. stripped down to a quartet here, burnt hills actually play louder than ever before. you want heavy? you want merciless, unflinching, guitar-wielding thug-beauty? look no further. cd-r edition of 123 with spray-stenciled vellum envelopes and mad-dog insert.
minotaur surf party firing nitrous arrows into a flaming headswim universe, a wealth of decomposing monster saturated jams, dripping n melting in a heavy golden like syrup… edition of 50.
latest missive from this free rock/noise/psych collective based in the wilds of albany, ny. easily their loudest and most pure assault on the senses yet. wild, wooly, and singular-minded in its pursuit of psychedelic krautrock-inspired oblivion. we can’t say it any better than the good folks at aquarius: “fans of freaked out psychedelic punch ups, dizzying clattery outsider free rock and getting super high and diving head first into a huge pile of drums and guitars will feel right at home.” keep an eye out for upcoming burnt hills releases on the lotus sound, qbico, ruby red, and ruralfaune too.
more burning basement guitar psych onstaught. edition of 100 with chipboard covers & paste-on art.
take a headfirst dive into a boiling pool of wild vibes. side a was vibrated into being on 3/2/09 at the helderberg house with five heads shredding to live. side b was vibrated into being on 3/19/09 at bard college with nine heads living to shred… full color paste-on art, limited & numbered edition of 99 copies only.
shred your head as five blistering guitars rage with wah wah fury, a blown out bass drops the heavy anchor, an eight-armed drummer pummels through the basement night and an amplified xylophone sprays broken glass into the clouds. reissue of the yod tapes cd-r. edition of 99 copies.
psych trip genius, burnt hills drop a 57min wild wild ride to the best possible place. truly albany’s best. play it loud and you will find all sorts of lost zones there! play it very loud and you will be re-born.
soar through the cosmos as five guitars radiate microwaves towards the sun’s core, a bass levitates over the rings of saturn and shimmering percussive clatter seals up a black hole at the edge of the universe…. co-released with noiseville…. edition of 300 copies, with paste-on art front & back.
dig the raging thunderstorm of sound as four squealing, reeling and paint peeling guitars thrash riffs, tones and cosmic bursts, a massive bass throbs and centers, propulsive dive bomb drums explode constantly and the sweet glaze of an insistent chiming xylophone rings out from the eye of the storm….one track, one hour and twenty seven seconds long….cover art by bill nace…
burnt hills meets soil sing through me for a ravaging psych blowout. features members of sunburned hand of the man, aethr myth’d, century plants, feathers, wovoka, and more! hot thick summer air pervades this one, it’s an absolutely raw and ripping 62 minute joyride. a battalion of blazing psych guitars chasing each others’ tails, pounding tribal drums, hypnotic bass grooves, a twinkling xylophone, beautifully twisted vocals, and even some magic oboe work from our danish pal troels make this a very unique document. meetings this intense don’t happen often, and there’s a reason! edition of 100.
in january 1971 legendary minneapolis psychedelic band the c a quintet, creators of one of the most sought-after and celebrated underground albums of the ’60s, trip thru hell, decided to call it a day and play one final swan-song at lake pepin high school. three tracks from this gig were hastily issued by the band in the early ’80s in response to a bootleg of the trip thru hell lp that had then recently surfaced. whilst many thought then that this was the last that would ever be heard of the band again, earlier this year two surprising events happened – 1, the original master-tape of the gig was discovered. 2, it was found to contain material far stronger than that on the old live album and also to include previously unheard original material. the band perform storming versions of ’60s classics like ‘born to be wild’ and ‘badge’ alongside originals ‘4am in new york city’ and the closing number ‘china clipper’ – the final song ever performed by the c a quintet. this will be a limited edition one-off custom pressing featuring new liner notes specially written for this edition by band founder and leader ken erwin who also supervised the remastering of these recordings – preveusly unreleased recordings. one limited limited to 500 press. 180gm vinyl. big double sided insert.
i wish it could have been a double, but its finally thirty five minutes of wax after years and years of cassection-8 for you subwolfers out there. alas, the aerobics class needs a chalkboard accompaniment and someone better check the instructors erratic heart beat, ie drew. using clock tracks, basics and a storkrugfull of gadgets, analog synthtronica is his labor of love. amazing covers screened by the instructor himself-urban music has to be heard to be believed. featuring drew ryan of flak mask, and uke of spaces corners. lp 500 pressed. multi colored screen printed, plastic jackets.
previously reissued on cd by sunbeam, now issued on deluxe 2lp format as well. vinyl mastering from original tapes at abbey road studios, pressed on 180 gram virgin vinyl. featuring incredible string band founder clive palmer, c.o.b. made some of the most imaginative and moving music of their time, and this 1972 masterpiece is considered by many to be the finest folk record ever to emerge from the british isles. an overwhelmingly beautiful and compelling collection of songs set to eastern-tinged arrangements, it’s presented here as a double lp, with a whole extra disc’s worth of bonus material (including both sides of their rare 45), as well as a deluxe gatefold sleeve, making it the most comprehensive edition of the album ever assembled… best reissue yet of this uk acidfolk classic. recommended.
in the depths of a montana winter, jasmine dreame wagner set out to record the ten tracks of searchlight needles with contributions from electronics duo cole moeller and michael wanzenried. wagner herself lends her vocals to her acoustic, electric and baritone guitars, recorders, xylophone and keyboards as scraps of distorted violin and cello itch between sounds. the result is a journey from the ice-packed slopes and fire-smoked summers of western montana to the deserts of nevada, the rolling badlands of the dakotas and the black swamps of
north carolina. each cd is hand-stamped and assembled in a limited edition of 300.
recorded in a new england pine copse and a concrete brooklyn basement, cabinet of natural curiosities’ first full length cd-r explores the rusted edges of the backwoods. each cd-r is enclosed in a hand-assembled metallic silver envelope with a silk flower embellishment. 250 copies assembled, released in five editions of 50.
clare hubbard (caethua) and andy neubauer (uke of spaces, flak mask, impractical cockpit) play the koner synth holy carols. edition of 100 with white imprinting and letterpress inserts… real sweet sounds from these local zoners. awesome package too.
clare hubbard (“caethua”) creates haunted movements, encompassing scapes of “coldness” and comfort, throughout this lp with each sorrowful ballad surrounded by terms/phrases of meditation and experimental sound collages using saxophone, singing bowls, electronics, guitars, bells, water, and recordings made while on a boat trip traveling throughout the length of the st. lawrence river. dark ambient psychedelic folk… real nice album packaged in a screen printed recycled cover with paste-on art. swirl colored vinyl.
two full length albums previously released as individual cassettes (both now out of print), gathered here together and housed within a dvd case, featuring full color artwork and a fold out poster.
finland’s marko neumann aka cahier returns with his second blast of warm air straight from the arctic. lilting drones that are conjured from a variety of sources, some electronic, some acoustic, dance like magical lights just out of reach, but close enough to feel. this sequel to cahier’s first foxglove offering puts the puzzle pieces in place so that the listener can hear the full scope of his range. the short bursts are like chance meetings in the street; like a place of refuge from the cold. cahier’s latest continues neumann’s quest to touch the sun.
dennis callaci and simon joyner are two of the foremost channelers of “the song.” simon is known for his solo recordings, with releases on jagjaguwar, truckstop, shrimper, and sing eunuchs!, among others. dennis plays in refrigerator and was the sole voice behind the criminally underheard paste. they are singer-songwriters in that they write songs and sing them, but that appellation dumbs down and sanitizes what they do. i think it is more accurate to say that both have a way of tapping into the stream of collective creativity that flows from god-knows-when through to the present and beyond. their songs have a gravity to them, an”old soul,” as it were, that cannot be mistaken. there are a few stylistic precursors to their work precursors that have been well-documented previously but the songs they write and sing tap into something more ineffable, timeless, and grave. stranger blues set comprises three of simon’s songs and two by dennis, all recorded live in the callaci living room to what seems to be a single microphone. the nontraditional (or better: non-studio) setting adds a palpable sensation of space to the recordings by space i do not simply mean the warmth of the room tone, but actual space: backing vocals and spare piano or guitar lines arise in such a way that you are aware of the physical geography of the room. you can hear simon singing along with dennis from an actual distance away; his voice is (literally) distant and all the more forlorn. the guitar lines that dennis adds to flesh-out simon’s songs have the same eerie effect. this sense of space underscores two seemingly contradictory strengths about stranger blues. on one hand, these songs are beautifully lonely and spare, highlighted by the echoes and distance in the room. at the same time, it is clear that two songwriters who know and love the other’s work, who are very much working in tandem to build upon each others strengths. single edition of 500 one-sided lps. silkscreened and hand assembled chipboard jackets in a”traditional” catsup plate brown butchers tape design scheme.
traditions don’t often go softly into the night. they may fest under the surface of things for a while, but they don’t truly disappear. the lost domain’s john henry calvinist prepares a set of limestone-dusted originals which snake their way through the muddy rivers of days gone by. dirt-soaked radio transmissions from distant dimensions scorch the reels and get things moving. there’s enough space in these towering guitar explorations to suck marrow from the sky. these back porch acoustic blues sing to the heavens,”come down and get me, i’m just waiting – ‘ edition of 100.
awesome textured paper fold out cover with paste-on art & insert. features mc john olson. numbered edition of 150.
out of print. one copy only.
canamii’s concept is a great obscure south african progressive folk rock album with excellent female vocals by claire whittaker. it reminds of the best uk mid ’70s progressive groups. a must have for all spriguns, renaissance and early curved air fans. insert with group photos and lyrics included. limited edition, deluxe 180 gram vinyl, from the original master tapes, exact reproduction of the original artwork.
the sole album of the canterbury music festival. only 150 copies were pressed in 1968. the album has an almost willfully secret pop-sike masterpiece of sorts – on the obscure and collectable bt puppy label owned by the legendary doo wopper tokens. this album contains the complete bt puppy recordings, and is one of the rarest albums in the entire collectable soft rock genre! – pretty awesome dreamy sun soaked lite psych obsurity. amazing heavy cover exact repro with insert, poster, obi, and heavy audiophile vinyl. limited to 500 copies.
on bloodstream sermon, san francisco’s jefre cantu-ledesma (of tarentel and the root strata label) presents a deep, drifting pair of extended drone works. with a precise sense of focus for agreeing tonal arrangement, jcl’s compositions for roland juno 60, pure wave oscillator, and electronics recall the shifting exactness of la monte young’s geometric based frequency pairings. bloodstream sermon’s meditative tracks create a breathing space within their own existence, a break from temporal consciousness. imbued with a rich sense of beauty and calming potential; a subtle care. learning to accept; letting go, becoming oneself. in an edition of 150 copies with full color cardstock covers and labeled tapes.
many people watching the ebay auctions were surprised seeing this album selling for nearly 3500 euro each. before that, this album was completely unknown. captain marry are from glasgow, scotland and recorded this demo album in 1974, released in a tiny pressing on the thor label, hopefully to get a emi or chrysalis deal. they wanted to record only a single but came up with a complete album of self-composed tracks. since it was not that easy for a scottish band to get attention down in london, this album was the only pressing ever done and sold at band gigs only. 5 musicians, great organ, vocals, extra heavy fuzz-guitar, drums and bass; amazing underground songs, influenced by deep purple, uriah heep and beggars opera, a true lost classic. we were lucky to find the band to made a deal so this beauty can conquer the world of rock music… numbered edition of 500 copies on 180gm vinyl, heavy cover, and insert.
car commericals are generally uncomfortable; probably shifty-eyed loners that barely leave the basement. their brand of strictly personal suburban ooze was borne deep within the recesses of new jersey, just east of i-95. more specifically, this music springs from inside that unspeakable zone deep within the mind where feelings get very messy. david sutton and daniel dimaggio, the duo known as car commercials, make mysterious fake rock clatter for heavy petting (yeah right). following a brief stint as gt performers, daniel and david began to make duo recordings as car commercials a few years ago, releasing their creepy missives in small runs, mostly for sutton’s leaf leaf label. the two have tapped into an aspect of nonsensical nihilism that makes jad fair’s early recordings so alluring, but have forgone his obsession with cartoon horror and monster movies in favor of faces of death i thru vi. eric’s diary is the second lp release from car commericals, following the out-of-print judy’s dust lp (cenotaph) from early 2008. those confounded by judy’s dust will be pleased to know that eric’s diary is where things get…intense. breathe deep, and prepare to scratch yr head faster than you can say ‘home blitz.’ lp edition of 200 with full color paste-on sleeves… great!
judy’s dust is the debut full-length lp by car commercials of new brunswick, new jersey. here, the duo of david sutton (friends and family, current amnesia, ladderwoe) and daniel dimaggio (home blitz) expand on the rock/mumble strategies from the self-released jar 7″ (leaf leaf, 2006) and a couple cassettes kicked around the new jersey underpasses. contains twelve songs of missing spaces, too much center ice, drums and wires, varispeed recording techniques, and facing backwards – all from the other side of the e street. limited to 300 copies… paste-on full size/full color art front & back, plus a couple inserts.
this may be the end is a tapestry of intricately repeating guitar phrases woven into layers of interlocking, syncopated, phase in/phase out patterns…a melodic rhythm that will keep your head bobbing as much as spinning. melodic lines (often expressed through layered ebows) enter as quickly as they depart, leaving no central theme except the interlocking reichian pattern. this may be the end feels almost like two pieces of music with a bridge of synthesized waves between the two patterns, the latter being a more subtle come down to the vortex of chaotic bliss in the first section. long hallway, three slightly open doors is a step in a different direction, without a central rhythmic or melodic theme, the piece is a beautifully meandering stumble of notes falling from the guitar. a perfect counterpart to the first piece’s tenseness, long hallway is loose, patient and indirect about it’s objectives, causing the listener to react more than anticipate. recorded in his home studio, nada sound studio, from 2003 to 2006, both pieces are a far cry from carbonara’s solo guitar work, showing his depth as an arranger/composer in the studio beyond that of a solo improviser.
extra epic double disc. pretty great self released disc from france-by-way-of-brooklyn solo bedroom psych-out dronefolk trip. long layered & echo soaked excursions run into starker acidfolk ‘songs’ proper. interesting & well executed stuff with piles of acoustic & electric guitars, flutes, sitar, fuzz, drums, synth, and effective warm vocals. i can see folks who dig the rougher sound of natural snow buildings or cursillistas doing well to check this stuff out. chipboard covers with paste-on color art, hand titled spine, etc. nice.
pretty great self released disc from france-by-way-of-brooklyn solo bedroom psych-out dronefolk trip. long layered & echo soaked excursions run into starker acidfolk ‘songs’ proper. interesting & well executed stuff with piles of acoustic & electric guitars, flutes, sitar, fuzz, drums, synth, and effective warm vocals. i can see folks who dig the rougher sound of natural snow buildings or cursillistas doing well to check this stuff out. chipboard covers with paste-on color art, hand titled spine, etc. nice.
pretty great self released disc from france-by-way-of-brooklyn solo bedroom psych-out dronefolk trip. long layered & echo soaked excursions run into starker acidfolk ‘songs’ proper. interesting & well executed stuff with piles of acoustic & electric guitars, flutes, sitar, fuzz, drums, synth, and effective warm vocals. i can see folks who dig the rougher sound of natural snow buildings or cursillistas doing well to check this stuff out. chipboard covers with paste-on color art, hand titled spine, etc. nice.
i’m wrapping my head in plaster of paris. i will then dunk it in a barrel of brine before diving into the la brea tar pits. sure its suffocating, but my dying, muffled gasps will be overpowered by the sounds pumping through my headphones, headphones running to my cheap, portable cd player which is, miraculously, not struggling with this black-bottomed cd-r. it never likes cd-r’s but this time its different. the scuzzed-out fuck-folk of card & snyder jams my eardrums till my nose runs. these lo-fi cantatas are last rites for all the wicked and i’m listening hard and close. rock n roll rumbles in and out of the proceedings, but mostly what we have here are the sounds of card and snyder’s dark and sweaty wet-dreams; fried-out electronics and peasant drones. the end of it ripples on and on, beautifully, jarringly, like your buddha machine being cooked inside a thanksgiving turkey. or even better: an easter ham. get it and rejoice! – indieworkshop.
germany, 1978. how these lads could record an album like this in 1978? absolutely early ’70s sounding progressive & psychedelic folk-rock masterpiece of the first order! entirely sung in english by an incredibly young female vocalist, beate krause, only 16 when recording! long tracks with excellent, killer acid guitar solos, and moog! if you like groups like mellow candle or pentangle, no doubt you need to purchase this one fast. often praised as ’the best prog-folk record ever,’ we don’t know if such a thing is true, but we can definitely say this is an absolute classic of the genre. besides that, the original label pressed only 200 copies of the lp, imagine how hard to find this is — so here you have a new vinyl reissue of this wonderful record, with killer remastered sound, an insert with photos and liner notes, licensed by the band and in a limited edition of 700 copies… very cool cosmic psych sounds.
this split cassette captures just a little slice of the manchester / nottingham / sheffield area young improv scene. got the pleasure of meeting and performing on the same bill with some of these folks back in march and recognized right away that something interesting was brewing there. total duo action going on with this release, sophie and kelly kick out some epic intricate folky guitar action as cooper jones, and on the flip side patrick and pascal break on some sprawling percussion and drum storms as cars. lots of movement here, this is a long document, capturing the flow of what these two groups do. silkscreened artwork by ryan garbage… out of print for awhile now, and a great one!
christina carter (charalambides, et al.) has a gift. in a world where most people shy away from the truth, from honesty in emotion, christina has the strength to address those feelings head on through her music. within the songs of original darkness, she confronts loneliness, self doubt, inadequacy and desire. she bares these emotions in a sometimes tender, sometimes forceful, sometimes pleading voice, a voice in which you can hear her vulnerability, her trepidation. christina’s words, and the mournful sound of them, stirs a melancholy that is supported and framed by her gently plucked guitar notes, notes that echo the sadness in the world she sings of, as well as the words she sings. these ten new songs are effective at painting pictures, exposing the underbelly of what we all really think but most will not say, of what we all really feel but push away. with the addition of gentle bells and occasional keyboards, christina reminds us of what it means to be honestly human.
brand new 2009 recordings of galactic guitar ooze, laid down in nyc usa. hand silkscreened gold on matte black covers. edition of 258.
just over 40 minutes across two tracks of odd outsider folk psychedila weirdness from tom carter (charalambides) and shawn mcmillen. they previously had a cdr on carbon in its 10 year series… extremely limited & instantly out of print. a rather great & unique one too…
there’s not much to say. one sunny afternoon in california two people came together in a small room in rocklin, a suburb of sacramento, and started playing music. a few hours later they stopped, one of them to welcome his wife home from her day of work, the other to retrieve his girlfriend from her mother’s house and make the drive back to the bay area. but what is revealed on tape from those few hours is simply remarkable: a musical landscape that is intense, searching, and emotionally resonant in ways that are unexpected and unwarranted. one of the two, tom carter, has spent his entire career in the world of improvisational music, with his regular group charalambides, as a solo performer, and as a member of various other groups devoted to free improvisation and psych-folk. the other, christian kiefer, is primarily known for three releases on australia’s legendary experimental music label, extreme, albums that waffle between folk-ambience soundscapes and singersongwriter material… hand numbered pressing of 500 only and it comes in gorgeous 3 panel silk screened sleeve designed and printed by rob fisk of deerhoof, badgerlore, etc.
there’s not much to say. one sunny afternoon in california two people came together in a small room in rocklin, a suburb of sacramento, and started playing music. a few hours later they stopped, one of them to welcome his wife home from her day of work, the other to retrieve his girlfriend from her mother’s house and make the drive back to the bay area. but what is revealed on tape from those few hours is simply remarkable: a musical landscape that is intense, searching, and emotionally resonant in ways that are unexpected and unwarranted. one of the two, tom carter, has spent his entire career in the world of improvisational music, with his regular group charalambides, as a solo performer, and as a member of various other groups devoted to free improvisation and psych-folk. the other, christian kiefer, is primarily known for three releases on australia’s legendary experimental music label, extreme, albums that waffle between folk-ambience soundscapes and singersongwriter material… hand numbered pressing of 500 only and it comes in gorgeous 3 panel silk screened sleeve designed and printed by rob fisk of deerhoof, badgerlore, etc.
relentlessly looped fuzz wah spun into muzzy knots around dazed spectators’ heads, crumbling into fragmenting crumbs of varying bit depth. presented in two longish improv settings (recorded during a residency in louvain-la-neuve belgium by daniel duchamp, in paul labrecque’s basement), and one short blast recorded before a very zoned audience in berlin by steve gunn, laid down during the massively psyched out ghq / tom carter tour in europe, spring 2008. edition of 100, gatefold silkscreen covers.
solo guitar psych drone explorations from tom carter, of charalambides, of course. floating sound pools of vibrating electric tones. sweet full color double sided oversized fold out packaging. limited to 150 copies & out of print.
three variations on a song by christina enclosing more abstract explorations of the properties of vibrating strings. same ballpark as root king, more documentarian approach. hand folded & painted covers, edition of 200.
since the early ’90s, tom carter has played as one-half of the essential charalambides. during that time, carter also released a handful of solo albums on his own wholly other imprint as well as a recent reissue on the seminal kranky records. with these he also proved to be an extremely capable solo artist. since relocating to oakland, carter has also joined forces with ben chasny and rob fisk as a regular member of badgerlore, while also playing in various outfits with robert horton.”glyph” was originally issued as a limited-edition cd-r on the aforementioned wholly other. it is long-since out-of-print. this reissue of these remastered tracks breathes new life into the pieces. what is most striking is the warmth that pervades this entire album. with one piece for steel string acoustic guitar, another for lap steel, and the final (and shortest) on nylon string acoustic, there is diversity amongst the cogent thread that holds it all together. carter’s improvisations speak volumes without saying a word, and”glyph” is one of his finest achievements to date. it is an ode to the last year of his life in austin, texas and all that it contained. as stated in tom’s liner notes for the reissue,”i regret nothing yet i miss texas and its unpressured passage of time, the ability to create an oppositional universe under the nose of redneck reality, the cicadas, the hot green light through afternoon trees, rolling joints in a lawn chair. “glyph” is all of these things and more, depicted in an aural form that only tom carter could create. first 500 come in gatefold sleeves, silk-screened on one side by rob fisk (free porcupine society) and spraypainted on the other by tom.
here it is! the first 7″ in the anthem records singles series. a series of super limited, one sided 7″ singles. carter crams two tracks onto this one. the first a sparse lap steel wanderer, the second a full on wall of riff with backward guitars, it’s chaos and beauty! limited to 211 copies. packaged in a sweet embossed, hand stamped, stitched art paper cover. numbered edition.
second solo release (first if cdrs don’t count) by charalambides member tom carter. white les paul copy, lap steel, and a purloined bell collection layered into three long tracks of string moan and slithering hum. a manifesto of grounding during an uprooted time, an attempt to bend in the wind. a slice of a long winter and a momentary flash of cranially pooled guitar sound suddenly scattered by unexpected freedom. a guitar album (mostly). pressed in an edition of 533 copies with printed sleeves and very nice artwork by tom carter.
companion disc to “shots at infinity 2″. one copy only.
this is the companion release to the tom carter cd titled shots at infinity 1 being release on important simultaneously. shots at infinity 2 is two long live tracks in the same mode as shots at infinity 1, but more cut loose and blown out, recorded in nemo bidstrup’s record store and burnt hills’ basement jam zone. tom carter is a guitar player best known for his work with acclaimed psych-drone iconoclasts charalambides. since 2000, however, he has become increasingly active as not only a solo artist but as a collaborator. he has performed with improvising musicians as diverse as thurston moore, jandek, tetuzi akiyama, matt valentine, and many others, as well as being a key member in groups like badgerlore (with ben chasny of six organs of admittance), friday group, mudsuckers (with robert horton and the yellow swans), and zaika (with marcia bassett of the double leopards and hototogisu). carter’s solo work covers a lot of territory, but latter-day sightings show him to be concentrating on looped guitar drones of immensely stacked beauty, with heaps of psychedelic melodic content missing from the repertoires of many noise and drone bands. his influences include everyone from lamonte young to david crosby… limited vinyl.
warm and warbling full-bodied drone from paul (aswara / muntjac / death chants) with alison & michael (death chants, moon pie). cool elaborate hand made packaging. must be pretty limited.
during the last euro tour of wolf eyes, john olson (of american tapes, spykes, guam river etc – ) and mike connelly (of gods of tundra, hair police, failing lights etc – ) decided it was enough! they screamed “i’m not going to bed!!! i never wanne sleep again!!!”, they missed their flights and stayed in antwerp with the ultra audiobored horror crew for 7 more weeks without food and drinks, just dry weed and cancerbags to suck on! after that intense test to see if they could adapt to the antwerp life style, they finally met up with legendary belgian eccentric cacti and hat collector cassis cornuta, this psychadelic caracter brought his whole space synth and tape lab over to radio centraal to record an intense last gasp jam with the hardly breathing olson and connelly, the end result is an amazing trip to space and back to the mental hospital! like pouring lighter fluid and tabasco up your genitals or like olson states it so beautifully; like pissing on your own hand, freezing it and then using it as a lollypop for 5 days! comes in a gross 6 panel cover design and with an etch on the b side! – very limited. amazing packaging!
first release from this danish project. tapes have been dug up from many older sessions, and this is the result. ’the dry, heavy shape reaches out’ is one long hypnotic drone-noise-rock track, designed to make you bleed (please play it loud)… cool deep underground sound packaged in a painted cloth shroud. very limited.
underwater peoples records is proud to peddle one of this world’s constantly enjoyable phenomena.. rock n’ roll!!! and today, in the fine tradition of rock spirit, we are proud to announce the release of a split 7” record from andrew cedermark (born in beautiful glen rock, nj/formerly of titus andronicus) and family portrait (front man evan brody hails from ridgewood, nj).despite being two very different artists, both bands emit towers of sound and giant walls of melodic noise, making this pairing a diverse yet cohesive record. the recordings also feature friends and fellow musicians martin courtney (real estate, bass guitar on hard livin’) and julian lynch (clarinet on super cool).
the tenth release on tape drift brings us back to the first, with a brand new offering from century plants. the first in a multiple volume series, “circular spaces, vol. 1″ finds hardiman and hare in particularly fine form, showing how far they’ve come since their debut. this one splits the difference between their melodic and noisy extremes, with two beautifully intense guitar workouts and a long excursion into the depths of sonic abstraction unlike anything else they’ve committed to tape yet. debut lp out soon on music fellowship!
last november we put together an amazing show here in buffalo featuring a spectrum of -house and alchemy- friends/partners, past, present and future. century plants were the future. and, that future is now. featuring their set from that wonderful night in buffalo and another live set, electrics is century plants in top form. cd-r edition of 123 in sleeves with full color artwork by katheryn richards.
archival recordings from this long running south portland group. pre big blood / fire on fire. nicely packaged release on new local label.
ceylon mange is the trio of dylan nyoukis (chocolate monk proprietor and sound molder in blood stereo, decaer pinga), karen constance (blood stereo, smack music 7) and bill nace (x.o.4, vampire belt). the maiming path extends from the group’s previous mind melts with two side long (de)constructions that are assembled from a variety of mangled loops and electronics, guitar feedback/slaughter and cromagnon vocals. the results are a murky stew, as each emerging sound creeps upon the listener like a blackened sloth nightmare. it’s the type of organic brain tangle that is rarely unleashed by the spirits these days. the lp is pressed in an edition of 410 and housed in a full-colour printed sleeve featuring karen’s outsider artwork – killer dirty droning noise. out of print first pressing.
a great puerto rican garage psych group who sang in english, with pleasant multi-part vocal leads sitting atop more engrossing latin rhythms and instrumental flourishes, fine fuzz guitar work and screaming farfisa organ. this is the first time reissue for lp of this rare central-south american psychedelic vinyl – elaborate lp-only reissue, super heavy full color gatefold sleeve, poster and obi – awesome album!
a great puerto rican garage psych group who sang in english, with pleasant multi-part vocal leads sitting atop more engrossing latin rhythms and instrumental flourishes, fine fuzz guitar work and screaming farfisa organ. this is the first time reissue for lp of this rare central-south american psychedelic vinyl – elaborate lp-only reissue, super heavy full color gatefold sleeve, poster and obi – awesome album!
a rare document of a brief arc in charalambides’ 17 year (and counting) trajectory, somewhere between the extreme spatial attenuation of the long gone crucial blast cdr being as is and the gentle intergalactic trio sway of the kranky disk unknown spin – and quite distance from both the exclamatory exhalations of joy shapes and the layered songcraft of likeness. these are spartan duets of formalistic near-symmetry, a reminder that there was a time when charalambides swung as close to the axis of incus and fmp as to that of takoma and esp. christina (voice) and tom carter (guitar) improvise non-textual melodic lines around an locus of mirror clarity, occasionally overlapping various strands using two dat machines and a mixing board, in a nod to the pre protools digital scrap heap. originally issued as a peter king lathe cut lp on eclipse records in an edition of 100 in 2000, the reissue of this extreme rarity is remastered from a superior source for maximum clarity. inkblot artwork courtesy of heather leigh murray. the whole package is dedicated to bruce connor (r.i.p.). the reissue at hand is an edition of 500, with fold-over printed sleeves in the style of electricity ghosts.
long-, long-, long-, loooooong-awaited and singular entry in the charalambides and klang industries discographies; one of those “does it really exist?” items that’s finally seeing daylight, or moonlight. a stark, unsettling and beautiful slice of duo charlambides invocation/incantation, taken from the period between jason bill and heather leigh murray’s tenures with the band and featuring extraordinary chord organ and vocal work from christina and some signature lap steel mastery from tom. fans of the band’s most recent, more song-based work will find this relevatory, long-time listeners will say “ahhhh” and settle in for the flight. heavy vinyl, limited pressing, cover handiwork by tom, the first release in years from klang and a sign perhaps of a truly epic revival… nice!
new release of eldritch origin featuring historic recordings of two nearly-complete sets from the “market square”-era charalambides lineup, featuring the core duo of tom & christina carter + jason bill. one side is from the cooler, nyc, at the 1995 cmj fest (swirling vox sound courtesy kurt wolf), where strapping fieldhands got their fender twin stolen, and bill orcutt & i witnessed the unrepentant use of string-eze by the gtrist from cobra verde. the other side is from the 1994 siltbreeze festival at the khyber pass in philly. both sets consist of freak-rock tracks from “market square” & “strangle the wretched heavens,” heavy on analog atmosphere & ecstatic/blown-out gtr/vox interconnectivity.
cool & long gone early one.
charlie nothing & dingulator was one of the seemingly myriad 80s charlie nothing cassettes and it’s inclusion was, in part, intended within a 2cd anthology that we’d planned but the amount of material is too great and the moments therein are too grand to even dream of an edit. although this is fairly late in mr nothing’s oeuvre, we can’t think of a more fully realized statement regarding the scope of his playing recycled automotive steel guitars and the performing of his big dingulator song sweet (or suite, as it were, a concept of his that implied all songs were but one song) than a reissue of this 1985 manifesto-like piece. what you are about to hear, is dingulation…
it is with great excitement that three lobed announces the privilege of releasing for hans chew his debut solo release, a 7” featuring both “new cypress grove boogie” and “forever again.” hans chew’s skill as a piano player has previously been on display both in a complementary fashion to jack rose (appearing as a member of jack’s live backing band at arthurdesh as well as on both the black dirt sessions and luck in the valley) and as a integral member of d. charles speer & the helix (including his vocal turns on both “life insurance” off distillation and “bar-abbas blues” off the “in madagascar” 7”). this new single offers an expanded glimpse at not only chew’s songwriting prowess but also his powerful boogie-blues, bar-rockin’ piano skills. both tracks presented on this 7” are slated to appear on chew’s forthcoming debut album, tennessee and other stories, but appear in different versions exclusive to this release. the 7” itself is a vivid picture disc bearing stunning shots by jake cunningham and comes from a limited edition of 500 copies, each accompanied by a download coupon for drm-free 320kbps mp3s. this record is a joint release between three lobed and divide by zero. due to co-release nature, three lobed has limited stock.
full color paste-on cover art with insert. numbered edition of only 60 copies.
from biel switzerland, comes this little known group. one of the few all-girl bands (along with kleenex/lilliput) to come out of the early 80’s swiss punk scene. chin chin definitely considered themselves a punk band. although their catchy pop vocals and harmonies strongly aligned them with the burgeoning c86 scene. they shared bills with the shop assistants, television personalities, the pogues and new model army, before the band drifted into obscurity. this 7″ was originally released in 1984 on the band’s own, farmer records. it contains 3 self-penned songs and marks their first and punkest release. keep your eyes peeled for their full length lp out soon as a split between the mississippi and slumberland labels.
brand new collaboration from the uk blurters… 3 jams of fuzzy drug psychedelia and shake ’n’ noise featuring the sheffield legend that is rob from chora who has now fled for the big city itself. laser printed yellow sleeves, limited to 60 hand numbered copies.
first release by young upstarts from sheffield and what a fine racket it is too. this live recording gives a fair estimation of the damage they’ve been doing along the highways of the uk for the past 18 months. great mixture of high end ear cleaning, nonsensical vocal-isms and eventual lapses into metronomic rythym. a mixture of noise and repitition that is not a million miles away from the area that this heat so successfully cultivated. the future is very bright indeed – transparent xeroxed/stapled covers.
psychedelic drones recorded in sheffield summer 2006, performed and recorded by ben morris and robert wye. future releases coming up on gold soundz, utech, singing knives, curor et al.
summer 06 family underground (dk) recorded with dave nuss of nnck at black dirt studios in the woods of upstate ny. the yield was as characteristically unhinged as one might expect: sweeping electronic sounds backed with wood and bone percussion spirit-conjure. however also harvested was some new and especially tasty crop: sung and spoken song, electric guitar/conga “rock,” and an odd ghostly sheen coating the entire proceeding.…
susan christie was a philly-based sophomore folk singer who had one novelty hit for a major label and never quite recovered…and afterwards, her psychedelic take on country standards and hand crafted tales of inner-city solitude that was backed by a break heavy folk-funk rhythm section was never accepted as a commercial viability by record company big-wigs: they obviously couldn’t quite muster their ‘nostradamus’ sensibilities to foresee what future hip-hop producers and djs would be feeding into digital music-machines 30 years down the line! luckily three-fifths of a handful (literally three!) privately pressed vanity copies were manufactured in early 1970, one of which became the source material for this b-music release, nesting in the finders keepers’ ever-expanding library of obscure, obtuse, obsolete and obsessive vintage music from the ’60s and ’70s. the uber-legend john hill (who penned the mind-blowing acid rock floor-filler ‘love love love love love’ for wool) produced this release: which features 8 tracks including a twelve minute drugsploitation epic called ‘yesterday – where’s my mind’ featuring the enigmatic susan flipping vocal styles between janis joplin and margo guryan (who was in fact a close friend of susan’s at the time of recording.… pretty wild & great one. nice gatefold covers. limited.
our second split cd features 45 minutes of complementary drone bliss by two prime proponents of contemporary underground drift. glasgow’s pefkin (gayle brogan of the boa melody bar mailorder) offers up one extended track in which discrete, often acoustic sounds glisten and overlap like light on a rolling ocean; while the circle and the point (a duo of buffalo-based adam richards [house of alchemy records] and la denizen grant capes [of (vxpxc) and the phantom limb label]) bring us four tracks that drag simple eno-esque melodies through an unpredictable filter of urban noise. sea air to city clatter, electronically bridged; plug in anywhere… limited to 100 or so.
post-terrastock 6, two weary travelers holed up in a spare bedroom with a random cache of instruments and various noisemakers in an attempt to unleash some of the beer-fueled steam that had built up over the previous weekend. the music here comes from two delirious afternoons, still weary from a lack of sleep, minds still overloaded from a weekend of mania- both music related and beyond. floating acoustic guitars buried in the murk of distorted electric guitars. featuring grant capes from (vxpxc), these are ideas six years in the making, now just starting to unwind. adorned with major cover art by darryl norsen – very sweet art paper paste-on packaging. limited/numbered edition of 123 copies. very nice!
years passed since the last full length – and circle bros turned from a pure ambient-esque unit into a more song-oriented unit; expect adventurous singer-song improvisation. circle bros is the project of wim lecluyse, the man behind morc records. just as with morc records, circle bros doesn’t focus on quantity – this is the first circle bros full length album since late 2001. on haven, you’ll still hear echoes from the classic drone-outfits likes of windy and carl or azusa plane, but the sound palette is no longer focussed just on guitars. organ, vocals and sound-collages give the recordings a very warm tone, and sometimes refer to the experimental pop- and folk structures of e.g. richard youngs, grouper or castanets.
… really nice new album from this overlooked project. screen printed covers, limited edition of only 143 copies.
these two morc bands wrote their best songs yet to put on this split lp. this album is the perfection of both bands’ sounds – good stuff!
arkades catches a session finnish group, circle, recorded exclusively for wfmu during their us tour, september 19, 2005. comprising two lengthy pieces taking up a side each,”the greatest kingdom” and “the ghost of the highway,” the record focuses on the bands often spacy improv underpinning and applies new meaning to a vision which strides powerfully over the line dividing apocalyptic dread from a semblance of hope. agonized wailing, screams and torrents of molten sound dance ghostly shapes over psychedelic keyboard patterns, distant clattering, moonlit guitars and a rhythm section so carefully tempered that its impossible not to feel the chemistry at work. coupled to a fantastic sleeve which illustrates a homage to spaghetti western films and includes fitting notes by wfmu’s program director, brian turner, arkades proves what these new wave of finnish heavy metallers are capable of when they leave most of the rock at the door. file somewhere near acid mothers temple after having been given the kinda makeover only the scandinavians have the formula for. indeed, this is sweet shit – limited!
headspin records presents the limited edition vinyl version of the tulikoira album by finnish front runners of the psychedelic, kraut, space & trance-rock scene of today with a blasting heavy guitar-drenched album. three tracks on side a and a 24-minute trippy journey on side b. a true psychedelic testimonial! housed with printed inner sleeve in deluxe gatefold sleeve! the inside of the fold-out showing the initials of what the album is all about: n.w.o.f.h.m (new wave of finnish heavy metal). the album comes with a 7″ single (with picture sleeve) featuring two unreleased and exclusive tracks with bruce duff (45 grave/jesters of destiny/ adz) on vocals… very limited!
short tape by katie and haley. a-side is their collaborative project, cro magnon, conjuring apocalyptic no-core anxiety. b-side features each of their solo projects: circuit des yeux (haley) slows it down with “fire signs” and then bird (katie) deconstructs/microtunes the acoustic rock song with free, downloadable software on “swamp cry”. edition of 100.
really nice new single. green vinyl, color cover, vellum obi, limited to 300 copies. already out of print.
from a small town in the middle of the land of milk and honey, where the air is filled with the blossoming of the fruit trees for a big part of the year, comes these perfect little lilies of bands that make perfect little records that reflect this fertile and flowery region. it’s a timeless land, and making records there is possible during this surely short period of history wherein the youth of this era feel as if they’ve solved the mystery of life and love and it’s really loving that is the answer to everything. all of which has nothing at all to do with circuit des yeux and sirenium, which was made in indiana, and there aren’t exactly pipers at the gates of lafayette. sound? it’s the sound of ‘issues,’ and the sound of ‘troubles.’ you don’t get but one phone call and honey, the girl’s voice makes this message a bit rubbly anyway. take the manic snorts of captain liberty, dissonant as chalk and the next moment as melodic as sharp yet slick, metal teeth. take the mermaid, 1988, turn the tides, gently, gently away. selected breath / silences / selected feedback. take an argument you have here with an empty street while the memory of high traffic is leaking back. sirenum has a real ’spiritual food’ vibe and it’s fucking pain and pleasure relief in this real met en zonder sort of way. this world is her world, and pipe if you like it… nice one!
this is the ultimate burnout biker-psych masterpiece. finally repressed directly from tapes to flawlessly restore the cigarette burns, harley fumes, and cocaine hangovers of the original ride. this is a 40 minute recipe for complete mental breakdown. included on the acid archives’ list of top ten lps most likely to be owned by a serial killer. circuit rider is lost on the same journey as kenneth higney, nicodemus & matchez, yahowa, boa, heitkotter, dave lamb & gye whiz, raven, fraction, and the doors’ l.a. woman… legit exact reissue in super thick cover. 800 copies and gonna go fast. wicked stuff!
this is a new zealand duo (mark sadgrove, sam hamiltony)… a really beautiful 3″cdr, a nice gentle drone with some really beautiful vocals! both these guys have appeared on pseudoarcana in the past… sweet home made packaging. very limited.
collaborational cassette from two of the finest new-zealand men. songs, scetches and stories. nice full color cover designed by veet, m.
brand new dead end carpetbagger blues by these born losers. this third claudio two album (following the unreleased and indefinitely shelved jazz improve cdr) finds the crew flexing their muscles a bit – from wasted bedroom metal riffs carelessly layered over each other to create a zit cream vortex, to synth / occult pieces inspired by john carpenter soundtracks and ritalin snorting, to atmospheric black metal frightmares, and decrepid blooz rock, it’s all here on this brief cd, which may or may not include the band’s first actual cover song, by french geniuses vietnam veterans. full color collage covers by local college radio personality (actually he just steals cds from the station) blake conley. only 150 copies of this one, hurry!
some folks may claim that improvisation is all about listening, but claudio two endash a new project starring partners chazz improv and norma bates (aka james and jessica toth, formerly of wwvv), and featuring the first appearance in over ten years by former golden calves vocalist max “mev” wicker endash is all about the opposite. recorded in various spurts over the fall of 2007, sniper at the gates of dawn is the debut cdr by claudio two, on which the band layers individual single tracks recorded solo and combines them unheard (a la durian durian), and, elsewhere, uses this source material to try to recreate this accidental music while in a group setting. mixed in glorious mono. 150 copies, no reissues.
long out of print. “industrial folk” cover versions.
when i first heard the name, ‘clay man in the well,’ i got images in my head of archaelogical digs and ancient civilizations. pseudoarcana chief antony milton brings us a brand new album of dirt-infused jams, uncovered after years of digging. with scores of music boxes and simple drones, milton’s affected whispers treat these hymns with formaldahyde, preserving them for a million years. this is timeless. this is music for the archives. 100 copies.
long awaited collection from heavy sessions in the tomb, same sessions that bore “silver skull”. all out medicine worship, oily secretions of black sunshine to dampen your hollow bones. 80 minutes thick with whirlwind of mangled audio snapshots, healing rituals, analog psychosis treatment, massaging the dump – crazy oversized packaging.
short heavy jam by davenporting clay. colliding vocals, wrong brakes and dusty feedback. earfilth for the believers. a grey walk to the leftovers from last weeks house. psych! comes in an offset/handmade cramamyser cover. clay ruby is the guy behind the 23 productions label and the wellknown pasture festival in the usa. he also plays in bands like davenport, metrocide etc.
the clean were an influential first-wave punk band that formed in dunedin, new zealand in 1978. led through a number of early rotating line-ups by brothers hamish and david kilgour. the clean soon forged a distinctive and quirky sound that relied heavily on organ melodies and simple, ramones-style chord progressions.in 1981, a fan of the clean founded the flying nun label to release their first single, “tally ho.” the flying nun label went on to be new zealand’s biggest independent record company, championing the dunedin sound, a loosely-connected style of music largely produced by bands from this southern city. compilation offers a nearly complete overview of the clean’s legendary early recordings, including the classic “tally ho” single and highlights from their two eps (boodle boodle from 1981 and 1982’s great sounds)… new reissue of this essential album.
european-only vinyl edition. in 1978, the clean were the seeds of new zealand punk, their influence resonating not only in new zealand but also around the world. their sound is completely theirs but draws on everything from the psychedelic paste of syd barrett/early floyd to vintage velvets propulsiveness to almost everything else under the sun. they created both full studio sound and lo-fi recordings before, during, and after the various waves of the 4-track revolution, making both recording modes work with no loss of the band’s identity. as far as other influences, you can hear arthur lee, shirley collins, and the rolling stones, among others, but it’s never a kind of forced appropriation; while some bands seem to say, “look at my record collection,” in the case of the clean, it’s organic, seamless, and inimitable. mister pop sees the clean continue the great pop pastiche. circus ragas, gorgeously hazy sunset anthems, and the sometimes-loose dada approach to wordsmithery continue right alongside “proper” lyrical forays, and a few autobahn-referential instro moments to boot (“tensile”). bob’s love of pastoral uk folk has brought some added weight into the overall clean equation, as does david’s eastern and african guitar jones, though all this has always fit in with — and still constitutes — the total basis of the clean sound journey.
a lovely vinyl reissue on etude records of a long obscure climax golden twins gem. originally issued in 1995, on cassette, eerie fragrance or eyeless fabrication or exclude frank or eat fuck or etc (forever) was climax golden twins second official issue after a self-released double seven inch gatefold record. cassettes–the cockroach of the industry–were a necessity at the poorer end of the music spectrum prior to cdrs and file sharing…the good old days…ef was a collage of noise, found sounds, punk rock disasters, chinese climaxes, broken records, and tape failures mastered directly to cassette on a reverberant wooden floor in an old building in seattle, washington. it seemed an inauspicious start and little presaged the ambient/dreamy/art installation/field recording/anomalous records darlings cgt were to become with releases such as lovely, dream cut short in the mysterious clouds, locations, etc. however, secret free hillbilly noise epilepsy has always lurked under the button up shirts, white wine sipping and gallery-opening snack-munching. the noise informs the dreams which informs the ambiance which informs the chaos and so back to the beginning and vice-versa. etude records discovered cgt through their work on the horror film session nine and have been wanting to release something ever since. part band, part art project, climax golden twins were discovered lurking under a desk in a laboratory in the early 1920s. reconstituted around 1993 or 4 (just add gin), they perpetrated various audio artifacts on an unsuspecting (and cold) world (see extensive and largely mythical list below). these days they are the cgt in afcgt. and they released victrola favorites recently on dust to digital. their laboratory origins lead to a an unhealthy interest in early recording and the era of music on 78rpm records and cylinders, a time of acoustic sound reproduction when oral traditions ended and the home entertainment industry and the information age devoured our puny lives. that’s a mouthful. this era was a pivotal one in understanding how humanity arrived where it is today, though climax golden twins denies all knowledge of where that might be.
this collaboration between the mellow, memphis-meets-germany duo of kip ulhorn and simon wojan (aka cloudland canyon) and chicago’s great rock ‘n’ roll concierge and knower-of-mystics mr. robert lowe (aka lichens) was born on a trip to the west coast of the united states a few years ago. exterminating angel’s single 30-minute track uses voice, guitar, samplers, and arp synthesizer. you’ve heard of the unmade science fiction epic whose would-be director proposed using different big-name progressive bands to perform a soundtrack for specific planets used in the script; here then are the sounds accompanying a spacecraft that’s a combination death star and taco bell from the 1970s filled with cement mayan temples and pyramids populated by large, snappily dressed reptilian beings. every so often a bell goes off to break the spell and presents convincing evidence of this record’s special journey.
fresh off a new killer kranky full-length, bi-continental teutonic duo cloudland canyon grease the gears on a piston-pumping motorik ramp into futurist motion, gliding drones & mechanic rhythm. seamless & dreamless. on the b nnf extended family m beast drop 2 perfect soul caravan wanderlust blues drifters. real gorgeous, and a great teaser for their in-the-works full-length for drag city subsidiary language of stone. with art by crops + rawber best friend diva dompe.
walter swanljung – keyboards; ville sahlakari – drums. rec. winter 2004/2005 in helsinki, finland. imagine if sun ra’d have rec. in duo with milford graves… and i ain’t kidding or exaggerating, totally devastating!
originally released in 1972, this is the second album by legendary german ambient pioneers dieter moebius and hans-joachim roedelius. moebius and roedelius essentially create ambient electronic soundscapes that ebb and flow, droning on in a suspended world of anti-gravity where machine has conquered man.
delight in the stream is the first solo vinyl outing for john clyde-evans (aka tirath singh nirmala) in close to a decade. recorded during a year-long stay in india, the album seamlessly weaves together an array of piercing bowed objects, flutes and voice with electronic and audio embellishments over the course of three extended tracks. the scattering of sounds swirl around to disorienting effect yet still manage to mesmerize as the music draws itself out. pressed in a limited edition of 300 copies.
tirath singh nirmala returns as his former moniker john clyde-evans, bowing transcendental asian instruments and indian thought back to the mysterious groove of manipulated drone. 100 copies.
two new songs from the “no flies on frank” sessions. side a > i stole a skipping rope from molly. she made me pay. side b > thanks to mssrs. davies. psych-pop for the end of the season. edition of 300.
coach fingers is serious about having fun and with the debut long player no flies on frank, no one is spared from the plentiful good vibes frank has to offer. packed with more hooks than a ship crowded with one-armed pirates, no flies on frank is a meaty affair of giddy but bearded late ’60s/early ’70s outlaw boogie rock & roll prominently featuring three members of the new york free noise whatsit collective the no neck blues band — coach jason meagher, dave nuss & dave shuford — along with meagher’s brother sean on keys and — future guitar god worshippers take note — the coach’s secret weapon, master shredder george devoe. so come on, friends, it’s time to join the fingers friends & family in the beaujolais revolution; take a sip from a glass full of ronnie lane’s boozy rock, the charming laissez-faire balladry of kevin ayers (circa joy of a toy & whatevershebringswesing) & a whole lot of crazy fun. limited dmm 180 gram vinyl.
6 song ep. hand stamped kraft board covers. numbered edition of 200.
turner has been kicking around the nyc folk scene for quite a few years now, but this is, perhaps inexplicably, his first foray onto wax. while most singer / songwriters’ these days seem to draw most of their water from iron and wine via pavement and back again, turner sounds like he began his musical education listening to gershwin player piano rolls and quit buying records somewhere around the time dylan brought it all back home. lyrically, turner can turn a phrase with the best of ‘em, and the gloriously ramshackle accompaniment is mungo jerry meets herman dune sharing a squat in tin pan alley. this lp combines two of turner’s self-released cds, and is as good an introduction to his wonderful music as any. here’s what jeweled antler head honcho glenn donaldson sez about turner:”cody is pre-war, old testament & a confederate general from big sur.” err’nuff said, no?
walking up walls is the second solo album from long-time musician and visual artist alice cohen. in contrast to her previous studio efforts, these are raw home recordings with an intensely personal vibe. the sixteen short song-sketches alternate between densely layered shoegaze burners and shimmering, ethereal drifters. exploring shadowy corners and using the musical equivalent of automatic writing — this was considered to be a sonic diary and not originally intended for release. for reference points think pink opaque-era cocteau twins filtered through the early ’90s lens of new zealanders like alastair galbraith & sandra bell.
cold sun from austin, texas was recorded in 1970 in the legendary sonobeat studios, where the mariani and johnny winter first lps were produced. the cold sun band are considered contemporaries of velvet underground and the fugs, often listed as being in a similar vein but inspirations for this unique piece actually go back to the desperate, haunted joe meek. all songs lyrically express dark, mystic poetry with the true ’60s psychedelic floating/distorted fuzz spirit presented in short compact mini-epics along with several mind blowing long tunes, such as ‘ra-ma’ (11 min.), ‘here in the year’ (9 min.) and ‘fall’ (7 min.). discovered by rockadelic records of dallas, texas in 1991, the dark shadows album saw the light of day the next year as a limited lp version, to become today one of the most important and revered us psychedelic underground albums from the early ’70s. rockadelic heard it in the form of an old scratchy acetate that one of the cold sun band members had made in order to be able to play the recording at friends` parties on their turntables. the acetate only contained 2/3 of the songs but so greatly impressed them that rockadelic managed together with bandleader bill miller to release the complete sessions from master tapes. autoharp wizard miller eventually spearheaded roky erickson’s international debut as the cold sun band joined forces with roky in 1974 and became bliebalien, later evolved into the aliens and backed roky on his famous albums and historical concerts. carefully remastered from the master tapes, this album will bring new rewarding listening experiences in expanded fidelity. plus a bonus 10inch with 2 unreleased non-album songs, authentic live/concert recordings of ‘live again’ (10 min.) and ‘mind aura’ (7 min.). the fidelity of these reel to reel live recordings is also remarkable. includes an extended booklet insert with liner notes by jello biafra plus rare photos and other surprises. according to patrick (lama) lundborg from lysergia.com: ‘best rockadelic lp ever, and in my opinion the best texas lp of the time.’ enjoy this one-hour psychedelic happening, a ‘must-have’ ’60s/’70s heavy uber-psych masterpiece! … long awaited top of the line reissue of the all time ultimate lost psychedelic album. heavily peyote dosed and as good as the 13th floor elevators or golden dawn! totally deluxe edition in an ultra heavy metallic printed textured gatefold cover, pressed on 180gm audiophile vinyl, with bonus 10inch and full color booklet insert with notes, photos, and interviews. extremely limited edition thats going to fly, so act quick if you don’t want to miss it. pricey but well worth it. highest recommendation!
there can only be one bongo joe, and that is the incredible george coleman. bongo joe is perhaps the world’s only virtuoso player of the empty oil drum, a man so ingenious that he could even turn petroleum refuse into something musical and sublime. recorded on the streets of san antonio in 1969 by chris strachawitz (arhoolie records). bongo joe drums on his oil cans with a thunderous, tympani-like effect, while discoursing rambling, insightful and hilariously funny lyrics that are often times more stories than songs. as joe himself put it, ‘i rap but not that bullshit they’re putting down now. i play fundamental beat music.’ whether draping his drums with an american flag or washing them in swirls of psychedelic green and red paint, there’s something beyond the typical street-corner busker in bongo joe’s persona, unbridled quality that isn’t just musical, but draws on a tradition of pure entertainment. one of the true treasures of the arhoolie catalog for many years. try ‘innocent little doggie’ (if you think joe was just a novelty act, listen closely to the poignant insightfulness of the lyrics), ‘transistor radio’ (more wry commentary) and ‘dog eat dog.’ one of our favorites, available on vinyl for the first time in 39 years.
very pleased to present this collection of beautiful drawings by the amazing cybele collins. she also records as blue shift and her visions have graced covers for labels such as last visible dog and rare youth. drawings have appeared in dozens of magazines including morbid curiosity, paper rodeo, sound projector, free radicals, the ganzfeld, cemetery dance, shimmer, dark animus and vial. full color cover, 36 b&w pages.
new project from arbor ruler (aka treetops) mike pollard with former jk taper, now mr young tapes, peter friel… four space related close encounters of the drone kind… sweet and simple, guaranteed to leave you floating somewhere totally cosmic in the outer reaches of mind and space!!! black and white sleeve and insert designed by the color dream boys. pro dubbed cassettes, limited to 100 copies.
“i have always been fascinated by the way music and sound alter the way we perceive time and space. we organize all experiences in these terms. the motivation behind my musical compositions and installations over the past several years has been the exploration of the conventions that determine the way we experience time and space, and thereby our world. these pieces seek to expose such conventions by giving the listener the chance to become familiar with unfamiliar tonalities and rhythms, as well as to register the divorce of space and sound made possible by contemporary audio technology. and they sound good” – white vinyl with screenprinted insert.
after comets on fire played auckland, utrillo kushner met one of his idols, the legendary diy producer and songwriter chris knox. the following day knox invited kushner and his bandmates over to his house for conversation and beers. the afternoon was spent in the kitchen (knox was baking a cake for the clean’s bangers and mash anniversary tour) drinking while knox spun stories of the new zealand music underground of yore. from this experience, kushner conceived of the initial idea for the second colossal yes album. inspired by the kiwi indie-pop formulas of tall dwarfs, the clean, and the verlaines, kushner set out to write his own songs using piano as the main instrument. it was a reawakening of the pop aesthetic done piano man style. recording of the basic tracks started in the summer of 2007 with kelley stoltz producing and kevin ink engineering. songs were then fine-tuned over a series of nighttime and weekend sessions with matt waters in early 2008. finally, they were mixed with ben chasny (six organs of admittance) and waters almost a year from the starting point. the end result is unique yet similar to the epic pop bands of the past. charlemagne’s big thaw combines simple melodies and basic structures with lyrical territories such as expired youth, grand betrayals, overdrawn faculties, and dissolving empires. features contributions from kelley stoltz, ben chasny (six organs of admittance, comets on fire), noel harmonson (comets on fire) ben flashman (comets on fire), eli eckert (drunk horse), garett goddar (the cuts, howlin rain).
after 2004’s critically acclaimed blue cathedral, one might have expected comets on fire to blast off into the cosmos in an infinite flurry of lysergic spasmodicism. surprising, then, that they should turn in an earthy, more accessible and downright beautiful album as their follow-up. then again, it is a completely logical progression, but in reverse, sort of. on avatar their astonishing new album, comets display development in every direction: as musicians, as songwriters, as arrangers and as singers (?!), without sacrificing one ounce of the intensity that is expected from our heroes. as on blue cathedral, the diversity of the material is staggering. avatar veers from swinging, bluesy explorations to piano-laced, progressive power balladry, to pure tribalism, evoking everyone from the allmans, to quicksilver, to procol harum, to some insane fela/sun ra/crazy horse hybrid, yet remains wholly comets on fire. though they play cleaner and clearer, their firepower is evident and abundant. they have shifted gears and opened themselves up completely. you should do the same.
blue cathedral is the third album from comets on fire and their first for sub pop. it is also the bay area band’s most varied and richly textured album yet. with their first two albums, (2001’s self-titled debut/self-released and 2002’s field recordings from the sun on ba da bing!) they established themselves as flag-bearers of modern psychedelia. however, where their previous efforts are full-tilt psychedelic affairs, blue cathedral is harder to pin down (which elusiveness we heartily support). their trademark sound is here enriched by more structured, keyboard-driven jams, churning blue oyster cult-ish chooglers and slow burners reminiscent of harvest-era pink floyd. they recently opened a string of dates for sonic youth and have also played shows with rocket from the tombs, dead meadow and dead moon, sunburned hand of the man and more. they also made a big fan outta lord head on high, julian cope, who said of them: comets on fire deserve our gratitude for their distillation of all the best rock riffs since high rise’s take on blue cheer. naturally, we agree.
with raw viola, haunting vocals, and noise guitar, rob fisk (badgerlore, 7 year rabbit cycle, ex-deerhoof) has created an exquisite album that sounds perfectly at home in the natural world between dusk and dawn. packaged in a hand-sewn book of drawings by fisk entitled “how to build a cabin.”… lovely packaging, as you’d expect.
this self-titled release is the debut by concern, a solo endeavor by gordon ashworth, who is perhaps best known for issuing complex harsh noise missives as oscillating innards. that said, concern is an entirely different affair. here, ashworth’s principal focus is on the drone – shimmering, multi-layered and dynamic, he stretches loooong tones into gorgeous sonic tendrils which dissolve or implode into impossibly nostalgic field recordings and static. recorded throughout the years 2004 – 2007 and, surely, not to be missed. limited to 100.
just past 10 years ago this debut collaboration between primitive american blues guitarist loren connors and the confounding electric bassist darin gray was issued on cd. the lost mariner was the first in a pair of releases by the upstart family vineyard label. now with a decade of hindsight and a nod to looking ahead, here is a a 700 edition lp reissue of the studio session considered by connors to be one of his finest. since this album’s 1999 release connors has released a series of sorrowful solo albums and multi-disc collections on family vineyard while gray formed the cinematic on fillmore (with wilcoõs glen kotche) and continued collaborations with jim o’rourke, akira sakata, chris corsano and others. the lost mariner is an improvised dialogue between these two musicians. structure is there, but it roams as it sways, constantly adjusting and reinventing itself as the two react to its mysterious design. for this reissue the lp is sleeved inside stunning cover art (an albert pinkham ryder painting) and contains the bonus at the old factory 7-inch. this raw, live snapshot of a 1999 performance comes on colored vinyl in a full-color sleeve designed by katie leming (cro magnon, bird).
the contents are was one of many sixties bands from the quad city’s fertile garage music scene. with labels/studios like fredlo and igl, it was a very healthy regional area for bands with an unusually high per capita for record releases. up until the recent discovery of an original copy a couple years ago, it was only rumored to exist and remained an enigma with hardcore record collectors. in most cases, the contents are were only known by astute collectors for their two excellent 45 releases (non-lp). well the mystery is over, and here’s your chance to hear one of the rarest ¨ greatest garage records ever recorded. here’s the story about the record: four high school seniors from iowa decide to release an album of all original tunes, and was exclusively sold at their live shows. originally released on the rok label (a subsidiary of the already obscure fredlo label) in 1967 with only 100 copies pressed. these guys were not your typical garage band? talented players, professional grade vocalists and no cover songs!!! their music is a nice blend of garage rock with hints of hipster folk and early psychedelic influences. as good if not better as other similar top shelf rarities like mystery meat and the bachs, but no major quantity find making original copies of the contents are ten times rarer. get it or miss it! limited to 450 numbered copies, glossy heavy sleeves, 180 gram pressing, and insert… one of the best shadoks in a while! great teen sounds in an awesome crude cover. these will vanish quick…
bill cooley and alan munson were two friends in santa barbara, california, living their early 20s writing folk-rock songs for their pleasure. that was 1972, and they decided to put these songs into the studio, self-produce the album and press a tiny quantity of 500 pieces hoping it could help getting a contract with a major company. this never happened, as you would have guessed, and sure this fact helped making their sole album, ‘in debt,’ a major collectable item for folk-rock and psychedelic rock listeners and collectors. being a private pressing, you can easily imagine it’s not a big production, but who cares. this album has the right feel and you won’t need anything else to make it one of your faves. all tracks are original compositions, and the style is very personal. it’s folk-rock, but many tracks are psychedelic too, in their own way. but don’t look close for influences, they will not come to mind easily. bill and alan had their own psychedelic folk-rock style, and the raw, sometimes amateurish feel that these recordings have give the album the final distinctive touch. never reissued before in any format, now here we come with a splendid reissue, with the collaboration of the guys. remastered sound taken from the master tapes… great stuff.
it was a long search to locate the rights for this album since it was not with emi anymore. with the help of musicians and producers from the third eye and freedom’s children, we’ve found the original producer. he told us that the brother/sister band john & philipa cooper went to britain shortly after the album was made and there it lost track. this amazing album has the same class as billy nichols, duncan browne and blossom toes. many other musicians from s.a. were helping out. every track is just great. well composed underground songs, folk rock, effects, pop tunes just the right mixture for an album full of ideas and masterfully played. perhaps one of the rarest albums from s.a. this album would have been a great success if it was produced in uk. it just has the right feel with the combination of great songs with a ’60s art-vibe. female / male vocals, julian laxton on guitar, keyboards; beside jon & philipa, 8 more musicians on the album. this lp is just a perfect 1969 underground folk-rock album… numbered edition of 500, glossy heavy sleeve on 180gm vinyl with insert. originally released in south africa, 1969.
live at the hint house might be considered a field rec. in as much as it is a recording of an ambience or soundscape. made on my first ever trip to mainland america to play music this is the 2nd set of that evening, the 1st set had been an acoustic one of songs and slide guitar. at the start of the 2nd set i quickly realised that my guitar was not working and rather than stop and attempt to find out what was wrong i decided to just continue and improvise with what was at hand on the table in front of me. a casio sk1 sampler keyboard, a yamhaha su10 sampling unit with some pre-recorded samples loaded, a mini disc with some tropical ambience rec. from malaysia and a pitch shifter delay pedal. i was not very happy with what happened that night and when matt zwed gave me two cd-rs the next day i don’t remember giving much attention to the 2nd set. five years on, coincidently to the day as i write this, i realized he had captured more than me trying to get through the piece. it was me, the people in the room, the dog that ran around barking, the traffic sounds coming through the door that was open right behind me and a whole host of magically transported tropical birds and insects that suddenly found themselves reciting whatever it was in the loft space on the edge of harlem, competing or colluding with all of the above to produce a piece of urban exotica. – mike cooper… black vinyl, cover design/collage by mike cooper. rec. in nyc, 2000.
recorded over a weekend back in the early months of 2009, here are 2 tracks of multi instrumental composition from ben nash and sophie cooper (cooperjones). the music here is truly beautiful, personally i think this is some of the best work to come from both ben and sophie so far. total late night guitar meanderings blurred with a haze of deep churning scrapes from various instruments and layered drone bliss, creating 2 totally immersive and beautiful psychedelic drone. some of the guitar playing here has a beautiful loren connors meets ry cooder paris texas era sound, and then when both ben and sophie reach for the gee-tars you have the beautiful mix of ben’s reflective electric blues and sophie’s purely relaxed acoustic musings, totally fantastic. this really has it down for me as something truly different, lets hope that they continue to record as this duo. i certainly cannot wait for more. glass mastered pro pressed cd (not cdr) in pro printed full colour card sleeve, one time pressing of 1000. co-released with ben’s own recollections of knulp label.
cooperjones is the manchester based duo of sophie cooper and kelly jones. five tracks of experimental folk fight outs and one blast of improvised jam noise featuring pascal of stuckometer. comes in folded printed pastel paper jackets with artwork by patrick milsom, limited to 100 hand numbered copies – nice packaging and another fine release on this new label. cool experimental acoustic based femme psych goodness.
_al anon_ concludes eric copeland’s two part album entitled _alien in a garbage dump_. where the first half offered a discombobulated collection of radio cross-signaling, here the alien finds its groove for a minute and tidies up the frequencies. there is still something outsiderish here, but with more of an effort to get inside, to play by the rules even? or maybe the motivation is to sneak something subversive into the norms’ hideout? since _al anon_ was recorded at the same time as two black dice albums, there are obvious parallels in the results; an uncompromised sonic landscape. but outside the group setting, copeland has found places one can only find alone: small inner dialogues and isolated mind caves where an idea may only last a moment. he captures and tweaks these ideas into fragments of many memories; a déjà vu record déjà vu record. funny characters drop in and out. songs come and go. al anon proves to be a strangely curated time capsule of our time right now; music where birds beat-box with car-stereo subwoofers and the neighbors’ espanol sings on top the sabbath siren. with all this going on, copeland sometimes disappears into the anonymity, playing a ‘behind-the-scenes’ role, pushing cords and pulling buttons, laughing because the batteries are dying. here the familiar becomes mysterious and the unknown feels normal and we can listen to this one all day trying to make those distinctions. edition of 500 copies with jaw-droppingly amazing black and white collage artwork by copeland, screenprinted by vg kids.
dancing wayang records are excited to release the first duo album by london-based double bassist john edwards and us drummer extraordinaire chris corsano called tsktsking. the album was recorded at eastcote studios, london in december 2008. limited to 500 copies it comes housed in hand screenprinted wrap-around sleeves. the accompanying insert features exclusive and humerous liner notes written by uk sax pioneer evan parker. defying the drum and bass’s classic roles as rhythm instruments, edwards and corsano’s tsktsking is a beautifully melodic album. at times corsano’s drumset sounds like it’s got strings whilst edwards’s double bass takes its fair share of scrapes and slaps. extended passages explore the most subtle and some unexpected sounds that can be summoned from metal and timber. equally, possessed progressions and untamed eruptions of energy and power are conjured up. these two musicians prey and pounce on their instruments like it’s their last chance. john edwards is one of the most gifted double bassist playing in the uk and europe. since taking up his instrument in the late 1980s he has become an unparalleled force and choice collaborator for musicians such as evan parker, charles hayward (this heat) and john butcher. in 2008 he released a solo bass record on evan parker’s psi label and continues to push the instrument’s boundaries into unexplored territories. chris corsano is one of the most in-demand free drummers working today. after several years living in manchester and edinburgh where he forged fruitful relationships with mick flower (vibracathedral orchestra) and heather-leigh murray (scorces, jandek), he is now based in massachusetts, usa. first encountering free improvisation in the mid 1990s, corsano is now at the forefront of expanded drumset improvisations both solo and in collaborations with artists such as paul flaherty, thurston moore and six organs of admittance… high quality screen printed covers. limited to 500 copies.
corsican paintbrush was officially formed in the late spring of 2004. this project consists of brad rose (the north sea, the golden oaks, ajilvsga; alligator crystal moth – ) and eden hemming rose (wax ghost,the cone bearers, akhet – ). after releases on foxglove, musicyourmindwillloveyou and a split with my cat is an alien, welcomed this new album from the digitalis headquarters. clattering folk melodies, hesitant voices, take a deep breath to feel the mint smell – wrapped in a virgin white tapisserie baroque and closed with a stick – limited to 85 and already out of print.
gorgeous ethnological forgeries from the husband and wife duo of brad rose and eden hemming rose. these gentle, free improvisations set the lister gently down amidst the dappled sunlight and sweet scents of a long forgotten time.truly beautiful, honest music for the tired ears of a dying civilization.
paêbirú is an obscure brazilian psych concept album about the four elements (earth, air, fire, water) that was lost to time in a warehouse fire in 1974, causing it to become a massively sought-after lost classic, fetching up to $1500 for vinyl copies. this recording of the collaboration between brazilian artists lula cortes and ze ramalho is a wonderfully off-kilter record, full of fantastic hooky and strange tunes that range all over the place, from full-on freakouts to quiet pastoral. the entire range of 1970s hippie brazilian musician culture is displayed in this record. it’s experimental, but it’s relentlessly driven towards fun. if you like good music, you will like this legendary album untouched by time. cortes, who composes and plays on many of the tracks, seemingly appears only when talking about obscure brazilian psych reissues, ramalho, on the other hand, has built a solid career as a brazilian pop singer and takes on most vocal duties. it’s a very atmospheric blend, sung and chanted vocals are no more or less important than any of the other elements, which include classical acoustic and fuzzy electric guitar, piano, organ, flute, sax and a range of percussion. it’s free and psychedelic, but just reigned in enough to keep it tense and exciting. the closest comparison might be to combine amon duul with sunburned hand of the man and perhaps double leopards, if they lived on a commune together in brazil and recorded while indulging in mass quantities of narcotics…. well, this was long planned to come out on time-lag, but its seems ze ramalho had other plans and all the red tape wasn’t helping anyone. in anycase, this reissue is done well, is legit, and has great fidelity, and is quite limited, so highly recommended!!!
out of print collaboration.
italian galactico valerio cosi returns with his second album for foxglove, and raises the stakes considerably. he bends his saxophone into a glistening array of aural armaments, channeling the ghosts of giants, these spaced-out, eastern-infused missives. cosi is master and bending tones and meshing multiple instruments and styles into a cohesive unit. layers of guitars, horns, percussion, and more create everything from whimsical pop to sprawling, esoteric drone. “the spiritual committee” is the perfect homage to the roman gods of yore.
valerio cosi may be young at only 22, but his talent is undeniable. he may be mostly known for his exquisite saxophone playing, but this italian wunderkind doesn’t stop there. cosi composes strings of magic using all sorts of instrumentation and production tricks. “heavy electronic pacific rock” marks the first cd release in cosi’s ever-expanding discography, and he saved the best for this, his most widely-available release to date. limited to 500 copies… includes the limited to 100 copy bonus cdr.
this is the third volume of work for folkways by one of the most important acoustic guitarists of the 20th century, originally released in 1965. produced by musician alice gerrard and recorded by folklorist/musician mike seeger, when i’m gone is the perfect introduction to the queen of folk-blues. an absolute classic lovingly reissued in a perfect replica of the original folkways jacket and including a reproduction of the original information booklet… top notch official reissue of this gem.
awesome 3-way collabotion disc where andrey kiritchenko, anla courtis and psychsters the moglass remix, wreck and (mis-)treat each others material – co-released w/carbon, nexsound, tibprod and 1000+1 tilt.
ancient tape (1996) from ANLA COURTIS dude. argentinean avant psych.
brand new lp with dirty sounds from cousins of reggae, montreal based 2 man mind fuck. utilizing guitar, drums, turntables and voice. ( featuring blake hargreaves of dreamcatcher, fluorescent friends…& liam thurston of orphanage…) go for a trip via 2 different pieces, heavy, loud, hit electric noise & fatal attack. first vinyl release for parisian noise anti brutal pro violence lubriphikatttor (with members of zaraz wam zagram, tg, napalm jazz, ero babaa…) long tune ‘babypute’ / death of flowers & elaborated destruction… 319 copies in silkscreened covers.
in the flower of our youth, originally released on the private press label cutthroat records in 1980, was richard crandell’s first lp. his tune ‘rebecca’ was famously covered by admirer leo kottke on his chewing pine album. crandell has gone on to record several other guitar albums, as well as two mbira recordings for john zorn’s tzadik label. crandell’s music has recently been featured on tompkins square’s imaginational anthem vol. 3, as well as the guitar compilation wayfaring strangers: guitar soli.
heavy-rock with progressive touch split lp unearthed by the rockadelic label featuring ultra-rare underground 70s hard rock sounds (c. 1971) with one side by each band. these tapes came from the cavern sound studios (stoned circus, bulbous creation, phantasia, trizo 50); the crank tape had ‘zep jr.’ written on the box, which is pretty accurate frame of reference. thump theater offers a more progressive rock sound with some good guitar breaks and catchy lyrics. last copies from a long gone edition from 1997 of around 600 copies.
prolific facial oil ballads and grumpy conversations – from portland maine’s number one naked fish screamer.
13 gestating years past and crappy nightmareville’s pod unfolds in full color via this 7″ single which is not just their debut but also birth marks the first of a four part vinyl single series: an engraved introduction by way of alien-forcept exacavation of their old kentucky womb. prior stages spiraled from public-prank to outer-earth music-concret to scaling-the-scaur of bavarian-salt-licks. side a, “neutron dracula” imagines the scene from gypsy classic latcho drom when children sing “we are the bloody nail in the foot of jesus on the cross”, only reinterpreted as a saturday morning cartoon. side b, “black beam dub” is smoke from a wounded nurse surrealing sun ra into a new form of dub music that will have you and your headphones installing a seatbelt into your couch for endless round trips. crappy nightmareville is one of louisville’s longest running aural magnetic-bananimals and shares drinking water with a huge cast of bands including the web, evergreen, the belgian waffles, sapat and kark. beautiful post-nuclear fall-out full-color sleeve. edition of 350.
crash coffin’s eponymous album was originally released privately in 1974 on the mus-i-col label. it is very rare and sought after by early ’70s us psychedelic collectors worldwide. not unjustly so, since it contains one of the best psychedelic songs ever recorded (‘god loves the loser’) and a couple of other great moody psych tracks. it contains 2 unreleased bonus tracks from the same period. limited edition of 500, deluxe 180g vinyl, heavy original cover and insert with group history. insert also contains a sketch of what the original cover was supposed to become — if it were not for lack of funds — that led to an original release with plain white covers — half of them carrying crash coffin’s signature.
the third of the gps debut 45s this week. leeds based three piece crayon offer up what some longterm gps devotees may see as a departure to it’s usual output. sombre synth tones and military like drum rolls give way to an infectious, startling pop rush of a chorus. perfect pop in a nutshell. ‘b’ side ‘milk’ is a slow building, initially, glitchy electronic piece again with a cool pop sensibility as it’s underbelly that soon explodes… a fabulous record and a band to keep yr eye out for. ace 2 piece sleeves with inserts galore- a hand numbered pressing of just 300 only.
brand new split cassette from portland, maine based cursillistas, who recently had superb lps on time-lag and digitalis, and love cult from petrozavodsk, russia. first up is cursillistas’ epic 23 minute ‘great salt desert’, a superb weirded out blues drenched, desert dried, psychedelic mirage. a real fine side summing up how awesome cursillistas are, if you haven’t checked them yet, don’t miss this side! the b side opens with love cult’s ‘breadcrumb pony tail’, a swirling blissful distortion dripping psyche dream, a really beautiful 11 minute wonder. this is followed by ’somn’ a more crushing electrifying piece with tinkering and rattling from unrecognizable objects, distorted feedback blurts and what sounds like then objects trying to communicate. limited to 100 copies with parchment paper (either gold or ivory) cover with black and white print.
murky beauty channeling its way from underneath layers of 4-track tape hiss. acoustic guitars, percussion, voice and undefined analogue ambience. homegrown is the way it should be. edition of 70… sweet!
cursillistas has been a longtime digitalis favorite so we’re very, very excited to be offering up their newest creation as a vinyl-only release. “joint chiefs” sees originator matt lajoie joining spirit and forces with dawn russell and burning new ground along the way. this is a new path entirely. where past cursillistas efforts have been drenched in sunkissed tones and melodic stirrings, “joint chiefs” dredges up muddy waters and dark emanations like a blast from the deep. this is barn owl meets the dust bowl meets peyote music. loose strings ring out on acoustic guitars while rattling percussion marches toward the river. lajoie and russell send their voices out on top as a guide, looking for any light that is seeping through the thick, duststorm clouds. just when it looks like it’s going to clear up a bassed-out blanket of fuzz and synth tones come along to ruin all the progress you’ve made. “joint chiefs” feels like an epic journey, sordid and sweet. if you find yourself lost in these dark woods, all you can do is adapt, suck in the smoke-filled air and toast the charred heavens. cursillistas reinvented. lp comes in fold-out silkscreened poster-style sleeve and is strictly limited to 200 copies… all copies here include the super limited “headband tapes” pre-order only bonus cassette. sweet one!
cursillistas contributes two exclusive tracks to the series in this 45 rpm 7″. “taste teeth” crackles along with a melodic mini-choir of vocals and plucked strings, building to the outro with electric guitar noise, multiplying vocal loops, whistles, and toy xylophone. the b-side builds from a monastic chant, while percussion and whisps of guitar scatter form around. sparse and haunting. hand-stamped black 7″ vinyl record held in a heavy cotton art paper sleeve, with offset-printed cover art and titles hand-written with india ink and stylus. hand-numbered to 300, embossed for authenticity…loose 7inch from the tryst haunt subscription series.
“wasp stings the last bitter flavor” marks the first widely available release from this portland, maine troubadour. the brains behind the project is matt lajoie and he is perhaps best known for his enchanted album on time-lag records. his folk-inspired psychedelia reaches new heights on “wasp stings” as he puts together an album of lost songs, found hiding in a dank and dusty cellar. lajoie’s approach here is different. it’s as if he’s taken the negative space of his previous works and hashed them out and spruced them up until they’ve become epic, flowing songs whitewashed with a basketfull of analog hiss. the whole thing flows together like magic poured straight from the sky. it’s haunting, beautiful music. cursillistas’ music is often densely populated with a variety of instrumentation and textures. lajoie is a master at molding sounds from a variety of sources into a cohesive, organic whole. this music, as with past efforts, sounds like an intimate secret whispered in the listener’s ear. you feel as though you’re being led into a world where very few lucky souls find their way. lajoie’s distinctive voice is the true weapon here, weaving hypnotic melodies over rivers of delicately strummed acoustic guitars. “wasp stings the last bitter flavor” is his message in a bottle. it’s a love letter to everyone and no one, and there’s a lot to love here, that is for damn sure. lajoie is joined by the inimitable nemo bidstrup (time-lag records figurehead and the brains behind drona parva) and sometime-mv & ee collaborator, sparrow wildchild. housed in sturdy, white-on-black gatefold jackets.
looks like doggerella finally wandered into an alpine grove without a compass or even water to drink or a hat and gloves or anything like that, with maybe no hope to see the light of day again, except as maybe a ten year retroactive compilation box set called ‘to summerize.’ this present cassette however was crafted in belfast, maine, entirely by an artist who has been accused of being the offspring of alien life forms somewhere down the line. while supplies last. featuring andy neubauer of impractical cockpit, flak mask etc.
well the title gotta be a contender for the journal of neurosurgery’s first record review if they don’t have that it’s about time. czarny is the name of sara’s solo outlet outside the family underground realm. not the first track out by her own hands she had one on the chocolate monk comp broken brain as helix. this one sees her expanding on even more rough rhytms and vocals. artwork by sara. 50 copies.
first memoirs vinyl lp release! the essence of outsider psychedelic electronics composed and performed by phil todd (ashtray navigations, inca eyeball, hitler airbag etc). influences include cccc, jean-claude eloy, master wilburn burchette, metal machine music, incapacitants, old fairground rides, the sound of low flying planes over ls6 especially the latter etc. punk’s not dead, it just stinks of silver spraypaint – crazy silver spray painted recycled covers with paste-on art. numbered/limited edition of only 200 copies, so act fast!
totally great psychedelic hazy, supernatural tape junk by clay kolbinger (of maths balance volumes etc.)
d & n 2 is the full length debut from the collaboration between nevada hill and david lee price of north texas improv/drone collective zanzibar snails that continues to define and redefine the concept of home. the follow-up to the well-received (9/10 from foxy digitalis) d & n 3-inch from 2007 on mayyrh that was recorded (natch) at each members’ home. as for the d & n 2cdr, the process of recording an album outside in the middle of nowhere, texas is described by the screen-printed text on the vellum sleeve. keywords for d & n 2 include “pitter-patter”, “somber cricket-infested paens,” “juvenile racketeering,” “tin roof rustic,” and “beh!” as for the presence of the mysterious sebaceous animal fleece surrounding the disc, price says only the following: “it was so dark that i could only see the small area illuminated by my flashlight. through the darkness i could feel the presence of the sheep, and the anger with him.” ltd. ed. 100, screen printed by nevada hill.
the much-anticipated blast-off release for speer and his band. recently rewarded 5 stars in time out mag by the music editor, this album is a landmark in laid-back blues and country songwriting, feat. members of nnck and sunburned. -s@1. the inimitable mr. speer coined the term himself upon titling his pre-helix full length releases… forgotten country. not so much a forgotten people of a state or a rural area. not so either some south’s gonna rise again moonshine. more so a return to a way of presenting a music in the context of a tradition (something those boys in the band are pretty high on.) but this isn’t your grandfather’s bakersfield we’re dealing with. tho’ the tongue of the balladeer may spin tales ripe with a cast of characters including “the pastor” randolph healey, cheese frog, the man from hhs, uncle ernie, that guy with the black mustache and red caddy who stole your girl, and the true born sons of levi, he sings them not only with the twang of the roadhouse, but tainted with the grit of the streets of the big city. as one casual listener once noted to the band after a performance, “you guys play both types… country and psych.” and it’s true that the sounds contained on after hours do act on the mind as much as they tug at the heartstrings. replete with tales of mental instability, infidelity, drunken advice, wartime hucksters, heartbreak, and redemption, the first album by d charles with his backing band will surely immediately stand out amongst the shards of gothic americana that litter our fair sonic landscape… beautifully done release on this great new label! 180gm vinyl, heavy screen printed flipback covers, heavy insert. recommended.
it is a tremendous understatement to say that it is with grand excitement that three lobed recordings is proud to announce the release of distillation by d. charles speer & the helix. for the last couple of years we have been continually excited by each of the fruits that have resulted from speer/helix collaboration. for our money, last year’s after hours album was one of the best released by anyone. distillation only ups the ante from that prior full length by elaborating upon some of the musical themes from the late 2008 “in madagascar” 7”. the resulting album presents a tightly focused modern honky tonk quintet more than happy to blur the lines between country, psychedelia and the overall american musical tradition. consisting on this album of d. charles speer (aka dave shuford from the no neck blues band and enos slaughter), hans chew (last seen providing some ripping piano accompaniment on “fishtown flower” from jack rose’s the black dirt sessions), marc orleans (enos slaughter, sunburned hand of the man), jason meagher (no neck blues band, coachfingers) and rob gregory (the suntanama), the helix are a seriously experienced and talented crew. distillation was recorded over time between the winter and summer of 2008 at the band’s home away from home, meagher’s black dirt studios in westtown, new york. margot bianca guests on backing vocals on a few of the album’s tracks. the album starts off in monstrously infectious form with the leadoff track, “mason dixon crime”. the track’s propulsive, rolling rhythm, dueling guitars and soaring chorus offer the perfect foil to speer’s ever-present baritone vocals. to those new to the band, “mason dixon crime” provides the perfect introduction to speer’s captivating narrative gift. he is a singer who is capable of simultaneously spinning a masterful tale using a delivery that leaves the listener feeling like there is something hidden and secret being held just out of sight. other prime examples of this gift are evident throughout “open season” and its soaring climax, the plaintive “time changes things” and the swaggering album-closing “shorty (a bastard cat).” while speer’s vocal range is one of the band’s calling cards, the helix also features the unique voice of hans chew’s blazing piano. while chew aims for the fences throughout the rollicking “hardwood floors”, he really gets cut loose (and to spend some time on lead vocal duty) on the seriously jamming “life insurance.” one would be remiss to think that the helix is a one (or two) voice affair though – it is a totally solid full ensemble presentation as is evidenced by the jaunty full band workouts presented within both the instrumental “helical” and the rockin’, rollin’ and beer swillin’ “gravedigger.” distillation is pressed on 180g rti vinyl and housed within an old-style stoughton gatefold sleeve bearing new artwork from both turner williams and the band. as a bit of a first for three lobed, the album will be accompanied by a download coupon for drm-free mp3s of the album. distillation is from a one-time pressing of 891 copies.
yo peoples – like the vibes, then get yrself a fine artifact for the years to come. single cover is hand screened and stamped with esoterica on the interior – nice druggy country psych from no neck blues band members. limited to only 500.
a true solo endeavor, this lp is the debut of d. charles speer on long player. recordings over a span of 4 years have been assembled here into a rumination on loss in its many forms – loss of direction, loved ones, home, mental acuity, money, and emotional stability. pressed on 180 gram virgin vinyl and limited to 500 copies.
debut album by sci-fi oriented vintage synth duo who recently relocated to los angeles from texas. very outsider in that they were completely unaware of the current synth revival going on in the american underground (emeralds, opn, caboladies, et al). d.a. began recording after being commissioned to make soundtracks for floatation tanks at a new age center in texas. a chance meeting at a cafe led to the duo handing dozens of hours of these sessions to oesb. this album features some standouts from those early recordings. their time in los angeles has been highlighted by a series of private rooftop concerts that overlook training grounds for the l.a.p.d. riot squads – the scrambling helicopters and practice gun battles below adding to the sinister dystopian vibe of their compositions. limited numbered run of 400 copies, silkscreened by monoroid on heavy duty chipboard jackets.
one of the rarest u.s. psych albums, previously issued on cd by subliminal sounds, now in a beautiful and legit 180 gram vinyl lp reissue. the truth, recorded in connecticut in 1972, might very well be the ultimate north american acid rock album, ever. no hype here — just incredible music. tempting as it is to exaggerate the worth of such obscurities, the truth deserves every plaudit that comes its way, making it astonishing that there was no real band to speak of. instead, ten musicians are credited alongside the mysterious donald hooker, who wrote, sang and played lead on the album. culled from the local music scene, they rehearsed only briefly before entering the studio. tom kobela, who played dobro on this record, remembers that hooker “was a very likable, long-haired fellow” who “wore robes, which was pushing the dress code conventions even then.” despite his wasted appearance, though, he knew exactly what he wanted in the studio. heralded by an eerie hoosh, the first track exemplifies the album’s sound: a strong melody, funky drumming and percussion and piercing guitar, underpinning oddly philosophical, quasi-christian lyrics. some songs are mellow, while others rock hard. other highlights include the irresistibly funky “a stranger’s smile” and the beautifully structured “this thing.” but the album’s masterpiece is the unforgettable “forge your own chains,” whose smoldering groove, enlivened by delicate synth and atmospheric brass, provides the backing for hooker’s admonitory lyrics about the iniquities of substance abuse. this is one of those albums that keeps revealing new depths even when you’ve played it a hundred times. connecticut hippie-philosopher concocts homemade lounge-psych masterpiece. true psychedelia! includes a poster in a limited edition of 500 copies 180gm vinyl… recommended!
dag are haugan is certainly for most people not the most common name. being half of the legendary norvegian outfit alog made him one of the most original musicians of the last decade. at the start of our label we did carry his debut 7 on myke droner stating it as classic a couple of years further we received this wonderfull demo. you can call it guitar-glitch if you want – the result comes close to a beatless gas, a more guitar-driven novisad, etc – pressed on vinyl-only, with artwork from rune grammofone s kim hiorthoy, this album will make you reconsider electronica (aka the glitch/microsound-movement), while the guitar world will be surprised to see how both, old and new traditions can be melted into one brilliant artwork. the music is very introspective creating different state of minds. sometimes you discover yourself headbanging to what is generally called ambient, while some other tracks put you in a kind of warm blackout. those fans who were waiting for the ideal mix between rocket girl and mego might have found what they been looking for. ltd to 500 copies worldwide.
after re-releasing vaunted folk-singer karen dalton’s sophomore lp in my own time in 2006, light in the attic records are proud to announce a much needed official vinyl reissue of her 1969 capitol debut. it’s so hard to tell who’s going to love you the best is a heart wrenching and bluesy introduction to the intoxicating world of dalton and her deep well of musical secrets. it’s so hard to tell… spans generations of classic american songwriting (ledbelly, jelly roll morton, and tim hardin) and with dalton’s unsurpassed interpretive depth and emotional range, it’s no surprise that artists from fred neil to nick cave have sung dalton’s praises over the years. even the likes of bob dylan have fallen under her spell, recalling the singer’s illuminating presence on the new york music scene during the pair’s formative greenwich village days: ‘my favorite singer in the place was karen dalton. she had a voice like billie holiday’s and played the guitar like jimmy reed.’ but championing endorsements aside, all you have to do is drop the needle on the grooves to understand. world weary and filled with the blues, dalton’s tragic life story was a rocky road. while no longer with us in the physical, her growing musical presence is stronger than ever and worthy of re-examination by the converted and uninitiated alike. selling poorly at the time of release, original vinyl copies of it’s so hard to tell who’s going to love you the best have all but vanished while bootleg internet rips take away all the soul. with period artwork, tip-on jacket, extensive liner notes, photos, and clear audio re-mastered from the original capitol masters, this light in the attic reissue is set to become the definitive analogue version of dalton’s stunning debut. dim the lights and turn that stereo up, karen dalton will turn your living room into private concert, an intimate performance you will never forget. 180 gram lp, gloriously re-mastered from the original tapes. beautiful ‘old school’ tip-on jacket with original artwork plus rare photos and new liner notes by brian barr (oxford american) interviewing key session players from the album including harvey brooks and dan hankin. includes 18″x24″ full-color poster.” also includes 56-page light in the attic records zine… great to have this one finally reissued on wax!
mega-rarity from the ’70s folk-psych french underground scene, featured on hans pokora’s book with a four stars rating and reissued for the first time. dandelion’s first album was first released in 1979 as a tiny private pressing of only 300 copies. it has a charming, amateurish homemade vibe with some outstanding tracks like ‘winter tale’ (featuring sound effects, reverberating guitars and lost vocals which bring to mind other lost bands like tony, caro & john or agincourt), the acoustic ‘la farfalla’ with nice femme vocals and the atmospheric, organ-dominated ’sometimes,’ which opens the album in an impressive way. this reissue is done with help from guitarist/composer jean christophe graf and vinyl has insert with liner notes and rare pictures, remastered sound and original picture sleeve design.
cool new self released local ep from adam bosse. layered trance drift tones with guitar & distant piano. pretty amazing totally hand made, hand painted, hand cut ’squid’ packaging. surely quite limited.
new split lp from these two related groups. daughters of the sun serve up a side-long epic. limited to 500 copies with free download.
daughters of the sun formed and started playing shows in the fall of 2005 with an original lineup that included chris rose of vampire hands on guitar. the band has played the twin cities and midwest since their formation and have recorded a number of albums. the band honed their recordings in their twin cites practice space, but thier eastern psychadelic/shoegazer sound can be attributed to members time spent living in india. this is documented in live field recording on their rings lp. the band summons the mystique and instrumentation of the world’s oldest music balanced against the spiritual limits and possibilities of technological sound. artwork designed and printed by josh of knife world… real cool soundsfrom this newish group, in an awesome multi-color art paper screen printed cover with insert. limited to only 300 copies. fans of the more zoned early raccoo-oo-oon recordings would be well advised to grab a copy. recommended.
one sided 35 minutes long jam. their very last jam with the mask of the davenport clan on their faces, free-form improvisational folk performed on walpurgis, clay ruby’s brithday by clay ruby, t endless, woodman, johnny d, billy lee, nico kain, aaron laurant, tyler olson. limited to 230 copies.
the davenport family jams in the woods, in the barn, on the trail, in the pasture, around the campfire, and before the altar. this two cdr set also features several excerpts from their three hour ritual held in central park this past fall. featuring a few special guest stars and the usual fire that is always smoldering, this collection of moving snap shots is by far the most eclectic offering of davenport’s live improvisations to date. limited to 123.
reissue of sold out cassette on temple of be saint 777. wulfcult rising is an empowerment ritual of caveman electronics, heavy astral drone and rain fall.
the extended davenport family has been producing their unique flavor of free-form and exultant improvisational folk since 2001. operating out of madison, wisconsin, their music has taken on an open joviality that reflects the spirit of their hometown and the natural world that resides just outside its borders. respectful and observant of all things natural, davenport has focused on their organic sound over a long string of cdr and cassette releases for a number of different labels. rabbit’s foot propeller is simultaneously a natural extension of their prior work and a confident step into a new and different direction. taken as a whole or as its component tracks, the album is a solid continuation of the davenport aim to bring light into all dark corners. rabbit’s foot propeller is all about the juxtaposition of varying sounds and musical textures against one another. over the course of the album’s thirteen tracks the listener is presented with numerous playful improvisations, tones generated from various instruments and lilting melodies (both guitar and vocal).
clarinettist gareth davis and guitarist steven r smith (hala strana, mirza, thuja) have already collaborated to stunning effect back on 2009’s “westering” released on the important label. this alt.vinyl release sees them gain another notch in history’s belt. the at-first-glance bizarre pairing of these two instruments might conjure up images of anchorless skronk and scratch, however “the line across” is anything but. with each side of the vinyl containing just the one ambitious piece, this duo creates seas of organic drone that live and breathe. unspooling like wisps of smoke, the tones of “other forms of consecrated life” simultaneously conjure exotica and melancholy. what davis and smith manage to pull off here is the sound of flickering reflections in canal tunnels, something beyond drone and soundscaping; 3/4 cloud cover sporadically parting to reveal abyssic drops within it. it is not all intangible drift though; raw guitar sequences (even rhythm parts) appear in the sound as clarinet echoes and violin/fiddle tensions make textures from foreboding trails of drones. if a piece of shorthand could be applied to steven r smith’s playing here, then picture a colour haze or earth trading instrumental punches with derek bailey through a styrofoam cup phone. on the flipside is “the natural history of devastation”, a piece that falls somewhere on the fields far beyond descriptions and sounds of grace and mourning. there are unconscious nods to a gybe! sound here, layered stately string sounds and the chiaroscuro of feedback and waves of black moving across the vinyl. this track is a slow lull of strangled clarion call, orbison’s cold fingers on the guitar and banks of fog leaving only loss in the sound’s wake. things might not at first listen appear like they’re going to be ok in the morning, but familiarity with “the line across” shows that they might just end up close to perfect after all… deluxe edition in super thick textured covers & pressed on 180gm vinyl. limited to 500.
these pieces grew out of my research and interest in just intonation and prime numbers. during my explorations, i came across some interesting prime number sets and wondered what they would sound like. i constructed these pieces using sine wave generators in max/msp. i chose a base frequency (fundamental) for each piece and multiplied that number by each of the prime numbers in a given set to determine the harmonics / partials / overtones. most of the overtones were transposed down several octaves to fit within a comfortable 2-3 octave range. this became my “scale” or harmonic zone for each piece. i related the panning and metronome speed of each overtone to its frequency. rhythmically, each sine tone / frequency followed its own 3 beat cycle which created overlapping prime number rhythmic patterns. beat 1 = base frequency for that given overtone. beat 2 = an octave higher. beat 3 = silence (rest). the lower overtones had faster rhythmic cycles and the higher overtones had slower rhythmic cycles. this was a way for me to relate the rhythm to the prime number sets and integrate it with the harmony while still retaining a musical texture that was interesting to me. i used a simple stereo delay to blur the rhythmic texture to create more of a slowly shifting, patterned harmonic cloud. these pieces are dedicated to james tenney (1934-2006). they are an acknowledgment of his extraordinary work with alternate tuning systems and just intonation. his musical life should be an inspiration to us all… 300 copies in screen printed chipboard covers.
from denmark 1970; lp in edition of 450 numbered copies, glossy heavy sleeve, 180 gram pressing, insert. the danish group days was formed in copenhagen in the winter 1967/1968 by peter lindhe (drums), john kjaergaard (vocals/rhythm guitar), ole fester (vocals/bass) and lars reinau (vocals/lead guitar). the band’s repertoire was mainly rock and blues oriented with cover versions of songs from john mayall’s bluesbreakers, cream, jimi hendrix and the rolling stones. during 1968/1969, peter lindhe and lars reinau started writing original material to the band and the repertoire started changing from rock/blues cover versions to self-composed, more lyrical songs with elements of the beatles, procol harum and (early) deep purple. in 1969, jørn anker (hammond organ) joined the band and he, too started contributing new original songs to the band. the days lp was recorded in the early summer of 1970 and in 1971 the band split up. days is one the the rarest albums from denmark which also came out on spectator (blues addicts, terje jesper & joachim, moses). it is full of amazing prog tunes with great organ elements and strong fuzz guitar. a killer album from beginning to end.
de kift emerged from a dutch squatters’ movement and the punk waves of the late ’70s and early ’80s. their debut vinyl lp yverzucht was released in 1989. ferry: guitar & brass (svatsox); wim: drums (rondos, the ex); jacco (grrr): bass; maarten: vocals (pistache b.v.). de kift were a tremendous and original force at the time. sparse, rhythmic, angular, yet energetic music. staccato punk with fanfare elements. maarten’s lyrics were recited, spat out and crooned, bleak reflective explorations of the dutch mental state of the times. maarten (as well as jacco) departed the band after debuting yverzucht. out of the ashes, emerged a new conceptual, literary de kift that would play on for 20 years. de kift were part of the squatter movement. playing benefits, raising funds, eyebrows and soundtracking a lifestyle on its last legs.
the first in a series of dead c reissue collaborations between jagjaguwar and ba da bing, dr503 has been pressed on vinyl for the first time in years, along with the sun stabbed ep as a bonus record. originally released in 1987 (and not to be confused with the releases dr503b or dr503c, which are completely different recordings), dr503 sounded like nothing that came before–a furious pastiche of unrelenting drones, noise and menace. it didn’t fit in with the other bands new zealand’s venerable flying nun was releasing, and it immediately staked a fork in the road, dividing the “new zealand pop sound” from its black sheep brother, “new zealand noise.” today, the record still sounds as vicious and vital as when it first went to vinyl, except now perhaps there will be more people ready to appreciate the innovative approach the band took some 21 years ago. this reissue also contains a bonus record of the rare sun stabbed ep from the same recording period. with bonus tracks not on the original 7-inch, the recordings from the sun stabbed sessions are being released for the first time in their entirety.
the second in a series of dead c reissue collaborations between jagjaguwar and ba da bing, eusa kills has been pressed on vinyl for the first time in years, along with the helen said this 12-inch as a bonus record. eusa kills is the dead c’s second album from 1989, released by flying nun, the arbiter of the time for all that mattered in new zealand rock. considered by many to be their “songs” record, eusa kills adds ominous aggression to the abstract sounds of their time– those being created by such luminaries as dustdevils, this kind of punishment, and dadamah. sneering vocals drift over improvised melodies and unstructured rock songs. one can hear the direct influence the dead c had on sonic youth at the time– mining deep into the underbelly of music to yield a truly intense and unparalleled sound. this reissue also contains as a bonus record the rare helen said this 12-inch from the same recording period. originally released by siltbreeze at 33 rpm, this is the first vinyl reprint, and will display improved sound quality at 45 rpm.
in their first new album since 2003’s the damned and last year’s two-cd greatest hits behemoth, vain, erudite & stupid, new zealand’s the dead c return with anothe uncompromising realization of the finest rock improvisation you’ll ever hear. future artists contains five tracks of genius drone and barbarous clashing sounds. from the first track, “the amm of punk rock” through to the last, “garage,” their intensity is unyielding, their inventiveness jaw-dropping. it’s been twenty years, and the dead c show no sign of losing their ability to express the surreal and undefined. long may they prosper. features a bonus track-12:30 song called “the prisoners” not on the cd version… deluxe heavy old style gatefold covers. nice!
the elegance of howling guitar noise was fully realized when the dead c appeared. for over twenty years now, the trio has continually redefined what rock music is and can sound like, and have inspired sonic youth, yo la tengo, wolf eyes, and comets on fire, not to mention the current fertile underground noise scene. the dead c is the ultimate blues band. but rather than departing from the heartfelt singing of the african-american south, they express the tenants of alienation in society with unrelenting force-a focused soundtrack to accompany knut hamsun novels, samuel beckett plays, and ingmar bergman films. michael morley’s monotonic vocal moan anchors the inherent isolation of our modern world–nothing is more earnest, nothing sounds so lost. along the axis of the dead c’s recordings, secret earth sounds like it was created between eusa kills and harsh ’70s reality. it contains a straightforward (for them) expression of sound, while continually pushing their vast improvisational techniques into a realm of subconscious genius… limited vinyl version in a beautiful heavy 60s style full color cover.
as dead letters spell out dead words, gothenburg based composer and sound artist thomas ekelund has delved into a time-consuming investigation of the complex, multi-faceted world of solitude and introspective darkness. his pallet is strictly greyscale, but the tones he uses are deeper, more honest and more heartfelt than anything else out there. ‘lost in reflections’ is dead letters spell out dead words’ fourth main album and his definite masterpiece so far. here, hurt is transformed into absolute beauty. and here, dampened drones make pop art. split release with ideal, when skies are grey and fang bomb. 500 made. pro-printed sleeves with 5mm spine, printed insides and black innersleeves. heavy weight vinyl.
one copy only. out of print. numbered edition of 500.
one copy only. out of print.
the a side was recorded at the first no fun festival in march 2004 (brooklyn) and features a little comedy to start with and then things get heavy – and the second side is the very first vg kids/wolf den ypsi street level throwdown – our set was live on a 6 color shirt screen press and nate brought a fog machine that blasted out the room and into the parking lot night of the vg complex – near the end you can hear people chucklin cause its absurd – that night was also the first”offical” sick llama, and mi debut of failing lights – great night – dm had a weird 7 small speaker set up on the heads of the press and spun it slighty for that dead-universe dying electronic creeping blast sound – sweet cover art. limited to 500.
what can be said about the amazing dead raven choir that hasn’t been said already? this release marks the return of d.r.c. after a slew of releases on some very respectable cd-r labels, not to mention 2003’s “wine, women and wolves” cd (last visible dog) as well as last years “cask strength black metal” 3 lp box set (weird forest) which was a re-issue of all of the “choir’s” ugly, noisy, totally fuzzed out black metal on vinyl format. smolken returns to the dark, avante-garde neo-folk side of dead raven choir that has made this such a unique and awe inspiring musical journey. selenoclast wolves is an album that runs the gammet of emotions; whether it be the creepy lurch and sway of the track “the silence”, the brooding melancholy of “when men die”, or the sheer manic violence of “i am not a recluse” the common feeling throughout is one of complete isolation. as a bonus this cd will contain the complete re-issue of the “lesbian corpse wolves” album which was limited to only 30 copies. all completely re-mastered by frédéric arbour (cyclic law, visions, longing for dawn). on “lesbian corpse wolves” most of the vocals were handled by the beautiful voice of emily salvatierra. aversion online once said of this release that these ” – dark, folk-ish compositions rely heavily on picking accents and clashing notes that are both melodic and completely discordant all at once – ” and we could not agree more. now lets all raise a glass (or goblet perhaps?) and thank mr. smolken for resurrecting his fascinating project once again!!!
dead western plays the type of music that makes genres obsolete. it is not that dw does the cross genre pollination clusterbarf, but that troy mighty’s sounds exist outside of any one (or two or five) genres. perhaps, just perhaps the music recalls the mellow, introspective side of current 93 or the druggy downer folkishness of legendary pink dots, but that is stretching things as much as claiming that troy’s voice is a melted version of bing crosby. yes, there are elements of downerism and croonerdom in dead western, but dw goes deeper than weird and depressing. there is something beautiful in this bizarre world. definitely not for the orthodox, but also far from being so out there that the music is incomprehensible. i am very much taken with this record. –scott soriano, z-gun. limited to 500 hand-crafted copies on clear vinyl with die-cut, full color sleeves.
when dead western’s soften your screams into sings lp (put out by kdvs) hit the mailbox my first thought was how lovely the sleeve looked, then turning over to see a photo of actual naked modern hippies in a forest (one of which was climbing a tree) i immediately thought i had this whole deal figured out. west coast, future arthurfest participants, etc.; i know pretty much what to expect here. well, it took me a good couple minutes to figure out what speed this thing played at, and when i did discovered this thing to be a real treasure outta left field. fragile instrumentation, heartfelt songs, but a truly alien voice delivering what i can only describe to be what you’d expect peter jefferies in the persona of the pink panther to be, or something similar. woozy, deep, resonant bass vox wobbling around the grooves here which i now know belong to sacramento musican/artist fixture troy mighty who i remember from the free jazz-leaning noiseniks antennas erupt. the variety of instrumentation, while being minimal, is also pretty rich in emotion. – brian turner, wfmu… really stunning album which is visually as beautiful as beautiful as the music. multi-fold, layered screen print & photo art. recommended.
when dead western’s soften your screams into sings lp (put out by kdvs) hit the mailbox my first thought was how lovely the sleeve looked, then turning over to see a photo of actual naked modern hippies in a forest (one of which was climbing a tree) i immediately thought i had this whole deal figured out. west coast, future arthurfest participants, etc.; i know pretty much what to expect here. well, it took me a good couple minutes to figure out what speed this thing played at, and when i did discovered this thing to be a real treasure outta left field. fragile instrumentation, heartfelt songs, but a truly alien voice delivering what i can only describe to be what you’d expect peter jefferies in the persona of the pink panther to be, or something similar. woozy, deep, resonant bass vox wobbling around the grooves here which i now know belong to sacramento musican/artist fixture troy mighty who i remember from the free jazz-leaning noiseniks antennas erupt. the variety of instrumentation, while being minimal, is also pretty rich in emotion. – brian turner, wfmu… really stunning album which is visually as beautiful as beautiful as the music. multi-fold, layered screen print & photo art. recommended.
the deadnotes are eugene carchesio, stuart busby and leighton craig, from brisbane in queensland, australia. armed with an arsenal of trumpet, guitar, drums and casio, the trio make a glorious, semi-spontaneous sort of eccentric pop music that’s drawn comparisons (rightly or wrongly) to the likes of ennio morricone, maher shalal hash baz, the magic band, moondog and even the minutemen. since their formation in 2005, the band has written and recorded hundreds of miniature odes to this & that, some of which have seen release in limited cdr editions on craig’s kindling imprint. the 30 tracks that comprise orange trumpet, the trio’s defining statement, are amongst their earliest creations.trained in the ’school of error,’ the deadnotes’ fractured take on pop form touches upon the sounds of their brethren in brisbane, from the experimental (the lost domain, et al.), to skewed pop (small world experience, et al.), to the city’s moody punk past (the five minutes, et al.). more accurately, orange trumpet plays like a minimalist, mariachi-informed version of grow-up’s the best thing; it’s brimming with ideas & presented with loose abandon. a jaunty melancholy that echoes tori kudo and tenniscoats, is present throughout, regardless if the boys are shuffling thru haunted dirges, garage-y workouts, or other points in between. carshesio’s classic recordings as dne are undeniably a touchtone here as well… orange trumpet is released in an edition of 400 numbered lp copies with full color jackets.
limited edition tour lp for their upcoming joint tour across europe. one side for each of these amazing uk guitarists. cam has two tracks, one beautiful long guitar piece followed by an insane electronics track, that sounds almost like autechre’s more weird static work. spoono is jack allett who is also half of towering breaker. his side consists of three incredible tracks that will no doubt prick up the ears of fans of jack rose. limited to 350… paste-on found photo cover art. great album.
i am very pleased to be releasing the debut lp from sheffield-london-brighton guitar master, cam deas. this follows his two long sold out cdrs on blackest rainbow, and proves once again that he is off the chain! ok, so there’s always gonna be the immediate comparison to james blackshaw, but the sound is different, more aggressive almost and raw… this guitar playing has an edge, its deep and its powerful. the lp consists of three tracks, the a side is an epic almost 20 minute piece entitled ‘the waters of kvaloya’ recorded by ben nash. the b sides and albums title track begins with almost a minute of near silence distant drone, that develops with stomach wrenching string twangs. the closing piece is ‘as spring fell from the leaves’, which was originally issued on ‘for the silver waters, sing!’ cdr last year on br, but has been considered by people who’ve bought his releases and seen cam live as possibly one of the best things he has composed, total genius, with a real blissful, but eventually dark, vibe. this track definitely deserved to be put on wax. mastered by ben nash. limited to 300 copies… really great stuff. fans of jack rose, james blackshaw, etc. will need this one.
stunning 45 from sheffield based cam deas — a debut 45 on wax. 2 heavy strummed blues across 2 sides of vinyl — best approached as 1 long piece. sure, the names of fahey, basho, blackshaw, rose, etc. spring to mind, but this has a raw, slow building presence and an expressive approach all of it’s own. a potent brew — perhaps a departure from recent work on labels like blackest rainbow and dead pilot, released as a pressing of 300 numbered, date stamped copies in linen card, fine art sleeves with sticker… real nice one.
sweet vinyl debut from the mighty fine death chants, released on the band’s own label. if you tuned into any of their great self released cassettes, or either of the time-lag cdrs, you pretty much know the deal. in a pretty mellow smoked-out drift mode here, the a side is sunny strummed acoustic guitar mantra with bubbling modular synth bleeps, distant buzzes & drones, occasional noisy bursts and half slurred wordless vocal. the b side is less songy with sweet drifting keys, thick viola drones, ebow guitar hum and an ultra peaceful ambiance. very sweet stuff. perfect baked summer evening porch music. heavy moss colored art board covers, with black offset printed art by nemo. limited / numbered edition of only 320 copies.
cassette reissue of self released cdr. comes with an extra jam recorded live at la sala rossa in 2006 by nks. ultra crude hypno-style drums and groove box electronics. a constant flow of muddy water. don’t bother trying to reach in though. only bad shit will happen. if you’re lucky and you’re down with astral projections, you might meet these ladies in the other dimension they normally hang out in, sipping tea n’ sake and talking about their favourite dance records. photocopied artwork, insert, and labels. hand stamped. numbered edition of 100.
death vessel is joel thibodeau’s work as both a solo artist and band leader. his music, captured on the resplendent record stay close, is an eloquent distillation of a life’s tales. born in berlin, germany before the wall fell… raised in kennebunkport, maine before senior bush’s presidency… this musician lived a childhood where the ghosts of cold war casualties and seaport tragedies haunted the alleyways and beaches. leaving maine as a teenager, thibodeau moved to boston, providence and new york. in providence he was a founding member, songwriter and performer of the group string builder. now as then, thibodeau captures the surreal and the sublime in wondrous song. thibodeau’s vocal delivery is astonishing. perhaps his singing is best-described as descendent from ‘the high lonesome sound’ — unleashed upon the world by roscoe holcomb in the early 1960s. with this voice, death vessel delivers stunning lyrical poetry that transcends the ‘whisky ‘n’ haystack’ imagery of its neo-folk contemporaries. thibodeau brings this same unusual experimentation to the acoustic guitar (his primary instrument). the daringly melodic plucking of strings and the odd tempo changes provide expertly unexpected accompaniment. stay close was originally released on cd in 2005 by north east indie. new chicago imprint immune is proud to present the album on the lp format for the first time. this version of the album contains a bonus track exclusive to this release — a live/acoustic version of ‘deep in the horchata,’ recorded in 2005 with micah blue smaldone playing accompaniment.
their time in the studio was overseen by engineer jim vitti, whose work with parliament/ funkadelic seems to have informed his decision to record death in raw fashion with little polish, showcasing the organic power relationships within the trio. the songs recorded there make up ?for the whole world to see, which today blasts from the speakers as a fresh and inspired early entry in the category of punk rock. death had a single pressed, politicians in my eyes b/w keep on knocking, selling them at their shows and on the street. things weren’t really going anywhere when they heard from columbia records’ president clive davis. he was interested, but he had one demand — they’d have to change their name. david, acting as the band’s leader, would have no part of it, a decision that ultimately brought an end to death. moving to new england, david, bobby and dannis reconnected with their faith, forming the christian rock-n-roll band the 4th movement, whose self-released early-80s album joined death’s 45 as a sought-after obscurity for the next generation. 2009 is the time that death is finally here …for the whole world to see. …for the whole world to see is the first full-length release ever for the band called death — with only one 7″ single to their name, and that usually goes for about a grand per. that’s $1000! for those who do have the single, the remastered sound here will break you up… great album!
their time in the studio was overseen by engineer jim vitti, whose work with parliament/ funkadelic seems to have informed his decision to record death in raw fashion with little polish, showcasing the organic power relationships within the trio. the songs recorded there make up? for the whole world to see, which today blasts from the speakers as a fresh and inspired early entry in the category of punk rock. death had a single pressed, politicians in my eyes b/w keep on knocking, selling them at their shows and on the street. things weren’t really going anywhere when they heard from columbia records’ president clive davis. he was interested, but he had one demand — they’d have to change their name. david, acting as the band’s leader, would have no part of it, a decision that ultimately brought an end to death. moving to new england, david, bobby and dannis reconnected with their faith, forming the christian rock-n-roll band the 4th movement, whose self-released early-80s album joined death’s 45 as a sought-after obscurity for the next generation. 2009 is the time that death is finally here … for the whole world to see…. for the whole world to see is the first full-length release ever for the band called death — with only one 7″ single to their name, and that usually goes for about a grand per. that’s $1000! for those who do have the single, the remastered sound here will break you up… great album!
anopheles records is proud to announce a high quality, deluxe, tip-on style heavy jacket sleeve edition of this 1976 acid-punk classic from oklahoma for 2008, with an additional two sided insert unique to this edition, pressed on black vinyl for the first time since the original pressing in 1976. lp reissue (the first non-clear vinyl pressing we’ve released since we started doing the anopheles label in 1991) of this december 1975 recorded, oklahoma outer limits psych-noise proto-punk extravaganza, which has gone on to inspire the likes of the screamers and nurse with wound. this edition features the complete april, 1976 self-released lp, taken from the original master tapes, with original artwork, and a previously unreleased (and amazing!) november, 1975 practice take of the stooges’ ‘real cool time’ (an earlier, radically different recording to the cd version, which is still available). the previous clear vinyl edition of debris’ on lp from 2002 sold out years ago, and is now selling for $50-$100 on ebay.
12 inches of spastic, throbbing teknoise and raunchy post-industrial funk generated by fried consumer electronics. harsh grooves for misanthropic ex-ravers… nice fragile screen printed covers.
alan r.t. – percussion, piano, horns, electronics & aaron rosenblum – percussion, piano, strings, electronics… aaron rosenblum and alan r.t. performed together for the first time as members of sapat in 2004, and both currently perform multi-instrumental roles in that band’s mashup of jazz, psychedelia and experimental music. in deep pockets, both improvise on a narrower range of instruments and concentrate on the intense musical conversation that is made possible by the duo format. alan is a member of sapat, kark, valley of ashes, and boogie brothers, and is featured on recordings by rachel’s and jackie-o-motherfucker. he records and performs solo under several pseudonyms, including arsenio, raw thug, and arthur kalow. aaron rosenblum performs in sapat, kark, son of earth, shackamaxon (with members of double leopards and magik markers), and pleasant colony, and has been a guest member of wooden wand and the vanishing voice, sunburned hand of the man, and the cherry blossoms. he also performs and records under his own name and runs the hank the herald angel recordings label (www.hankrecordings.com). their debut cdr features a slightly condensed record of a single day’s improvisations on electronics, percussion, trombone, and strings.
previously reissued on cd by fallout, now issued on deluxe lp format as well; 180 gram virgin vinyl. the deep were a philadelphia-based studio-only band whose one and only album, psychedelic moods was released to critical acclaim in 1966. recorded in a darkened philadelphia studio one night, this pioneering album was the first album ever to have the word “psychedelic” in its title and is well-established as an acid classic. invented and produced by mark barkan and rusty evans and the legendary david bromberg, whose playing credits include just about everybody from bob dylan to jerry jeff walker, psychedelic moods is hailed as the very first album with a consistent psychedelic theme running throughout. presented here in both its mono and stereo mixes (which have fascinating differences), it still sounds truly unique and is a must for all fans of true american psychedelia… great version of this early garage psych gem.
brooklyn-based 3-piece the depreciation guild have been making underground waves to match those created by their fuzzed-out, reverb-drenched melodies. artfully combining progressive and retro chic, the trio draws influence from shoegaze guitar walls, dreampop highs, and the rigidity of electronic rhythms, while creating a sound that is a bit different from both, dreamily reinventing their musical heritage. *special note, two of the members fo this band also play and write songs in the pains of being pure at heart. this is their debut 7 inch in full color jacket, white vinyl and download card! 400 limited one time pressing only. side a dream about me side b listless. catch them on tour now with the pains of being pure at heart and cymbals eat guitars.
following their premiere full-length in her gentle jaws, self-released in december ‘07 exclusively as a free download, the album has already found its way to over 90,000 hard drives. the stir across the internet, as well as in their own backyard, is testament to some breathtaking songwriting and arranging. a musical piece to be heard as a whole saturated in color, and drifting into dream. limited one time 500 pressing only. on tour now with the pains of being pure at heart, cymbals eat guitars, and school of seven bells.
der tpk liken the sound of their second aural onslaught to “[the battle of] kursk, second day.” who among us cannot relate to the largest tank battle in history? while the comparison may not be an easy nut to crack, the reference, specifically to the second day, is telling: the wonton destruction that unfolded on that field of battle in an attempt to break the soviet bulge cannot be overstated. for the germans, it was unmitigated tragedy. so by comparing games for slaves to this particular point in the offensive, der tpk makes clear that album number two is more brooding and melancholy than harmful emotions. bunker wolf’s menacing lupine-schrei is as formidable as ever, but the band has moved from the blitzkreig, almost hardcore-like pace of their siltbreeze debut to a more mancunian post-punk sound (angular guitars, rhythmic dirges), crossed with the luftschutszbunker psychedelia of german oak (especially on the organ-laden tracks). no one does it in 2008 like teenage panzerkorps. games for slaves is more beauteous gas on an already raging and spectacular fire. edition of 500 with insert and single-sided, silk-screened, black-and-white cover.
if you haven’t heard bob desper’s new sounds yet, you may have heard something about it. originally recorded in 1974, new sounds is considered to be one of the pacific northwest’s best-kept secrets, a regional holy grail with copies fetching upwards of $1000. until recently, not much was known about this mysterious blind folk-singer from oregon. in 2007, discourage records located bob desper, alive and well, living in albany, oregon. after two years of culling materials, discourage records is proud and honored to officially reissue this once lost masterpiece. evoking the melancholy mood of nick drake, the fluid improvisation of van morrison’s astral weeks, and the intricate instrumentation of jose gonzales, new sounds’ dark, meditative urgency immediately transcends the thirty-five years marking its original release. this official reissue of new sounds includes bob desper’s 1972 debut 7″, dry up those tears (including picture sleeve); an 11 x 17 insert with extensive liner notes and full color photos; and 1970s style tip-on sleeve… recommended & long awaited reissue!
first non-skaters related release on the band’s elusive micro label… this one is actually belgium primitive folk psych blues wonder IGNATZ, reassembled by spencer clark. limited.
eeeew. as the positively revolting title might suggest to some of you who are alert and paying attention, this release is a veritable shrine to perverted, in-bred, hillbilly atrocity. misanthropic to a degree i previously thought impossible, this is quite simply the blackest of folk/horror-inspired black metal with an unbelievably high ‘deliverance’ factor. think rusty pickup trucks and cages in the basement. think pathetic whimpering death. sounds like the house in ‘the blair witch project’ or the forest in ‘texas chainsaw massacre’ or maybe the sledgehammer in ‘misery’… i feel strangely compelled to shower. again and again.
diagram a is dan greenwood whos based in the providence/ma area, makes all his own electronics and use to do a label called sound probe…most recently he was on the rrr new england noise box set… first ever vinyl release on bill nace’s open mouth label. screen printed covers, clear vinyl, insert. limited to 300 copies.
underneath the dirt lies the roadmap to ancient civilization. the world before the fall. dinmuck #f (aka eon) comes from toowoomba and is enlisted as an intergral part of the musicyourmindwillloveyou collective.”the old is new” is a psychic brainfuck, like calloused skin baking under the scorching summer sun. imagine cave paintings singing about the third eye, caked in mud and eating the soil. this music, in all it’s scattered glory, is totally, 100% fried – limited to 100.
alex neilson is the uks kid thunder, who may be known to you for playing drums in jandeks band or being one half of beating stars with richard youngs, but directing hand is his own free form handshake. all kinds of joyous clatter in this baby. guests players include christina carter.
your guess is as good as mine…!
vinyl debut by this stunning belgian new age trance wizard. has done tons of tapes on his own bread & animals imprint, as well as releases on pacific city (skaters’ label) and many others. beautiful and endless.
cosmic new age drift from lieven of the imvated / taped sounds / etc. labels. limited.
zonked lullabies and exotic travelogues towards inner hairy space. taste the saliva carried on the winds that purify these coastal gamelan hymns and watch a new dawn. 70 copies.
the 5th installment in the music fellowship’s triptych has finally arrived!! this release brings together two brooklyn bands, mouthus and double leopards, and the sonically entwined sunroof! of england. while each band contributes a side to this two-lp set, the artists are brought together not just figuratively on wax, but literally, as the fourth side features all seven musicians playing together. double lp gatefold artwork and design by mouthus – long out of print & very limited edition.
#7 features a wonderful archival interview with the late great ivor cutler conducted by john cavanagh (phosphene/bbc), mats gustafsson talked to lanterns and antony milton of pseudoarcana. steve sawada interviewed the legendary linda perhacs, lee jackson wrote about and chatted with josephine foster, ned raggett covered yellow6, i interviewed henry flynt, larkin grimm, turkish band ayyuka, loren connors, mayo thompson of red krayola, bert jansch, absalom, p.g. six, function, the left outsides, the moon upstairs, sharron kraus, st. mary’s, tor lundvall, powell st. john (songwriter for 13th floor elevators, mother earth, janis joplin, etc.), mark brend of fariña, and frans de waard and freek kinkelaar of beequeen.the complimentary cd features previously unreleased music by: function, lumeny, tor lundvall, adrian crowley, crashing dreams, mike tamburo, keenan lawler, sharron kraus, the kitchen cynics, the left outsides, yellow6, fariña, the moon upstairs, st. mary’s, freiband, and absalom. 96 pages – anonther fantastic read. recommended.
issue eight has longtime contributor mats gustafsson (late of the broken face) doing his inimitable interviewing journalistic thing on los angeles brotherly duo antique brothers, and new zealand’s singular rory storm. ned raggett talked to guitar genius ilyas ahmed. steve sawada interviewed portland, oregon’s plants. brian faulkner talked to tom and christina of the charalambides, mark dagley chatted with natalie rose lebrecht aka greenpot bluepot. i interviewed: the very wonderful damon & naomi, tripped-out vocal adventurer dredd foole, great guitarist sir richard bishop of the late lamented sun city girls, legendary japanese guitarist michio kurihara with translation by alan cummings, the deeply beguiling husband and wife acid folk duo arborea, american singer songwriter stephen yerkey of the late great nonfiction, argentinian sonic explorer anla courtis late of reynols, the great swedish psychedelic band the spacious mind, the unique and brilliant british composer and vocalist johnny parry, i talked to myc james lead vocalist of nevada city band of yore absalom, psychedelic home-recording brit madman reefus moons, singer songwriter lys guillorn, ambient masters stars of the lid, sacramento valley’s own psych-pop wizard anton barbeau, and the truly wonderful the handsome family. we also feature artwork by the stalwart peter blegvad, the charming andrew goldfarb, and myself. we recieved exceptional pieces for this issue’s complimentary cd from: arborea, rory storm, anton barbeau, the slow poisoner, natalie rose lebrecht, rory storm, lys guillorn, reefus moons, absalom, anla courtis, antique brothers, m. jarvis / a. jarvis, powell st. john, the spacious mind, and ilyas ahmed. 112 pages perfectbound… another great read!
this heavily hendrix-influenced psychedelic gem was issued in norway, as an export-only lp in 1967. having become a sought-after collector’s item ever since, it features a full-set of psychedelic effects, with back-running guitars, psychedelic guitars and wah-wah everywhere, lots of keyboard and some very wisely (and seldomly) used orchestration. some tracks (‘hey jimi,’ ‘do you dream’) sound as if you were listening to hendrix himself, and also very recommended are the trippy instrumental ‘night of the lonely organist and his mysterious pals’ and the opening track ‘green things (from outer space)’, while a couple of interesting ballads round up the record – nice exact repro trippy covers.
dredd foole (dan ireton) and ed yazijian met while wandering the shadowy corners of the boston ’80s post-punk scene. ed was playing in such avant-rock combos as high risk group and 7 or 8 wormhearts (and the original pre-lp cul de sac). dan had just dissolved dredd foole & the din, tired of rock as a form and the extraordinary loudness of the group. he wanted a chance to do some real singing. ed was feeling a need for something more subtle and embraced the idea of actually being able to hear what he played. they set out to turn the world onto the largely acoustic folk and free-improv stew they had cooked up. boston rock audiences were not impressed. indifference and downright hostility were the norm. there was talk of an lp, and some tentative recordings were done. but before anything could materialize, frustration took over and dan decided to retire from performing music altogether. ed went back to rock music with kustomized. and eventually, dan bought a four-track and recorded the lp in quest of tense (which some consider the opening salvo of the free-folk movement) with ed appearing on one track. but by the time it was released, they had gone their separate ways. years later, by a series of coincidences, they reconnected, and they found that when they played together again, it seemed nothing had been lost. they did a short tour with comrades and friends damon & naomi and eventually played the now-legendary brattleboro free folk festival. they found that audiences were now more open to their efforts. a couple of years passed during which dan released three solo records and a record with a new improvisational din (which included chris corsano, thurston moore and the members of pelt). ed recorded and released his brilliant solo record, six ways to avoid the evil eye and was even caught playing live with folks like richard bishop and sunburned hand of the man. then, against all odds, february 2008 found ed & dan recording, with ed at the helm in foole’s ashram in brattleboro for the better part of a week. that lonesome road between hurt and soul is the result of those sessions. some improvisations are built on dan’s songs played in a totally unfettered manner. one is based on a tune by j. mascis, and some were recorded as they were created. long talked about, long awaited, years in the making — the dredd foole & ed yazijian recordings are finally here.
last 95 original copies of this mega rare and very hip 1982 debut single from dredd foole backed by mission of burma! self released in an edition of 1000 copies 25 years ago, the ‘lost’ remaining 95 copies turned up and have been lovingly repackaged in a high quality cover my michael k of sunburned hand of the man, and featuring postcard photo inserts from the recording session. signed & numbered by dredd himself. nice. recommended!
the silver king of ashram hum returns to the people after lighting up maximum arousal farm and his very own room with 6 songs of total blue afternoon freedom in a mesmerizing rustic ramble that is the true follow up to in quest of tense post ra & buk never sounded like such sweet earth – sweet relics edition of the much loved and instantly out of print cdr. beautiful stuff.
the dredd foole catalog is wide (and deep) and yet this new release manages to carve another distinct tributary into the swamped landscape. as the title implies, songs to despond ya falls on the songwriting end of the foole spectrum, and he takes full advantage of the opportunity to flesh out his bardic impulse. the results are raw and immediate, devoid of electronic effects, and all the more timeless for it. of course, whether he’s offering up ballads or free-hootin’ and -hollerin’, dredd foole always tugs at the heart and mind of anyone receptive enough to leave those doors open just a crack.
first time ever vinyl reissue of the hard-to-find sole album by u.s. duo drnwyn. wonderful record that has some very cool psychedelic moments (especially the track ‘the madman and the angel’), and a good number of fabulous folk rock mid-tempos. there’s drums, bass and lots of acoustic guitars in here, but also electric leads, keys, mandolin and multi-part vocals with some female chorus as well. but most important, very well-crafted songs from start to finish. this was a private release back in 1978, and a very recommended album for those into folk-psych and folk-rock. remastered sound and 500 copies only.
thick winds off the sargasso is a phase from the epic drunjus 2xcdr (foxglove). this 3inch features a live excerpt from the source material that birthed the album version. the sounds are a meditative blur of buzz tone and the seething outdoors by woodman, clay ruby and endless.
two killer journeys… dremcrom and relax, hunter. both recorded live. one side completely in the analog realm; from the boys’ cassette deck straight to 180 gram black wax. strictly limited to 300 copies. hand screened on thrifted album covers turned inside out. no two alike. side a – ‘dremcrom’ is a sideways drift through the earths crust which confirms that the core truly is molten. drunjus bore a hole straight to the center of your brain. live at the infamous wisco biker bar… side b – ‘relax hunter’ is a more galactic affair. with enough molten fuel to get their ship airborn, drunjus escape the atmosphere and enter a 300 year cryogenic sleep… co-released with tree tapes…
on side a, ducktails tour de force, “parasailing” and on side b, julian lynch (his debut 7″) brings both power and grace, with “topi” and “garden 2.” the album covers artistic detailing can be accredited to real estate frontman martin courtney while the image itself was snapped by renowned photographer and really nice guy, david hiser. adding to this art bizarre, richard law has created two music videos which will accompany each 7″ on a dvd.
dear matt, it’s confetti for memories! your buddy charles and the sunday afternoon gripfest staring, check this out: “little man tate” and “little big man”, super funny, as well as a dusty tough to read flick called, you know i got carrots for brains, “pipeline”! so, you know every trilogy needs the curveball, and well, “pipeline” has got to be uncle charlie. i found these videos in the basement of chateau terrace antwerp, but it’s super gritty kitty down there and i just grabbed three quickies. so i just put on your jams, and i am gunna watch pipeline’s surf visions and scope your memories and sunbake. but man, pipeline’s front flap video tape protection is busted, so i am gunna trade it with “you got mail’s” front flap, at this point i have to duck into my roomates zone and grip his rca to mini jack, but he has a sign posted that reads “stay out of my room”. super funny, but later i am gunna take the sign, cross out “room” and insert “dreams”, put the sign on my wall, let somebody specials red orange lipstick make out with it, so that the guy knows he’s a cutie and chazzi’s touched by freak. but so check it, i had to grip this rca to mini jack so that i can grip your memories and watch pipeline. hey man, for real though, member when we were on the beach in barcelona, before our car got towed, and we were cruising to beverly hills cop soundtrack, the master and carmen san diego were in the back, we got to the beach jumped in the water drank beer ate coconuts and got massages while staring at boob people. at that moment, like when we snuck into the berlin film festival and danced ocean’s 11, wow, my roomate just came home, he’s wearing a long party wig and telling chazzi that he shagged all night long in a squat called “duel 3″, no joke; but yeah, i cannot, for the parrot in me, forget those times, to each his own future, so wait, back to pipeline,, no wait, i got to tell you about this party last full moon, my roomate throws one every month when the moon’s light eclipses that of the rational minds hesitations, and well i had to dj, i wanted to, but i brought the parrot along, you met him right? he is always there when chazzy does the radio show or when monopoly needs vocals on a bamboo track, but neither of us invite this guy to the parties where those other dreams come true. its not cool, so i brought him along, you know his name right? belafonte, so belafonte and i start dj-ing, you know that song from police academy called “i got to be somebody” by jack mack and a hearttack? stars and ecstasy, for real, and jel doctor was getting me buckets of beer, cuz it was so hot and the air is full of short stuff, so i flip the records and repeatedly fend off requests for beat it and dirty diana, and all of a sudden belafonte has drank all my beer and is smoking cigarettes, there are no tickets for free coldies, and i get pretty pissed, i kinda let belafonte have it, you know, telling him that i cant take him anywhere, gnorm the gnome style, and he’s like “alright, you go get some more beers”, wow, your mirror jam just cruised in – memories… so, yeah, belafonte is like “go, get some more beers and let me talk some of these girls into dancing with us and you will be calling me most valuable vertabrae, birdtalk magazine style, so i get a bunch of coldies cuz tod god just came through with some bready poo, i come back to the dance floor, and well, i guess belafonte burnt his head on his own cigarette, and this girl named manon, but he understood as emanuelle, like schnikies!! well his head is burnt and this black paint starts rubbing off his head, and i notice that there is paint on my neck, my face, and on her face, and her neck, and so on and so forth csi style, and everybody kind of understands, the girls have taken this black paint and are marking it on their bodies like war paint initiation style, and they are petting belafonte like he’s the unattainable, i had no idea that this parrot was a model for birdtalk magazine back in its hey day, group therapy is affective… later i asked manon for some affection, and she said “no, your feet are too dirty”, on account of me wearing flippers to a dance party, and was like cool, its not even july 4th yet, but then, as i walked away she was like “three o clock, meet me at the zoo!” no joke, belafonte and me were like ah kuku ah kaka bamboo-for-two style… stories are forever and i got to get back to pipeline, which is hitting the screen right now, and its definitely not about surfing and reminds charles of when ebay and you stayed at the new york dante’s microchip apartment and it was so hot and you guys passed out next to each other in your undies exclusively like siamese pipeline limbo style, if i had hoagie it would have been chazzi to chucky in like 4 doners and sixty seckies… thanks for the memories matt, i miss you man, i think belafonte and i will get deported soon and i will meet you in cali. love, charles berlitz.
matt mondanile’s self-titled debut full length has been hotly anticipated in the wake of his killer cassettes and single 7″ appearance. here he finally has the room to spread his imaginary surf-psych-pop across a full 2 sides of wax, and the wait was worth it. mastered by graham lambkin (of the shadow ring), with cover art by jan anderzen (of finnish folk-psych visionaries kemialliset ystavat).
dune buggy is ryan garbes and charles “taterbug” free, expanding on both members obsessions with classic garage, punk, and pysch rock tunes and images. dune buggy is the pop realization of these obsessions. 20 minutes of catchy organ, guitar, and drum driven punkers delivered in iowa city basement scum style haze. cleaner then you think it will sound but with enough grit to keep it grimey, who new these two could play it this cool? teeny bop, youth cult armageddon rockers. expect more on np and gel by dunebuggy in the future. artwork by rgarbes.
this is the limited clear-vinyl swedish edition of dungen’s fourth studio album (released on cd & lp in the u.s. via kemado), extending the acclaimed swedish outfit’s sound past psychedelia into something far more rare. moving beyond mere stylistic concerns, 4 finds gustav ejstes’ focus on the extremes of dungen’s sound separating into two entities. blazing, raw guitar workouts have their own time and place, but now, so do stirringly orchestrated, jazz-cooled compositions with cinematic undertones. bandleader gustav ejstes has made many allusions to his creative process as it likens to that of a hip-hop producer. on 4, that process is more evident than ever, both in the feel of each piece, and in the sense of intuition and control within the members of the group. new drummer johan holmegard joins guitarist reine fiske and bassist mattias gustavsson, while ejstes steps away from guitar for the entire album, focusing on the piano as his lead instrument. together, they have honed a classic and seamless sound, constructed with lavish studio flourishes and moving, narrative arrangements, and yet able to toughen up to tear veins of fierce blues-psych instrumentals up from the surface. the ten tracks on 4 comprise dungen’s most concentrated effort to date, beats surging forth and atmospheres changing as their sound continues to evolve. every song here runs under five minutes, pushing the group to introduce confident melodies and arresting ambiance in tighter frameworks. gauging from the results, this challenge has done them well. included in this set are live favorite “mina damer och fasaner,” excerpts from a wild psychedelic jam session entitled “samtidigt,” and a storming, northern soul-influenced instrumental entitled “fredag.” these stand tall with some of the most fully-realized moments of dungen’s career; percolating prog-pop groover “det tar tid” and eloquent opener “satt at se.” with a penchant for lush pop portraits, and laced with orange sunshine guitar flash, 4 turns a page in dungen’s sound and story.
classic el tule tape re-released with brand new artwork. another beautiful screen printed insert from our favorite printmaker, kelly filreis. limited to 25 copies! tape on digitalis and 7″ on not not fun coming soon!
after some 27 lps, 48 tapes, 25 seven inches, 33 cds/cdrs, and 4 ten inches, the time has finally come for not not fun’s first foray into the great wide world of book publishing. and there’s few better nnf bffs we could hope to share the adventure with than fuck it tapes/woodsist ceo (and meneguar/shepherds/woods multi-instrumentalist) jeremy earl. since early on in fit’s adolescence, he began incorporating his own loosely composed symbolist/primitivist designs into the label’s aesthetic (highlights like the brain band and blues control’s ‘riverboat styx’ j-card come to mind), but constant focused labor and the endless march of new projects forced his craft into a heightened state of evolution, birthing countless killer compositions along the way. skull is here to pick up some of the choicest pieces from bone-yard and bind them all together. the art inside spans several years worth of work, from 2006-era obsessively rendered ritual serpents and bleeding, 8-fingered hands up through earl’s most recent experiments with collage and multi-media hieroglyphics. over a dozen of his most striking and iconic cassette covers are included as well, in addition to scores of never-before-seen images. dazed pterodactyls, radiant pyramids, possessed worms, faceless figures beneath winged specters: all lurk and loom from the eye of the skull. 40 full-color pages, professionally printed and bound, in a one-time edition of 500… awesome & recommended eye-popper.
matt is in xnobbqx, who recently released on siltbreeze. this one is pretty sparse downer blues, vocals and acoustic guitar… nice fancy covers.
this is a cold vision of a dark trash covered future full of sci fi nightmares and strange out of body experiences. this is the final kites recording and is perhaps the strangest and most chaotic piece in the prolific discography. annihilation synth and tape collage, cut up, sped up and dialed to oblivion. earth crown steps it back, slows down the pulse, lets the edges of the static curl around the drone to the breaking point, where the damage is let loose, purged out and built again. this lp is a reminder of how cold, desolate, and haunting life can be. silkscreened by shawn reed, art by kites and earth crown.
earth station is mike pollard (abror rec./treetops etc.) and peter friel (young tapes) new now age, space suit, field studies in the deep trenches of mars, power ambient band. tidal waves of glacial synth murmur, the kind of intentionally epic stuff that you can’t help but like if you let yourself truly drift off. the end is coming and this what it might sound like. space music for earthlings. total harmony, total control. artwork by sdreed.
don’t put baby in the corner. jerusalem mall is a newer christmas time jingle for these hopeful times. backed with 2 sick to death outtakes unavailable on vinyl till now. no one puts baby in the corner. full color glue pocket sleeve.
eat skull are a quartet hailing from portland, oregon, co-masterminded by rob enbom (former bushwacker in the ranks of hospitals and hole class) and another original hospital, rod meyer (the greatest living genius of punk). previous eat skull efforts include a cassette-only ep and a pair of 7-inches, all of which might be out of print. like their brethren and forebears, eat skull runs a post pattern deep beyond pop and punk. they bring to the game an extrasensory appreciation of new zealand’s south island sound (great unwashed, axemen), cleveland art-damage skronk (modern art studio, x-x), and the wretched excess of forgotten midwest hardcore (stiff legged sheep, chemotherapy). vinyl-only edition of 800 copies.
eat skull’s sick to death received worldwide accolades for its frantic pacing, unimpeachable lyric quality, and nugget after nugget of pop hooks buried under a gob of lo-fi muzz. on this follow-up, fans and critics will find a cleaner, more inimitable eat skull at work. frontman rob enbom has outdone himself with both lyrics and structure on wild and inside, and the band as a whole rises to the challenge of nixing the lo-fi tag for a sound that’s less… antecedent. gone is the wall of crud that prevents discerning listeners from identifying the instrumental play-by-play; in its stead, a set of crafted songs recall the paisley punk of the last and the rural-delica of great plains, as well as nodding to the sanguine pop of early flying nun bands such as the double happys. wild and inside is a grower for the ages. it breathes deep and exhales perfectly.
handmade covers. a confusing, odd record. 2 lock grooves begin the edith side. bedroom meanderings that steve stapleton might be proud of. released around 9/11/01. really! tons of confusing inserts. 200 pressed.
egghatcher is robert horton made of space in delicate petals that speak like stars like red units fresh from the cosmos seeping a thinking upon distilled minds.
resistant to the clutches of anubis, the members of egypt have emerged from a six year hiatus to produce an archival release dating from the dclxvi dynasty. after serving as priests to hathor, the mistress of life, the great wild cow, for five years, these egyptian numerologists have honed their aesthetic reeds to razor sharp points. these tracks include glossalalia praising the pantheon, an illustration of the electromechanistic migration of the soul as well as ecstasy soaked instrumental excursions. look for these adepts appearing at your local oasis soon! 180 gram vinyl, full color covers, 500 copies!
‘i was lucky to see uruguayan music born. before el kinto it didn’t exist, and if it did i did not know it or like it.’ nosvaldo fattorusso. an exact replica of the original clave label lp release of fourteen crucial tracks by these uruguayan legends, whose line-up includes members of totem and limonada, and features the compositional abilities of poet/panhandler and acid casualty eduardo mateo and his alter-ego, candombe legend ruben rada. el kinto began their brief but eventful life in music playing in the dark shadows at orfeo negro (black orpheus), a night club near the portones de carrasco in montevideo, uruguay. inspired by the way tropicalistas like os mutantes were transforming the pop music of brazil, el kinto embraced their own native music formsnbut, as always, they went a step further: they integrated candombe and bossa nova into beat music, but they also added their own notion of ‘psicodelics.’ they experimented with newness in all its varietynnew sounds from their guitars, new types of vocal delivery, new ways of striking the drums (with little brooms, with gavels or their hands). as one journalist noted in 1969, ‘el kinto, directed by the brilliant mateo, and amplified to the maximum… creates a frenzy of rhythmic music in whichnwith force and convictionnpure wave ‘beat’ is synthesized with the warmth of the african drums.’ the result of the group’s tireless experiments is music which sounds fresh and engaging today. in a world dominated by the commercialization of everything – including (although it is difficult to comprehend)nthe arts, all we can say is, thank god for el kinto! now, on to the presentationnthe highest quality mastering and pressing (done at acoustech mastering/rti in california, the same people who master and press every title that audiophile label classic records makes); the resulting lp is housed in a poly-lined sleeve, inside an ultra-heavy 1960’s style jacket, which is housed in a loose-fitting plastic sleeve. inside you will find a double-fold insert packed with photos, detailed band history, and lyrics for this most important of uruguayan bands, printed on 100% recycled paper. the lp labels are replicas of the sondor originals. a top of the line pressing all the way. limited edition of 500 copies.
only available non-bootleg videocassette version of this mind-melting and highly recommended psychedelic film masterpiece. has japanese subtitles, but the the original analog print looks & sounds way better then the rampant bootlegs floating around. nice color cover art. very rare. still sealed. only a couple of copies available, so don’t miss your chance!
760 made. 200 gram vinyl. important records quite pleased to be presenting this split release consisting of two new drone works from pauline oliveros and eleh.
the elusive eleh project resurfaces from the depths with another release on taiga. homage to the sine wave is the second release in their sound waves-based homage to… series, following 2008’s sold-out lp, homage to the square wave. in a similar fashion, the elemental approach to the construction of the pieces on sine wave is influenced by josef albers, the german-born u.s.-based abstract painter and theorist best known for his color studies embodied in paintings of geometric abstraction. both faces feature side-long compositions at just over 20 minutes each. side a holds “together we are one,” a piece that begins floating in the ether, but gently lands on a field of rhythmic bass pulses before dipping below the horizon. “beneath the silver sun” on the b-side is a meditation on the nighttime, with a consistent delivery and subtle transformation that is dually tranquil and exhilarating. volume reveals detail. sine wave was mastered by james plotkin, cut direct to metal and pressed on 200 gram virgin vinyl in a hand-numbered edition of 500. the lp comes housed in a custom 2-color letterpressed jacket that was designed by john brien of important records and printed by studio on fire in minneapolis. the jackets were printed flat, die-cut, folded and glued, resulting in a letterpressed jacket with a printed spine. eleh was formed to pay tribute to the pioneers of audio minimalism such as la monte young, terry riley, eliane radigue, pauline oliveros and charlemagne palestine. they use vintage modular gear to produce recordings of pure tone, pure sound, pure volume and pure analog. this is two-tone drone targeted towards absolute, meditative bliss.
final instalment of the great subscription series… ghq’s “requiem for bhopal” this brooklyn all-star duo of marcia bassett (zaimph, hototogisu, double leopards, zaika) and steve gunn (check the solo digitalis cd sundowner) have been killing it on releases on time-lag, three-lobed, not not fun and others since their debut in 2005. the extended-playing 45 (six minutes on each side) finds ghq hitting that bliss-drift stride, with droned-out atmospheres of guitar layers soothing your headspace into a fully-conscious trance. occasional vocals just barely peak through the blanket, and there’s definitely enough noise to remind you this ain’t just about good vibes. black 7″ vinyl record is held in a black art paper sleeve, with gold-ink offset printing on the back and a paste-on full-color cover. limited edition hand-numbered to 300; embossed for authenticity… vollmar’s “new best friend b/w flood punch & holy blessing” justin vollmar’s recordings often sound wonderfully and pleasantly small-scale; they begin with gentle strums like a feathered wing brushing a rusted-out six-string, soon joined by the fragile voice of a reluctant singer who’s got only one person’s ear in mind. occasionally calling to mind lo-fi songwriters like oldham and elverum, vollmar’s songs are focused on the intimate and intricate, and recently his presentation has become fleshed out with full-band-type arrangements – modest drums, mini-synths and warm electric guitars in service to the songs. this 7″ single presents alternate, more pared-down versions of three songs from his upcoming tell the dirt lp. black 7″ record held in a tri-fold chipboard sleeve, in-house screenprinted on front and back, with full-color paste-on photo on front and a hand-written note on the third fold. limited edition, hand-numbered to 300, with embossed dust sleeves…. elephant micah’s “in midnight b/w ocean floor”as consistently great a songwriter as we’ve had this decade, elephant micah’s joe o’connell is always affecting and almost unbelievably right-on, with a subtle vocal delivery, modest home-tracked recording fidelity, and slight country-western touches. which is what makes this 7″ release so intriguing – this is elephant micah interpreting two songs written by friends of his (time and temperature & microwave background), and they are his most recently-recorded works. as expected, elephant micah truly makes these songs his own through no subtle re-interpretation. synth tones, backwards noise guitar, and even a trumpet solo set these songs apart from both their original versions and elephant micah’s past work, and yet joe’s voice and vision comes through as accurate as always. befitting the “recycling” theme of the songs, this black 7″ record comes packaged in discarded 12″ LP sleeves, which have been cut down to 7″ jacket size, and then in-house screenprinted over with the release info. limited edition, hand-numbered to 300… beautifully done & highly recommended!
here the “solitary traveler” makes four awkward attempts to survey europe through a fragmented camera lens — inner pop-cam photo by anne duvall taken while rowing a boat near shakespeare’s gravesite. special thanks to casey roberts for help with screenprinting (wildernessoverload.com), greg o’connell for playing clarinet, andrew meyers for playing trumpet, and jess halverson for playing flute… 3cdr in a lovely cd size stitched, screen printed, xeroxed booklet cover. highly recommended.
echoer’s intent critically considers notions of ‘training’ in the social contexts of fine art, animal husbandry, and areas in between. characters include an unethical folksong collector, a french schoolboy and his dog robot, and a migratory game researcher. these minimal, mostly live recordings are the first to fully foreground elephant micah as a writing and solo performance project… lovely new release packaged in a classy screen printed art paper cover with offset printed fold-out insert & screen printed all black discs. limited to 250 copies. nice companion piece to the new ‘bible birds’ cd.
incredibly beautiful 4 trk ep, featuring 4 joe o’connell penned gems. housed in sweet screened sleeves and numbered in an edition of 370… highly recommended.
great older single. four cover songs.
as consistently great a songwriter as we’ve had this decade, elephant micah’s joe o’connell is always affecting and almost unbelievably right-on, with a subtle vocal delivery, modest home-tracked recording fidelity, and slight country-western touches. which is what makes this 7″ release so intriguing – this is elephant micah interpreting two songs written by friends of his (time and temperature & microwave background), and they are his most recently-recorded works. as expected, elephant micah truly makes these songs his own through no subtle re-interpretation. synth tones, backwards noise guitar, and even a trumpet solo set these songs apart from both their original versions and elephant micah’s past work, and yet joe’s voice and vision comes through as accurate as always. befitting the “recycling” theme of the songs, this black 7″ record comes packaged in discarded 12″ lp sleeves, which have been cut down to 7″ jacket size, and then in-house screenprinted over with the release info. limited edition, hand-numbered to 300… got our hands on a very limited number of these great 7inches usually only available by subscription.
gatefold double vinyl version. this is the third official album by emeralds (after solar bridge on hanson, and the self-titled lp on their own wagon and gneiss things imprints, as well as countless small edition tapes and cd-rs on a host of labels) and once again, it presents another radical new direction for this cleveland trio. it sees the group moving from playing single oscillator analog synthesizers to really complex analog and analog/digital hybrids as well as a great deal of guitar synthesizers, not to mention fine-tuning their skills as brilliant tunesmiths. simply put, the results are outstanding. comprising of a number of tracks from their ultra-limited 7″ vinyl series on wagon, as well as new compositions exclusive to this release, this fine selection of tunes surpasses anything they have achieved in their 5-year career. perfect melodies intertwined with ripping sequences and a guitar sound that floats perfectly throughout. although most tracks cover new ground in that they follow a shortened “pop format,” more long-form cuts such as the towering “genetic” and the title track will give fans of their earlier work something to grab onto, or totally let themselves go, depending on their state of mind. having spent all their lives in the relative isolation of cleveland means their music has developed into a vital, stunning unique hybrid that may not have been able to blossom in more active urban centers. does it look like i’m here? heralds a turning point for all those involved and is a perfect, vivid soundtrack to emerge out of a harsh, grey winter. fresh, shiny and totally essential… real sweet new album. high quality wax, gatefold cover, and huge full color foldout poster. recommended trance-out.
nice older release from this deep drone nu-new age crew.
split cassette single on white tapes in clear hand painted poly case. edition of 60.
this is a collection of rare and unreleased tracks by these crazed heavy industrialised weirdos from sweden! all recorded between 1986 and 1988. originally formed in 85 by kai parviainen and mats lundberg (who later got replaced by landgang) enema syringe played heavy monotone simple noise industrial the way it should be done; straight forward, loud, heavy and simple!! brutal toy synths and repetitive beats dominate the whole recorded archive and the few live sets this duo did, spiced with horrific sounding lyrics in swedish (usually about funnier things then the usual industrial fan would hope for like farts, massage shops, etc – ) all of the tracks on this lp are recorded without any mixing possibilty straight onto two channels with a marantz amp and a tape deck, prophet one, casio rz1 drummachine, casio toy synth, an old rhythm box and vocals thu headphones and a crappy mike! these beats are the best fist in the airpumpers ever, reminding of early throbbing gristle, club moral or more recent wolf eyes and meerk puffy! the lp comes with liner notes by kai parviainen, a discography, and is completely remastered. artwork by dennis tyfus. limited to 400 copies.
by now, just about everyone is familiar with the mighty starving weirdos and their otherworldly junkyard drones. last year the world was introduced to another band of mystics from the weirdos camp called rv paintings. one of the constant threads from both of those bands is the inimitable brian pyle. ensemble economique is pyle’s debut foray into the solo forest. “at the foot of nameless roads” is a masterpiece of an album, filled to the brim with cacophonous melodies, meditative auditory chants, & hypnotic shambolic rhythms. if you love the weirdos, you will be all over this. limited to 500 copies. artwork by jefre cantu-ledesma… included the limited to 100 copy bonus cdr.
this is my fifth solo release as es. kesämaan lapset was recorded during a three year period. it is a mix of soundscapes and pop tunes. you can hear influences varying from contemporary indie to ancient classical music. it’s a summer album and a childhood photo album. the name translates as “the children of the summerland”. it an homage to the pekka streng album “kesämaa” (summerland) which is one of my favourite finnish albums ever made. it also refers to finland of course. i’ve been travelling a lot these past three years and every time i return here it feels more and more like home. i’ve used lots of instruments, from high-end analogue synthesizers and upright pianos to cheap flea market casios. i’ve recorded parts of this abroad and at home in my studio and in my bedroom. there are a few special guests: laura laurila plays violin, tuomas eriksson (risto) plays trombone and elissa määttänen who has sung on most of my albums is present again to give her special voice to the tracks. i hope you enjoy the album. it is not as ambitious a work as my previous double album sateenkaarisuudelma. but this one is meant to be listened to in many more situations and it might just fit as music for a house party too… -sami sänpäkkilä.
after what seems to be an interminably long gap and born into an inextricably changed world, espers iii walks among us, finally and finely. it’s not as if espers completely disappeared following their acclaimed first and second albums and tours. they played the odd show here and there – but with time and focus given to meg baird’s solo album dear companion, the valerie project and helena espvall’s collaborations with masaki batoh and others, not to mention the launching and flight of greg weeks’ language of stone label, three years passed like a day or two in the life of espers. picking up the threads with ease, espers iii was intended to be an aural reversal of the layered sound of ii. the goal was to record fewer tracks in order to achieve a stronger, more oxygenated sonic presence. where ii was almost claustrophobic in its density and darkness, iii was envisaged as being somehow lighter, effervescent; perhaps even of a cheery disposition at times. under these auspices, recording started in late 2008 and spilled into the spring and summer of 2009. as more time passed in the recording process, a growing dementia within both song and lyrics emerged, making even the most ethereal songs on iii seem oddly unwholesome to all involved.
further along the path of musical friendship that helena espvall and masaki batoh have discovered for themselves, we find overloaded ark ready to sail. and indeed, a new and better society might be provided for with all that they’ve packed on board. these are end times, we are told. often, though, the craft of espvall & batoh drifts through placid waters. in the distance, thunderheads raise up and lightning flashes. when the storms finally come raging, they blow through — and, singular in purpose under skies of shifting color, the intrepid ark sails onward. espvall & batoh have come prepared for anything, armed with acoustic and electric guitars, cello, renaissance harp, organ, sho, banjo, electronics, recorders, piano, hurdy gurdy, frame drums and several more obscure instruments such as auschpfeife, crumhorn, cornamuse, darbuka, and rig. listen for them! but look them up first, so you know what you’re listening for. there are vocals as well, sung mostly by helena but also with batoh’s empathetic support. they are backed by two of batoh’s ghost-mates, kazuo ogino and junzo tateiwa, and joined by ancient music specialist haruo kondo. as on the first espvall & batoh album, overloaded ark features a trove of traditional and ancient music alongside self-composed explorations. songs from many cultures and ages are in evidence, from scandinavian folk to german madrigal to french and italian medieval court dances and even a good old latin hymn! nearer our present day, ’sueno con serpientes’ is a cautionary tale from the legendary cuban protest singer silvio rodriguez, and ’sham no umi’ is a batoh solo piece from the mid-’90s. espvall & batoh endeavor to combine sounds from different times in history with an eye towards the creation of a peaceful new global village in the world of today. and indeed, overloaded ark is a gentle and expansive trip, fusing the sounds of east and west, new world and old into a new epic for all nations. charted with grace and skill, overloaded ark is a human record, its passions focused under a stoic, enduring exterior.
helena espvall and masaki batoh are known to open-eared music listeners for their collaborations with other artists — artists with names such as ghost, espers, damon & naomi, fursaxa, tom rapp, lukas ligeti, bert jansch, among many others. by collaborating with each other, they’ve made one of the most beautiful recordings either one of them has yet participated in. they first met at a festival in the united states in 2006. batoh presented helena with a handmade bamboo instrument; short on spare celli, she gave him a copy of her solo cd. afterwards, they stayed in touch. at some point helena suggested an improvised musical collaboration. batoh wrote back and said: ‘actually i’m too busy now to think about music… if my idols moondog, henry cowell or toru takemitsu wanted me, i’ll refuse their orders.’ several weeks later, he had a change of heart. he contacted helena and said that he felt they should record not improvisations only, but songs as well. helena made a demo of some scandinavian folk songs that she remembered in her spirit from growing up in northern sweden, thinking that maybe they’d record one. the recording session was held in tokyo over four days in december 2007. for instruments fans, this session might be a treasure. so many strings were used: 6- and 12-string guitar, banjo, cello, hurdy-gurdy, harp, contra bass, chappa tibetan bells, kin (buddist metallic bowl), timpani, bass marimba, vibraphone, thunder sheet & on & on. six of the swedish traditional tunes were reconstructed, along with batoh’s arrangement of ‘death letter,’ a classic son house delta blues song. additionally, a european medieval tune was addressed in its own arrangement and expression. ‘zeranium,’ a dreamy folk tune that batoh wrote for damon & naomi (they didn’t use it), was re-arranged for this session as well. the improvisations were done on the last recording day, with no overdubs. ‘completely free’ was the essential concept. for one of them, they were joined by batoh’s fellow ghosts takuyuki moriya (contra bass), kazuo ogino (piano,celtic harp) and the santur player mayumi nagayoshi. the same morning, helena had received notice that her grandmother suddenly had died, and that a dear friend had chosen to end his life. two death letters in one day? there is great emotion reflected in the improvisations. and great depth and beauty throughout the whole helena espvall & masaki batoh album… limited vinyl version in a heavy gatefold cover.
three lobed recordings is excited to announce the release of palace of the night skies, the new album from eternal tapestry. while this trio first turned heads with their expansive psych/kraut/blues guitar explorations as embodied within a series of small run cassette and cdr releases, their 2007 mystic induction album on not not fun firmly established the band as formidable players worthy of sharing the stage and spotlight with such current heads as wooden shjips and kinski. palace of the night skies ups the ante and represents this group’s heaviest jams to date, bringing forth some heavily righteous riffs and plenty of drum punishment. palace of the night skies consists of two long-form tracks recorded in 2008 at the tapestry space in portland, oregon by the band’s core lineup of dewey mahood on guitar, nick bindeman (jomf) on guitar and occasional vocals and jed bindeman (heavy winged) on drums. “prism light traveller” covers the album’s entire first side and is rich with snarling and overblown psych guitar heroics. while no listener could ever ignore the big-time guitar workouts present throughout the album as a whole, jed bindeman’s deft and metronomic drumming propels “prism…” along its trail straight into the fiery heart of the sun. much as in his other band, heavy winged, bindeman’s drums provide the perfect background for the dueling, multi-directional guitar work. the album’s second side is the substantially more pensive and atmospheric “the hidden void.” this track’s slow boil is punctuated with incendiary psych solos and cryptically buried vocals. taken as a whole, palace of the night skies is ready and able to provide any listener in need with the set and setting for a perfect night in. the lp is pressed on 180g rti vinyl and housed within a classy letterpressed cover (courtesy of our buddies at dexterity press in chicago) bearing silver foil ink on deep midnight blue paper and bearing new artwork by loni gaghan. all copies of the album are accompanied by a glass-mastered cd (not cdr) of the two album tracks in addition to a bonus track (“hermetic secrets” – click here for a downloadable preview). praise shiva! the record itself is from a one-time pressing of 730 copies.
last year’s mystic induction lp captured pdx wah junkies eternal tapestry at their hairiest hour, awash in color trails and nightshade flashbacks. since then they’ve reverted back to their original power trio line-up, circled the tube amps, and written a fresh, flooring set of brand new electric rippers. and the invisible landscape is the fruit of this from-bliss-to-blistering evolution/revolution. it’s packed deep with six kraut-punk psych-shredders, huffing fumes from the twin guitar hero dogfighting of dewey mahood and nick bindeman while drum demon jed bindeman does barrel rolls and nosedives into the eye of the storm. there’s also a rawness and warmth to the production that helps the songs bleed into the ear with more electricity than before, and the riff/vocals interplay is streamlined for optimum mainlining. a fiery high point for a fiery high band. hit it or quit it. randomly colored lps (hues range from silt grey to swamp green and beyond) in pro-printed jackets with art by the band plus a photocopied insert. edition of 500… already sold out at source!
andre is best known as the former lead vocalist and songwriter of the deadly snakes, whose swansong “porcella” has to be considered one of the best albums of this decade. andre hasn’t exactly been on hiatus since the snakes called it quits–though it may be news to most americans, ethier has released 4 albums over the past 5 years in his native canada. “running of the bulls” marks both ethier’s solo and vinyl debuts in the u.s., and dull knife couldn’t be happier to release it. the single finds andre reuniting with former deadly snakes band mates matt carlson and maxwell mccabe-lokos (as well as toronto musician andrew moszynski), to produce a sound that’s is a logical bridge between the deadly snakes and andre’s solo material. these aren’t just two songs slapped together with no thought–no, these are songs that were wrote and meant to be paired together, as they are weaved together in an ironic interplay. ethier’s distinctive voice and clever wordplay shine throughout, and this one won’t dissapoint. 300 hand-numbered copies in silkscreened chipboard arigato paks with pasted on photos from andre. 3 photo variations, 100 copies of each variation.
the debut lp from soon-to-be superstar, dylan ettinger, tredges similar ground to recent releases on not not fun and his own el tule label, but turns it up a notch or two ands throws down for the ultimate midwest dance-off. an ode to bicycle riding, “cutters” is a party needing an empty barn. disheveled beats and whirling casio exploits find a home painted in electrosonics and totally dial in. this is a ride for sure. hints and silent winks toward perrey & kingsley (“fallout” anyone?) can be heard through the cracks, but ettinger is definitely sailing his own cosmic sea. the hooks come from out of nowhere, unexpected but wholly welcome as they quixotically etch themselves into your brain. you won’t look back once you’ve been completely enveloped inside the springtime haze. “cutters” is meant for riding – hop on your bike and go. underwater keys illuminate your path as this effervescent soundtrack unfolds. again, the minimal pop influences sculpt these tracks into sounds that may be lost in the city but are definitely dreaming of the ocean. ettinger has definitely arrived (on two wheels, no less) and wants to sing you into a better, sunnier place. echo-soaked worldless vocals welcome you home along side bubbling synth melodies. you won’t be pummeled by the beats, but you will drown with them. “cutters” will run you ragged, work your muscles into the ground. truly. it’s a good time to be alive. vinyl only. edition of 150 copies… already sold out at source.
from harsh noise over tape experiments to nordic chants and back. edition of only 27 copies. handmade, every cassette a little different… bear bones, law low offshoot.
forged in the garden city (that’s missoula, montana to you, piker), ex-cocaine is the formidable, sneer-wielding duo of bryan ramirez (guitars, effects, vocals) and mike c (percussion, hexes, spells). their debut lp from 2005, keep america mellow (on ramirez’s killertree label) brought to light heavy august vibes steeped in the tippled, woodbine ‘n’ cider electro-folk of michael chapman, steve peregrine took, roy harper, and other more reclusive anglo biscuit-snuffers whose works haunt the archives of kissing spell and shadoks. on their second effort, ex-cocaine throw down hard, evoking a gnarled bonfire with flames that roar thunderously like the detuned, rockist clang of dead c’s harsh ’70s reality, and burns evenly like the smelted, rust belt psychedelia of stone harbour’s emerges. vinyl-only and limited, the sparks are flying off this one already. catch it if you can.
bermuda telepaths is the latest title lifted out of the fruit-and-photocopy-strewn outer limits recordings archive and into the ears of the world at large. recorded under the never-again-used explorers moniker and first edited into album form about a year ago, this hallucinatory patchwork trip into the ether synthesizes all of olr’s deepest loves – boombox fidelity, quick cuts, keyboard loop sorcery, underwater pop, general mind surfing – into a humbly hypnotic whirlpool of energies. apparently there was a concept/thesis behind the album’s genesis somehow involving psychic powers, lizard people, and the bermuda triangle, but the details are hazy. which befits the audio in question. read your palm. take a walk in your thoughts. explore away. black vinyl lps in jackets with artwork designed by the artist, plus a copy shop poem insert. edition of 330.
excellent late-night psych jammers from justin wrights one-man krautrock/psych emsemble expo 70… touching magic in the popol vuh sense on side 1 on “tropical trip through acid clouds”, he lays down some stunning guitar work, this really takes you out there.. on side 2 he takes it down to earth, and then some, on the omnious drone based piece “hexed by a devil in the cemetary”. if you’ve come to love these beautiful psychedelic transmissions, you know what to expect… unbeliveably cool cosmic-nudie covers that should make even klaus schultze think he should have had a better career consultant… wraparound a4 paper covers, black cassettes. take the cover to your local printshop, enlarge it, and you got yourself one swanky poster…. edition of 100 copies (50 in bright green covers, 50 in red covers).
gareth hardwick’s steady stream of quality releases is gathering to be one of the uk’s best current minimal drone catalogues around… here he gives us a 3 part trip of pure slow motions… flip the tape and you have richard dawson’s eyeballs project, whose debut on blackest rainbow caused a stir with the few people who managed to lay their hands on it. here dawson’s side is bleaker and darker than expected, gives me the full on feel of the twin peaks woods… feels like the vast emptiness of that claustrophobic wooded area. low and lulling. pro dubbed cassettes, limited to 150 copies.
awesome & very limited 2005 release from this cool freefolk trance psych crew. two loooong tracks here. great stuff.
face plant is a solo project of aaron coyes (rahdunes, peaking lights, unborn unicorn etc). utilizing a homemade modular synth, homemade three head delay and handcut records, aaron creates a textural wash of psychedelic flat-lining. the lp also contains some additional ’store bought’ oscillations by rats with wings… screen printed covers. very limited.
flowers is the latest full length from seattle’s bleak and ominous factums and is their second for the sacred bones label. recorded between 2006 and 2007 but only now seeing a proper release, flowers is dark and disturbing. the album has twenty two tracks that fluctuate from sound collage to soundtrack-esque moments as well as more structured songwriting. this album also has flashes of abrasive electropunk that has garnered them well-deserved comparisons to chrome, cabaret voltaire, throbbing gristle and much of the early wax trax catalog.
primitive future indeed! its 4000 a.d. and human kind’s fate from a binge of manifest destiny has finally collapsed on itself. now we’re back to the basics. the jungle is in charge again. the factums have crafted a soundtrack to this dark and mysterious place. a world where the listener is the prey and this record is the hunter. this is exploratory music, a melding of rusted out kraut debris, dead c. carnage and lost in time sci-fi rock moves. ed. of 400 copies.
full-length follow-up to last year’s lp on the sitlbreeze label from this band that vaguely circles in the a-frames/intelligence/fruit bats orbit. critics have compared factums to tronics, cabaret voltaire, or pere ubu’s more chaotic moments also citing some heavy kraut influenced flashes. includes a bonus three song 7-inch ep and screened cover art.
john w. fail has turned up in a lot of places but on few recordings; this is the first release entirely under his own name, following an 8-project cassette compilation on dronedisco last year. most well-known as 1/2 of lied music, the icewhistle finds fail quietly scraping ghost overtones from his israj (the traditional bengali instrument heard on lied music recordings). in eight minimal tracks, the sounds of air and urban ambiance mix with the israj to create a haunting, suspended soliloquy.
fusion is a dirty word, implying clinicism and a dry sense of conscious matchmaking. “bow low bright glow” is a more a communal excavation and re-presentation of buried european folk and sufi-hearted music than any form of experiment. family elan are alone in their field. here, chris hladowski has put together a collection of original numbers, visions created from lost/found tapes and traditional pieces (including a absolutely gorgeous “the blackplanets of her eyes”) that are a fitting companion to family elan’s “stare of dawn” debut. alongside hladowski’s voice, there’s the vocal input of nalle’s hanna tuulikki – a voice as easily capable of gentle qawwali as it is folk song. this is a record of heavy treble intricacy, hladowski’s saz and bouzouki playing encompassing drones, folk, dervish progressive work and a woozy shimmer over and through the entwining melodies. family elan are more than just a project or a band, hladowski has endowed the music here with a such a unique voice that shaky shorthand comparisons would be pointless and a short sell. music that hints at the devotional rarely feels as inclusive, as communal and as enjoyable as this… deluxe super thick textured covers, 180gm vinyl, limited to 500. beautiful stuff!
cool hand done packaging. numbered edition of 90 copies.
new limited (only 356 copies) split lp on christian of sarah’s charity’s new private label, with silkscreen printing and transparent vinyl. mciaa side recorded live in portugal. family underground side is a beautiful spike of heavy velvets drone – very sweet one! clear vinyl, multi color neon polka dot screenprinted heavy vinyl covers, screen printed round art paper insert. recommended drone-a-thon!
great heavy jam from these danish black-out artists. lurching drone and electronic strangeness slowly worm their way into yr face hole and blow smoke rings. that sound? thats an ancient axe cutting through cosmic fog, man. come breath the thunder… another wall melting dose!
family underground drenched the east coast of the usa in molten syrup last year and they toted along a tour cd-r entitled black hole released by the fine folk of secret eye. mega bummed i didn’t get to feel their magic live but i ordered that tour disc post-haste. man, when i got it i was slain. i thought it was their finest work to date so i had to invoke it on vinyl. i tapped into the band’s communication network and together we figured this would make a killer double lp, definitely one for the record books. so the underground sent me a half hour of unreleased musics to fill the vinyl sides to fruition. holy hannah was i unprepared for a – how well the new jams mind-melded with the other tracks. and b – the superb variation of the entire work with paramount peaks and deep arcane valleys. get it and trip! limited to 500 copies on black vinyl with full color gatefold jackets.
amazing free-drone-trio from copenhagen, denmark. secret eye released this to celebrate their first-ever usa tour. “black hole” comes in a beautiful folded sleeve designed and silk-screened by miriam. a numbered edition of 90. beautifully packaged tour-only disc.
this one is a special one from the lunar crew we had stefan neville (pumice) chillin at our place the week before we left for the uk and one night while making this release ready sara asked if he wanted to make the cover drawing ’cause nothing is for free hehe! so the fu went out to the waffle cone to do the final tour jam and coming home later that night we found that stefan had drawn it all plus even an innersleeve. those kiwis are fast man! much unlike the the usual lunar speed of things. so here goes candle fingers with two 15 minutes plus tracks. and colour printed covers courtesy of stefan neville. 100 copies.
denmark’s drone demons release another one. a helium rug would float, which is exactly what your melted mind will do while listening to this record. whistling blown by the birds of hell. this has been in the works for quite some time. originally intended to come out last summer on their us tour, but we didn’t want to flood the market (they already had 3 lps coming out the same time). edition of 300 on black vinyl with bi-color stencil. the front cover is what you will look like after listening to this. your mind will split open unleashing the helium rug from within. artwork by zachary fleming.
one copy only. deluxe full color packaging with insert. way limited & long out of print.
crushing new full-length by this legendary danish drone squad. 2 massive side-long black holes, mastered by pete swanson of yellow swans. hand-numbered edition of 450.
new disc of velvets damaged electrified drone psych oblivion from these zoned danes. nice multi-panel fold out covers.
tiny private press release from their recent west coast tour. quite limited. last copies!
2 tracks from recent jams – 100 copies – more sweet drone psych goodness from the wicked crew. beautiful printed art paper covers with art paper insert & spray painted disc.
from ged gengras (antique brothers) comes this accomplished take on the new wave pop song (“down in the park”) and some inspired no wave guitar and sonica instrumentals. for fans of current 93 and any beta-lactam ring releases.
fapardokly is probably regarded as the most important release in merrell fankhauser’s long career, and an absolute collector’s item. the band recorded about 30 tracks in a small studio in palmdale, california, from 1965 to 1967, when the owner of the studio decided to release an album with some of these tracks. with such different recording dates, you find here different sounds… organ-ized 60’s pop, jangly folk-rock, psychedelia… a truly fantastic album that finally gets, for the first time, a legit vinyl reissue and with the original artwork. comes with an insert featuring photo from merrell’s personal archive, and linernotes by him as well.
wasting time looking for the perfect sound or drone will take forever. as you spread your wings toward eternity, consider the majesty that is fathmount. this solo project from hong kong’s wilson lee (of new fairfield parks & recreation) is a barren sonic landscape. it pushes the acid rain back behind the city walls and cuts through the thick smog like a knife. minimal guitar soundscapes that float above the upper crust of psychedelic glory, only to leave you abandoned in their hypnotic wake. beautiful – 100 copies.
two songs which were performed at the very last few shows before deerpark’s unnaturally long hibernation are now available on the feather gatherers 7″ record. recorded by jonathan marshall with sharron kraus accompanying on banjo, flute, voice, harmonium, bodhran, twigs etc. ‘the feather gatherers are an ad hoc uk duo with jonathan marshall of deerpark joining the superb new-volk multi-tasker, sharron kraus. leaves/tower at bollingen (singing knives 7″) has two songs that are as swank a pairing of contemporary acoustic sadnesses as you’ll find in a month of mondays. “leaves” features both vocalists and the blend of their voices is like biting into the best pickle you ever ate. “tower” is a feature for marshall’s voice and kraus’s flute, and it’s another sparse haunter. file near iron & wine and play often.’ – byron coley, the wire.
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third installment in a new series of releases from ferraro, part of his summer headrush 2009 series vision. inspired by “visualisations that came to mind while receiving self-induced hypocapnia or as it’s commonly called ‘free fall’, the albums being representative of the free fall head space.” body fusion 1 presents a themed suite with track titles like “shemale”, “pregnant air”, “angel alien” and “species within” that takes off in multitopia’s transformative worlds-within-worlds style. cut-up throughout with pitch-shift sonic reassignments of she-males and transvestite phone sex lines that promise “fantasy fulfilment 24/7″ the music feels like an attempt to mint a form of holy/devotional reverie directed towards the celebration of the gatekeepers of the most primal, transformational sexual urges, with lap-dancing clubs, peep shows, strip bars and chatlines re-imagined as temples to the lifeforce. featuring some of james’s darkest transits, the music is built around huge organ drones that build to the kind of otherwordly ascensions of popol vuh’s “vuh” over which he drops in huge crashes of percussion and eerie music box melodies. – volcanic tongue.
fourth installment in a new series of releases from ferraro, part of his summer headrush 2009 series vision. inspired by “visualisations that came to mind while receiving self-induced hypocapnia or as it’s commonly called ‘free fall’, the albums being representative of the free fall head space.” this second volume of body fusion continues the first’s theme of body transformation, she-males and temples to the sex urge by combining massed keyboard drones, modal takes on 80s soundtrack melodies and disturbing, modulated phone sex voices where 1-800-shemale callers are offered dial-in fantasises over ascensions of percussion, cartoon voices and fleets of orchestrated dogs (!?). ferraro makes particularly profound use of samples of wordless vocals played on a keyboard, creating a form of sci-fi chorale that paralelles the themes of surgical transformation, hypnagogic implants and the desire to exceed and confuse the limits of the body in a form of human/alien communion. it genuinely sounds like nothing else. titles include “genitalia eclipse”, “data implant”, “de ja vu axis” and “clown fish prayer”. – volcanic tongue.
the citrac collection presents one of james ferraro’s most cinematic visions; showing his recent mode of soundworld creation in top form. by shying away from pure musical creation and opting towards the organic birth of sonic universes james finds a new way to tell a story. evoking vastly imaginative imagery, this 80+ minute suite spanning two lps, contains the previously released “postremo techno mundus symposium”, excerpts and alternative edits from liquid metal’s alternative soundtrack to “digital overdrive”, and the all new “digital tribe”. presenting deep-nightmarish atmospheres of surveillance and captivity on through the rush of the open road; the hypnotic, lo-fi result is one that could only come from ferraro’s alien mind, eternally stuck in a 1980s vision of an impossibly archaic future. in an edition of 400 double lps with full color printed inner-sleeves in pro-printed black and white cardboard sleeves and printed labels by james.
clear and discovery were origianlly released as two companion cdrs by james ferraro (of the whole skaters / lamborghini crystal / 90120 / splash / nirvana axis) and comprise the august 1974 (taj-mahal travellers) of his discography. both albums contain absolutely beautiful whirling hall-of-knives-style synth drone that makes one want to reference klaus schulze or bobby beausoleil. clear bursts with flam beats and a cluster of melodies muffled like a calliope wrapped in a soggy tarp, while discovery is comparable to daft punk’s album of the same name but played in reverse at 16 rpm through a boombox in a boiler room. these two records contain the sounds of pulling out with tapping beats of fluid dropped on a soft convertible top (open), much like those fictitious giorgio moroder songs for the upcoming olympics in atlantis or a reworking of that award-winning song from revenge of the nerds-or is it “wonderwall”-into a theme for a future ski jump at the great pyramids. are you ready for the lizard people to compete? now available as mastered vinyl lps with a digital download.
clear and discovery were origianlly released as two companion cdrs by james ferraro (of the whole skaters / lamborghini crystal / 90120 / splash / nirvana axis) and comprise the august 1974 (taj-mahal travellers) of his discography. both albums contain absolutely beautiful whirling hall-of-knives-style synth drone that makes one want to reference klaus schulze or bobby beausoleil. clear bursts with flam beats and a cluster of melodies muffled like a calliope wrapped in a soggy tarp, while discovery is comparable to daft punk’s album of the same name but played in reverse at 16 rpm through a boombox in a boiler room. these two records contain the sounds of pulling out with tapping beats of fluid dropped on a soft convertible top (open), much like those fictitious giorgio moroder songs for the upcoming olympics in atlantis or a reworking of that award-winning song from revenge of the nerds — or is it “wonderwall” — into a theme for a future ski jump at the great pyramids. are you ready for the lizard people to compete? now available as mastered vinyl lps with a digital download.
latest installment of barbiturate-bombed muscled flexing and body worship/horror from long-term alternate james ferraro identity, edward flex. grotesque huffing voices, the sound of pumping iron and choruses of meathead grunts combine with slow, hypnotic keyboard tones to create the ultimate steroid-enhanced transformation scenario with drones that go so far beyond the physical as to sound like the songs of solitary cells destroyed and re-born in the furnace of mutation and evolution. massively psychedelic and totally deranged. comes in a plastic case with original black and white art. “what’s up people this is edward flex here in my brand new studio in beautiful hawaii . come and join us as we waste some metal. in the arena of chrome wave reflection life meets the ultimate rush, of the ocean spray moisturizing our ripped tanned flesh. so come escape with us and enter the dream. extreme metal retreat awaits. you think you had enough? don’t even think about it! let the transformation begin! – volcanic tongue.
third limited double set in a series of three volumes self-released by james ferraro of the skaters documenting his exploration of inner/outer sci-fi landscapes populated by cyborg lizard deities. flushpipe is a staggering two disc set that features cover art showing the view down to the pyramids from a hovering ufo filled with cryogenically-preserved aliens and titles like “skyhanger”, “flush stream of sting ray blue grid” and “awesome motion”. the imagery combines weird frank herbert-styled desert planet vistas with the kind of ophidian power visioning of kenneth grant’s nightside narratives while the sonics stretch the length of ferraro’s career. the sound is james’ most convincing amalgam of classic skaters-styled vertical ritual with murky tape psych, ecstatic new age keyboard visions and post-multitopia future/primitive 1980s computer game reverie. there are dense fields of bell tones that sound like john coltrane’s ascension broadcast via a shortwave radio at the bottom of a wind tunnel, gorgeous keyboard hymnals that hover over a bunch of simple, primal patterns ala harmonia/cluster and heavy vocals from that are quite unlike any of his previous work, combining bursts of aggression with possessed reptile tongues and oracular insect voices. one of ferraro’s most mind-bogglingly sustained transits of other states of there. highly recommended. – volcanic tongue.
‘in chameleon ballet, i wanted to create a work of magic that simulates a dream atmosphere of post-industrial landscapes, with the waking memory of a romantic alien encounter occurring in the dream. dedicated to the mystery of night and the magic of dreams’ –james ferraro. ‘debut limited edition album by this new sci-fi synth project by james ferraro of the skaters et al., with 1980s minimal wave moves bisected by the kinda keyboard patterns you might’ve found on an edgar froese solo album or post-body love klaus schulze, then exploded with barbarous invocations, syruped-vocals and some black drone atmospherics. or, as the cover art suggests, urban landscapes as visioned by showroom dummies illuminated under 3 a.m. neon. another killer.’ –david keenan. remastered and expanded version of the cd-r release on new age discs — this has an additional previously-unreleased track. limited edition of 425 copies. black & white printed covers.
amnesia smoke out & prototype james ferraro makes his big goodbye america statement. side a is an “in memoriam” for the last american hero. a lost full moon features on the rise and decay of a man of honor and honesty. “twisted” ecstacy for the double thinkers out there. mic fleetwoods mindframe after the decay and abandonment of the survivors of the coked out mac. side b is the sound of clear, of adrenaline’s end. a tackle for all your engrams. a broad view on how it feels to be uplifted into infinity. uplifted into a vast clear sky of self fullfillment and a deep metaprogrammed brain activity radius.
remastered reissue of an obscure tape that came out in a europe-only edition in late 2008 on dreamtime taped sounds – the label run by lieven martens of dolphins into the future. this is a very unique work in the massive ferraro discography as it employs rock instrumentation in a minimalist fashion to dazzling effect. features the tracks “f-150 night eros at the highways end”, “blacktop tumble weed: empty monster energy drink can”, & “headlines (access hollywood)”. limited edition of 450 copies. includes a download coupon for the mp3 version.
new album from james ferraro of the skaters/lamborghini crystal et al., the first run ever presented under his own name. ‘multitopia is our reality system,’ james writes in the liner notes. ‘a post-9/11 reality technology in between the frames of data reception. a cross wire into ‘new head’ and necessary evolution upon the impact of the towers.’ it feels like a major work from james, the first fully-conceived album to go beyond his initial brain-fried 1980s nightmare culture documentation, reconciling both dystopian and utopian mindsets in a vision of pan as multitopia. body modification, the blurring of sexual persona (via cracked images of james on the back with a modified pair of breasts chilling next to an arcade game) and cyborg intelligences are all recurrent tropes in james’ work, but here he explodes them all, with some of the most aggressively-nuanced keyboard and drum work of his entire career, kicking off with a full kit sound that sits somewhere between industrial steel drums and kaoss pads, then building to an evocative peak that then dissolves into wave after wave of fluxing keyboard drone and oddly-looped vocal fragments. the gravity of the music is truly omnivorous, devouring drone, punk, new wave, industrial and minimal synth modes and spitting them back out as intensely detailed black and white visions of the future-now. james somehow manages to interweave vacuous tv announcements and cheap anchor man quips alongside the lucid, microtone-rich keyboard work, situating the whole deal in a virtual, godless netherworld with each track a further descent into hell. it is both beautiful and horrifying. a major work from james — no one is doing anything remotely like him. highly recommended.’ — david keenan. remastered version of the cd-r release on new age discs. limited edition of 425 copies. color printed covers. dedicated to zac davis.
first installment in a new series of releases from ferraro, part of his summer headrush 2009 series vision. inspired by “visualisations that came to mind while receiving self-induced hypocapnia or as it’s commonly called ‘free fall’, the albums being representative of the free fall head space.” rerex 1 has some of the endless, oceanic sound of ferraro’s landmark marble surf, with extensive use of fourth world choral melodies and loops of percussion. a themed suite of tracks that breaks down into individual ‘movements’, ferraro’s compositional logic is at its most complex here, with weird intersecting keyboard lines that seem to move in simultaneous directions while blooming into gorgeous lonely refrains that sound like a fading afterimage of terry riley hallucinating the 1980s. – volcanic tongue.
second installment in a new series of releases from ferraro, part of his summer headrush 2009 series vision. inspired by “visualisations that came to mind while receiving self-induced hypocapnia or as it’s commonly called ‘free fall’, the albums being representative of the free fall head space.” full review to follow. rerex 2 continues the sub-aqueous dream tone feel of the first volume but here the music feels more orchestral and explosively psychedelic. the second track is a spectacular loop/choral construct that is up there with marble surf and the final track on the skaters’ side of the california box set in terms of hypnotic eulogy, with wave after wave of poignant minor-chord lament dissolving into fuzz before ferraro steps in with some wild electric guitar, tearing fast, psychedlic leads from out of the tape fug. and it keeps building until the end, each movement pushing the whole deal closer to the surface before breaking the water completely on the final sun-bleached instrumental. – volcanic tongue.
part of the second limited batch of summer headrush 2009 releases from james ferraro of the skaters with full-colour pro-printed sleeves. wild world is edward flex visits multitopia, one of the bleakest and darkest of ferraro’s recordings thus far, as he ties up fantasies of body modification and hollywood stardom with terrible eschatological visions and cut-ups of recorded testimonies of members of the heaven’s gate mass-suicide cult on their hopes for a transport to heaven. his use of minimal musical fragments looped to infinity is at its most twisted and wrong, with obsessive vocal figures played out over leery keyboard parts and snippets of vocal that conflate plastic surgery with pre-lapsarian and post-ufo powers of transformation. there’s often a lurid, cartoon aspect to ferraro’s amplification of the various desires that contemporary popular culture works as a cipher for but this one feels less technicolour and more desperate, charting the apocalyptic fantasies (via elvis presley and michael jackson) that find their apotheosis in california’s end-of-land culture through a series of black magical workings. also features some of ferraro’s most shredding 80s/90s metal guitar. an extremely heavy installment. – volcanic tongue.
more archival madness from the australian fruited plain. ffehro is ian macintyre and michael donnelly, spitting out dirty dirges over a spirtual concoction. the ebb and flow of ffehro is much like that of a hurricane, thwacking you in the skull with a hurled tree trunk, but all the same cooling you down with soft, soothing rain. dichotomy, they say – that’s the magic. donnelly’s best known for his work in brothers of the occult sisterhood and terracid, but ffehro’s country drone madness is up to the task of pushing that lore forward. dreadlocked madness abound! 100 copies.
recorded during the last days of the reign of pope whoever the whatsit – one epic search for the sound that will undo the universe.
here is finally the album many garage where waiting for. this album is on almost all want-list we have seen but never showed up. a mystery until now, very much like mystery meat years ago. 5 guys and a girl recorded this album in 1967 in puerto rico. the album was pressed in usa on a private label. the musicians where fellow students at the university of puerto rico studying architecture. alexy rodriguez, who was a musician of the challengers and who designed the cover for final solution could not locate an original album to master from. many years later a well-known collector had the luck of finding a near mint original copy which was the basis of this reissue. really strong guitar and organ based garage sound, rough and beautiful at the same time. mostly male vocals, all original 12 songs, english lyrics. just great and so good we can solve another mystery – 400 numbered copies. heavy vinyl, laminated heavy cover. great moody teenage garage sounds.
guitarist, vocalist, composer and artist, svein finjarn can be safely called a legend in american rock. he began playing guitar and acting before he was ten years old, and in the fall of 1961, he became the first norwegian who played in a rock band with a fender stratocaster. in autumn 1969 he helped put together super heavy rock group jumbo with freddy lindquist, leif jensen and tore syvertsen. the group had two singles, but were dissolved during the work on their first lp. finjarn and jensen made the album complete with lindquist, arild krosby, arne kvikstad and grete christoffersen. yngvar holm wrote an enthusiastic article that was published by the jacket. briton john mills was the producer for the album, which came out in autumn 1970, and that could be placed side by side with the hard, progressive rock from abroad. one of the coolest albums made in scandinavia. the music follows a great underground concept and hits as strong a bands like blossom toes, july, open mind — a real british psychedelic flowerpower album made in norway… numbered edition of 500, heavy sleeves, 180gm vinyl with insert. originally released in norway, 1970.
one of the rarest lps from the exclusive mushroom-label finally gets its official release on vinyl! often labelled as folk, simon finn’s debut album from 1970 is actually more in the singer/songwriter vein but totally different to everything else you can find in this genre. with a couple of guest musicians (e.g. kenny elliot from second hand) simon finn created ten songs of an eerie, angry, unsettling and, if you hear the track jerusalem, even disturbing nature. shortly withdrawn after its release, this demanding album is nearly impossible to find these days so finally here is your chance to listen to this fascinating music. limited edition of 500… first legit reissue of this wonderful lp. recommended!
this studio recording deftly interlaces and frames the spontaneous improvisations of toronto reeds/guitar multi-instrumentalist colin fisher and drummer/producer jean martin into extended and dynamic song forms with results that range from delicate to euphoric.
one copy only.
aria nativa is more than paul flaherty’s third solo saxophone album; it merges rhapsodic avant garde music, patriotic dream verse, and mortality into a frighteningly pure work of audio, visual and literary sledge. recorded during a pair of 2007 performances, its four pieces capture lifeblood in stunning detail from foot stomps to gut hollers and crowd roars as flaherty’s free power blues dips into the well of wretchedness yet raises with fists of mirth. it’s the sorta record that splays naked the artist for all: equal parts wise ass and universal vision. from his early 1970s woodshedding through a dozen plus albums each with drum buddies randall colburne and chris corsano, and collaborators bill nace, wally shoup and sunburned man of the hand, flaherty remains a total wildcat — on and off the alto/tenor horns. for this lp his massive tonal craft is equally matched by ken hill’s gorgeous cover shot of a snow blown grave and “no more america” — ken delponte’s epic poem that spans nearly five decades and fills the back jacket, framing the atmosphere the music was recorded under. each 500 copies contain a download coupon for mp3 version of the album that includes a bonus track of “no more america” read by the author.
cover is made of ‘interesting fabrique,’ assembled wall paper and the inside jacket features 2 colors screenprinted. once described as ‘einsturzende neubauten auditions for riverdance,’ or to quote db, ’soundtrack gravy for a morning swamped in long conversations with refridgerators and short walks with a deprivation champion.’ sounds like: the residents, eeyore castraitor, melted men… edition of 300. awesome packaging!
official lightning tree version with stunning sound quality. among the crown jewels of sought after 1960’s american psychedelic records the flat earth society’s waleeco is a legendary album that more than lives up to its reputation. recorded in 1968 for of all things a candy bar manufacturer (waleeco being the name of the said confection) the album was only made available to candy fiends that sent in a few wrappers and $1.50. anyone lucky enough to take advantage of that offer obtained a beautiful psychedelic rock/pop masterpiece that took in everything from dreamy west coast styled acid rock, laid back sunday morning acoustic folk, driving garage psych rock and full on trippy psychedelia. restored from the original master tapes to its true stereo this 180 gram reissue in a stunning psychedelic sleeve, is the ultimate edition of this period classic that sits head and shoulders above a sea of re-issue mediocrity … highly recommended new england teen psych classic!
this is the first release of music project by new york writer/musician sean kennerly. eight songs of slow rock that has pop energy somewhere in it, it also sounds like the music itself has taken some type of pills, some sedatives, some mellowing downer of some kind. musicians: sean kennerly singing, guitar; jeff kish guitar; hisham bharoocha (black dice) drums; chris johanson bass. recorded, mixed, and produced by chris moore at stay gold and headgear. features art by chris johanson and johanna jackson, silkscreened by neil burke at monoroid. includes a bonus cd… awesome packaging.
hand coloured/degraded/overlayed found super-8 footage by eoin shea. four films made to recordings of michael flower shows from the fall brawl tour with sunburned hand of the man and the magik markers in september 2005… high quality taiyo yuden discs. digipak cover with paste-on artwork. running time 30 minutes. ntsc format.
the four aims is the much-anticipated second full-length by the long-running duo of mick flower (vibracathedral orchestra, sunroof, michael flower band) and chris corsano (flaherty/corsano, jandek, bjork, sunburned). in the couple years since their debut, the radiant mirror (textile), the two have toured and recorded frequently, expanding their range to include a mind-boggling array of free sound. “i, brute force” kicks off the record with the electrifying sound of flower’s virtuosic, heavily amplified japan banjo (also known as a shaahi baaja) over corsano’s free-wheeling percussion. other tracks show off subtle improv moves, with both players using extended techniques to generate a wide range of unusual sounds. corsano’s technical mastery is almost without peer in his generation (alex neilson, maybe)-his ability to take the lessons of nearly five decades of free playing and extend them into new ranges is startling and exciting. rather than play backup, corsano meets flower’s strings and organ head-on with his own drum-bowing, cello, and circular-breathing-fired melodica… wow.
5 live cuts from cambridge, uk & geneva in 2009. originally available on the flower-corsano u.s. fall tour. cover done in loving tribute to the co-op’s (uk grocery store) chocolate bar packaging… awesome!
processed and prepared guitars and synths with a visit in a quasar. cosmic and droning. new project of mason jones (trance) with friends. nicely pressed and printed on hand-made paper. limited to 333.
flying sutra is the new philadelphia-based drums-guitar duo of bob cozzolino and george draguns. while both men have long and varied musical resumes – from film scores to indie rock to avant-jazz – levitate and dissolve is their first release in this configuration, and it’s a doozy: nearly an hour of wild, urban-elemental art-punk/free-jazz that pitches tensely unwinding klang against whirlwind percussion to highly electric effect. we recommend you remain seated with safety belt fastened while listening.
our man flynt shatters the categories once again with this surprise collection of his short lived basement rock protest band, the insurrections, from 1966. let there be no doubt in anyone’s mind: flynt’s version of protest music isn’t your cultural-commissar school of folk posturing. it’s aggro and flynt is an unhinged showman on helium induced vox and the electric guitar (his teacher was none other than lou reed). imagine a mix of sky saxon (of seeds fame) with a dash of roky erickson thrown in on vocals, a little bit of the cramps’ scary monster dramatics thrown in for good measure & the swamp chugalug laziness of vintage pussy galore and you get an idea what flynt was up to at this phase in his non-career. features legendary sculptor walter de maria on drums, confirming our hidden suspicion that in every great artist there’s a desire to rock & beneath every fine gallery, there is a basement. photos by george maciunas. 180 gram limited edition virgin vinyl, heavy whiteboard jacket… we still have 2 copies of the original bo’ weavil vinyl version with glossy covers & limited to 500.
the dharma warriors was the elemental guitar / drum rock concoction of henry flynt & c.c. hennix. in 1983, the pair hooked up in woodstock at hennix’s rented house and let freedom ring with two lengthy boombox recordings. “warriors of the dharma” and “mount fuji on my mind” are classics of unrefined blues boogie & unhemmed stoner rock… limited vinyl version.
this is the limited (500 copies) vinyl pressing of henry flynt’s i don’t wanna originally released on cd on locust. he’s made his mark with his brand of ecstatic north indian raga inspired minimalism on c tune, the full bodied experimentalism anthologized on raga electric and the avante-hillbilly bumpkin fiddle joyride on last year’s back porch hillbilly blues volume 1 & 2. now it’s time to make a place in your heart for i don’t wanna! in which flynt shatters the categories once again with this surprise collection of his short lived 1966 basement rock protest band, the insurrections. let there be no doubt in anyone’s mind: flynt’s version of protest music isn’t your cultural-commissar school of folk posturing. it’s agro punk & flynt is an unhinged showman on helium induced vox and electric guitar (his teacher was none other than lou reed). imagine a mix of sky saxon (of seeds fame) with a dash of roky erickson on vocals, a little bit of the cramps’ scary monster dramatics thrown in for good measure & the swamp chugalug laziness of vintage pussy galore and you get an idea what flynt was up to at this phase in his non-career. features legendary sculptor walter de maria on drums, confirming our hidden suspicion that in every great artist there’s a desire to rock & beneath every fine gallery, there is a basement. photos by george maciunas… original first uk pressing. way recommended avant-garage psych!
in the early ’60s, fresh from his clean behind the ears years at harvard, henry was undergoing rapid ideological shifts: cavorting with maciunas and the whole fluxus bit, doing performances at yoko ono’s loft and recording with la monte young; having it out with his stalinist cohorts over the relative merits of a good blues run and searching for a new musical language outside of the various artistic restrictions before him. what he arrived at was an expressive practice he dubbed audact (auditory acognitive cultural activity). collecting key material from 1963 to 1971, raga electric is a 7 piece distillation of some of henry’s most adventurous outsider musical endeavors. the record begins with a bonkers treatment of the jarhead anthem “the marine’s hymn” sung in a thick tongued, fully untutored hindustani vocalese. the title cut, ‘raga electric’, is a twisted, howling fake hindustani rag with staccato untuned guitar and bleating screams recorded at his home just a few short hours after catching pandit pran nath at a downtown morning concert. the howling orgasmic yodel of a visionary’s self-posession and certain surrender on this 1966 c ut puts henry somewhere at the epicenter of the folk isolationist world of jandek and the ethnodislocation of the sun city girls, to name but a few. the side long closer, ‘free alto’, is a monstrous exploration of the ins and outs of the tenor saxophone. though it remains henry’s single meeting with the instrument, over the course of some 13 odd minutes, he finds out everything he needs to know about the horn and gets into some pretty hairy free squelch and squeal territory in the process. ‘i was just pulling sounds out of a hat and just stringing them together,’ he recently told me. as hats go, this one should fit today’s heads just fine. 180 gram limited edition virgin vinyl, heavy whiteboard jacket.
black vinyl with silk screened covers. limited to 500. solo tunes by pete nolan of the magik markers, ghq, vanishing voice, virgin eye blood brothers, etc. this is music from the american underground. the feeling is dark and fucked up and somehow sublime. a solid statement of loner home-made goodness. a pop statement from behind a veil of dirt… screen printed covers.
when we first issued this terrific album – twelve perfect examples of dreamy pop/psych released by independent canadian label allied records in 1968 – on cd some time ago, our booklet featured the few scraps of information on the band that we could find. i challenged “anyone out there” to find some information on this elusive and intriguing band, with the offer of a reward that would be “something very folklordish.” well, i’m pleased to say that someone took me up on that offer, and that someone was band leader tom waschkowski. he very graciously offered for this lp package (and the forthcoming mini-lp sleeve cd package) a band history, lyrics, some terrific photos, and best of all, a rare pre-album single that the band had self-released. this allows us to offer up as perfect a reissue of this album as humanly possible. the folklords “release the sunshine” is a captivating album, a notion shared by the many collectors world-wide who fight for original copies, which are few and far between. glorious sound, as the reissue taken directly from the master-tapes. bonus single is an exact replica of the rare, privately issued non-lp single, which features haunting, drum-less versions of ’forty second river’ and ’unspoken love,’ both of which were re-recorded for the original allied release. now, on to the presentation – the highest quality mastering and pressing (done at acoustech mastering/rti in california, the same plant that presses every title that audiophile label classic records makes); the resulting lp is housed in a poly-lined sleeve, inside an ultra-heavy 1960’s style gatefold jacket, which is housed in a loose-fitting plastic sleeve. the lp labels are replicas of the original allied silver and blue labels. a top of the line pressing all the way. limited edition of exactly 700 copies… another top notch vinyl reissue on this fine label. great stuff! recommended.
wirral’s forest swords make a textured, gauzy music as indebted to the liverpool region’s rich musical heritage as it is to the bleak-yet-beautiful coastal environment from which it was born. the result is something completely organic, sounding like a dancehall mix of mogwai’s more luscious soundscapes, burial’s sample-strewn claustrophobia, and ennio morricone’s spaghetti western scores. the record’s sweaty and thunderous dub grooves and cavernous guitar licks rub shoulders with r’n'b shuffles, dread-soaked percussion, and heady drones to create a visceral and epic sound. “dagger paths” consists of specially remastered versions of songs from the out-of-print cassette singles ‘miarches’ and ‘glory gongs’, along with brand new tracks. full color pro-printed covers and insert – also includes a download coupon for the mp3 version.
long established as one of the ultimate vinyl rarities (copies are currently valued in excess of £1500) to escape from the british psychedelic era, the love cycle was recorded at a local demo studio in the summer of 1968 by cambridge pop-psych hopefuls forever amber. also now available on cd from tenth planet’s sister label wooden hill, this limited edition pressing (the first ever legitimate vinyl reissue) features fully restored sound, the original artwork and a glossy insert that tells the story behind the making of the album. the first release on the tenth planet label since 2003, this is simply the definitive vinyl release of one of the greatest, most elusive albums of the british psychedelic era, widely compared to a garage band version of the zombies’ odessey and oracle… nice reissue of this great one!
just in time for chris forsyth’s solo uk/eu tour with es & ignatz and some autumnal peeesseye touring (see below)comes his new solo lp in a tour edition of 100 copies. dreams was recorded and mixed between 2007 and 2009, mostly in brooklyn, but also in glasgow, kansas city, and waldron island, washington, and features contributions from forsyth’s peeesseye bandmates jaime fennelly (synth on one track) and fritz welch (drums and vocals on another) as well as the trumpet work of nate wooley and organ, saxophone, and snare drum overdubs by phantom limb & bison’s shawn edward hansen. what you get: four tracks of free-wheeling minimalist rock balladry and anarcho-improv surrealism with a fearless approach to beauty in a deeply psychedelic landscape. and it’s all wrapped in a matte black sleeve, each one stenciled wth three layers of white, yellow, and orange spray paint. protected by a plastic outer sleeve, naturally. not bad, eh?
fuzzy underground album recorded back in 1978, and released as a private pressing of 500 copies… the band formed in baltimore, maryland by danny amburn, john holt, joe klimas, mark beyder and bob wells. their album, heavy at places, is full of fuzz-guitarwork with 60’s garage & british invasion influences and low-budget production (think of boa or shadrack chameleon albums) while a couple of songs have a wild and underground approach to rural rock. this album exists in a time warp. it’s from the midst of the first punk era, but sounds genuinely 60s garage the way no neo-garage band ever did. the fuzz guitars are everpresent, and the songs are pure garage pop and garage rock, rocking hard without ever sounding remotely “hard rock.” the sound is as cheap as can be, which only accentuates the coolness of the fuzz. despite some awkward singing, there are a lot of catchy melodies here, and i can imagine that baltimorians who discovered “nuggets” in the late 70s went nuts over this band. a few songs flirt with rural rock, but basically it’s teen-sounding angst, just as cool as their punk peers. – [am] taken from the acid archives. first ever official reissue, fully licenced by danny amburn and the band. exact reproduction for the cover and labels. it includes extra 4-pages laminated insert with bio, lyrics and photos. pvc protective outersleeve. 180gr. vinyl as usual… limited edition of 400 (plus 100 on colored vinyl). great crude private press album!
al (david) payne, (johnny) scarr pacino, and tony (scott) johnson jam it out like true gang starrrz. recorded in september ’07. strum, hum and squeak… chalk board screech etched with bling bling, guns, drugs, and all things old skool unfuckablewith y’know? total weirderess. blue tapes, and fucking weird ass black and white cover star scarr pacino, totally murked on da booze in shotingham… limited to 50 copies, and dat’s dat.
epic analog dose of foreign drone rumble…
monster solo debut from ray hare of century plants and burnt hills. ranging from meditative guitar mantras to blissed out noise to hazy melodic riffage, and covering most of the points in between, this release has fast become a favorite here at tape drift headquarters. a very tight and driven set, this has the conceptual purity that only a debut can have, as it represents years and years of preparation and inspiration. get on the train early – there’s much more to come and you won’t want to have missed out on the beginnings. edition of 50.
limited edition of only 50 copies, a brand new slab of squelch and crush from canada’s fossils. duel sides of metal scrunching nightmares with fucked up words and speech. comes with sleeves designed by pascal of stuckometer and a handnumbered crubby insert by myself.
this is the first record from u.s. minstrel-folk chanteuse josephine foster on fire records. graphic as a star is based upon the poems of the 19th-century american poet emily dickinson. josephine lays stair-steppy melodies beneath a collection of dickinson gems and sings them with a burnished soulfulness like the purple sunsets so often described in the poems. massachusetts mountains, pearled spider-webs and folk hero william tell, are all present in this unforgettable meeting of dickinson’s poesy and foster’s music, making a natural and inevitable whole. ms. foster is a colorado-born artist whose songwriting draws from far corners of the musical spectrum to form a truly singular body of work. her voice is sometimes compared to singers as disparate as grace slick, shirley collins or tiny tim, and it’s certainly difficult to pigeonhole her varied music. she says her craft is strongly shaped by “tin pan alley on my maternal side, rock and roll on the paternal side, western folk music by birth, art-song and classical music via my adolescent passions.” a personal introduction to graphic as a star from josephine herself: “as to the source of these interludes, i wrote them this past winter while living in this remote, half-abandoned spanish mountain village, a deadly quiet place with occasional interruptions of goats’ bells, donkey brays, and the church bell announcing the passing of another old neighbor every day or so. i had just a few books with me, and one was the poetry of emily dickinson. her poems proved such good company, that in a few short weeks appeared this ’song cycle.’ whether for the irony of distance and homesickness being 3 years away, or through inevitable kinship with this long-dead lady, these songs seem to veer more towards america than ever before. back in music school, i heard a few musical settings of dickinson made by classical composers, but it’s my hope to unite some of her poems into more intimate and intuitive musical settings, being so lyrical and transparent as they are.
previously released on cd by bo’ weavil recordings, now available on vinyl. this is colorado-based josephine foster’s (born heller, the supposed) debut release for bo weavil recordings, and her third full-length album. this coming gladness is transcendental fin de siecle songs from one of the great unsung voices and songwriters of our modern times. josephine foster unites rarely united royal realms: self-penned operatic art songs cast in freely-rendered blues with electric guitars and drums beating the path along with harp and piano flourishes. she has a voice that was trained for opera, but creaks like ancient mountain folk floating out from a dusty victrola. she surpasses any “weird-folk” labeling through the sheer timelessness of her songcraft — making baroque balladry sound new yet remembered from some not-too distant shared american past. joining her on this recording is electric guitarist victor herrero and drummer alex nielson… beautiful. limited vinyl in a nice full color textured cover. sure to vanish pretty quick.
los angeles-based fraction’s heavy psych classic moon blood was originally released on the angelus record label in 1971. only 200 copies were pressed, so originals are currently worth a small fortune. fraction, with vocalist jim beach, bearing an uncanny vocal resemblance to jim morrison (although he was singing on sunset strip long before morrison took to the stage), were often compared favorably with the doors, although their quasi-religious message would probably not have found favor with the recently-departed morrison. indeed, this rather fine record was once famously described as the album the doors probably wished they’d made! underpinned by guitarist don swanson’s superb ritchie blackmore-style guitar work, this is an album full of beautiful psychedelia, acid and hard rock, at once emblematic of the era, but not dated by its association. the five original compositions are consistently of the highest quality and the contribution of beach’s now legendary vocals places a stamp of originality on the recording that endures from beginning to end. monstrously heavy, howling, epic psych that is basically a must-own. a truly excellent album. featuring the original die-cut cover with colored cellophane, and pressed on 180 gram vinyl… nice exact reissue of this heavy rarity.
the fresh & onlys began in the spring of 2008 as a recording collaboration between tim cohen and shayde sartin. after a month of marathon recording sessions on various broken tape machines the two enlisted wymond miles, heidi alexander and grace cooper to help complete the sound. since then the band has recorded well over a hundred songs and played a hand full of shows on the west coast. “the group’s self-titled debut full-length album strikes a balance between the psych-fried blur of the california sun and an amp-crackling, four-chorded garage basher.”-chris sabbath (sf chronicl)… released on john dwyer’s (ohsees) castle face label.
when tim cohen told shayde sartin he was writing a song called “be my hooker,” the fresh & onlys bassist looked at the singer/guitarist and said… “‘there’s no way we’re gonna have a song with that title, dude,’” explains sartin. “but sure enough, he laid a riff down and i was like, ‘jesus christ, i can’t believe you pulled something meaningful out of such a stupid line.’” welcome to the push/pull dynamic that’s fueled the fresh & onlys’ steady stream of releases over the past year, including last spring’s self-titled lp (castle face) and this fall’s grey-eyed girls (woodsist). and to think it all started the old-fashioned way – with sartin and cohen simply hanging out after work, playing their favorite punk (buzzcocks, the mekons) and classic rock (country joe and the fish, cued up alongside slabs of psych from the group’s homebase, san francisco) records alongside a growing collection of empty beer cans. “i can’t really explain what happened or why,” says sartin. “i guess we listened to records until we were on the same page, and from that point on, we never stopped recording.” as simple as all of that sounds, the duo first bought a tape machine five years ago. when that failed to produce any concrete cuts, cohen focused on his previous avant-pop band, black fiction, and sartin split his time between session and live work for such bands as the skygreen leopards, papercuts and citay. not to mention his close friend kelley stoltz, who ended up releasing the first fresh & onlys 7″ (the limited imaginary friends ep) in early 2008. with so much music hitting shops in such a short time (sartin says the band already has boxes of backlogged tapes), you might think the fresh & onlys camp have a problem with quality control. quite the contrary; sartin and cohen are very careful about what they release. and while the duo writes and records the band’s songs, the arrangements are usually fleshed out with guitarist wymond miles, drummer kyle gibson, and backup singer heidi alexander. “if we take a song into the studio or a live setting and it doesn’t have wings,” says sartin, “then we just ditch it and keep the charming demo version.” the final mix of grey-eyed girls sounds like a natural bridge between the raucous garage rock of the group’s debut and the full-on studio record they plan on wrapping for in the red later this year. that goes for the galloping grooves of “happy to be living,” the shadowy post-punk of “invisible forces,” and the firework finale freak-outs that drive “the delusion of man.” not to mention a stack of hook-slinging tracks that nix any ‘clowning on bitches’ assumptions you may have. “we’re not trying to hide melodies or do the blown-out thing,” says sartin. “a lot of those bands are great, but i don’t want to ever cater to what’s popular. it’s not that i’m being reactionary; we’re just trying to make recordings that are as rich and ear-friendly as possible.” it’s working.
“second one to know” b|w “hated or loved.” recorded spring 2009.
both tracks taken from the super limited “bomb wombs” cassette on fuck it tapes. full color glue pocket sleeve. two of their best songs yet!
previously reissued on cd & lp by sunbeam, now issued yet again on deluxe double-lp format as well! vinyl mastering at abbey road studios, pressed on 180 gram virgin vinyl. long established as a cult classic and collector’s grail, fresh maggots makes its vinyl reappearance with the duo’s full cooperation. recorded in 1971 when they were just 19 years old, and fresh to the studio, the album is one of the best distillations of folk and psychedelia ever recorded. issued as a double lp, with a lavish gatefold sleeve, its second disc boasts seven tracks previously unavailable on lp, including their rare non-album single and a live radio session from 1971. the package is rounded off with comprehensive sleevenotes and rare photographs, making this the most comprehensive collection of their music ever assembled on lp.
extended late-night improvisations of passed-out fuzz, coughing, sneezing and the occasional slow motion drone. line-up includes tom carter, shawn mcmillen, brian smith, sandy ewen, glen nuckolls, stephanie demopolus and jonathan home. edition of 100.
from out of the great republic of texas, and a new side project from tom carter (charalambides), rises a lone star called friday group. in a seemingly appropriate gesture, the opening scherzo of droney solo guitar twang blows dusty debris across the speakers, as if a small sand storm in a remote part of amarillo. with wind wrestling loose gutters and flat chimes, the first movement is almost a weird paean to ry cooders desolate paris texas score. axe attacks hover thick and dragging in the hazy distance, strings sounding as if played a single wind at a time. jittery, slithery, prepared warbled tremolos flutter warm in extended notes that drip like old paint. if youve never had the pleasure, the later addition of harmonium and the further devolution of the guitar into howling halos of rusty hinges is virtually the embodiment of a drive through western texas. slow motion, spacious landscapes of thirsty air and lazy lizards – ultra- black packaging and 180 gram vinyl. limited to 800 copies. out of print.
one sided lp of looped/ live collage action swirled up into mass gtr/ drum ritual terror. far darker than previous fg stuff…. blank lp side is a blood-red silkscreen. shipped in clear polyvinyl sleeves.
ghost town is the first full-length solo release from parts & labor singer/electrician dan friel. characterized by its anthemic melodies, complex electronic arrangements and huge distorted beats, ghost town has massive universal appeal. “music-box melody shoved through the speaker cone of a subwoofer salvaged from the trunk of a totaled jeep” – pitchfork. the first 100 records shipped will be on red vinyl… all copies here are the limited to 100 red vinyl version.
more alcoholic rigormortis from these prolific belgian resin-scrapers. carlo and eva squint red-eyed at a table overflowing with wires and beers and slowly spit on their favorite cords and plugs. pedals short-circuit, power adaptors fry, carlo burns a pack of smokes, and eva giggles. this if life on planet corpse. the antwerp equivalent of the fag tapes/sick llama school of non-thought. scuzzy aimless bong residue spread across the inside of yr skull. very deathbomb-circa-2000/photoshop-looking artwork. – cassette gods.
homegrown insect smoke and far out grooves by orphan fairytale and audiobot labelhead duo. totally grim. 60 stoned copies.
long out of print.
if any one group can legitimately qualify as the ‘great lost psychedelic band’, then frumious bandersnatch are that group. the few tantalizing glimpses of the combo afforded by their sole release from the 1960s have engendered an enormous reputation. the subsequent fortunes of its members in groups like journey and the steve miller band have only added to the phenomenon. frumious bandersnatch were amongst the second wave of the 1960s san francisco rock renaissance, but they had no allegiance to folk or jazz or any of the other influences that shaped the major players such as the dead or the airplane. instead the group came together in the culturally-arid environs of contra costa county in the east bay, over the hill from politicized berkeley and working-class oakland, and a world away from cosmopolitan san francisco itself – key document of this great overlooked west coast psych band. extensive notes. 180gm vinyl. the cover is a blown up version of the great art from their sole 1960s release, their mega rare private press 7inch.
the fuckin’ flyin’ a-heads were a band from hawaii most commonly construed as “punk”, tho they might provide one of the more exciting links between a more typified conception of “punk”, and that of “noise”. if the a side of this hybrid genre is the final aggregate regimented elements of deconstructed hard core that harry pussy by way of magic band displayed, the flip is the excess of experience inspired freedom and recklessly abandons anything that even vaguely resemble “form”. perhaps the most radically mixed recording, ever (to the extent that you might wonder if they just fucked up, or were working with a broken machine). a completely astounding spin… their first review is a riot : “white noise this pure must take lots of to work to perfect. somewhere far away there is a 60s endless guitar solo, bass playing 2 notes, a cymbal being hit at a constant 2 / 4 beat, and a distorted voice talking. but mostly there is white noise, simultaneously complex and simple. it’s quite disturbing when cranked up. i like to play this record and watch tv. it instantly gives a surreal sense to the most mundane images. not recommended for anyone with high blood pressure.” ~ m.c. parker, damage magazine, dec 1980.
“allegory of the cave” is the first release of this young lad from the midwest and it is pretty stunning in its minimalist appeal.. layering piano and organ in long icy runs, rob adds in bells and light percussion to create a shimmering ambient piece over 35 minutes long. for fans of eno, tim hecker, and, of course, other fine phantom limb recordings.
everyone in bloomington knows and loves rob funkhouser. he’s everybody’s favorite hawaiian-shirt wearing party-attending, philosophy-spewing college student. most people haven’t heard his music yet though. rob is an incredible percussionist and composer and this tape showcases both of these talents. side a is an epic synth-based piece that could easily be the new soundtrack to chasing replicants through future los angeles. side b is a haunting marimba composition recorded in an empty high school gymnasium. both sides show that rob is extremely talented and is deserving of much more recognition. just released a cdr on ruralfaune.
much needed fanclub reissue of furekben’s 2nd, and rarest, album. original issued as a private press in 1971, in an edition of only 100 or less copies. now repressed and with much better sound than the original. original copies had only blank covers, so only the lp labels are reproduced as stickers here. acid damaged danish underground. musically its a stronger album then their spectator records debut from a year earlier. still quite free-form folk psych, but with more song form in the mix and some very cool vocals. a must for fans of tower recordings, amon duul, etc. highly recommended & quite limited.
restock… beautiful new release from tara burke – this is the first release on her new sylph label. the new album has eight songs and each cover is hand painted by belgian artist alain valet who also designed the insert. limited edition of 500 copies… wonderful disc finally back in stock. beautiful hand made packaging with fold-out insert. recommended.
another amazing release from tara burke!
a previous member of the band un, tara burke {aka: fursaxa} is now one of the epicenters and key collaborators of the north american free-folk movement, along with such luminaries as jack rose, charalambides, ben chasny and the jewelled antler collective. with her hypnotic, echoey church bell chanting, burke possesses a power-filled vocal sound that harkens back not only to those other polar queens of disaffected freakout psychedelia nico and barbara manning, but she is also akin to and inspired by hildegard von bingen, the 12th century benedictine mystical abbess. with the low drone of chord organ and farfisa, detuned ringing guitar, and endlessly looped, multiply-tracked vocals applied with heaps of delay, fursaxa sounds like a tripped-out medievalist perched upon a poppy petal. burke has an alchemical knack for turning folk into lo-fi, and then into sheer psych and back again, but more importantly, her music is pure humming narcosis… always a treat to have more fursaxa vinyl in the world! recommended!
fursaxa is tara burke. formerly a member of the siltbreeze band un, tara started her fursaxa project in 1999 after un disbanded. since then fursaxa has released six full length albums on the acid mothers temple label, ecstatic peace, time lag, eclipse, last visible dog, and atp. in addition there have been 3 self released cd-rs and a cd on her own sylph recordings. in the summer of 2008 fursaxa started recording her seventh full length record mycorrhizae realm at hexham head studio in philadelphia. this studio recording is a first, as all of the previous releases have been recorded at home on a four track. in addition to recording, fursaxa has played live music at venues in the us, uk, and europe, touring with bardo pond, black forest/black sea, christina carter, jack rose, spires that in the sunset rise, and brightblack morning light to name a few. over the last couple of years fursaxa has been collaborating more and more with other musicians as well. espers member helena espvall and tara have a duo called anahita, and sharron kraus and tara have the duo tau emerald. and in september of 2006 fursaxa became part of the valerie project, which was a live soundtrack for the 1970 czech film valerie and her week of wonders. tara really enjoyed playing with these musicians and decided to engage greg weeks, mary lattimore, and helena espvall, all fellow valerians, for her next album. greg recorded the album at his studio, mary played harp on 4 songs and also co-wrote 2 of the songs, and helena played cello on 3 songs. it is an exercise in symbiosis… limited vinyl version. awesome.
the transmutation of el din and jansch into the boiling earth waves of ogdoad. the light shines on the other side of the spectrum. no raga. 70 copies.
an angelic force, delivering a unique thrash-bliss sound to the world. sparkeling synths and homemade glitter electronics are combined with whirlwind drums, screaming vocals, and aluminum spring guitars. a fantasy of blindness cycling through your lungs… members of foot village, rose for bohdan, and many other bands. edition of 300 on black vinyl with minimalist cover… out of print.
21st century harry pussy scuzz… nice imvated style fucked-up packaging.
sacramento’s ganglians want an island somewhere where they can soak in the sun and prowl the canopy by night. it’s not often that they do get out, but they can get down for that. recording sometimes as one, sometimes as four it’s a real game to figure out where the entity comes from and where it’s going. first and foremost it’s about uncertain pleasures. it’s a bit like choose your own adventure. there’s “codeine balladry” a slightly upsetting tempo that is quickly flushed into an aural high, the next moment you’re in the toy strewn abyss of the bedroom and then out to the tribal caves of the natives. the planets align and the sun beats down, palms tingling, and you are on the island they’ve built, the scenery constantly shifting for a better view, of you. “all completely new songs. this album is pure naive headphone acid pop to drive to, at least that’s what was going through our heads” – ganglians. limited edition vinyl (500 copies) includes a bonus 7-inch. cd version to be released by woodsist.
sacramento’s ganglians want an island somewhere where they can soak in the sun and prowl the canopy by night. it’s not often that they do get out, but they can get down for that. recording sometimes as one, sometimes as four it’s a real game to figure out where the entity comes from and where it’s going. first and foremost it’s about uncertain pleasures. it’s a bit like choose your own adventure. there’s “codeine balladry” a slightly upsetting tempo that is quickly flushed into an aural high, the next moment you’re in the toy strewn abyss of the bedroom and then out to the tribal caves of the natives. the planets align and the sun beats down, palms tingling, and you are on the island they’ve built, the scenery constantly shifting for a better view, of you. “all completely new songs. this album is pure naive headphone acid pop to drive to, at least that’s what was going through our heads” – ganglians. limited edition vinyl (500 copies) includes a bonus 7-inch. cd version to be released by woodsist.
if you liked the 12″ ep and lp by these sacramento weird-poppers, then you’ll love this, their first non-split 7″. two equally amazing tracks, and in our opinion, two of their best.
sacramento’s ganglians want an island somewhere where they can soak in the sun and prowl the canopy by night. it’s not often that they do get out, but they can get down for that. recording sometimes as one, sometimes as four it’s a real game to figure out where the entity comes from and where it’s going. first and foremost it’s about uncertain pleasures. it’s a bit like choose your own adventure. there’s ‘codeine balladry’; a slightly upsetting tempo that is quickly flushed into an aural high, the next moment you’re in the toy strewn abyss of the bedroom and then out to the tribal caves of the natives. the planets align and the sun beats down, palms tingling, and you are on the island they’ve built, the scenery constantly shifting for a better view, of you.
sacramento’s ganglians want an island somewhere where they can soak in the sun and prowl the canopy by night. it’s not often that they do get out, but they can get down for that. recording sometimes as one, sometimes as four it’s a real game to figure out where the entity comes from and where it’s going. first and foremost it’s about uncertain pleasures. it’s a bit like choose your own adventure. there’s ‘codeine balladry’; a slightly upsetting tempo that is quickly flushed into an aural high, the next moment you’re in the toy strewn abyss of the bedroom and then out to the tribal caves of the natives. the planets align and the sun beats down, palms tingling, and you are on the island they’ve built, the scenery constantly shifting for a better view, of you.
new garbage from the young musical genious ryan garbes (perhaps best known for his drum and percussion contributions to raccoo-oo-oon). side a revels in redlined blown out drumming, finding eventual accompaniment from a drunken slide guitar fury, resulting in what can be properly described as the fucked blues. side b brings together the holy trinity of drums, guitar and more guitar into a kind of distorted raga with each element taking turns, trading fours, evoking an eternity of summer fun in the mouth of inevitable oblivion. sleeve and label screenprinted by ryan… long out of print! last 2 copies
ryan garbes is the drummer of iowa city bands such as wet hair, dunebuggy, trash dog, and formerly raccoo-oo-oon. his recordings under his own name represent a unique brand of solo multi-track recording with a seamless integrity; through a skillful use of instrumentation and recording technique, garbes eschews notions of low fidelity for songs reminiscent of traditional american garage rock produced in the haze of an early 90’s uk aesthetic. genuine pop songs, cloaked in a comforting wash of reverb, as if lou reed had done a record for creation; more ecstatic than obstructed garbes’ voice is a refreshing one outside the continuum of the contemporary four-track bedroom pop. in an edition of 300 copies with full color sleeve and printed labels by ryan.
real sweet new solo release from b.r. garm of visitations, attar cups, am frank, etc. if yr ears were bent by his ’acid skull’ cdr on time-lag a couple years back you’ll find a lot more to love here. maybe a bit more hi-fi this time around, but still whole heartedly home-fi, and just as full of crude, simple, and half cracked stream of consciousness song gush. totally damaged fuzz soaked folk tales of animals, strangers, love, new england, deep thoughts, demons, diseases, paranoia and just about everything else. nice fold around b&w vellum packaging, with insert & printed disc tops. on big blood’s micro label. recommended.
one copy only.
an earwig’s guide to traveling is a new cd collection of previously out-of-print and unreleased material by the southern california band gasp. gasp used elements of grindcore, power violence, psych, ambient noise, tape manipulations and down-tuned sludge to create a sound that will never be duplicated. they released records on some of the most influential punk and hardcore labels of the past decade, including slap a ham, witching hour, clean plate and deep six. this cd includes all of the songs from gasp’s split records as well as tracks from compilations and demos. as a bonus the cd features the first chance to hear the four songs from gasp’s unreleased “lepidostomatid” ep. 25 tracks in total.
this is the sounds of summer honesty and partnership, when biking across the city to sit in a poorly ventilated room to compare 1/4 reels is not such a clamorous premise. when the timing is right we can be very productive. these are primarily live to tape jams replete with found recordings, lousy keyboard lines, unearthed cut-up and cartoon bellowing set to delay hyper-warp speed. we don’t get along very well when it comes to making music like this. jacob has entitlement issues that have to be resolved, and so our deplorable attitudes towards each other’s approaches are resolved in a round of sonic posturing from beyond the grave. sounds a lot like penis envy, if penis envy was a flanger – comes in sloppy marbled watchshmacallit folding over another doohicky tied together with a piece of twine.
new full-length outing from torontosaurs gastric female reflex. exposing their vulnerable underbellies by offering the gift of song, as transmitted through the cackle of thirty meter bronze age jump ropes, and then swatted with limitless spools of tape culled from businessmen’s faculty tape recorders – very limited pressing in totally insane heavy marbled/screenprinted cover.
with gazheart, celebrated visual artist rita ackermann (voice) & the no neck blues band’s dave nuss (found percussion) created a playful spontaneous sound that seemingly bridged the gap between the broken pop sounds of certain strains of the no wave movement, sound poetry and catchy, otherworldly art folk using the barest of resources available to them. one time pressing of this special edition one-sided lp features an original etching by visual artist rita ackermann on the flip side. gazheart is housed in a plain jacket with two opposing drawings for front & back by ackermann.
hartmut geerken is an incredible and misterious writer, filmaker, musician, composer and big traveller coming from the south of germany. his musical work is unfortunately not well-known by the mosts: during the last 40 years he was working stablely with famodou don moye, art ensemble of chicago, john tchicai and many others, and in 1971 he invited sun ra and the arkestra in egypt, where hartmut was living at the time, being also the founder of the cairo free jazz ensemble. on this live recording from 1989, he’s performing on prepared piano and short waves receiver, with the collaboration of grace yoon dancing and playing percussions. “mappa” was a series of long performances (lasting usually around 4 hours each) the duo was acting on those years, and “mappa #9″ is the first released witness of this experience. the sound is a burning and explosive vortex of fire, without a single moment of breath. one-sided pink vinyl (some are sprayed!) unique pieces ltd edition of 117 numbered copies.
sweet new self released gem from this frequent alastair galbraith collaborator. very nice take on solo guitar action with a great primitive melancholy vibe. lots of drones, lots of strings. lovely stuff for sure.
just wild and free. virginia genta (golden jooklo age, etc.) on tenor saxophone and andrew barker exploding drums. paste-on cover art. edition of only 115 numbered copies.
what happens when two stars collide? an interstellar collaboration out of this galaxy! here in this new fantastic lp from virginia genta (of jooklo fame) and chris corsano (arguably considered ‘the last drummer on earth’), both musicians put blood, sweat, and lots of muscle into three new wildly charged cuts!!!! the album begins at sunset on a terrace in lisbon (summer 2008) with ferocious sax and drums escalating as the sun sets with chris’ incredible drum solo leaving everyone in a trance, while virginia’s vocals evoke the spirits of the birds who join this bizarre duo hypnotized, creating some of the weirdest sounds ever listened! turn to b side and you are in the streets of marrakesh, with cobras spitting at you from baskets, donkeys staggering past under the weight of gigantic loads, men crowding around cock fights, yelling at their bets under the din. then the final moment, with genta blowing like a volcano in eruption, and chris’ hyperkinetic drumming collapsing into pure maniacal machine-gun destruction! terrific! double “paste-on” photo artwork. limited edition of 300 copies, numbered… gonna go fast & a sweet one…
38:38 is the lone release of the george-edwards group, an autumnal alien soundtrack that, over thirty years after being recorded (but not really released) defies time and categorization. if you’ve never heard of it before, that just means it’s rare, right? this makes 38:38 one of the rarest private press albums of all time. 38:38 departs from the norm of the genre: instead of a low-fi demo-quality outing elevated mainly by dealer hype, it’s a haunting piece of music that offers an unusually highbrow take on the archetypal midwestern rock’n'roll existentialism usually addressed with a solid beat and sneering vocal. crafting their sound out of the many influences of the day, edward balian and ray george created pop music with acoustic guitars and harmonies, heavily-reverberant piano riffs, cold sheets of synthesizer, bells and chimes. operating amidst the factory-charred grime of late 1960s detroit, balian and george’s first group was the garage-rock obscurity andromeda, regularly sharing bills with local heroes like the frost, rationals, and amboy dukes. unlike these groups, balian and george spiked their guitar blowouts with incongruous sound-on-sound experiments whose strangeness recalled lounge/exotica records of the 1950s. too heady for the motor city hard rock scene, they gradually lost interest in the restriction of playing all-covers gigs and turned to the basement, powered with multi-track tape recorders, processors and moog synthesizers, flanging and phasing heavily with space effects and backwards loops, leaving a fair share of destroyed microphones and tape machines in their experimental wake.
38:38 is the lone release of the george-edwards group, an autumnal alien soundtrack that, over thirty years after being recorded (but not really released) defies time and categorization. if you’ve never heard of it before, that just means it’s rare, right? this makes 38:38 one of the rarest private press albums of all time. 38:38 departs from the norm of the genre: instead of a low-fi demo-quality outing elevated mainly by dealer hype, it’s a haunting piece of music that offers an unusually highbrow take on the archetypal midwestern rock’n'roll existentialism usually addressed with a solid beat and sneering vocal. crafting their sound out of the many influences of the day, edward balian and ray george created pop music with acoustic guitars and harmonies, heavily-reverberant piano riffs, cold sheets of synthesizer, bells and chimes. operating amidst the factory-charred grime of late 1960s detroit, balian and george’s first group was the garage-rock obscurity andromeda, regularly sharing bills with local heroes like the frost, rationals, and amboy dukes. unlike these groups, balian and george spiked their guitar blowouts with incongruous sound-on-sound experiments whose strangeness recalled lounge/exotica records of the 1950s. too heady for the motor city hard rock scene, they gradually lost interest in the restriction of playing all-covers gigs and turned to the basement, powered with multi-track tape recorders, processors and moog synthesizers, flanging and phasing heavily with space effects and backwards loops, leaving a fair share of destroyed microphones and tape machines in their experimental wake.
florian tositti and jacob garret’s ghost brames brings a handful of magic mushrooms to the party. it is woozy music, as patterned as an acid high. simultaneously breaking apart and sewing itself back together again, “eagle arpegi” encapsulates the infinitism of the universe. slowly, the leviathan raises its head and sinks in its teeth, without alarming its prey. this is the true measure of great music. your blood will boil and your skull crack at its base, but in the end you’re better for it. because really, how can you actually free your mind when it’s trapped inside a bony prison?
debut release. dark ambient folk noise that hovers between awake and asleep. echoes sift up from the floor boards, voices delay in a dream… packaged in a fabric bag.
a monstrous epic that pushes both songwriting and recording techniques a step further. distorted noise & cello manifestos, big rock hooks, wasteland plain multi-suites, and glass & bells guitar clouds echoing armed resistance. lyrically focused and painstakingly crafted, this album expects careful listeners and rewards them handsomely for their efforts. featuring performances from over 30 portland music people including members of jackie-o motherfucker, dragging an ox through water, efterklang, and shaky hands.
thick brew of nightmare peyote vision sweat out by these shamanistic toronto players over one long week-end. a caravanserai of time-travelers and mystic smokes getting “way out” onto new psych-rock paths of expansion. first non-band released effort from this long-running fleet of heavy spirits. editions of: 55 + 44… dvd box packaging. features doc dunn from the mv & ee’s golden road crew. now out of print.
released 27.11.2006, limited edition of 61 copies in handpainted sleeves, features an insert, sold out… ghosts brâmes of the cerf are jacob garet and florian tositti and they play theremin, oldcrock, guitars, harmonica, effects, percussions, flutes – songs are played and recorded during different live sessions, july and august 2006 in france.
is the duo of the reggaee and jacob the “magick skull of noise” master : intricated jams for the sabbath ; praise the beast – future releases on the magnificientfoxglove and 267 lattajjaa labels… limited to 49 copies!
we will go ahead and say it now – we are lucky enough to be able to release ghq’s strongest collection of studio material to date. “crystal healing” is a massive collection of the band’s unique and mesmerizing brand of acoustic drone goodness. get ready to have your socks knocked off. like all of our other recent vinyl projects, this record has been wonderfully mastered and pressed onto some super-sweet sounding rti 180g vinyl. the record will be housed within hand-numbered heavy stock “old style” one-pocket gatefold sleeves and come from an edition of 855 copies. the jacket itself features some stunning new artwork by michael pare. “crystal healing” was be our second vinyl release to feature a special pressed cd (not a cd-r) of exclusive additional material accompanying all pre-ordered copies. the numbered edition of 212 bonus cds that accompanied pre-order copies of the lp contained two exclusive tracks (titled “pyramid merchandise” and “blue silence”, both from the “crystal healing” sessions) are out of print and no longer available direct from three lobed… another lifted slab from the burning trio of marcia bassett, pete nolan & steve gunn. very sweet and really done right production wise.
released 15 august, 2006. following on the heels of their fantastic 2006 release cosmology of the eye, ghq and three lobed recordings are proud to release the aptly titled heavy elements. culled together from a live performance in brooklyn (january 2006), the trio continues to explore the intricacies of electric/acoustic drones and ragas in what is their most intense set of recordings to date. for this recording the band consisted of marcia bassett (double leopards, hototogisu, zaimph), steve gunn and pete nolan (magik markers, spectre folk, the vanishing voice, etc). heavy elements churns with the deeply layered drones that marked previous ghq releases. while these sounds are present, this album differentiates itself from the band’s prior outings through the addition of nearly-tribal drums and a more intense overall aural atmosphere. this is music that, while blissfully transcendent and beautiful, is not for the faint of heart. from a one-time pressing of 1000 copies.
this brooklyn all-star duo of marcia bassett (zaimph, hototogisu, double leopards, zaika) and steve gunn (check the solo digitalis cd sundowner) have been killing it on releases on time-lag, three-lobed, not not fun and others since their debut in 2005. the extended-playing 45 (six minutes on each side) finds ghq hitting that bliss-drift stride, with droned-out atmospheres of guitar layers soothing your headspace into a fully-conscious trance. occasional vocals just barely peak through the blanket, and there’s definitely enough noise to remind you this ain’t just about good vibes. black 7″ vinyl record is held in a black art paper sleeve, with gold-ink offset printing on the back and a paste-on full-color cover. limited edition hand-numbered to 300; embossed for authenticity… loose 7inch from the tryst haunt subscription series.
limited edition of 300 copies in a heavy stock screen printed jacket. a zamuro is a dark south american vulture of great size. zamuro is also a solo composition piece for portable synth and analog filter. side a on this lp is a live realization of this piece recorded at the compound in san francisco in 2006 (mastered by lasse marhaug). carlos composed and performed this piece live on several tours in the us/europe/japan all trough out 2006 and 2007, if you saw him live in those two years this is the piece he performed. this was the most complete version of it that made it to tape. side b is a studio piece recorded live on a much larger modular synth, based around the same theme, but with structural and tonal variations not in the original composition. .this is pure psychedelic electronic music. cover illustration by megan ellis. screen printed at monoroid.
one copy only.
four-song 7″ by marianne nowottny & donna. 33 rpm ep pressed on cherry pink vinyl, limited edition 500.
now 3 tapes in the duo of glass organ continues on from previous efforts creating a sound their own. crackling prisms of guitar drone flow forward, carried by minimal tape loops and a penchant for abrupt editing. dreamy and dreary at the same time. these tracks were both caught live in the fall of 2006. color cover on white gold cardstock, individualized clear color labels. hi-bias chrome tapes in an edition of 130.
the sky done clouded over after glory fckn sun’s debut album, yielding this brooding and corrosive follow-up. the new zealand sorta-super group of antony milton , ben spiers, and simon o’rorke concoct a slow-burning behemoth of metallic shivers and distortion churn, dark enough to invoke the dread name haino. spectra is an unsettling mind-meld: spiers desolate soundscapes bleed into milton’s heavy drones, which are complemented perfectly by o’rorke’s restless percussion. group improvisation is the natural language of these three; even listing their solo and collaborative albums over the past decade would take way more effort than i can muster. suffice to say this is a stellar and unique record to add to their massive discographies. in an edition of 300 red 160 gm. vinyl records, housed in silk-screened, heavy-gauge recycled stock jackets.
kosmische musik from manchester speaking through hypnotic percussion grooves and splashes of synth delayed into eternity. cover by fliss horrocks, 90 copies.
throw mutations-era beck, the monkees, and gram parsons into a blender and you would get something roughly equivalent to tucson, az’s the golden boots. this is a double ep 12″ that is comprised of coyote deathbed surprize tour-only ep, and the ev ep, which was originally intended to be released on the trust series. when i received those tracks, i couldn’t, in good conscience, allow there to be only 25 copies. i feel that way with a lot of the lathe cuts i release, but this one was just too good! so here it is… deluxe, expanded release of ev/cds + cassette. because of the foul-up at the pressing plant during the initial run, we never got any of the “swirl” vinyl that i really wanted for this release. so, i ordered an additional 250 on pink and orange vinyl. and they look great! unfortunately, i had already cleaned off the screens for the covers before i knew i would need more. dmitri from golden boots suggested doing an alternate cover and including a new cassette as part of the packaging. and thus, ev/cds/tf was born!
an incredible instrumental jam in three chapters recorded at black dirt studios in upstate new york in may 2008 when the two bands met for a tour in the east coast of the united states. golden jooklo age and peaking lights melted their fluxes travelling the astral ways of sound and this is the postcard they sent us from the lands of future psychedelia. peaking lights released the album “imaginary falcons” on night people last year and have upcoming releases on ecstatic peace, not not fun, woodsist, and fuck it tapes.
second press of this obscure live recording, an ethereal vortex of electric moon-sounding mandolin and slow bass (luca massolin), spacy keyboards (david vanzan), primitive astral soprano sax and voice (virginia genta). atmospheres for the end of the earthly. handmade collage cover art. limited edition of 280 numbered copies.
document of 2 of l.a.’s more esoteric basement metal crews. gbe is a one-note highway to hell, with eagle rock expat nels cline stepping in to rip an absurd guitar solo. sasqrotch go for a scummier and rawer approach, amp haze, low-end lurking, and hairy drums. hand-numbered edition of 400.
two different takes on mangy guitar free form. gown, as always, brings a gritty guitar bathed in lust. always for real. chapels has broken near-beats and broken guitar. both sides, a gentle rampage. c20 edition of 51.
gown is gown is gown. we love it. 3 tracks of earthquake balladeering. packaged in a double sided 11×17 3-color poster folded to hold the gown sounds in mothering fashion. darryl norsen has created something both lush and arresting in his art for this release, ideal and deserving housing for this magisterial music. the guitar doesn’t weep, it sobs. edition of 130.
new 3 track 26 minute cdr from andrew macgregor. really incredible free psychedelic guitar strummz with vocal howls weaved in and out. andrew is also of the bark haze with thurston moore and occasional collaborator with christina carter of charalambides, so you know he’s got the goods if you ain’t checked him yet! limited to 80 copies with artwork by andrew, packaged in mini dvd cases.
ritualistic psychfolk drone – another unknown name and another winner from the eclectic 267 lattajjaa label: this opens with soporific layers of blissed-out folk – minor-key guitar arpeggios and murmurred vocals, then deviates into a more ritualistic sound of pounding percussion with psych-guitar trying to tunnel its way through the smothering thunder. the last track delves deeper into abstract noise: guitar-based drone / repeptition and vaguely industrial clunking. – boa melody bar.
this lp features members of the skaters, jewelled antler collective and davenport, all kicking up dust in a rickety old barn. a spontaneous happening, the few hazy nights leading up to pasturefest 2004 may not be easily recalled, but the christening sounds, emanating from a ramshackle farm in the vales of southeast wisconsin, are imprinted here on this unassuming lp. featuring an alternate b-side jam (of music pulled from the same session) not found on the cassette version. otherworldly and just down right cosmic! … very limited vinyl in inside-out recycled old lp covers, with screen printed art.
the second ep (previous self-titled 12-inch on make a mess) from this san francisco based all-female power-trio. the captured tracks guys can’t stop gushing about this band. killer harmonies, move meets neo boys meets jesse garon and the desperados songwriting. about to have a feature on pitchfork, put your order in before the mania starts. no joke. co-released with cape shok records.
two new tracks of brutal synth minimalism from jonas asher, the man behind grasslung and also the excellent phaserprone. this release finds him operating under a tense, fearful, and lonely sound environment, a trait hinted at on older releases, but i feel realized to an even fuller extent here. this is his first work off his own label, and the packaging was something that i felt was very important for this release in particular, given the peerless visual aesthetic the artist has already set forth; obis, letterpressing, diecuts, etc. all packaging is offset printed in silver ink, on metallic black cardstock. there is an obi, with 3 asymmetric cut outs done by hand, as well as a 2-panel j-card with more curved edges. labels are blank silver, and each copy comes with a blackened nail. edition of 100 copies on hi-bias chrome tapes.
new project from half of quilts and sleeping babies. tape-looped gutter-dub and psychedelic electronics.
rec. 2007, two side long tracks. bunny- cello, mike khoury- violin, zach wallace- bass, nate wooley- trumpet, hell- percussion, tapes, coccyx- saxophone, electronics, johnny coorz- flute, electronics. after few vinyl releases in duo or trio, this is the 1st graveyards big band effort. a fresh and new look on free music; the more i hear it, the more i like it… cover by john olson… very limited.
it was important we get this out in the heart of summer because “whiskey leaves” its familiar melodies and breezy instrumentation are the perfect accompaniment to your hot, humid nights. the duo of aiko koa and anthony guerra first made their presence known on a micro-edition cdr from new zealand’s pseudoarcana. “whiskey leaves,” though, is a different beast entirely. while on the surface these compositions feel simple, once you dig a little deeper you realize the care put into each song. this is intimate music. guerra sets the pace with layers of makeshift percussion and guitar. koga also plays ukelele, but it’s her voice that is the real focal point of the album. soft and restrained, even when you can’t understand her words (some of the lyrics are in japanese), you are hooked from the get-go. hours later, you find yourself humming her melodies whilte her ghostly incantations are stuck in the back of your mind. this is fractured pop perfection. “whiskey leaves” will be a welcome addition to fans of tujiko noriko, tenniscoats and the like. beautiful. limited to 500 copies.
ultra rainbow is a sonic drift of buzz, drones and melancholy provided by green mine, the newest project of emanuele bortoluzzi (aka kabu former of ent). the sound shift from ambient pulsations to harsh landscapes of amplified murmur by the amazing “green” omnichord… in fact the sound source is only that cheap electronic instrument filtered and delayed and gently layered by emanuele in his home/bedroom/studio colle666. each track grows from a static point of departure until his climax is determined, no matter when it comes, after you gain that point all is a remember and every track (or song if you prefer) has the ability to cull the listener until the end of the last buzz. this way of hypnotism is the secret of ultra rainbow, so we have only to let us mesmerize by this perfect flow. the art work was drawed and curated by green mine himself… limited to 74 copies.
the new generation of the finnish electronica, the first official release from this 11-years old wonderkid who is also a member of lamppukello. artwork by the artist.
over 23 minutes of fresh music by nick grey and english guitarist nicholas davis. les eaux territoriales is the first volume of nick’s mini-series unclear perspectives : each volume of the series will be centered around one or several specific instruments and will revolve around its own original musical axis and its own set of collaborators. all copies are hand-made, numbered and each one features a slightly different inlay. nick grey is a member of the collective 48 cameras, (which have collaborated with prestigious artists such as charlemagne palestine, gerard malanga, michael gira or paul buck), and his other projects include a new full length album (out on hand/eye early 2006) and an ep. nicholas davis is a talented improv guitarist from the uk, and nick’s full-time collaborator – very nice elaborate totally handmade packaging, including a small peice of glass mirror! very limited first release on this new label.
following the in gowan ring 10″ here is the second release in the time is a spiral 10″ series, which is enitirely dedicated to recordings made by, at and for the highly regarded radio show dwars@vpro. larkin grimm, who beyond doubt is one of the most intriguing and talented exponents of the contemporary folk-boom, entered the vpro studio in 2006 to record this extremely intense session. this 10″ captures the very soul of larkin grimm at its purest. truly wonderful and very unique! tracks: ‘entrance’, ‘future friend’, ‘little weeper’, ‘don’t come down darkness’, ‘bollweevil’… very limited, heavy vinyl, nice covers, etc.
horn of plenty is a nostalgic amalgamation of found sounds and layered vocals bound to thrill followers of animal collective, sufjan stevens, nick drake and the unicorns. while the album pushes the boundaries of mellow into undiscovered territory, grizzly bear is not sure if they fall under the newly coined “freak-folk” category or hte new-folk genre, but they’d like to offer up wood-temp or cave-core. v magazine likened them to neil young on cough syrup. for the first time, the full horn of plenty album is available on vinyl. 180gm pressing w/printed inner sleeve. limited 1,000 pressing.
a beautiful exploration in ambience and darkness by xiu xiu and grouper. this 5-song collaboration was created out of a shared childhood trauma involving some horror film from the 70’s. the recording is ranging from melancholic, cryptic passages to lush soundscapes, all the time with a weird cinematic feel to it. originally released on cd as a part of states rights records & slender means society’s pregnancy series. “through a particularly masterful slight of hand, the beloved rabble-rousers in xiu xiu have somehow convinced most of the world that theirs is a vision chiefly of bombast— of over-driven drum patches, caterwaul, and open-wristed scare tactics. the truth of the matter, of course, is that the bombast is really only half of the story. and what makes xiu xiu so special isn’t jamie stewart’s sonic sadism so much as his subtlety— an obsessive attention to every detail buried in his band’s overwhelming squall. the fifth artist commissioned in states rights records and slender means society’s pregnancy series, stewart enlisted masterful manipulators of ethereal noise grouper (portland’s liz harris) in a collaboration exploring both artists’ subtle sides. the resulting ep is creepshow— an ambient exploration into the power of silence and restraint. sharing a childhood trauma at the hands of a certain popular horror film from the 1970s, xiu vs. gru took this as a mutual launchpad to delve into the darker corners of quiet. the results are breathtaking.” – states rights records/slender means society – limited to only 525 copies. stimple stickered dj style covers with a tiny insert.
wide is the second full-length release from oakland, california-based artist liz harris (aka grouper). this time around harris adds a little more structure to the unsettling ambience that dazzled on 2005’s way their crept. these compositions are more song-oriented, and the spacey drones that haunted her debut have been beefed up with even more swirling layers of tape hiss, sputtering static and harris’s ghostlike vocals. harris has also collaborated with the folks in free porcupine society ensemble 7 year rabbit cycle on the fantastic ache horns and appeared at wire magazine’s 2006 wire fest… very last copies of the original pressing of this great one, now out of print. recommended.
wide is the second full-length release from oakland, california-based artist liz harris (aka grouper). this time around harris adds a little more structure to the unsettling ambience that dazzled on 2005’s way their crept. these compositions are more song-oriented, and the spacey drones that haunted her debut have been beefed up with even more swirling layers of tape hiss, sputtering static and harris’s ghostlike vocals. harris has also collaborated with the folks in free porcupine society ensemble 7 year rabbit cycle on the fantastic ache horns and appeared at wire magazine’s 2006 wire fest… new edition of this great album with altered cover art. already out of print again! recommended.
its not that the 1st track just sounds like cavemen summoning spaceships from the sky, the gryn brvs (pronounced groyne brothers) actually were trying to do just that. recorded round a campfire on a hill in ireland one night, the duo sweated out minimal chops, absolute ‘less is more’ jams of strumming and catatonic tinkling, sauced up with electronic drones. we also get a live basement jam and sweet closer that whiffs of atlantis. now put your arms up, and your brow down.
debut lp from england’s lex panayi who also plays in beggin’ your pardon miss joan; this, however, is his solo project, which focuses on psychedelic acid-drenched folk and dark grey area drones for a monolith landscape. the whole record blends beautifully together to create an excellent album from a relatively unknown artist. this is one fine example of current underground uk music which i’m really pleased to be releasing. this is a must for fans of early six organs of admittance, cam deas, voice of the seven woods and such… paste-on cover and insert, edition of only 300.
restock… this record showcases two very talented musicians in their prime. steve’s side clearly displays his guitar wizardry, while remaining honest and heartfelt. after several years with ghq, steve has sharpened his skills and it really shows. if you’ve had the pleasure of seeing him perform live, you know exactly what i mean. shawn’s recent collaborations with warmer milks seep through on his side of the album. bleaker and darker than steve’s side, shawn tells his tale through guitar, piano, synth and tape manipulation. it’s completely engrossing. with it’s many crooked bends and turns, it will lead you to a sort of discomforting fulfillment that gets more intense with each listen. edition of 500 on black vinyl in a pro-printed jacket with full color artwork by mary kidd.
steve gunn’s prodigous talent for fusing traditional american song structures with a raga influence is almost criminally unheralded. gunn’s songcraft is so strong and his playing style so effortlessly beautiful that folks should be shouting his name from every tall building and mountaintop. it is with such high esteem for the man’s work that three lobed recordings is humbled by the association and thrilled to announce the release of boerum palace by steve gunn. without any doubt, boerum palace is a staggering accomplishment and is certainly gunn’s most assured and confident work to date. native philadelphian gunn has been a stalwart of the american experimental scene for closing in on a decade. he is known by many for his contributions as one half of the core duo behind ghq (with marcia bassett) as well as for his many other affiliations with underground luminaries such as tom carter, the magik markers and marc orleans. gunn has slowly cultivated his own solo work alongside his other obligations and involvements. after a few early cdr and cassette releases under the moniker “moongang,” gunn gravitated towards performing and releasing music in his own name, culminating in the exceptional sundowner (digitalis industries, 2008). sundowner was, to that point, the most potent burst of gunn’s songwriting abilities and remarkable playing abilities. following sundowner, gunn bunkered down to further hone his songwriting and boerum palace represents the overwhelming products of that effort. boerum palace represents steve gunn’s first full-length release on vinyl and second album. the album starts off with a headlong rush into the hypnotic “mr. franklin” (a downloadable mp3 of which can be found here). gunn’s fluid playing style, especially as portrayed withing this track, provides ample space for the development of infectious musical themes. the track ends in a dextrous duel between gunn’s guitar and guest marc orleans’ (of d. charles speer & the helix, sunburned hand of the man) vicious pedal steel. the album mixes gunn’s long-form blues / raga / psych explorations alongside briefer cuts that equally display his songcraft. these tracks, such as “variation ii” and “jadin’s dream,” demonstrate that gunn is equally confident with shorter or longer compositions. gunn’s voice is joined by an ethereal turn from the vanishing voice’s heidi diehl on the album’s central and haunting “house of knowledge.” the track opens with a building central guitar theme. this theme allows gunn to layer on further guitar explorations. the tone set by these musical themes builds into the duo’s vocal delivery that delivers volumes despite being uttered in gentle tones. other highlights include “cryin’ eyes,” an inspired reworking of j.j. cale’s “crying eyes” featuring backing instrumentation from marc orleans, and the richly textured album finale “mustapha’s exit.” boerum palace is pressed on 180g rti vinyl and housed within an old-style stoughton sleeve bearing new original artwork from mike pare and some of gunn’s photography. the album will be accompanied by a download coupon for high quality drm-free mp3s of the album. boerum palace is from a one-time pressing of 823 copies… all copies here are accompanied by a glass-mastered cd titled too early for the hammer (tlr-074) presenting new, scarce and previously unheard gunn material that is not available separately… recommended!
odd colored carpet of bizarre 3d fields dominate the bright and lurid psychedelic forests you’ll have to run thru to grab a mug a brew at the end of the trip! hop on the back of a giant pink elephant and let go, eventually follow his tiny dick-like tail if u are too small to climb up this pink turt in space! but do give it a try and check out what’s left? thats right: nothing! just a puddle of restless throbbing poop in different colours. the elephant turns out to be a puddle as well and the sounds you’re hearing are all on the most psychedelic hair police lp so far! this is definitely way different then any of their other recordings, way more high bliss, blown out delayed voice and hardly any harshness. originally recorded as a hair police radio special for radio centraal in antwerp! thick black and neon blue eye destructive cover design and a psychic laser etch on the b-side of this 180 grams wax!
exact reissue of this totally obscure late 60s dutch beat psych album. two covers from the hair musical, but beyond that its all fuzzy psych go-go beat action. nice, cheap, and very limited.
hall of fame is back with three atonal campfire songs. dan and samara split the vocal duties on their first pop outing. this single reveals a more song-based side to the band. whatever it lacks in drone, it provides with rock and hook. the two color screen-printed jackets were done by wiggly printing (brooklyn, ny) edition of 500 – long out of print & very sweet.
unknown to most ’60s/’70s collectors until its discovery a few years ago, this is the beyond rare second album released by loner/downer folk legend dave bixby, recorded around 1969, the same year as his first one, the now-famous ode to quetzalcoatl. musically, second coming is equally as good and very similar to the first one, but this time the recording took place in a professional studio, so the sound is improved. bixby is joined by brian macinness on guitar, sandy johnson on vocals and don degraaf on bass and production duties. don was in fact leader of the, in the end, destructive religious cult known as “the group” or “the movement,” of which bixby and brian were part of. the sound is more up-front and the songs are slightly optimistic compared to the ones on ode to quetzalcoatl, and there’s plenty of acoustic 12-string raga guitars and harmony male/female vocals. the lyrics deal with cosmic imagery, psychedelics and religious/biblical references, but this goes much deeper than any xian record you’ve ever heard — titles such as “cosmic energy,” “time to clear your mind,” “rainbow,” and “circus world” point towards some sort of new age/post-revelations utopian consciousness. reissued for the first time under license from dave bixby himself, and carefully remastered from a clean vinyl (no master tapes exist) at shadoks music studios. includes an insert with extensive and detailed liner notes by matvei procak — the guy who found bixby in 2006 — plus some rare pictures. also includes a free mp3 download code… recommended.
this first album of the turkish band hardal (mustard) with the title nasil? ze raman? (where from? where to?) was recorded in turkey in 1979 by sikri yiksel (guitar), aydin sencan (bass), cahit kukul (guitar) and sedat avci (drums). the band was only known by a very small insider-group, but those fans just adored hardal. the secret of hardal’s small popularity is that in 1979 the turkish rock scene was comatose. cem karaca left to germany, erkin koray moved to canada, edip akbayram got stuck because of his political ambitions. only baris mancho was still on the road. to start a new band was tough in turkey. hardal also recorded 2 albums later. the music is the best turkish progressive underground you can think of. filled with guitars, synth sounds, great eastern vibe vocals and harmonies, pumping rhythms. as good as the best koray tracks for sure. this album was never reissued before, so we are sort of proud to present it to most people for the first time. from turkey, 1978. edition of 500 numbered lps, glossy heavy sleeve, 180gm pressing, with insert.
originally issued as a series of three micro-edition cdrs by wooden wand hassara, “backyard i-iii” presents the majority of this scarce material in one easily handled package. since no more than 100 copies exist of any of the individual original issue cdrs, there are a lot of folks who have not yet been blown away by hassara’s largely instrumental electric guitar blues drone. spin this disc, grab a cold one and let the good times flow. this cd is from a one-time pressing of 500 copies and features some super-intense new artwork by robert beatty (hair police)… already sold out at source!
debut release from the duo of chris and claire who run london’s mighty upset the rhythm label and promotion. deranged messy drums and squelched weirdo vocal. edition of 50 hand numbered copies.
recorded at the bowling green pub in manchester on 17th november 2008, when bridget was on tour with marcia bassett, this is a maximal 25-minute set of epic guitar brutalising and deep, moaned vocal incantations. employing a bow and ‘metal’ effects pedals, the resulting cacophony is orchestral in scope, rendering almost unreliable the memory of one woman and her instrument. somewhat akin to bassett’s duo with matthew bower, hototogisu, the deeply layered tones created by hayden offer, upon first exposure, a somewhat icy auditory experience, but as the recording settles in, the richness and sheer breadth of sound wraps around you like a feather quilt and shifts your perception almost 180 degrees. a truly magnificent set from this former vibracathedral orchestra member that cements her reputation as far more than that alone.
the legendary, one and only chicago psychedelic garage sounds of haymarket square come to the void. just a 700 press on black vinyl, glossy pink cover and insert, unseen in any other reissue before this. ‘elevator,’ ‘train kept a rollin’ and many more, this lp has become a scarce collector’s item today. originally released in 1968, the void issue will become the standard for listeners of haymarket square.
head of wantastiquet is the solo project of sunburned hand of the man’s paul labrecque. this is the long awaited follow-up to paul’s debut cassette release on open mouth. this lp is luscious and layered with psych banjo based pieces spread over 12 tracks. i’d compare it to a cross between daniel higgs and doc boggs sans vocals. a truly beautiful record which comes in a screenprinted double sided sleeve sleeve in a one time edition of 500… recommended!
lunes is the second album by the texas psychedelic duo headdress. written in the desert but recorded during an endless new york city winter, the album is a dark meditation on americana. guitarist caleb coy and organist ethan cook sculpt a cold, expansive sound made ripe for these turbulent times. it’s the blues shaped by the avant-compositions of la monte young and dylan carlson. it’s drone rooted deep in the american tradition… includes download coupon.
nice new mystery recordings that seem to be an extension of the equally mysterious ‘whorl’ tape we had while back. lo-fi bedroom trance amp hum & softly modulated feedback. way limited & each cover it a totally unique hand assembled/painted piece of art. gotta love it.
i’ve been wanting to put out something by heavy eye of the sun for years and now, nearly two years after their last self-released cd-r, “iii” is locked & loaded. this montreal-based duo create sprawling, monolithic landscapes of sound, barely held together by the flickering of their voices. this is their most involved and evocative work yet. sparse forests of acoustic instrumentation conjure up ancient spirits that the duo channel without abandon. the hypnotic nature of their collective vocals lull you into a trance. bowed zithers and guitars drone and creak into oblivion. heavy eye of the sun suck you into their world and don’t let go until they are good and ready. this is enchanted music. limited to 80 handnumbered copies, packaged in oversized hand-stamped envelopes w/ two inserts handstamped cd-rs.
beautiful droning shoegaze-power-psych… hand made packaging. very limited…
wild collaborative lp by these 2 deep psych visionaries. one side is a studio collab merging hw’s pummeling psych-frenzy with cascading waves of io-keyboard bliss. the other side is a rare, unhinged live recording of the single time these outfits ever performed together…imagine hw with a freaked out lead singer. strange and great.
last summer’s cd release for heavy winged, blacc lust, flew out of here and really seemed to find a good home with folks. following up on that response comes the massive and dense blowout that is alive in my mouth. comprised of two of the band’s dirtiest and, quite simply, heaviest tracks, it is music for tearing down physical walls. in a small departure from some of our recent vinyl titles, there will not be a bonus cd for pre-ordering the record. instead, every copy of the album will come complete with a cd that features both of the album tracks in addition to a “bonus” 17 minute track. everyone wins! alive in my mouth is be from an edition of 647 copies pressed on 180g rti vinyl. the record is housed within heavy art sleeves bearing new artwork by michael canich and letterpressed by dexterity press (the same folks who we teamed with on sarin smoke’s smokescreen).
brand new three trax release from portland/ brooklyn based unit which comes on the heels of the bands recently re-issue disc, and highly excellent three lobed release “blacc lust”, comes three long playing journeys into psych noise dronedom. i’m not a huge fan of the press release description game where the label goes on to babble and make absurd quotes like “sounds like every band that has sold a shit load of records this past month if you combine sunno))) with your mamma then you know exactly how great this record is”. i’d just like to humbly state to me it comes off like the bardo pond brothers recording in the lo-fi high fuzz induced kitchen of the goslings. package comes packed in a double cover center opening sleeves with the outer shell being a vellum overlay wonderfully executed graphically by chase middaugh. single pressing of 600 copies.
very pleased to announce that after much ongoing talk between me and the band, blackest rainbow will be issuing the very first heavy winged cassette. a total beast from this cross country american trio of ryan, jed and brady recorded just after a 4 day east coast tour in november 2007 at ryan’s house in vermont. the music switches between pure heavy repetitive riffing, drum kit massacre and shredding bass to more melancholy weird minimal bits, which actually co-inside with the last jam the band did before parting ways across the map. nevertheless, this is another totally amazing and essential release from one of my favourite bands around right now. limited to 200. pro-dubbed cassettes.
two new long tracks from heavy winged, following up releases on three lobed, archive, not not fun etc. massive and big-sounding stuff, but with more subtle and quiet openings and endings, and without ever loosing the abrasive feeling of being dragged in grit and dirt forever and ever. driving and powerful proto-psych-metal that manages to sound very much improvised and extremely focused and precise at the same time. both tracks recorded live, loudun recorded in davis, california on 6/30/08. strigoi recorded in annandale-on-hudson, new york on 11/2/07. limited one-time pressing of 500 copies. dual plover gatefold sleeve with black felt and artwork by twin vixen. play it loud.
fully licensed legit deluxe reissue of this completely unique slab of outsider private press psychedelia. long whispered about by the most inner circle of obsessive psych collectors, but up till now heard only by a lucky few. a true legend for sure, and rightfully so, as the bizarre story surrounding the lp is nearly as twisted as the music itself. ex-road runners drummer stephen david heitkotter recorded and pressed the lp in california sometime before 1971 as a demo only edition of no more then two dozen copies in blank white covers, then distributed it only to a handful of local san joaquin radio stations before the pressing plant destroyed the masters due to non-payment. within months of his failed attempt at radio stardom stephen was committed to the state mental ward, and that was that… but what an album he left behind… deeply damaged outsider/real people westcoast basement loner acid-garage-blues from a genuinely insane person, recorded at the very edge of oblivion. the sound of a last gasp at the teetering edge of the darkest void. a murky disjointed trip wobbling between acid-scorched un-reality and pure all-encompasing blankness… full electric band setting, but whether this was a purely solo endeavor or an actual band recording will remain a mystery forever. those close to stephen at the time swear he was already too far gone to assemble even a jam session, so the solo theory seems likely, making the musical deconstruction meltdown that much more disturbing. semi-tight playing disintegrates into meandering sonic smear at every turn, then somehow resolidifies and churns onward while bent deadpan vocals funnel garbled surrealisms from nowhere to nowhere. the scarily hyper-real yet ultra-weird otherworldly presence is as thick as it comes, and only enhanced by the raw/crude/muffled recording fidelity… not recommended for the weak of heart… co-released with earmonger records. mastered from the best possible original copy and pressed on 180gm audiophile vinyl. exact reproduction labels, including some wild hand embellishment from the man himself. heavy blank white 60s style art paper covers with hand stamped title. heavy insert with extensive liner notes. one time vinyl only limited edition of 1000 copies. no cd, no repress.
long time coming release from this towering breaker offshoot. like some total weirdo bluesy jams – in the most loose possible. most recently these guys were seen on the incredible 4×3″ cdr set on psykick dancehall, and also a split lp last year on upset the rhythm. limited to 100 with colour sleeve by the band. limited to 100.
the second release from the sacred harp library label (following the sold-out dr. ragtime 7-inch) is the stunning debut from extraordinary london based 7-piece hellicar, crago, lewis lloyd & friends. ‘chicken or pills’ is an utterly infectious barnstorming romp mixing folk, blues and riotous rock ‘n roll, like 70s richard thompson fronting a bluesy neutral milk hotel. flip it over for ‘the truth’ showing a completely different side to the band breaking out the ukelele, clarinet and three part harmonies. utterly wonderful. limited to 500 copies, packaged in sacred harp’s die-cut, letterpressed, silk-screened sleeves.
solo noise psych gush from luke of bird of delay. debut release on this promising new label. sweet pro-printed fold out covers wrapped up in a hand written and numbered kraft paper envelope. numbered edition of only 50 copies. instantly out of print!
i first got this master while watering plants at a local mall. every week i would go in at night, strap on a full body harness, lock myself to the railing, jump over the side, and go to work on hundreds of plants, while continuously flipping this tape over and over. the perfect soundtrack to floating three stories up while breathing in harsh chemical fertilizers and watching the leaves fall on the janitors below. the title track is one of the best helm tracks to date. forward moving phase shifts buried under blankets of high end pulses, only subsiding to make room for some of the most inviting tones this side of tangerine dream. side b’s hearts like broken motors is a full 19 minutes of new age synth onslaught. covers designed and printed by james livingston of black horizons. 12 were printed on tan paper, the remaining on black. black, high bias chrome tapes. edition of 100.
hematic sunsets is an alias (an anagram to be exact) for german soundartist asmus tietchens from hamburg. tietchens is a self taught artist with more than 50 lp and cd releases on numerous labels (nurse with wound’s united dairies, sky records, the mille plateaux sub-label ritornell, staalplaat, selektion, recent albums on richard chartier’s line label and a massive reissue series on die stadt, to name but a few). his solo works are mainly concerned with the manipulation of concrete sounds and (most recently) pure sine waves (on his mengen series) and their placement (assemblage?) in time and space. while his solo efforts are often austere formal works (yet never lacking a twisted humour), hematic sunsets is a different beast altogether. reminiscent of his sky-era attempts with rhythm and melody, the aroma club series is tietchens warped, almost parodic (per)version of lounge music. each record of the series is based on the sounds and rhythms of one particular (preferredly cheap) organ/keyboard, usually a yamaha product (this time it’s the psr 36). while the last club lp was recorded with several guests (felix kubin, michael rother…) and the 2007 x-mas 7″ was a collaboration with long-time “producer” okko bekker, “aroma club paradox” is another solo effort (collaborating with several fictitious anagrams/characters though). the result is a timeless and completely unique take on muzak using cheap keyboard sounds usually associated to drunk wedding bands or your grandmother’s home organ family music. tietchens elaborately transforms the cheesy associations into cold, bloodless, almost unhuman pop tunes totally lacking the sensationalism and pseudo-fervour of most music, especially modern pop music. limited edition of 500 copies in baby blue heavy vinyl!
contains the audio from jason’s ‘first announcements’ lathe cut, plus other pieces – we cut the lathe 78 for jason last year here at time-lag and had a few for sale then, this cdr versions adds extra stuff. great fractured noise/hum/piano cut-up goodness. experimental music that goes somewhere – from elephant micah member.
culled from a large mess of untitled computer music that jason had stashed away for quite some time, the peace drills cycle was improvised and edited together in a loose tribute to conlon nancarrow. employing the notation software finale as a sort of 21st century player piano, henn stacked, squeezed and quantized a year’s worth of off-hand, amateurish piano solos into several chaotic minutes of digital soul-spew. additional tracks, which sound something like sterilized milton babbit, feature the midi contributions of microwave background mainman will ryerson, as manually altered and tweaked into oblivion by henn, ultimately realized as piles of keyboards and drums. it’s a dense 30-some minutes. oh, and for the curious, the disc’s title refers to one of several aborted attempts to find grant money to release the abovementioned music, its author assuming that the vaguely jazz-based/new classical pretensions of the material might actually confuse someone into funding its release despite its irrelevance to any/everything. one such proposal was addressed to a non-profit that claimed to support daring and exciting peace/soc. justice-type projects. so, our maestro set about writing detailed programs for the six “peace drills,” claiming that each was performed as a meditation on a particular geopolitical/historical/social something-or-other (ex., “peace drill 2: journey through gaza”) when, in fact, jason really just wanted the scratch for nice pressed discs and a color booklet. the org didn’t buy it, but, when third uncle agreed to do the thing as a handmade edition, the name stuck… crazy oversized lp cover packing with all sorts of inserts & stuff. elephant micah member.
audio, video, and photos from an inscrutible battle of the bands stunt in richmond, in – low-level, breif and dense… nifty little color covers.
henn’s new release features pieces inspired by recent employment in the lower ranks of a flower factory. this is a cdr inside of a 12″ record sleeve that comes with a baggie of collages. the music is largely improvised. see for example the three tracks of unaccompanied yelling – more beautiful strangeness from elephant micah member.
december 2009: inspiration dependently arising; blows against the empire in one hand, admiral richard byrd’s secret diary in the other. days after returning to maine after three heavy months on the road, matthew lajoie (cursillistas) awoke one morning having dreamt the existence of a lost 1973 private press concept record about the exploration of inner earth and the advanced civilization thriving at its center. agartha; shambhala: the domain of the arianni. using byrd’s account as the thematic framework for the album, he feverishly poured forth a representation of the dreamt record, writing and recording the entire lp in a single 24-hour period – guided by sonic ouija. the result is a cosmic antenna with dials tuned to the planet earth rock & roll orchestra, obscure psych-prog spacecasts, and classic rock radio, all refracted through the dusty, cracked and scratched cursillistas prism. performed entirely on a borrowed thrift store electric guitar and broken microphone, herbcraft discovers the bitter water of agartha was birthed in the now to scatter the seeds of agartha’s message in our aquarian dark age.
both carolyn hester coalition albums are fine examples of u.s. west coast-style hippie fuzz psychedelic folk rock, like neighb’rhood children, birmingham sunday and similar outfits. they were recorded in 1969 and 1970 on the metromedia label and are considered to be a must have for u.s. dreamy folk-psych music collectors. first ever reissue on vinyl. limited edition, deluxe 180 gram vinyl, exact reproduction of the original first pressing.
must have for u.s. dreamy folk psych music collectors. first ever reissue on vinyl. limited edition, deluxe 180 gram vinyl, exact reproduction of the original first pressing.
hevoset is the duo of two of the most enigmatic individuals of the finnish underground, namely jan anderzen and jani hirvonen, both hailing from tampere. anderzen is ringleader of a mysterious multitudinous beast known as kemialliset ystevet (fonal records), a part-time member of avarus and islaja and records solo as tomutonttu (ultra exzema, beta-lactam ring records) with a new album coming out on dekorder this year (hopefully). hirvonen is best-known under his uton monicker with two lp’s on dekorder and a stream of releases on last visible dog, digitalis, ruralfauna, jewelled antler, pseudo arcana and his own ikuisuus label. while most one-off meetings between so-called experimental and improvising musicians often sound like bad excuses for a few beers and endless jams this is quite the opposite – a heavy weight championship finale of two like-minded whizkids cross-fertilizing each other with idea after idea, leading to some of the weirdest and quixotic recordings you will have heard of the two. everything you loved about kemialliset ystevet, uton and tomutonttu is contained in hevoset…..and more. rural psychedelia, out-of-tune plucked and strummed strings, overloaded organs and effect pedals, jani hirvonen’s sweet wordless vocals, ecstatic improvised drone collages, bells, backward loops, jungle percussion and tons of unidentifiable sounds and noises shaped into tight 4 – 6 minute tracks…. awesome.
limited/numbered edition of 1000 copies from ages ago. nice stamped & di-cut chipboard cover & cool splater vinyl. out of print. one copy only.
nice looking picture disc version of their 2001 debut. hand painted card insert, numbered edition of 650 copies.
lp version of the music will be limited to 1,000 copies worldwide and sold separately from the book. covers are silkscreened with his art… last copies of this great one. with xerox booklet.
daniel higgs is a musician and artist from baltimore, maryland, who has been a contributor to the independent art and music community for nearly 3 decades. his artistic work ranges from musical records to books of poetry to visual collections of his drawing, painting and collage work. higgs is known primarily for his work as the sole lyricist and frontman of the band lungfish, a four-piece juggernaut who has released over 10 full lengths in their 20+ year career. in recent years, higgs has released a number of solo outings including the record / book combination atomic yggdrasil tarot. on much of his solo work, higgs uses very varied instrumentation, including acoustic and electric guitar, upright pianos, banjo and jews harp, and generally records entirely at home on cassette recorder. higgs has always worked in the mediums of music and art simultaneously, and for his artist music journal higgs mined his archives and notebooks from the past 10+ years. the original works were photographed to scale… beautiful stuff.
in recent years, higgs has released a number of solo outings that can only be described as the ultimate in isolation, worlds away from the hypnotic, communal rock of his band, lungfish. higgs follows up the 2007 album/book release atomic yggdrasil tarot with his new double album say god. say god is an album of gospel songs and poems as presently received by this daniel higgs. recorded with the help and enthusiasm of david andrew sitek, who graciously provided this daniel higgs with an environment in which to prosper and enjoy the adventure of recording, or, if you will, the ensnaring of songs as they migrate through time and mind, that they might be heard many places at once, with the singer absent. song seeds cast abroad, that their message, the advent of the songway, the way across, might take root, twist and fruit, light for all. it is the simple hope of this daniel higgs that the album say god may be of any use to the listener, may serve the listener, may accompany the listener in clairaudient fellowship… limited gatefold vinyl version with insert.
january is always time for new beginnings and sewing the seeds for the year to come and i can think of no better way to start things off than with this massive, dusty blast from san francisco duo, higuma. comprised of barn owl’s evan caminiti and lisa mcgee. like a phoenix from the shambles, “den of spirits” comes from a place buried deep and forgotten. these are sonic explorations steeped in the sound of the earth’s core. caminiti and mcgee have concocted an epic brew of dirt-stained drones. higuma first showed their faces on their debut cdr on the great root strata label, but “den of spirits” shows them as a band evolving and more mature. basic, tribal percussion underpins the scorchers as they soar. “the ocelot” is a short, concise epic that bleeds in mid-air, stuck like a fading star resigned to a cold, desolate fate. caminiti and mcgee’s voices echo through the dense, rich space they’ve created flowing perfectly into the contemplative loneliness of “hexed and vexed.” this certainly is not child’s play. the flipside adds tinges of hope to the mix, piercing the murk with a cascade of ultraviolet. again, it’s the duo’s voices that tell the story. “sun crown” never lets up. caminiti’s exquisite guitar explorations are puncuated by the absolutely inspiring vocals from mcgee. terrestrial choirs never sounded so good. each subtle shift teases that everything will fall to shambles at any minute. it’s a carefully constructed, delicately held-together mini-masterpiece. don’t worry, though, because when you come down, you’ll come down gently into a bed of crystal clean air. stunning all the way… pretty sweet one. edition of only 250 copies, already out of print. screen printed foldout covers.
two sweating side-long jams along the itching lines of fellow mind-travellers sunburned hand of the man, astral blessing and dredd foole. recorded smack in the middle of bible belt country, inspired by the wicked deeds of psyched master rick and his friends who used to be giving voluntary castrations in their own private creepy sm dungeon.
hintergedanken is noise guru clay ruby and karen eliot (23 productions, totem, and davenport) cosmic psych/prog beast, much in the vein of ’60s private press killers such as yahowa 13 and frolk haven. hintergedanken spews slow, atmospheric psych rock that will make any psych or doom fan salivate. packaged in a digi-pac.
recorded by jai lil diamond and scott hirsch over a period of three years in various studios, lofts, and farmhouses in california, new york, and north carolina, country hai east cotton is hiss golden messenger’s debut collection of wayward sky songs and burnt houseboat blues in hi-fi. doc snock says: many megahits here. ashra gone country with three-gun salutes of “tusk” and the reverb plates of kingston. out on heaven & earth magic recording co. in a limited-edition, hand-numbered run of 500. printed on fully recycled materials in miniature gatefold with plastic outer sleeve and woven inner sleeve.
one of the all-time 60’s classics, coming out from the california desert of antelope valley where hms leader merrell fankhauser lived for a couple of yyears. this was released on uni in late 1968, and gosh it’s a killer!!!! flower power psychedelia, great all original songs, this is one of these albums you shouldn’t miss under any circumstance. make yyourself a favour and get one of these wonderful reissues we have for you, with remastered sound, original artwork and an insert with liners by merrell and a great photo from his own archive.
one lap steel through two amps, one keyboard, one drum kit, one chord. 17 minutes of tripped-out string popping and drum scatter on one side. 16.5 mins of scraped and sustained lap steel on the other.
we’re proud to announce the first-ever vinyl reissue of homestead & wolfe’s lone and excellent album. one of the most unknown artifacts that ever came from the american psych-folk land. originally released in 1975 by topo records. this is an official reissue, fully licensed by ernie bringas (h&w founder) and anopheles records. it has an exact reproduction of the original cover, label, 4-page insert and poster as well as extra triptych insert with bio and photos. two extra tracks are also included… despite being recorded at gold star in l.a. and featuring heavy session names such as hal blaine and al casey, this irresistible femme-vox melodic folk rock/psych delight has remained mysteriously unknown for 30 years. you’ll be hard-pressed to find faults with its mix of various late 1960s california styles, ranging from lyte neighb’rhood child’n top 40 psych over carolyn hester coalition/yankee dollar folk moves into all-out west coast acid rock a la ill wind. – acid archives… beautifully done deluxe reissue! recommended & highly limited.
casual late night camfire jams by robert horton and tom carter, with laidback appearances by natacha robinson, janet and mary carter. baked guitars, boot and percussion. on special request there’s only 40 copies of this one.
one copy only. out of print.
wild and eclectic mail collaborations from one of america’s most recently on fire jammers robert horton, and norway’s drone master sindre bjerga. both have incredibly solid resumes of collaborations and releases, what with sindre’s ongoing collaboration with jan iversen, and robert’s collaborations with tom carter and the mudsuckers crew of pete and gabe (of yellow swans), which also includes carter. ‘can’t go faster enough to get there early’ features a massive range of instruments and sounds, from multiple instrument based layered drone to down right weirdness, and total outsider vibes. also features hal hughes, lisa graves and jan iversen. glass mastered cds, limited to 264 in white digipaks with stickered covers and a small 4 page insert of liner notes. please note some tracks feature digital clicks and pops, this is meant to be there.
out of print. one copy only. edition of 108 copies.
reissue of classic robert horton now with new artwork and shiny plastic jewel case. again robert horton amazes and dazzles. this recording spans from 1983 until yesterday before dinner. it is so amazing to hear robert’s thought process evolve over the years yet be so cohesive to never stray from robert’s life vision. i never knew what visionary meant in the 21 century until i met robert horton.
robert founded the appliances, part of sf’s first wave of punk bands in 1979. then later formed the plateau ensemble in 1983, a tribal noise drone group who played in the bay area until 1987. from the early 90’s until 2004 horton continued to compose and record, but didn’t release any of it publicly until 2005, when he put together first light. originally released on the finish label outta (now defunct), in a tiny edition of 50 copies. anyways we’re all glad robert has opened up the floodgates, and i’m pretty excited to get to re-issue this thing in a slightly larger edition. edition of 100, photo/screen-print cover, inserts, black cds, heavy vinyl sleeves.
“warmth” is the fourth volume in robert horton’s archives series of releases (previous volumes on 23 productions, sloow tapes, & jyrk). this single, monolithic piece unfolds at snailspeed, but succeeds in wrapping itself around you like an old, familiar blanket.”warmth” is the most appropriate title, as these drones emit sonic beams of silver light. using only two reel-to-reel tape recordings and a loop, horton’s artistry is on full display. the fact he was doing this 20 years ago is a testament to his immeasurable talent.
one copy only. out of print.
robert horton is an amazing multi-instrumentalist/genius/alien whisperer from san francisco. he has worked with tom carter and an assortment of folks. 2nd pressing now available!!! robert horton is a sound producer of the highest order. when i received this recording i was almost instantly put in a trance. all of a sudden i was in my back yard on a mission – building string instruments triggered by wind chimes and tall totem pole flute like instruments that were played by the arctic winds. robert horton has a musical language that no one else speaks. he builds his own instruments and conjures an alien harmonic orchestra out of the instruments that existed before he arrived on our planet. in the last year he has released a slew of amazing recordings both solo and in collaborations (with tom carter and loren chase among others). this was one of the first of robert’s recordings to land on earth. it is now finally available again.
hotem is one incarnation of kheta hotem, one of finland’s finest. backed by the neverending talents of keijo virtanen, hotem is an adventure through cavernous echoes and enchanted forests. sparse acolades transcend through the overcast skies and hover above your head like a guillotine waiting to drop. this is music full of open spaces, and it is in those spaces where the true magic happens. sounds dance like fireflies in the lunar haze. didjeridu drone and walls of chromatic percussion bounce off each other in a soothing fit. hotem are quite the experience. 100 copies.
live in person collaboration of mid ranged feedback hell laden with raw human drones of cosmic existential turbulence from from matthew bower (legend of total, skullflower, ramleh etc) marcia bassett (double leopards, zaimph, ghq etc.) and dominick fernow (vegas martyrs, nihilist assault group, ash pool, etc).
green metal music, decanted collage of fuzzy scream vocal loops and mangled buried riffing, bursting w/ vivid colour power electronics and chilly black metal soundscaping. studio prototyping of the hg signature sound, shorter pieces than the usual jams, even denser than the live version, with blatant referencing of the black metal/ tibetan devotional strands that run like veins of lightning through the dense mesh of noise. out of printed edition of 1000 copies. nice full color 8 page booklet.
double lp pressing housed in a gatefold jacket. being a nabokovian and visceral garden of delights, a musical evocation of memory and desire spread over four sides of vinyl. the sound is conjured forth from dark wells to be birthed, twisting and screaming in silver winds. recorded at black dirt studios, over an intensive three day period of hermetic isolation, whilst snow blanketed the surrounding fields, this work is both more detailed and conjures a heavier, more brooding occult atmosphere and sound, than any previous hototogisu release. limited edition of 700 copies… instantly sold out at source.
hototogisu is the duo of marcia bassett (double leopards, ghq, un) and matthew bower (skullflower, sunroof!, total). for the past few years, they have been delivering intense guitar/electronics based drones of gargantuesque scales. robed in verdigris is their 16th release and only the third on vinyl. 3 tracks spread over both sides of extreme sunshine and ecstasy. a total assault of metaphysical vibrations. limited to 500…this one vanished in a wink, so act fast if you don’t wanna miss it forever!
since arriving on london racks in the summer of 1970, catherine howe’s debut album has been unavailable in its original format. less than 20 lp copies survived reflection records’ demise, and the album sat in the can until numero’s 2007 cd issue. produced by the legendary jazz pianist bobby scott, this orchestral-folk master stroke has once again been set to lacquer, remastered and restored directly from the original master tapes specifically for this deluxe vinyl release. gatefold package includes replica lp art and complete annotation on the sessions and history of this forgotten brit-folk treasure. “it’s like some missing link between sandy denny and karen carpenter, or between ladies of the canyon and dusty in memphis. if you buy no other reissue this year, buy this.” – barney hoskyns, guardian uk.
released march 3, 2008 as an installment in the oscillation iii series. sold only as a part of the set. lp released december 8, 2008 from a limited edition of 998 copies. wild life, howlin rain’s contribution to oscillation iii, consists of two fifteen minute plus monster jams. the first is an amazingly inspired and completely improvised wailing twin guitar, rock meditation on paul mccartney’s “wild life.” “black sangria” rounds out the disc with a completely improvised piece covered in heavy jazz fusion and free, latin jazz rock overtones. the band featured a slightly different lineup for these session, a lineup that in part feels like a comets on fire mini-reunion (above and beyond ethan miller on guitar/vocals is ben chasny on guitar, utrillo kushner on drums, ian gradek on bass and joel robinow on wurlitzer electric piano/nord keyboard). wrapped delicately in two paintings by raeni miller (ethan’s wife). 180g rti vinyl and housed within an “old style” lp cover.
everything began in 1977 when the poet, antonio de padua carvalho invited me to create melody for his poetries. at that time i was lead guitarist of the band the gentlemen (a garage northwest group that included ze ramalho, who released the wonderful dlp together with lula cortez in one of his line-ups and recorded a rare lp and one 45). for this unique project we invited ze ramalho, the musician and composer el’sio alexandrino (golinha), to control the four-channel tape recorders the musician enilton arajo, the twelve string guitar arrangements were done by irapuan (pupu), drummer edmilson (crauna), percussion by special guest ze cris-logo, and hugo filho (hugo leo) on nylon guitar, bass, keyboards and art direction.’ this lp is really special, brazilian charm and poetic words. even in brazil, an incredible rare album, only 500 pressed, given to friends and sold in shops — the first private pressing in this country. if sacros, lula cortez, mutantes and el congreso is something you like, you will love this one. lots of folk elements which devolve in twisted endings. something you want to play to your new girl on a crazy summer night. and for you guys in n.y. with brazilian roots (arto lindsay) this is something you should play at your next party. a great album this is. 450 numbered lps, glossy heavy sleeve, 180 gram pressing… nice to see this cool & obscure recife artifact reisued.
here is a man who creates extraordinarily complete pieces of sonic tapestry, as has been evident on a number of earlier hotd releases on vinyl and cdr. this tape brings you more than one hour of tonal and textural mastery. from thundering tnb-like cavernous metal noises, through deeply vibrant slabs of shimmering tonal bliss, always moving ahead into new areas of gritty textural explorations. attentive listening is rewarding listening, and will most likely lead to repeat listening. this piece of music demands to be experienced more than one time. 200 copies, on type ii chrome tape.
primitive sun-baked guitar clash from the baltimore-based nathan bell and dave heumann that flits between trux wrasslin beefheart / wayne rogers plays savage republic / mick flower plays pentangle styles with every stab of the wrist. beautiful new look intensely coloured / screened sleeves makes it just as nice to eyeball. – volcanic tongue.
human skab was a 10-year old boy from elma, washington who played african music with buckets and spoons. thunder hips and saddle bags is a 1986 cassette recorded by young travis roberts with his neighborhood pals and siblings. it was injected into the underground network of tape traders, zine scribes, college djs, and freak seekers who were universally bowled over by its bewildering and utterly poignant snapshot of the mid-1980s. skab’s music — an orchestration of pots n’ pans, three string guitar, poorly-tuned upright piano, broken bottles, toy guns, a garden rake, and a “snake mountain” microphone — is a response to fear of nuclear war with the soviet union, he-man cartoons, twisted sister, the coolness of dinosaurs, the uncoolness of john wayne, and ronald reagan. roberts captures the fervor of do-it yourself ethos, punk energy and the rawness of early american folk by acting on his wild child imagination and enigmatic sense of song. these rare recordings have never been made widely available until now. this reissue includes the complete 1986 cassette. the cd and mp3 version contain a bonus 1987 radio interview. the 16-page booklet in the 500 edition lp and cd contains liner notes by roberts and cousin franky along with many full-color photographs and news clippings. as bruce pavitt wrote in the 1986 sub pop zine: the skab zips around the living room shooting toy guns. he hits the family piano with his fists. he tries real hard to play guitar. he makes up songs about terrorism and radiation and throwing rocks at windows. cool!
warehouse find of the last copies of this earlier reissue… just a few copies left of this long oop void classic. here’s the scoop — the hunger released their only lp on the publix label way back in the ’60s. this edition did not have (or had very little) guitar. though it was a classic lp, it needed the guitar. sometime later a friend in california found an alternate acetate with a stirring guitar versus organ sound and different arrangements and song lengths. brian hulitt contacted mike parkison and willie daffern about this ‘lost’ sound and they claim that it was none other than ed king who stopped in to put the guitar parts on this version! the rest is history, as they say. here is the classic hunger the lost album as it originally was and should sound. liner notes by clark faville… if you dig their proper album this is essential listening! limited to 500 copies, and including an extra new insert just for these last few unearthed copies.
50 copies, full color covers.
landing out of nowhere and traversing historical sonic planes with freeform light-speed, the hunter gracchus arrived at my desk. continuing the recent leaking tap, (so obscure and secretive no one seems to have really cottoned on yet), of european free-music, folk and psych that has been seeping into the underground, hunter gracchus sound both fresh and devastatingly contorted. listening to the fragile and intoxicating sounds generated by the hunter gracchus, your surroundings are skewed into displacement. when describing the output and production of sound experienced on the record, hg used the foundation of non-studio based recordings, stating “where the microphone’s presence seems inconsequential to the performance you hear and its placement is determined more by remaining inconspicuous than maximising fidelity.” this is a keen observation and sits well with the overall experience that the collective creates. spatial awareness is delivered through raga styled drones, but also, more inventively, through anarchic freeform playing. hg also site the bedouin music by deben bhattacharya and the vibracathedral orchestra as having influenced their sound; this alludes to what you will hear, but be prepared for a unique sound-world, all of its own (and straight out of sheffield!) an abundance of acoustic instruments are blown, strummed and plucked alongside inventive percussion that clangs both traditional and (seemingly) found objects. the improvised nature has a difficult narrative that paddles murky water through perilous terrain. this is imagined through the music, but also signified through lengthy and descriptive song titles, e.g. “elkadia priests’ ransacking of the pnac offices”. a mythology is an adequate accompaniment to a challenging and overwrought listen. there are moments where the peaceful rolling of hypnotic free folk is suddenly disrupted by chaotic, (close to a nervous breakdown), improvised attack. the de-tuned gypsy-shanty of the final track on side a, twists and turns like a serpent of rust and soiled canvas. the tort strings scrape and roll in unwavering tones that arch beyond the inevitable outcome one might assume, (then again this is the point of freeform music). side b has pastoral marches with balkan overtones that allude to foreign tradesmen and portside harlots. this has a similar disjointed glow that fans of lauhkeat lampaat will immediately warm to. this has a similar, yet rawer, feel to the recent part wild horses mane on both sides record. the record displays a combination of deep folk understanding, along with a distinctly western european ability to juxtapose misery and hope. the closing track hits a fantastic high with a mix of subtlety, drone, vocal wavering and distortion. the sounds implode in glorious sonic hollers that over lap and consume themselves in the form of an ouroboros. 8/10 — peter taylor, foxy digitalis.
half of the six songs on jana hunter’s carrion are unreleased hangers-on from the writing sessions that produced her most recent full-length, there’s no home, while the other half are alternate renditions of works that appeared on that release. but this is no mere grab bag of remnants; it’s a real tight product, all around. “paint a babe” is a throw-back to hunter’s earlier material, written and recorded simultaneously on a borrowed four-track recorder. a real sad, longing song. “a goblin, a goblin” took a little more time to create: this strong, sturdy number, replete with violins and creepy harmony, tells the tale of an indignant outcast. “you will take it and like it,” turns one central, pretty and proud guitar part over and over and over, with others mirroring it, leeching from it, grabbing on like little parasitic danglers. the original version of “there’s no home” is here, the track that spawned an entire record title, followed by “sleep” (titled, as it was originally, “ooh uuh”), from the recording that ended up on a lullaby compilation. concluding carrion is an acoustic re-presentation of the country-minded “oracle,” stripped down to one guitar, one melody, and one harmony, as it was originally conceived in its creation as homage. cd on gnomonsong. limited to 500.
finnish psychedelic masters uton and anti unleash a new beast as the hunton quintet. heavy hazy woven jams as zelig concrete and agent stepanoff. clay whistles, wooden electronics, animal hide drums. serious carpet tripping deep in the dark woods. 6 tracks straight outa porvoo, finland – namecheck all things finnish and hard to pronounce: www.myspace.com/huntonquintet. deluxe handcrafted gatefold sleeves. limited edition of 99.
one day betsy nichols traveled all the way from the east coast & showed up on the doorstep of bellemeade phonics studio. although she had never met the legendary “snock”, she was determined to sing a few songs with him & record them. here are the results. four songs featuring duet vocals & guitar. a lovely but short version of “jockos lament”, an epic version of “knockando”, the haunting “river in the rain” & some other song. not a reissue but rather a bonafide contemporary recording never before heard.
ancestral swamp is the 20th full-length album by legendary rambler, cartoonist, “outsider” folk singer, and guitarist michael hurley. it arrives just in the nick of time for the rabid snockophile. a batch of new vittles and encores of some of his classic tunes, ancestral swamp bubbles with laid-back ease and tremolodic goodness. most songs have the simplest of arrangements: hurley singing solo, accompanied by his guitar, wurlizter organ, or fiddle. tara jane o’neil helps lend a nice touch to “el dorado,” and snock calls upon frequent past accomplices dave reisch and louie longmeyer for their graceful touch on sleepy winners like “new river blues” and “gamblin’ charlie.” as with all hurley’s albums, once one sets the needle down, one is put in a certain peace and place. his voice and songs are unique, shuffling with characters and visions clear and wild. with ancestral swamp, it seems snock has left his front door open a bit wider than usual. if you lean in close, you can inhale a little of the vapor rising off the water, and enjoy a tale or two. snock has personally test marketed the ancestral swamp” and the results are in: “the ancestral swamp is actually a good party record, even though fraught with dirges of dying and death.”
first ever vinyl reissue of michael’s hard to find classic 1972 2nd album. hurley is a much respected singer songwriter (former member of the holy modal rounders), & it is an honor for us to put this out. features the following songs: ‘werewolf’ (a beautiful haunting song later covered by cat power), ‘grand canyon line,’ ‘english nobleman,’ ‘be kind to me,’ ‘troubled waters,’ ‘red ravager’s reel,’ ’sweedeedee’ (also covered by cat power), ‘open up,’ ‘jocko’s lament,’ ‘light green fellow,’ ‘get the best of me,’ ‘biscuit roller,’ ‘when the swallows come back to capistrano,’ & ‘penguins’ (a beautiful dirge played by trumpets & guitars). new back cover & label designed by michael himself… very recommended.
reissue of hurley’s 3rd lp. originally recorded in 1972, this record finds hurley exploring the full range of his stylistic canon and features some of his most loved songs such as “water train”, “the twilight zone”, “eyes,eyes” and “blue driver”. michael hurley is one of our favourite songwriters of all time and we are very proud to present this first ever vinyl reissue of “hi-fi snock”. remastered from the original tapes… yet another great album. recommended!
michael hurley is one of the last remaining ramblin’ american folk troubadours. hobo-ing around the country, making music since the days bob dylan first set foot in new york city’s gaslight club, hurley recorded his first album for moses ash’s legendary folkways label in 1964 and continued to release albums for both warner brothers and rounder. his mid-’70s have moicy album was among the top ten for the decade selected by rolling stone magazine. while many of his contemporaries are long past their prime (or deceased), hurley’s muse is still intact. hurley’s songwriting talent hasn’t gone unnoticed by a new generation of musicians. in recent years, he was invited to tour with alt-country heroes son volt and lucinda williams. he’s also shared bills with smog and palace brothers, played with the giant sand rhythm section, and has of course appeared with (and been covered by) vetiver and appeared on their records. so, the matter at hand, a new album of recordings sung and played by hurley, backed by ida, appropriately titled ida con snock: snock himself marvels at this 21st studio album, recorded at levon helms’ studio in woodstock, ny. ida’s less-is-more finesse shines on these rich recordings, melding perfectly with hurley’s playing and singing. many of these songs are already well familiar to hurley’s devotees. there are seven originals and five loving covers of ’50s rock ‘n’ roll, c&w, and vintage folk, each tune capturing hurley and band at peak performance levels.
originally released in 1997 in germany in a press size of 500. these original copies were seized by the government shortly after the records release. only 150 or so were sold before the seizing, but since copies have leaked out of whatever dank german bureaucratic basement they were relegated to. still, a very hard record to find for years, now back in print. our current reissue was remastered from the original tapes & has superior sound quality to the original. culled from michaels unreleased output between his ‘first songs’ lp from 1964 & ‘armchair boogie’ in 1972. all tracks feature just michael & guitar. absolutely beautiful folk music by the singular snock – in our opinion, one of the greatest singer/songwriters of all time… one of his real classics finally on wax again. recommended!
a mighty 45 pairing longtime missouri friends jerusalem and the starbaskets and hush arbors. a fabulous band, jats debut here with the formidable ‘i cannot radiato without you’. a spiky 2 chord blast clocking in at under 2 minutes of perfect pop. acting as a taster for the stunning ‘battle of the orchids’ imminent full length (on the gps soon), the band merge the ferocity of the sonics with the tenderness of galaxie 500 or 3rd album velvets. wacked out, often ferocious, psych blues- a taster from which appears here. hush arbors’ recent expansion to a two piece, debut here on vinyl, with ‘mr. bones’, another gem from the songwriting genius of keith wood. a gentle acoustic opening gives way to a fuller, perhaps busier, 12 string laced sound- not unlike some unreleased nugget from the gene clark ‘roadmaster’ sessions where he coaxed the original byrds to reconvene for one last time on wax… very limited vinyl only 45, on split ‘one half orange, one half green’ vinyl. get on it!
never one to go overboard with wildly overblown statements, the gps *thinks* it is about to unleash the first uk release by the greatest singer songwriter in the world. james jackson toth aka wooden wand shares a mighty split single with the equally great keith wood aka hush arbors. the single has an overall title “swappin’” and it is pretty much essential if we may say so. cunningly sleeved with each others’ other halves in “swappin’” guise and with a picture of a neatly made bed on it’s insert! … another must have single on this great uk imprint.
keith wood and his hush arbors project had a good year in 2006. after multiple solo tours and stints with wooden wand & the vanishing voice, his first cd and lp were released earlier in the year. he ended the year relocating to england and plying his trade across the pond. with all this in mind, it was decided that a re-release of his first full-length for digitalis was in order, and thus this expanded version of “under bent limb trees” was born. keith wood concocts massive emotional releases in his head and transfers them to tape using the most organic means possible. bowed dulcimer, singing bowl, banjo, and a his trademark falsetto dot the horizon of this majestic album. this graceful and subdued music has been extracted from the earth and laden with golden spirits. this two cd set, housed in gatefold cardboard jackets, is the perfect embodiment of wood’s delicate take on shy melancholia that has one foot in the forest and one on a log fire, burning with passion. his experience as the go-to guy of not only ben chasny (six organs of admittance) but massachussets god-botherers sunburned hand of the man for live appearances has clearly set him in good stead for his own recordings, and this collection only serves to magnify his deft talent and unique voice. disc one features the whole of “under bent limb trees”, newly remastered and sounding better than ever. the real prize is in the second disc, which features out-of-print, rare, and unreleased tracks culled from wood’s own collection and various limited and obscure releases. includes the long out-of-print “if there be spirits, let them come” 3″ among other things – nice full color gatefold covers.
key duo from the catalan folk scene, result of the union between ia clua (from”2+1″) and jordi batiste (one of the leading forces of màquina! together with enric herrera), after the later one’s return from military service.”un gran dìa”.the duo’s first album, was recorded at the end of 1972 with the help of such outstanding musicians as manel joseph (ex”2+1″, ia’s early band), joaquìn”max” suñer (vèrtice, tapimàn, iceberg y a neverding etc) & albert batiste (musica dispersa). the result is an amazing & varied musical tapestry, best heard in the record’s first side, a long suite covering from orchestral folk-pop with some psych leanings (“un gran dìa”,”max”) to straight in-your-face hard rock (“sleeping rock”) via typical early 70s prog rock (“oliba”) or uncathegorisable experiments which defy all rules (“reprise”) and show perfectly the freaky stage reached by the catalan scene in it’s early years (as a matter of fact, the record is sung in english and catalan – ). a piece of wax which went totally unnoticed when first released in a tiny pressing back in the days (thus becoming a big ticket item in the collector’s market) and which wah wah rescues from oblivion thirty years after it’s original release. an excellent work which deserves to be discovered by a wider public – limited issue of 500 numbered copies in gatefold cover reproducing the original artwork, including a colour insert, a colour poster and a bonus 7″ single w/ one previously unreleased song… very hip sounds & beautifully done reissue. recommended.
maine & western mass. meet half ways on black vinyl for all the dungeons to hear & see. cover art by matthew thurber. inside and label art by matthew thurber and caroline bren. mastered by nick zampiello… awesome screen printed packaging with clear obi strip. 180gm vinyl. big insert. very limited.
co-released by zeikzak, king fondue, veglia and taped sounds. this lp is a concept album about the life, energy and being of babb’s bridge, a beautiful 19th century bridge in windham, maine, usa. surrounded by a misty fairytalish spirit stream, the presumpscott river, the bridge breaths proudly and gently since 1843. babb’s bridge has transported tourists, canoers, settlers, founding fathers, forest workers, hikers, and lovers to a new path, a pledge. the record itself is a 2 years in the making singular masterpiece of the modern tongue of the collagist. skot spear, the being behind the id m monikker, has created a both retrohistorical and futuristic trip into a world of voice, tape, computer, sampling, and objects. a stream of energy, enbodied in a composition of both multitracked and direct recorded tunes. fans of e.g. al hansen and crank sturgeon will linger hapilly in this cosmos of sound. after a continuously high quality stream of releases on cdr, cassette, 7″, dvd-r etc, this is skot’s first solo outing on a permanent full lenght format. a debut lp as you might want to call it…. the lp comes in a full color cardboard jacket with a picture of the myth / bridge on the front, and paste-on handwritten text artwork by skot on the back.
the first ever vinyl release from portland’s own utterly bizarre label mangdisc. massively out-there gurgles, sputters, hisses, and mouth foam leak from these grooves. one side could really even be called a song, which is quite the oddity in the lengthy skot spears/id m theft able catalog. great totally hand made covers from recycled lp covers, sealed in fly pan am plastic bags, with hand done labels, odd inserts, etc. edition of only 200 copies – and you though you already had some weird music.
despite an insistence on boo damage southernizing i declare and for certain an entanglement of multifocused labors. ignatz isn’t no blackface minstrel show, there ain’t any reappropriation in the downspook twang. what you’re hearin hollering is the residual concoction of imperial conquest; tropical annexation. it’s an herbal, by god, with impressionist charm. no yarns on the cracked nut. find a glow or otherwise “grasp the stalk”. – valhalla. edition of 100 with full color artwork.
george herriman created ignatz in 1910. it was a vicious mouse in the comic krazy kat. ignatz’ favourite occupation was throwing bricks at krazy kats head, who thought it was a love declaration from the mouse. the brussels based artist bram devens uses ignatz as his alter-ego for his own pile of bricks. acoustic songs wrapped with effects and driven by improvisation and spontaneousness… iii projects the atmosphere of jack london and the iditarod trail sled dog onto a modern world ruled by technology. devens brings us the most genuine melancholy contemporary pop music has seen since quite some time. this album leaves the underground scenery that is troubled by trends so often far behind and just shows us the pure essence of what music has to be: raw emotions put to sound. with his third full album bram devens has once again amazed us with a masterpiece. in his usual brain-melting retro-futuristic blues folk, he summons the devilish spirits of bukka white, robert pete williams and sleepy john estes as seen through the eyes of an adolescent lou reed. iii tells a fictive and blurred story about the death of music genres. tragedies built upon screeching, atonal and repetitive melodies. smelling like a wet dog or a badly dried towel. iii breathes a much more sentimental atmosphere compared to devens previous work because of his grousing voice, that is not unlike skip james. after the closing track “dead by noon”, the tormented soul frees the listener from a heavy personal trip and leaves him dazzled. iii projects the atmosphere of jack london and the iditarod trail sled dog onto a modern world ruled by technology. devens brings us the most genuine melancholy contemporary pop music has seen since quite some time. this album leaves the underground scenery that is troubled by trends so often far behind and just shows us the pure essence of what music has to be: raw emotions put to sound.
i got a strange tape wrapped in brown paper with nasty dirt and blood stains in the mail; postmarked from finland. i opened it up and heard some wild sounds from a lone magus called ihminen. the only info inside was: ihminen, rec 26.08.04, many thanks. this tape is over 30 minutes of broken folk musings, incantations, astral meditations, and other completely undefinable musical and atmospheric creations.
ihre kinder, formed in 1968, were the pioneers among the politically and socially engaged groups in germany. their third album, 2357004 (also known as jeanscover) was originally released on kuckuck in 1971 and it is considered to be their best. a great german progressive krautrock effort, that should be part of every serious ’70s progressive rock collection. limited edition, deluxe 180g vinyl, original jeans cover and insert, exact reproduction of the original first pressing.
superastral team, iibiis rooge is the proof that the famous 1+1=3 equation is correct. modern psychedelic high wolf jams + astral social club fucked up improv electronics = something we don’t have a name for. better than a one shot collab this duo is made to last. forthcoming debut lp on dekorder.
newest one from the richard youngs / andrew paine prog/psych rock duo. one of their best yet for sure, with some real stunning moves. strictly limited to 100 numbered copies, stickered / screen printed covers.
post-pilz folk instrumentals from the mountains of tyrol. jahral is the one-man project of ewald spiss, who has been involved in music and art since the early eighties. tranquil melodies, exotic instrumentation and barking dogs echoing peaceful mountains and forests. 70 copies.
ever been hypnotized? taken back to some distant memory as if it were real? well, imperfect masters is straight from the womb. this duo of robert horton and dan plonsey is a disheveled mess of spiderweb drones and floating jazz curses. these compositions are a breath of fresh air from the sea, tingling all your senses like the day you were born. as horton deconstructs plonsey’s magical saxophone playing, you are flushed from your perch like a night owl running from dawn. at times it’s like being chased through a fantasy land and at others it’s like finding nirvana.”strike out” is a mundane mystical interpretation of the baseball season and too many beers. one thing is for sure, imperfect masters wears the crown. 100 copies.
facilidad? is impractical cockpit’s 7th full length lp since their inception more than 10 years ago in the cold and blustery minneapolis winter of 1998. after several “relocation efforts,” the band settled for 6 years in the vibrant port of new orleans just after the turn of the new millennium, honing in on their signature approach to noise infused songwriting. always brewing up their own slog of psychedelic punk the cockpits have managed to stay true to their all-analog asthetic no matter how difficult this can be on shoe string budgets. after their crew was totally displaced by the horrific events of hurricane katrina, the band re-formed in new orleans in the spring of 2006 to spend a month writing a new album, unavoidably inspired by the desolate depressed post katrina landscape. mountains of molding garbage lined the streets as cats claw and ivy tore through watermarked walls of recently abandoned buildings. the national guard paced through the streets in armored vehicles, and constant gunshots rang through the thick stillness of decay and toppled over trees. after putting together a live set there, which was to later become this album known as facilidad?, the cockpits embarked on a 2 month tour, with a 2 week recording session scheduled right in the middle. traveling in a home made vegetable oil powered motor home as a 5 piece band, with 2 dogs, and a battery of instruments, they played the album all the way through every night of the tour. the set varied wildly from night to night. the result is this multi-track recording, a culmination of all of their previous efforts summed up in an opus. balkan informed brass arrangements get smacked to tape alongside the thick improvisational gumbo of triaged hand crafted paper reed horns and drum machines. plywood gets smashed to shit and an abandoned warehouse stairwell provides an echochamber for choral arrangements complete with barking dog. on the albums closer “guru’s plume,” a homemade electric violin gets heavy usage, played in the northern louisiana michot family tuning of ebeb. shrill reverb drenched vocals are softened by intense but loosely slung rubber band looped keyboards while talismans are shaken is a steel tea cup. now somewhat disbanded, each member of impractical cockpit seems to be digging themselves deeper into whatever sonic obsession they see fit for these crucial times. but that’s not to say that this is the last time we’re likely to hear from impractical cockpit. produced and engineered by ipcp, jeremy harris and ryan fontaine. recorded to 8 track 1/2 inch tape. mastered by peerless mastering. 500 pressed. full color covers.
the 12″ in dedication to alarmist, a post-animal band from portland or from 2004-2005. they influenced the people that saw them play and took your carpet for a joy ride once or twice while you knew them. nick b (drums) aka tunnels donates some tracks of psychedelic pop unlike other recordings under the same name. recorded during the last few days of the band and after the break up. eric c.(guitar) aka ghost to falco brings you 2 tracks one almost like a 1 minute western dirge the other more in the traditions of ghost to falco style recordings. james s.(vocals) aka argumentix dabbles in the world of industrial beats and stories of a world left behind in 3034. assisted on these recordings by hando on sax. eva aka inca ore(vocals) delivers a chopped and screwed version of some of her recordings mixed with clips of alarmist live shows she picked up from friend mansion a few years after the fact. on the first track of side crocodile you can hear the ode to alarmist by m.remy (u.s. girls) as she calls in to a radio interview the band was doing. non of the 4 solo artist sound anything like what alarmist was doing and non of the solo projects sound a like. this is a great collection of eclectic music. pressing of 300. 12″ black vinyl.
eva saelens’ life quest has taken her from michigan to oregon to oakland back to portland and back again, with several overseas explorations and inner journey road trips thrown in for good measure. whatever path she’s on is long and winding and hidden in the shadow of overhanging cherimoya trees. fortunately she maps her migrations with haunted, exotic breath-and-electricity sphinxes ranging from 2006’s brute nature vs. wild magic to last year’s brainwashing birthday of bless you lp. 2009 finds her offering up another psychic harvest unto the world, silver sea surfer school, a new nine-song pipeline ride that floats through a whole new web of voice orbs and tape hiss and keyboard balladry. if anything, silver sea is saelens’ weirdest hour, layered in abstract environments, whispers, distant poetry, free percussion loops, with sudden passages of heart-dissolving ghost-piano beauty (“shine on from the heaven above,” “adventure in light”). heavily impressive, and a brave pearl-dive into even more personal waters for the inca ore lifeforce. lps come in jackets with art by saelens, plus a full-color insert. edition of 500 (40 on clear ocean-water vinyl, 180 on marbled blue/white, 280 on black).
much has been written about this incredible band. much of it isnt true. i want to set the record straight. index was formed in the early spring of 1967 in grosse pointe, michigan. i was 18 years old when i met a chain-smoking 16-year-old named gary francis. our conversation soon got around to rock and roll. he told me that he and his friend, john ford, were forming a band. i told him that i played drums and we arranged a jam session at johns home on lakeshore drive. our first meeting was incredible. our sound was full and powerful. johns lead guitar techniques were fresh and innovative. after our first sessions we knew we had something special. index was born. soon we hit the local sock hop circuit, playing at high schools and teen clubs in the area. we poured our unique sound out at the hideout, undercroft and g.p. war memorial every weekend. one afternoon john pulled out a new album he had been listening to. it was a new band with a mind-shattering sound called the jimi hendrix experience. john played some songs he had written inspired by this psychedelic sound. over the next few days, fire eyes, shock wave and feedback were written. this album was recorded in december of 1967 at the ford estate. it is recorded in mono sound with literally one microphone and with all instruments and vocals recorded at the same time. the cover photo is of orpheus and bacus, founders of a singing group john joined at yale. the stiff, board-like
figures seem to characterize the exact opposite of this musical collection. this reissue is taken from the original recordings. nothing has been added and all songs are in their original length. over the years various bootleg copies of this album have surfaced but this is the original work. – jim valice… very last copies of this 2004 self released legit reissue of ‘67 private press teen garage psych monster. highly recommended!
the soundtrack to houston at night. synths as guitar attack, phased out beats pummeling your tired brain. your head is swimming and there is nothing but concrete jungle and stucco as far as the eye can see. there is nowhere else you would rather be.
rookie railcar leaper rory dalley channels the athletic parabola energies on this uprooted and winged heap of cremated beats, petrology funk and heavily composted cadillac fleetwood groove. tape treks off in the lower paleolithic grotto mind, coalmining and telecombing the sumner beach fluorescence, shifting from shuffled sandhopper trapeze to iridized octopus kit-splash somewhere further down the floating coastline. medicated contra-fizz and sunstroke splatter dubbed straight to the ebbing tide, then windswept to tape live over the unlearned spirits of ginger baker, keith moon, mitch mitchell and levi eshleman. second side drifts the emblazoned offworld breeze of interrogated mini-koto and amethyst-clustered gunk-gaku. explict hex scenes, rug use, duck language, and totally rated basic instinct. c20. 50 copies.
new york synth duo infinity window have been crafting their game for well over a year without much documentation. comprised of dan lopatin (oneohtrix point never) and taylor richardson (prehistoric blackout), this lp shows them at the pinnacle of self-realization. equally influenced by john carpenter and the taj mahal travellers, they create traveling music; music that has the power to transport and overwhelm the listener with vibes outside of those presently available to them. the a-side consists of two tracks, both clouded in a heavy haze of fog, dark and heavy though their clarity exists underneath the shroud. the b-side’s lone track ’skull theft’ is the full circle realization of the first two tracks: a light is illuminated and the fog begins to clear. mastered by keith fullerton whitman. in an edition of 500 lps with full color pro-printed cardboard sleeves and printed labels with art by robert beatty (hair police / burning star core).
cd version of the lp. includes slipcase packaging & bonus tracks… the inner space is the stuff of legend. this obscure outfit is best known as the antecessor band of can and not much is known about them except it featured the core members of can (irmin schmidt, holger czukay, michael karoli and jaki liebezeit) and lasted just a few months before renaming themselves the can and releasing monster movie. they left two ultra-obscure seven inches as their only recorded legacy and only the first of them is credited to the inner space, it contained two songs taken from the soundtrack of 1969’s underground film agilok & blubbo. originally released by the german vogue label in 1969, it currently fetches prices around the 300 euro mark in the collector’s circuit. given the obscurity of both the band and its recorded output, we’re proud to present, for the first time to the public, not only the aforementioned singles but the complete soundtrack to peter f. scheneider’s offbeat political satire agilok & blubbo. previously unavailable until now, the original master tapes of this soundtrack have been stored in the archives of legendary german producer and music publisher hans wewerka who produced the recording sessions back in 1969. here you can hear history in the making, the first step of a group of musicians who’ll go on to achieve fame, success and recognition over the ’70s, helping define a sound (often called krautrock) that has been highly influential to this day. those familiar with can’s output will recognize some of the band’s characteristic sound, albeit in an embryonic form. songs like ‘agilok & blubbo’ or ‘kamera song’ already hint at their later pop brilliance whereas the short cues and extended free jams found elsewhere in this soundtrack reminds us from the heterogeneous roots of a bunch of musicians coming from rock, jazz and avant-garde backgrounds. all in all, an excellent glimpse into the early stages of an innovative band developing its own musical language. this reissue includes detailed liner notes by wah wah’s very own raül g.pratginestós and comes illustrated by original b/w shoots from the movie production… a very cool document and pretty essential for any serious can / krautrock fan.
the inner space is the stuff of legend. this obscure outfit is best known as the antecessor band of can and not much is known about them except it featured the core members of can (irmin schmidt, holger czukay, michael karoli and jaki liebezeit) and lasted just a few months before renaming themselves the can and releasing monster movie. they left two ultra-obscure seven inches as their only recorded legacy and only the first of them is credited to the inner space, it contained two songs taken from the soundtrack of 1969’s underground film agilok & blubbo. originally released by the german vogue label in 1969, it currently fetches prices around the 300 euro mark in the collector’s circuit. given the obscurity of both the band and its recorded output, we’re proud to present, for the first time to the public, not only the aforementioned singles but the complete soundtrack to peter f. scheneider’s offbeat political satire agilok & blubbo. previously unavailable until now, the original master tapes of this soundtrack have been stored in the archives of legendary german producer and music publisher hans wewerka who produced the recording sessions back in 1969. here you can hear history in the making, the first step of a group of musicians who’ll go on to achieve fame, success and recognition over the ’70s, helping define a sound (often called krautrock) that has been highly influential to this day. those familiar with can’s output will recognize some of the band’s characteristic sound, albeit in an embryonic form. songs like ‘agilok & blubbo’ or ‘kamera song’ already hint at their later pop brilliance whereas the short cues and extended free jams found elsewhere in this soundtrack reminds us from the heterogeneous roots of a bunch of musicians coming from rock, jazz and avant-garde backgrounds. all in all, an excellent glimpse into the early stages of an innovative band developing its own musical language. this reissue includes detailed liner notes by wah wah’s very own raül g.pratginestós and comes illustrated by original b/w shoots from the movie production… a very cool document and pretty essential for any serious can / krautrock fan.
inside is the one man psychedelic drone outfit of sandy schaare who hails from new zealand.”celestial telepathy” is inside’s debut release on 3″cdr, featuring a single 20 minute piece constructed entirely on electric guitar. to call”celestial telepathy” an electric guitar piece is probably a misnomer, as schaare manages to mutate the sound of the instrument into something completely unrecognisable as guitar. drifting waves and curling smoke trails float around as if propelled by schaare’s trademark guitar chime that appears to have more in common sonically speaking with singing bowls or bells. the disc is limited to 100 copies, packaged in pvc slipcases with an insert, features beautiful psychedelic cover-art by schaare himself… long sold out.
inspector 22 is the solo-project of todd emmert. he has both recorded and performed under that name in the chapel hill, nc area since 1997. “…lost somewhere in the limbo of folk an’ punk very much in the vein of little stevie mccabe an’ the axemen.”-roland woodbe “…a great blend of stark loner-folk disturbance and wigged out, assemblage oriented cheese.”-byron coley… nice new release on big blood’s micro label. beautifully packaged screen printed art paper covers, with inserts, etc.
inspector 22 is the solo-project of todd emmert. he has both recorded and performed under that name in the chapel hill, nc area since 1997…. ‘lost somewhere in the limbo of folk an’ punk very much in the vein of little stevie mccabe an’ the axemen.” – roland woodbe… ‘a great blend of stark loner-folk disturbance and wigged out, assemblage oriented cheese.” – byron coley… on big blood’s micro label. beautifully packaged screen printed art paper covers with vellum overlay, with insert, etc.
besides home to the hells angels, farmers and citrus grooves, san bernardino, california was also where instant orange lived and released their first single in 1968. the band forged ahead and released another single (1973), album (1973) and two 10″ eps (1974 & 1975). all of their releases were small pressings of 100 copies and to this day, instant orange remains virtually unknown. their homemade sound is a refreshing reflection of their west coast folk-rock influences that were so prevalent during the ’60s and early ’70s. all original tracks with inspiration from bands like the byrds, buffalo springfield, love, sandy bull and others. songs full of electric and acoustic guitars with nice doses of mcguinnesque 12-string riffing as well as many unsuspecting surprises (antiquated electronic effects, rambling rural explorations, long jams, experimental moves, stoner banter and other weirdness between songs, caveman fuzz, etc). a solid listen with enough original imagination to keep it interesting without the band creating an identity crisis by trying too hard to be something else than themselves. hear it all on this limited double album, but grab it before it becomes elusive like some of san bernardino’s motorcycle riding inhabitants. 450 numbered/glossy heavy gatefold sleeve/180 gram pressing/insert… one last copy of this cool one.
debut vinyl release from natural snow buildings’ solange gularte’s solo project, isengrind. modlitewnik continues solange’s fantasticly far out occult psych-folk-drone trip outs, 12 tracks across the length of this lp, considerably shorter pieces in comparison to her work with mehdi in natural snow buildings, isengrind retains a certain amount of the sound of the duo, but it is a whole other beast, in many ways much stranger and darker, but still hauntingly beautiful with some fantastic blissed out vocal drones, dreamy guitars, and psyche soaked dark drone zones. heavyweight vinyl, housed in a pro-printed full colour fold over sleeve with all 4 panels featuring stunning artwork by solange, the inside of the cover is especially spectacular. one time pressing of approx 600 copies… already sold out at source.
islaja’s third album is a journey deeper into the world that for us is a dream and a fairytale, but to her a reality. islaja as a concept has turned into a star that is expected to shine with brilliance. but she is something else. the songs tell us about the decay of our age, its demise and immorality, its plunge into heartless consumer culture. islaja herself does not burn in that same fire. her fire is an inner fire. behind her eyes and in her heart you can see and hear her true charisma. true dedication and utter disrespect for the artificial authority made by men. yet she is not the self-destructive nico or the eccentric bjerk. but a good woman. a tough one. her eyes can burn a hole in you. her songs are poems and stabbing knives.’ –sami senpekkile; islaja is merja kokkonen, a young visual artist and musician living and working in helsinki, finland. islaja records her music at home using a rainbow of instruments to accompany her personal vocal delivery sung in finnish. she has performed with avarus, kemialliset ystevet and is also a member of hertta lussu esse, a free-folk super trio with lau nau and kuupuu very sweet one.
one copy only. out of print.
the first jomf studio release since the critically acclaimed 2005 cd, flags of the sacred harp. produced by adam forkner, valley of fire contains three brand new finely crafted songs and a 20 minute classic psychedelic dirt road journey. the record represents two equally fascinating aspects of jomf, songwriting and musical arrangement. over the years jomf have spent equal time writing and arranging classic american folk and blues and long, freeform compositions, drawing comparisons to 1960s and 70s ensembles like ash ra temple, amon duul, amm, faust, can and the art ensemble of chicago, while at the same time developing a song crafting style passed down through generations. valley of fire picks up the trail of flags of the sacred harp and wanders down a similar path, adding elements of krautrock and classic west coast american production to create an incredible, original album. the cover of valley of fire is an original watercolour painting by american artist jo jackson, who creates mystical paintings and shows her work around the world… covers have banged corners, so reduced price.
jackwacker crawled out of the bleak bubble of the early 90’s bloomington, indiana followed by a short lived relocation to madison, wisconsin, where they soon dissolved. thriving briefly as outsiders of the midwest no-wave scene, they shared bills amongst folks like couch, duotron, the scissor girls, the flying luttenbachers, to live and shave in l.a., zerobot and lake of dracula. stearing clear of flacid progressive rock virtuoso noodling, jackwacker have instead created the perfect juxtaposition of primal noise and know-how rock sounds. plainly speaking, they just fucking rock.
another brad rose project. out of print. one copy only.
jailbreak is the duo of pedal steel/vocalist heather leigh and drummer chris corsano. the name foregrounds the kind of outlaw violence with which the two reformulate rock/roll instants by bringing free jazz fire power to amp-humping sex beats. their musical alliance goes all the way back to the legendary brattleboro free folk fest, the birthplace of the ‘new weird america’, where corsano and his long-term saxophone partner paul flaherty joined leigh and christina carter for a quartet show that took the roof off the building and the skin off their fingers. since then corsano and leigh have worked together as part of taurpis tula and as members of thurston moore’s dream/aktion unit. so, who better to describe this 700 edition debut lp, than mr. flaherty: for those of you who’ve been worried that the free power noize scene has become a little too tame, (and seriously who isn’t somewhat concerned about that), a new screamin’ creamin’ duo — jailbreak — expoldes to the rescue. the rocker is a blast-furnace of blisteringly joyous witch-howling assaults on the essence of whips and chains and repressive injustice gone legal. both of these magisterial musicians are capable of extreme dynamics and subtleties, but those concepts don’t get in the way of this monster-truck of a record. and why should they when drums and guitar can slash and burn in a riotous electric smash fest like this crazed merry madcap of an album. over the top… way!
this album is a legendary artifact for all 60s and 70s music collectors, original copies in good condition change hands for about 500 us$. the spirit of the music is a tasty combination between aggressive groovy fuzz-garage-hard rock and atmospheric psych-folk with moody vocals and a poetic message, comparable to world in sound’s legendary phantasia or dr. hooker. in between perfectly arranged songs like ’you don’t walk on my street,’ ’i remember’ and the psych-trip ’sleepers,’ you’ll hear weird spoken word themes as guatamalan strange, electronic silver and heavy-riff instrumentals. this was the debut release by michael james, who’s still active in the music business with his own label, empath records, and the groups children of the risk, michael yonkers and mounting santa feat. dr. fink of prince’s revolution. this lp-reissue is produced from the original analog master tapes… deluxe reissue of this total obscurity.
the 1978 release of corwood industries #0739, ready for the house, began one of the most compelling, disturbed, and singular legacies in musical history. in the 30 years since this unique debut, jandek has released 53 albums of mournful, atonal music that continues to defy classification and accessibility. and while the past three decades of intense productivity have yielded a depth of discussion, a handful of legendary live performances and even a film documentary, no amount of time or experience can prepare a listener for the experience of ready for the house. beyond stark, beyond oblique, beyond outsider, the first jandek lp (originally credited to the units) explores musical territories no one even knew existed, with just a hollowed-out voice and a lonely, detuned guitar. in 1985, it had infamously sold less than ten of the 1000 copies originally pressed, however by 1999, when it was issued on cd, the vinyl had completely disappeared, with original copies changing hands for hundreds of dollars. this exact vinyl repress on corwood industries, is the first time ready for the house has been available on vinyl for nearly 20 years, finally giving collectors and fans the opportunity to own one of the most peculiar, solitary, and strangely magnetic records of all time.
originally released in 1981, following a three year gap between the release of debut lp ready for the house, jandek’s second album six and six stands as an incredible document of the formative stages of his cracked genius. following the astonishingly bleak tone of the first lp, the musical elements are almost catatonic. 9 songs drift by as a series of slight variations on several desolate, untuned acoustic guitar phrases. the meditative, steady music forms a dark backdrop for some of jandek’s more vivid and poetic lyrical thoughts. universal doom, loner dirges and sea-themed ruminations are all present. this is far and away the core of what was to come, in it’s most succinct and coincidentally most haunted form. this album was also the first to incorporate an image of jandek on the cover, both giving a face to the sounds and hinting at what would become a prolific series of incredible, disturbed albums. vinyl for this album has been unavailable since the initial pressing ran out, and has been sought ravenously by collectors ever since. working in direct collaboration with corwood industries, we’re thrilled to offer this exact repress, heavyweight-vinyl edition. an astonishingly ghostly album, unlike anything else and also unique to this particular phase in jandek’s evolution, six and six is a crucial piece of the puzzle that we can only hope never gets solved completely… limited vinyl version. heavy old style covers.
hip uk private press from one half of the excellent red kites. solo guitar trance with plenty velvets damaged drone and feedback. obscure all silver metallic covers. way limited.
spider reincarnated into a master-burning bunch of cheap whiskey drinkers. little popsong melodiebook. pink. style pink. very little plastic. kick off time in distortion. medley melodies.”pulp voxtrotter vocal/mental institution blues – i’m feelin’ it — whothe fuck is neil clucax?” both wagstaff (aka joincey) and jarvis are wellknown for their work in several bands like a warm palindrome and their collabs with people like neil campbell, phill todd etc – the usual trashed & thrashed imvated packaging. limited to 63.
a truely dedicated cassette of recordings done in august. icy synth tone-shards tunneling themselves through immense layers of ice before melting into a beautiful, jaw dropping audiovisual landscape which then again warps itself into guitar chords spreading warm waves of greatness dedicated to his newly born son. edition of 50. skull drawing by jarvis himself… another nice one this too overlooked uk figure.
the 12” ep is limited to 500 copies worldwide. each record comes in a one of a kind vintage record jacket. the front side is silk-screened and the back has a hand pasted track listing which is also silk-screened. also included is a free mp3 download coupon. 2 is the second 12” from javelin. their debut 12” released by thrill jockey last november sold out the week of release javelin consists of two cousins, tom van buskirk and george langford. they started making music together in providence, ri in 2004, although their earliest collaborative tapes date back to a bunk bedroom near the sea shore. they now live in new york. in performance, javelin will use colorfully painted boomboxes that form large speaker totems (“boombaatas”) which can hang from the ceiling or stack up on the floor like pyramids. the signal from the show is broadcast via fm transmitter, thereby fostering audience participation (b.y.o.boombox) or fueling battery-powered, mobile parties. the duo has played venues as diverse as the children’s branch of the olneyville public library (ri), to the museum of modern art (ny), both of which happened in the same week. when not performing, javelin is busy producing. together they have amassed a vast catalogue of music, varying in its aesthetic range. songs resemble the record collection from whence they spring, if not literally as when sampling, then figuratively as when past forms are cited and re-contextualized. sounds range from broken dance jams to relaxed instrumental cut-ups, created with love on their mpcs. long forgotten samples are chopped and re-assembled with drums, wooden recorders, old keyboards, handmade thumb pianos or whatever instruments are readily at hand. the result is a kind of mix tape fantasy (residing in the mythical “dollar bins of the future”), where r & b impresarios, amateur booty bass producers and andean flautists hold equal sway.
beautiful 7″ by this cool duo from providence! their sound although is not much like their colleagues’ in the super city usa. in javelin’s music samples and their own playing melt into a great whole of genius groovy living room music. perfect music for summer night after-parties in amusement parks. it’s so incredibly fresh you want to explode when it’s over! to avoid explosion you want to listen to the 7″ forever! not exploding means that you can enjoy your life and love this beautiful world – whoa – now this is not quite what you’d expect maybe, but pretty damn fun non the less, especially at 45rpms!
long awaited follow up to the “true story of abner jay” lp. abner jay was a man who had a grand sweeping vision of what folk music was. in his lifetime his expression of what folk music could be encompassed some serious stylistic variations. sometimes he was a one man band traveling troubadour playing an electric banjo, harmonica, & drums who tried to hoodwink audiences into believing that he was 150 years old & the standard bearer for authentic americana. sometimes he played in electric straight up r&b bands such as “koko joe & the jobhunters”. sometimes he claimed to be the “black bob dylan” strumming an acoustic guitar & singing socially conscious urban folk. on this lp we find abner in all of these modes & more. (he also does a pop song about a submarine disaster & a beautiful gospel song) culled from a mix of abners’ 45’s & lps spanning the period 1964 – 1973, including abner’s first long lost lp, which we reproduced the cover image for this lp from. we hope that this release will help to further the current wave of understanding that abner jay is an important artist who deserves a wider audience than he ever received during his lifetime. comes with a self promotional pamphlet penned by abner & a color photo of abner. housed in an old school tip on sleeve. we are very proud to get this incredibly hard to find material out into the world.
restock/repressed… compilation culled from abners’ self released lps & 7″s featuring hits such as ‘i’m so depressed,’ ‘cocaine’, ‘vietnam,’ & ‘the reason young people do drugs.’ abner jay was a one-man band singer/songwriter deserving of a wider listening audience than he received in his day. this is the first vinyl release of his material since the 1970s. great soulful folk & r&b music. most copies of the lp include a press photo of abner, transcriptions of his spoken word pieces, a reproduction of an informative pamphlet about abner & a press statement penned by abner himself. tip on jacket.
brand new split lp featuring heavy hitting uk bleak dudes… a-side is jazzfinger’s ‘killed in a clear sky’, one solid slab of fucked up tapped guitar drone and distant errie whir… like a storm of electric feedback, slashes and cuts. far out, and a real killer 20 odd minutes to make you lull out. b-side is a collaboration between culver and fordell research unit, another side long piece, that starts off with some bassed up doom chugs and slogs that sound like fucking something that could lay down by some southern lord brutality, but then it punches you in the face with its distorted churning hell. limited to 280 white label lps in black sleeves with hideous brutal artwork by french.
danish label reverse recordings have just released a jazzkammer/opec split lp. our side is a 20 minute turntable freak-out, while opec offer a more subtle but no less intense soundscape. 323 copies, silkscreened covers and a proper vinyl mastering by the good rashad at d+m in berlin. — lasse marhaug (jazzkammer) — another sweet one on this hip label. two color screen printed art on a heavy clear vinyl sleeve, screen printed round art paper insert, numbered to 323.
danish label reverse recordings have just released a jazzkammer/opec split lp. our side is a 20 minute turntable freak-out, while opec offer a more subtle but no less intense soundscape. 323 copies, silkscreened covers and a proper vinyl mastering by the good rashad at d+m in berlin. – lasse marhaug (jazzkammer) – another sweet one on this hip label. two color screen printed art on a heavy clear vinyl sleeve, screen printed round art paper insert, numbered to 323.
portland / oregon-sacramento / california: 580 miles. one of the longest trip for the first jennifer gentle north american tour. they play at the academy of fools, a sort of garage converted as an art gallery: a big open space, low ceiling, completely empty, walls without anything, no stage, no audio system, just a microphone. it seams the beginning of a bad night, on the contrary due to the wonderful view and the beautiful californian sun, or just for themselves and their fans, the jennifer gentle decided to play anyway; not their usual repertory to much noisy but just an improvisation made by their instinct. the result was a hypno jam session, relaxed, honeiric. the day after jennifer gentle play at the davis kdvs radio, where they propose and records the same jam of the previous night, which became the”sacramento session”. back to home, working on marco’s improvisations with different sounds, manipulated, mixed and remixed, they found the specular image from a distorted mirror of the”sacramento session”:”5 of 3″ is the perfect b side, the balance and overturn of that californian night. we would like also to remark you that”sacramento session / 5 of 3″ is not the jennifer gentle new studio album, but is instead a combo of a jam session together with a studio manipulation. packaging in a de-luxe and elegant fold-out cover – opaque red vinyl. very limited edition.
having toured tirelessly and stupidly for many years, i played the unlikely hot spot of columbia, missouri no less than three times one summer. don’t ask me how—logistically the cursed itinerary is still a mystery—but i can probably tell you why. the chance to play a gig with that city’s jerusalem and the starbaskets always made it a worthwhile and necessary stop. basically a duo (although sometimes augmented by other members), jerusalem and the starbaskets play unfashionable, unpretentious and completely devastating pop music, and they’re one of my all time favorite live bands. criminally under-recorded up until now (with only a handful of impossibly rare cassettes and a split lp with skarkraou radio to their name), their brand new the howling lp (radio fonico) is a great sampling of their unique vibe, sounding like the third velvets lp played by the terminals. note the righteous guitar tone any stoner rock chud would envy, and catchy, infectious tunes (with a recent emphasis on country melodies) that will stay in your head for weeks. completely necessary and great. album of the month! – james jackson toth.
fabulous split 45 on clear wax in 2 part, op-art psych sleeves featuring the mighty “everybody’s dig accounted for” by jats, total killer, raw groove blues that descend into a velvets meets the sonics freakout. backed by part time james and jessica toth (wooden wand) side project “bengal traitors” with the magical “sumtimes”. 350 copies on clear vinyl.
formidable full length of utterly whacked out, psych blues where the ferocity of the sonics meets the tenderness of galaxie 500, where the velvets meet the modern lovers via the scuzz of first album neutral milk hotel. a beguiling mix of beautifully tender pop which often descends into fuzz drenched, freakout mayhem courtesy of the most out there, incendiary guitar vibe presently doing the rounds. jats core duo consists of kim and jeremy from columbia, mo. kim’s moe style drums lending perfectly to jeremy’s riotous, devastating guitar mash up. infectious, unforgettable tunes that you will return to over and over. previous gps releases with the band were shared 45s with longterm missouri friends hush arbors, and wooden wand, and both disappeared in the blink of an eye. 320 copies on numbered, split duo tone coloured wax. packaged as ever with a loving gps eye. it truly stands alone. get on it!
debut full length by this death cult trio. first track is psychotic piece of mind captured on the concrete floor. followed by a parable trilogy about a loved canine’s murder by a zealous rural gunslinger, recorded thick in the asbestos death dust of dreamtime village – very limited and out of print.
drawings, photo’s and lunar stories by eric de jesus. half black & white, half full-color. let your moustache grow easy. bound together by the hand.
hangzhou’s li jianhong has been performing alone and in the duo d!o!d!o!d! for several years, but he only caught western ears last year with the monumental san sheng shi, released by philadelphia’s archive cd. oceanic and desolate, lovers with cloisonné bracelet cements li as a distinctive voice in modern noise. the two halves of this record are an ideal introduction to li’s music: “lovers in misery” offers a restrained, electric swell; “time in the mirror” wallows in hototogisu-an guitar hell. without sacrificing pacing for density, li has crafted an album that decimates the retrograde psychedelic guitar landscape and trivializes the petty violence of much harsh noise. edition of 350 180gm lps in heavy-stock linen-paper sleeves hand-screened, -cut, and –glued by reuben little of 43rd parallel press.
with its immediately recognizable m c escher cover, this intriguing folk/rock/psych release from 1974 is another incredibly rare album enjoying its first legitimate reissue. a joint effort’s final effort was originally recorded and released by canada’s university of new brunswick on its little records label (little records 101); despite its lack of wider recognition, this is generally regarded by those who know as a diverse and eclectic album with a number of outstanding tracks. one pundit described it as ’a weird mix of early csny, with shades of perth county conspiracy and a dash of early eagles thrown in.’ the first side, with the superb ’winter’ is particularly impressive — largely acoustic hippy folk rock with the occasional electric guitar thrown in for good measure. side two, however, is an altogether rockier affair with standout tracks ’greed for goldand,’ an up-tempo fuzzed-out cover of ’a horse with no name’ combining effectively to elevate final effort to a different musical plane. original cover has been reproduced as well as rare original insert.
ten years ago i was asked by the director of b-movie “caged heat 3000″ to record a soundtrack for the movie, with the request for it to be a bit “clockwork orange”-like. i did so, but the results were a bit too noisy and creepy for the studio so the music sat unused and lost. it was recently unearthed, and is hereby released to the world, finally. in a cardstock folder jacket.
the birthday session features the wild burning sound of the two crossed tenor and soprano saxophones of sami pekkola and virginia genta, alongside with tero kemppainen on a deeply blues double-bass and david vanzan on exploding free drums. recorded in helsinki after ten days of tour around finland (right on the night of genta’s birthday) and first fruit of the jooklo finnish brotherhood, this session turned to be a deep exploration of the purifying fire that brings to complete and sublime liberation. the quartet session was taped at the end of a long and exhausting day of recordings in many different combinations, so the last energy came out in these three wildest improvisations. the first take “tenors force” sees the weave of the two tenors creating mirrors’ like dynamics and getting one together on the deep impressing bass lines and the flowing drums. then the sound turns on “breath time”, a moment of suspension and dilatation, to prepare the right energy for the last “soprano connections”, elevating the free spirit of fire music to its highest sensitive point, like under the grace of a divine breast. handmade collage ltd edition of 224 numbered copies… sweet one!!
joshua jugband 5 was the name used by swedish musician jakob olausson for two limited-edition cdrs a few years back. in 2002, the self-titled jj5 debut was released by my label slippy town. recorded at home on 4-track, jakob used guitar and percussion to make 30 minutes of pure grade-”l” instrumental psych-out, low-key wall-rumblin’ groove, and heavy livin’-room glow. the disc contained four untitled jam-gems. the jj5 follow-up, damascus doldrum, was released by ramadan in 2003. this one has three more untitled tracks clocking in at just over 30 minutes. again, it’s filled with great psych guitar distortion, dirty drone ‘n bellow, caveman drums, and unknown tongues. if you dig the godz, the screamin’ mee-mees, silver apples, the twinkeyz, mike rep & the quotas, hawkwind, amon duul, etc.-here’s some more, but without all the words to get in the way of your wander. and now, thanks to the good folk at gulcher, you can get these two long-gone goodies on a silver disc that’ll last longer than them dainty little cdrs. – eddie flowers.
western mass / vermont big band folk psych jamming from feathers members and many others. limited to 68 copies.
revenants, prodigies and the restless dead is pressed on high quality virgin vinyl at rti in a hand-numbered edition of 500 copies for the world. included is a free mp3 download coupon and insert. immune is proud to present a deluxe and limited edition vinyl version of the brand new album from british guitarist c joynes. this is the second widely available album from joynes (after last year’s god feeds the ravens) and is being released simultaneously on cd by bo’weavil recordings. c joynes is a musician whose playing has consistently invoked a broad and shifting stream of inspirations. as a guitarist, there is no doubt that joynes has been influenced by some of the most idiosyncratic finger-pickers of the last 40 years and beyond, but his music goes far beyond simply this. his recordings have always offered many dimensions for the listener to explore, be it through solo acoustic pieces, larger ensemble work, or the intimate use of improvisations and hill recordings. building on previous albums, revenants, prodigies & the restless dead is a more expansive affair. joined on a number of these tunes by an assortment of friends and collaborators, a range of acoustic and vintage electronic instruments all make appearances, gradually fleshing out some of the ideas and direction that joynes clearly has imprinted in his mind’s eye, adding colour and hue to some of these beautiful compositions. while joynes remains at home with english and american forms of folk music, the twelve pieces on this album continue to demonstrate the extent to which other traditions, both eastern and western, have an equal and instinctive pull on his music. listen to the detuned and prepared guitar of ‘nyambai sawmill’, which seems equally drawn out of late 60s classical experimentalism as it does to sounds from the western sahara.
the first in a series of 5 x 45s as a collaborative project between the gps and bo weavil records. the project runs something like this: a sides feature 5 c joynes originals while b sides feature reworkings / remixes of other c joynes pieces by friends and artists involved with all parties concerned. volume 1 here is in an edition of 350 in die cut tower sleeves, on numbered yellow vinyl.
irish based label rusted rail come up trumps yet again with another superbly presented miniature 3 inch cd release from cambridge based guitarist cwk joynes. the mini album comes housed in a handmade card sleeve and is limited to only 94 hand numbered copies in total. the album features three lengthy avant folk instrumentals from joynes, who has previously released material on the bo’weavil label. the tracks feature all manner of plucked instruments including zither, prepared piano, cello and guitar. beautiful folk tinged instrumentals with little hints of traditional middle eastern folk and the avant garde sounds of early john fahey. – road records.
the first ever release on black petal by japanese musicians… the right people were finally found… and we dont even need to make a fancy explanation – this is pure beautiful pop abstracted by avant-garde tactics and obtuse lyrical concerns (like prince). cdr and seemingly too popular for this little operation.
orange you glad is the debut full-length lp from julian lynch, following a string of self-released cd-r’s and a recent split 7″ with his childhood friend and frequent collaborator matt mondanile of ducktails on the underwater peoples label. a talented multi-instrumentalist, julian has had a busy summer playing countless shows both solo and as a member of predator vision, ducktails, and real estate offshoot alex bleeker & the freaks. this album is comprised of 4-track home recordings made in his hometown of ridgewood, new jersey and also in madison, wisconsin where he is a graduate student in ethnomusicology. his interest in indian & south asian music blossomed several years ago when he was living in washington, d.c. and working for smithsonian folkways recordings. this exposure to their vast library of world music has informed his output, and he blends instruments such as harmonium & tabla with guitar-rock instrumentation. also of note is his use of circular breathing techniques on the clarinet — often a focal point during his meditative live shows.
2005 release from this drone/folk/psych project of BRAD ROSE (ajilvsga, north sea, foxglove/digitalis, etc) crazy jewel case packaging with much painting and foldout interior. numbered edition of only 67 copies! nice one.
denmark is a place teeming with half fried organic drone crews such as sarah’s charity and family underground. kaezm is the solo output for nicolas kauffmann of fu; here he channels electricity through criss-crossing patterns creating a midrange din full of lament. nic’s drones move with static builds from a variety of sources and multiple levels of echoing chorus: airy, buzzing mantras tinged with middle eastern vibes and a deepening sense of time beat down like an incessant rainfall in a storm of hiss. in an edition of 100 labeled tapes with full color art by nic.
first full length solo from nicolas of family underground. two tracks.
more madness from the sprawling mymwly collective comes to us via kageplan. this project is the brainchild of native aussie katrina mcphie. in mymwly fashion, this album is a total manic headfuck. mcphie mixes rhythmic guitar playing with a bevy of samples and hypnotic vocals. this sound world is for acid heavyweights, swirling around your head like a million buzzing bees. mcphie gets help from ian mcintyre (of ffehro, majik, & soarwhole) on most tracks, but this is her show. these spaced out jams will suck you dry and leave you for dead. and really, that’s just the way we like it. 100 copies.
“misora” (which can be roughly translated as beautiful sky), the 1972 debut album by sachiko kanenobu, a woman generally acknowledged as japans first female singer-songwriter. it’s a near-perfect folk masterpiece, alternating full-bodied arrangements (produced by harry hosono of yellow magic orchestra and happy end) with sachiko’s lonesome guitar and pure, soaring vocals. discovered as a precocious 18 year old in osaka, sachiko was signed in 1968 to japan’s first ever independent record company, urc (underground record club), who changed japan’s musical landscape irrevocably in the late 60s and early 70s with artists like happy end, folk crusaders and kenji endo. sachiko was the only female artist on this era-defining label and the very fact that she wrote and sang her own songs made her a rarity among japanese women. limited reissue of 500 copies, in gatefold cover and with a 4 page insert featuring extensive linernotes, lyrics translated into english by sachiko herself, and never before seen photos from the singers own archives.
new reissue of ohio psych, folk, rock and strange from ‘71-’72. originality was not an issue with the jammers. they are ‘real.’ 500 legit pressings, black vinyl with bonus non-lp 45! also with band history insert and a real sharp looking glossy cover. ‘waiting for the messiah’, ‘midnight watch’.
debut album from this massive free ensemble from louisville which features a revolving cast of over 50 musicians including members of sapat, valley of ashes, virgin eye blood brothers, son of earth, taiwan death and the belgian waffles. the hermit consists of three extended pieces that offer spaciously abstract atmospheres as well as moments of righteous cacophony. utilizing a multitude of brass, reeds and percussion the album careens through numerous passages where intricate harmonics are created from the densely layered sounds. when the full force of the ensemble is unleashed individual elements appear and quickly recede into the squall. as the music nearly becomes unhinged, the sound disintegrates into a godzilla-like rockist thud propelled by the rhythm section and soaring horns before drifting to a sparse conclusion. the lp comes in a full colour jacket with homespun artifacts gracing the cover – very limited.
from all belgian projects maybe the best known. started the köhn project around 1997 and released three full albums on our label. right from the start köhn wasn’t happy with only providing the hip electronica world only an exploration of sounds, but decided to combine these sources to deliver a kind of pop from another angle. you’ll bump into pure electronica, pop melodies, ambient pieces and musique concrete. his soundpalet is music history uptill now. still: he did find his own signature. proof of this can be heard on the epic dble cd ‘koen’ which is mainly a sum of years of experience within a thin field. köhn also provides soundtracks to short movies and animations, produced music for dance performances/theatre plays and commercials. in between all this he tours the world (with or without visuals from hendrik dacquin) setting fire to most stages and plays in de portables. besides all this he also releases albums as jurgen deblonde on tomlab to break in completely into pop-territory. but 2003 is the year that both projects coming together more and more. other projects: jurgen deblonde, ed nolbed, frambooz, de portables, burda moden. the comeback we were all waiting for! ever since his “bruce willis” album (western vinyl, 2003) jürgen de blonde mainly focussed on music for dance and theatre productions. untill recently when he relived his old synthesizer festish. this finally resulted in “we need more space in the cosmos”, an ode to lost hero’s such as klaus schulze and jean-michel jarre. the album recalls eighties electronics, i.e. an era when kraut rock culminated into new space ages and cosmic television soundtracks. but still the köhn trademarks pop up from the very first second. his unique approach to music that made him differ from the likes of aphex twin and oval in the nineties, now shows the man as a cosmic courier of the 21st century. comes in a limited edition sleeve from the yves jeanson geometrical abstraction art collection.
once again, finnish-native keijo virtanen unloads another dirt-stained masterpiece. over the past few years he has assembled a group of artists that have become known as the free players. their collaborative efforts are like a clinic in improvisation. the interplay and spontaneity between them is epic. the free players often include members of finnish free-jazz pawnpins VAPAA, as well as KHETA HOTEM, KUNDALINI SNAKES, and others. ‘after at once’ is the ensemble’s first non-cdr release and finds them in top form. the members of vapaa play an integral role on ‘after at once.’ tiitus petajaniemi is especially key with his vocal wailings and incantantions. tribal percussion and chromatic whimsy often puncuatekeijo’s sarod-laden excursions through the mist. there’s a heavy indian influence on these recordings, stemming from keijo’s many trips its sub-continental shores. musically, ‘after at once’ is spacious, but cohesive. with the addition of the sarod on these recordings, the music takes on a life of its own. as always, keijo’s hand guides the magic and in the end, it’s still his world we’re living in.
wonderfully dreamy and spatious recordings by finnish ambient-mystic keijo virtanen, joined on these sessions by members of the band vapaa. synth and reed-instrument drones are married to discreet plucked strings, abstract percussion, and keijos harmonic singing. a 45 minute series of beautiful slow moments.
first duo collaboration of keijo & uton. here is 7 songs of droney & spacey blues jams, sometimes far away in cosmos, sometimes rockin the ground again. 60 copies.
on this outing the freeplayers move with gentle grace through realms of hazy free flowing rock and psyche spiked jammage. deeply meditative, cyclical and dreamy, perfect for the human nomind.
is there anyone in the world as prolific as keijo? i don’t think so. on”katovalo – ” we find the finnish master collaborating with tiitus petnjniemi, known for his magical work in the group vapaa. keijo and tiitus have an instant camaraderie. spiritual exercises with minimal, pristine instrumentation are the modus operandi here. inside forests of clattering chromatic percussion, mystic drones emerge. out of the mist comes keijo’s trademark throat singing, while tiitus laces melodica rivers underneath.”katovalo” is darker than much of keijo’s solo work, like the spirit of hope has been dashed for the evening as black clouds fill the sky. but keijo and tiitus use these combination electronic-organic passes to fend off the night howls and make it to the safety of the sun. another finnish gem. 100 copies.
out of print. one copy only.
another lovely dose of drone lift-off from finland’s master of the form.
this beautiful super-heavyweight lp, which comes packaged in a sweet full-colour sleeve reunites the uk’s premier free drummer alex neilson, who’s played, amongst others, with motor ghost, directing hand, trembling bells, tight meat duo, josephine foster, bonnie ‘prince’ billy, jandek, mv&ee, richard youngs, baby dee and alastair galbraith, with nmperign member greg kelley, whose reinvention of the trumpet is as crucial now as anthony braxton’s reinvention of the sax was 30 years ago. a screeching, soaring, scattergun array of noises come maniacally out of greg’s horn, unlike anything we’ve ever heard and he successfully straddles no wave, concrete and free jazz in a way that makes those genres seem like trite pigeonholes. limited to 500 copies.
another exercise in failure. spring 2003: with assistance from vic rawlings, i fill my room at club awesome in somerville ma w/ electri keyboards, synth, a small organ and set them all for drone. a radio plays static. record to md, output md through my stereo for low feedback. an electric fan is aimed at the microphone for the distorted vintage 78 effect (rpm, not the year). vic bowed a single cello note at some point and a cymbal was scraped. the intent: record in mono for 2 hours, communicate with the dead. after 1 hour, i couldn’t take it any more. my intended”two hours as – ” is now”one hour as – ” i fussed over it for a while. it’s kind of boring. i like boring, but – late winter 2004: i must do something with this recording. i decide to look backwards into the archives – january 8, 2000: i send out a call to arms: meet me at twisted village records, cambridge ma at 8pm. it’s scelsi’s birthday and we will play a memorial drone for him. the call was met by oliver alden, mike bullock, james baumgartner, seth cluett, james coleman, david dougan, david gross, tatsuya nakatani, howard stelzer, bhob rainey, vic rawlings. some automatic instruments played themselves. others may have been there, but i don’t remember. and you can’t really hear them anyway. back to late winter 2004: i record a new track onto my 4 track in my bedroom in allston ma. trumpet and radio static. (dj screw’s ghost inhabited my 4 track near the end of this track.) then i record a burning guitar solo for the end of my new and improved”one hour as – ” the mono drone, the scelsi tribute band, the trumpet/radio track and the hott guitar track are all mixed down from 4 track to md under the influence of samuel smith oatmeal stout. a vocal intro and headphone feedback interruptions are then added. the task is complete. it’s a bloodbath. what have i done?
i first met jeremy kelly at bottled smoke back in may and subsequently got to know him via email over the summer. simply put, he’s an incredible artist and musician. there’s a few things you should know… first, he’s an effects-building wizard. he makes a lot of his own stuff, giving his music unique sounds and textures. also, he’s one hell of a guitar player with one hell of a nice guitar. third, his circuit-bending wizardry also lends its hand to his mighty doepfer modular synth, which has its tendrils weaved all throughout his debut cd. so keeping all these things in mind, we’re extremely excited to be offering up jeremy’s first proper cd release. this self-titled effort is a cohesive conglomeration of a dizzying array of styles, recorded beautifully by ged gengras (antique brothers) with help from grant capes ((vxpxc)) out in los angeles. gengras even joins in on saz at one point, concocting a hypnotic middle-eastern jam that feels baked in the scorching desert sand. add in some blues-infused acoustic ragas that throw a nod to ben chasny’s six organs of admittance and glazed walls of analog noise, and you’re somewhere in the ballpark of this album. it’s all over the place, but never too far from the path kelly has laid down for himself. this is some serious magic. limited to 500 copies.
after recovering from a long illness i started searching through the shores and woods. i finally managed to locate mr. anderzén in the middle of an arctic desert. he sat there cross legged, eyes closed, calm as if on top of a mountain or in the bottom of the sea. no trees nor any other objects apart from ourselves interrupted the plain white landscape. sun dragged itself slowly over the horizon. the air was still. “my retreat will soon be over.” his husky voice seemed to emerge from the field of snow itself. i didn’t see his lips moving. as i asked about the last nine months he had been away he mumbled something about contemplation. “remember what cocteau wrote in opium about revealing the essence of plants? -i have gained sights of that different kind of speed of vegetation and i have heard the screams of plants he talked about.” after six long days of silence spent mostly eating drought reindeer’s meat mr a. talked again: “i had this strangest of dreams. there was no space, no people, no traces of action, just this plasmoid machine out of which erupted sounds. and then as i was receiving those aural secretions of an ultra physical automaton from the seventh uppermost world, i woke up due to a butterfly itching in my ear. there i was all covered with sweat, heart beating furiously, yet the ear was empty. it took a long time to be able to sleep after that night.” heed my words dear friends; that butterfly preserved to the ears of ours which weren’t there is alkuhärkä. -ralf normaali.
lumottu karkkipurkki (‘the enchanted candy jar’) is a musical work of two concepts: a song cycle based on an obscure finnish children’s book of the same name. the plot is simple; a boy buys a candy jar from an old ‘witchy’ shopkeepress. every time the boy takes a colourful drop his surroundings change unexpectedly and completely. he meets strange beings in the nearby forest. the atmosphere is exciting and slightly scary. ville eats all the drops and craves for more, but the woman with the shiny green ring is gone and so are the candies… the other concept, vapaa systeemi (‘free system’) has something to do with plucking stringed instruments growing moss and the speed control, but we don’t want to get too specific here. the cd is the first release of this music that provides more than a couple dozen copies for circulation. the prior ones were a tape on huutomerkki-nauhat in the year 2000 and double 8″ picture disc with gorgeous ornaentation by our man on campbell kneale’s celebratre psi phenomenon imprint a couple years later. lumottu karkkipurkki was the first release after mr. anderzén abandoned his harem (& the couple obligatory eunuchs) in order to work his way out in a more solitude manner, with his bare hands and the four tracks. so, besides from being darn good late night drooling accompaniment, this music has some sort of historical significance. – ralf normaali.
cd version of this great album. beautiful packaging.
original compilation of all their singles plus their best unreleased tracks. 20 tracks in total. first vinyl issue… classic american garage!
khazad doom! level 6 1/2! one of the rarest and best of all u.s private psychedelic garage pressings. to most the name conjures up ideas of hobbits and wizards, but not to psych heads across the country and in fact around the world. this is it boys, the legend, the album, the music, that has led us down the ever twining world of collecting private pressings. and we were never to be the same after it was made… in 1964 the band who was later to be called khazad doom started to dream of “making it” in bob davis’ basement in little ol’ morton grove, illinois. after 29 members and multiple names (the vibratos, the laymen), three musicians and a “crow”, they formally became khazad doom and the legend was born. jack eadon, tom sievers, steve “al” yates and steve “crow” hilkin became the band that was full of talent, dreams and perserverence. the original album “level 6 1/2″ was released circa 1971 in reportedly just 180 copies making it a mega rarity immediately. of course who would care about an obscure piece of psychedelic conceptual vinyl? the answer… many collectors worldwide rate the album in the top 5 of all private domestic releases ever! in fact, originals fetch over four figures now! this reissue of just 800 copies, and features the original album plus one cut that was taken from their unreleased second album. the compelling original cover art was kept in tact to enhance this presentation. put this great album on, sit back and take that much needed trip with khazad doom to level 6 1/2 and beyond…
kheta hotem’s live gigs offer a meditative insight into the group dynamics of this keijo-led finnish ensemble.”live at yl Fkaupungin y P festival” is certainly no exception. this entire performance (one 47-minute track) is a journey through our evolution from bacteria to havoc-wreaking killing machines. as this sprawling piece descends into percussion-heavy, raucous splendor, the quintet lets up just before pushing you over the limit. as always, there is room for each sound to grow, and by the time the magnetic drones fall back to earth, you’ve been nestled into your sweet, sonic coccoon. 100 copies.
better late than never (this was originally to be released in december), “winter solstice” finds kheta hotem in rare form, basking in the glow of the midnight sun. this finnish quintet featuring, among others, keijo virtanen and members of the free players and akisa, is a chaotic romp. with elements of free jazz creeping in from the margins to compliment the organic drones and shimmering percussion orchestra, these recordings are woven in solid gold. keijo’s throat singing is the perfect undercurrent for jilted saxophones to dance in the metallic rain. “winter solistice” is perhaps kheta hotem’s finest hour.
the late omar khorshid remains an iconic legend of the arab world, though he’s received criminally little international acclaim. born in cairo in 1945, the glittering age of egypt’s cultural reinvention, khorshid was soon to become one of its luminaries and most well-known, if short-lived, voices. he is regarded as the greatest guitarist the arab world has ever known. by the mid 60s khorshid was established with his group le petit chats, an egyptian beat group modeled after the prevailing influence of elvis and the beatles. it was at this time that one of the reigning figures of contemporary arabic music, abdel halim hafez, asked omar khorshid to join his orchestra. with baligh hamdi composing, hafez with khorshid in place would create some of the most innovative modern sounds in the arabic musical canon. time with the hafez orchestra offered khorshid instant fame, and it wasn’t long before he was asked to play with the queen of arab music, the voice of egypt herself -oum kalthoum. over the next few years khorshid became a well-established and integral part of the arab musical landscape. he was featured heavily in live concerts, national tv and radio and studio recordings, playing for the leading artists of the day. the guitar had now become an essential ingredient in the oriental orchestra. khorshid began recording albums under his own name for the prestigious lebanese record labels voice of the orient and voice of lebanon. working with visionary engineer nabil moumtaz at polysound studios in beirut, khorshid would take his music into some of the most progressive musical terrain of its time. the tracks included here in this retrospective are from the prolific span of khorshid’s career in beirut from 1973 to 1977. the venerable palestinian poet mahmoud darwish best encapsulated this time in lebanon: “unfortunately, it was paradise”. khorshid’s prolific instrumental music enjoyed recognition that transcended class and status during the brief period he shone. it’s a testament to his immense talent and some of the finest guitar music the world has ever heard. this limited edition 2-lp vinyl release features over 80 minutes of classic original recordings compiled by sublime frequencies housed in a beautiful full-color gatefold jacket with extensive liner notes… another awesome release. already out of print.
tuota tuota is the third full-length album by kiila. its songs were born of peaceful, focused work and intense rehearsals with friends, interspersed with sleep and mealtimes. the album features an eight-strong core line-up but, as always, the composition of the group varies effortlessly according to need. at this table, there is room for everyone. as musical form, songs have always been important to kiila, and consequently tuota tuota develops around its songs. on the other hand, the album consists of many details: the sound is full, the web of instruments more varied and carefully orchestrated than before. it is unnecessary to separate the electronic from the non-electronic components. different traditions of folk and pop music intermingle with electronic music and improvisation, tones and sound itself. this way, the album also poses questions about songs and songwriting. the motifs in the songs are not easy to render in english, but one can at least attempt to translate some of them: master of the house, elk antlers, tree bark, sound of rapids, fog, letters, calves, fingers. the list, however, doesn’t make the songs easier to understand in a foreign language. the words sound archaic, anachronistic or timeless, the language of the myth. but can they be something else, too? and how transparent do we want the myth to be? at the risk of sounding dull, i suggest that the songs do speak to their age, our age, the nature of knowledge and work, the fluctuations of inspiration and threat. unfortunately, it is mostly only the finnish-speaking listeners who will be able to assess the validity of this idea. the name of the album, tuota tuota, translates roughly as “well, well” and signifies a thinking pause, a moment of contemplation. the language alone is likely to give pause to an english-speaking listener, but i hope the idea will convey itself in more ways than just that. and a pause for thinking is, of course, never a waste of time. jump right in! – niko-matti ahti, turku, march 25, 2009.
so i would imagine that youd have one look at the photo of king darves we have here and think “oh brother! another guy with a beard getting over what looks like a bad case of the clap and an acoustic guitar. wheres my axe?” so were not gonna put it up here. (mystique, dig?) but its really not like that, i tell you! the bedrock of king darves new brunswick based concoction is certainly folk based but theres no headband and hes not singing of pixies in the moss. this is somewhere between rolled cigs and the foggy vision of big pink from somewhere on jersey avenue, or maybe a one-manned meat puppets. this kid has really cobbled something together in his kitchen sink! the sun splits for… the blind swimmer will shock and please when the prettiest sound of his deep, rich voice comes out of yr headphones, and itll make you tap yr toes and nod yr head like a little jersey goil. – tony rettma.
KIRBY, DAVID ~ INSIDE IT IS RINGING ~ cdr (students of decay) $10.00
this is it. long in the making, we have here thee definitive statement (for the time being) from atlanta, georgia soundwizard david kirby. and god, it’s a monster. “inside, it is ringing” is born of the same brain erasing dust as his recent “shrieks against the glass pt. 2″ and his work in the wire thicket duo. however, this record transcends those previous outings in every possible way. kirby offers cavernous drones, alien rumblings and static depth
charges here that could level mountains. his recording processes are as hermetic as they are obsessive, and, like the work of all the finest craftsmen, nothing is superfluous. play impossibly loud. inhale the vapors. and float the fuck away… out of print.
kohoutek’s a live experience and this cd-r + dvd-r captures them in that context with an amazing show and video in philadelphia this past year. this comes with amazing, original cover art by scott allison and features video by jim brophy. sweet. pick it up, only 50 copies – sweet damaged psych sounds. follow-up to last years self release debut.
levitating guitar drones and vocal moanin’ creepin’ out the suburbs of the west island of montreal. waves upon waves. dig a hole in the sand and stick your head in. found cover image photocopied on heavy card stock. hand numbered and stamped. spray painted cassettes. edition of 65.
one copy only.
500 lp legal pressing of seminal turkish rock legend, erkin koray. tracklist: side a1. silinmeyen hatiralar 2. yalnizlar rihtimi 3. eksirik 4. sevdi?im 5. hayat bir teselli. side b1. sanma 2. ay bir tane 3. ankara sokaklari (original version) 4. sevince 5. genil salinca?inda (original version).
after quite a while a new private press album from this wonderful finnish crew who seem to operate in their own little world. dreamy, mellow, soothing progfolk with acid flashed, sweet female vocals, mellotron, violin, etc. really lovely subtle stuff. their two earlier lps flew out of here quick years ago, and chances are if you dug those you’ll need this one too. nice. numbered edition of 500 copies with double-sided insert. 180gm vinyl.
for those that don’t know kousokuya are a cult garage pysch rock trio formed in the 70’s in the tokyo underground music scene by main member, and recently deceased jutok kaneko. despite having existed for 20+ years the bands output has been fairly sparse with a few releases on psf and one domestic us release on the forced exposure label. originally the archive release was to be comprised of a fantastic live performance on cd from osaka in 2001 but having discovered the existence of video footage from the same performance, coupled with the efforts of james a bonus dvd was added to the mix. this release represents to date the only video document of jutok and kousokuya released in official capacity and realistically represent a chance for fans of obscure psych to see a band, and artist, that basically played outside of japan only a handful of times. this pressing of 700 copies comes packaged in a ? fold heavy black stock cover with metallic silver and gloss varnish silkscreen work by the wonderful alan sherry of siwa records. the cd and dvd come in black envelopes held together by a silkscreen obi strip… sweet one.
a real classic of ’70s underground rock, the 1975 self-released sole album by kentucky band kristyl is now reissued and fully legit for the first time. regarded as one of the best guitar psych-rock albums from the ’70s and a true collector’s gem, this wonderful disc includes seven original songs with stunning guitar-work from the band’s leader sonny devore. despite being a private pressing, the recording quality is great, still revealing serious fuzz-wah, twinned guitar and blues supported by some subtly repentant xtian vocal themes. limited vinyl edition of 500 copies only, including an insert with photos and liners by kristyl fan patrick lundborg (the acid archives).
long out of print 1995 private press from this obscure & rather hip italian space rock / psych / drone outfit. two extended tracks. clear yellow vinyl in a plain black cover. very limited.
the cd is an edition of 500 housed in a hand assembled screen printed slipcase with 8 card inserts. includes lyrics in japanese and english. artwork by namio kudo. ‘light’ was recorded live in 2005 and 2006 and features duo versions of tracks from the last three self released reiko kudo albums along with two previously unrecorded songs. forgoing the big band explorations of maher shalal hash baz here tori and reiko offer an intimate live set of reiko’s heartbreakingly beautiful songs of loss and longing… beautiful music & beautiful packaging!
archive lp of material recorded by tori kudo and some fellow travellers during a stay in new york in the summer of 1981. originally released on cassette the approach on these recordings was a long way from the creepy organ driven “noise tenno” lp that tori and reiko released a year earlier. about half of ‘atlantic city’ consists of songs, teeth bared and falling apart as they come together but still in a style similar to tori’s subsequent work with maher shalal hash baz. the other half is made up mostly of extended guitar jams nodding equally to rock and blues but retaining tori’s rather unique take on the idioms. cover and insert art on the lp is adapted from drawings drawn and photos taken in ny and atlantic city in 1981… beautifully packaged & fully screen printed as always. great stuff. recommended.
unilintu is the second of two vinyl-only lps on the dekorder label compiling the best material from kuupuus first four cd-r and cassette releases, this time presenting a slightly darker and even more coherent sonic vision compared to last years gorgeous yökehrä lp… awesome vinyl slab of kuupuu femme drone folk psych greatness. sweet full color photo cover. highest recommendation!
jonna karanka aka kuupuu is one of the main movers of the (deservedly) much hyped finnish psychedelic free folk scene. originally hailing from tampere she is known as a core member of avarus, anaksimandros, kukkkiva poliisi and maniacs dream. additionally, she has recently started hertta lussu esse with lau nau and islaja and has collaborated with tomutonttu (aka jan anderzen of kemialliset ystevet) and paavi (as lussu ja paavi). “yekehre” is the first of two vinyl-only lp’s on the dekorder label compiling the best material from her first four cd-r and cassette releases, all of which immediately became much sought after collector’s items, fetching ridicolous prices on the ebay market. this lp is a beautifull collection of haunting (sometimes spooky) home baked freeform folk songs, strange lo-fi loops, vocal drones and psychedelic cut-ups, made using weirdly tuned plucked and strummed strings, bells, clattery percussion, unidentifiable wind instruments, backwards tape loops and a ton of other noisemakers all played and recorded by herself; accompanied by her distinctive voice (often looped and layered) with vocals sung and whispered in her native finnish language making the whole atmosphere even more haunting and mysterious. jonna karanka creates an intimate space where the listener feels like sitting next to her in a small chamber or outside in the woods where kuupuu sings a lullaby just for him. we’re proud to say that this has to be one of the most exciting debut albums of the year. housed in a full colour sleeve with beautifull design / drawings / collage artwork by jonna karanka herself… awesome release. highly recommended!
shrine presents a summer of 2004, post-midnight, outdoor field recording made on the footpaths of japan’s largest shinto shrine and documents the first time meeting of japanese improvising duo kuwayama-kijima with nyc’s carter thornton (izititiz, zashiki-warashi, enos slaughter). constructed with a mixture of cellos, violins, guitars, sticks, leaves, rocks, toys, security guards and wind, the music drones, hisses, screeches and whines with the humid japanese dark within which it was created. limited to 500 vinyl copies.
kyrgyz is a name that will be unfamiliar to most, but the band’s members read like an all-star team of bay area improvisers. this quartet consists of tom carter (charalambides), loren chasse (the blithe sons, thuja, etc), christine boepple (skygreen leopards skyband), and robert horton (broken mask, infinite article, etc). kyrgyz’s debut album is 60 minutes of droned-out bliss. with its roots firmly planted in trance-inducing soil, the six songs here stretch their branches toward the sun. when four artists of this caliber come together in a single setting, the expectations are high. there is tension to spare. but kyrgyz is such a perfect blend of all their talents that it never implodes beneath the pressure. horton is the hand that guides this mix of heavy, hypnotic drones, a thicket of acoustic scrawl, and even free jazz skronk – after preliminary mixes from chasse created a thick organic atmosphere, horton took that feeling and ran with it. each sound is carefully chosen and blended together magically. there are equal elements of charalambides and jewelled antler throughout kyrgyz, but again it is horton that upsets the balance to create something completely new. in the end, this is nothing short of brilliant – yeah dudes, say supergroup!
live to air in lyttelton in may 2009 when the musician pretended to be a duo from kaiapoi and conducted a fake interview with its revenant participants. ominous mists embraced the surrounding hills, before creeping toward the quiescent harbour. apologetic rainbows. c20. pro dubs times 100.
first release on this new label / custom hi-fi creator. adam kriney from owl xounds and co. lay down more deep space psych sounds. hand done full color packaging. limited to only 100 copies.
“the risk of gravitation” is the stunning new summer 08 tour mini-album by brooklyn’s la otracina, who have long wandered and forged sounds in the hidden lands of heavy psychedelia and progressive space music. this 7 track 32+ minute excursion is a major paradigm shift for the group as drummer adam kriney is now on vocal duties as well, adding yet another layer of epic intensity to the swirling chaos of evan sobel’s fender bass vi low-end destruction and new guitarist philippe ortanez’s ecstatically angular bliss-out. this disc shifts between tracks of classic la otracina free-form freakout brilliance and their current vocal-heavy jams, which put the progressive psych back into early heavy metal while exploring realms of dark doom-sludge thunder and the graceful complexity of early canterbury jazz-rock. refusing to be quantified, it is clear that la otracina remain in an orbit of their own, seeking out the cosmic weird and channeling it through hard rock power! first press limited edition of 100 numbered copies.
brand new tour only limited to 100 copies splattered vinyl with signed posters!! shifts between tracks of classic la otracina free-form freak-out brilliance and their current vocal-heavy jams, which put the progressive psych back into early heavy metal while exploring realms of dark doom-sludge thunder and the graceful complexity of early canterbury jazz-rock. refusing to be quantified, it is clear that la otracina remain in an orbit of their own, seeking out the cosmic weird and channeling it through hard rock power!
when their recent “tonal ellipse of the one” cd came out on holy mountain, the boys hit the road and created this limited tour ep to bathe the masses in astral jelly! three tracks featuring extensive collage work and new music by new bassist evan sobel. source material includes new / unreleased recordings of trio improvisations during the adam kriney/ninni morgia/jordon schranz period as well as some material from earlier out-of-print eps. a brilliant mix of acid-rock blowout, early electronic kraut innovations, and lush drones / tones.
brand new studio album! yes, these sonic spacemen have just finished yet another studio album, this one channeling yet even newer ideas into their boundless sphere of psychedelic transmissions! quite different from their current “space-metal” live show, this new studio album swirls between worlds of loner cosmic psych-folk meditations, 70’s european electronic-progressive space music (i.e. – heldon / tangerine dream / cluster / spacecraft / pulsar), overblown freak-rock improvisation and heavy-dark-brooding new music-meets-industrial sound-collage mind warp! 9 songs, 35 minutes, professionally printed cd-rs and full color inserts, 1st edition of 100!
vinyl debut from portland, maine femme indie-pop buzz band on new local label.
lagger blues machine came from belgium and was founded in 1970 by christian duponchell, organ, jean-luc duponcheel, drums, jose cuisset, guitars and michael maes, bass. in 1971 the band joined the musicians vincent mottoulle, organs and carmelo pilotta, flute and saxophone. the band played very interesting progressive-rock and raised up soon to an important live-band at whole of belgium. so they performed with great success at end of october 1970 at the pop-festival, bruselles, together with warhorse and wishbone ash. in 1972 their only album was recorded which was very well done and can be considered today as a very important album in prog-rock history of the seventies. the official reissue, which is presented here, comes with an interesting insert and 180 gram vinyl – slightly banged corner. low price.
crazy psychedelic electronica. the second album from the mysterious lamppukello, a follow-up to auringonpaisteessa hämärtä – ja hämärtessä aurinko paistaa that was released by foxglove last year. crazy vocals, weird loops and some noise, handpainted sleeves, limited edition of 66 copies.
willie lane is a new england-born guitarist mostly known for his sporadic appearances (both live and recorded) backing vermont duo mv & ee, but he is also prone to indulge occasionally in solo endeavors. fans of mv & ee’s cottage label child of microtones will remember mr. lane’s “recliner ragas” disc of several years ago, documenting a legendary session from early 2003 that mv engineered and produced at his home in guilford. “known quantity” finds lane sequestered in philadelphia apartments with a tape machine, coaxing ragas and abstract blues from acoustic guitars as well as walking the plank of a pedalboard with his dangerously heavy les paul copy. the recordings date from 2006 to 2008 – a span of time that encompassed a considerable range of shifting moods and approaches in lane’s playing, in addition to yielding ample refreshment breaks. – cord-art… excellent new private press slab in a classic paste-on xerox, screen printed cover, with insert. numbered edition of 350. highly recommended.
hot new private press single. limited edition of 350 numbered copies. recommended!
outside of philadelphia i was born and raised, and in the playground i spent quite a few of my younger days. at the time i had a preference for brunettes but years pass and we change. when my tendencies turned toward blondes i began to hear the call of the big rotten apple and at eighteen, away i went. gone were the lonely, sweaty summer nights of pa. the crickets were still cricken’ but not in my ears. i was in new york and i was looking for action. some crave love, some seek danger but i was on the hunt for open mics and not to brag—i found ‘em. in a section of the city once referred to as alphabet on the lower east side there lurks a lot of white guys with acoustic guitars. this minor mass of songsters would meet one, two and sometimes three times a week in the back of bars, smoking, drinking and sharing with each other our newest creations. it was there that i met some good friends and came of age beginning to play my own shows and tour. one of the most endearing and standout qualities of slim’s live shows is the sureness that one is always entering a genuine gospel-like musical experience full of little miracles. be set free has captured this charisma and spirit -the “hold your heart” moments and “raise a drink” dance vibes shine throughout with lush string arrangements and the fine sonic talents of drummer malachi delorenzo and new bassist jeff ratner. langhorne’s stronger than ever vocals lead the journey blending his poetry through the beautiful chaos and bearing a wisdom that reflects a broken heart battling the perils of true hope. be set free is langhorne’s most cinematic and cohesive effort to date. slim has truly reached a point of light where these songs come from wide-eyed maturity and mastered craft. gut wrenching lyrics and gorgeous merry melodies-it would be easy to categorize it as folk, but this time-it’s much more complex than just that slice of pie. sweet hallelujah choruses bleed throughout tracks like “land of dreams” and “say yes” and turn to the darkness of blues filled “i love you, but goodbye”.
5 jams collected over the last couple of years, ranging from cosmic keyboards to more delicate guitars and what-not, real happy with this one.
glasgow drone magic from jani hervoten (uton), chris hladowski (scatter, the one ensemble of daniel padden, nalle) and ben reynolds. a sizzling psych summit to end all sizzling psych summits. edition of 60 numbered copies.
glasgow drone magic from jani hervoten (uton), chris hladowski (scatter, the one ensemble of daniel padden, nalle) and ben reynolds… out of print. one copy only.
many positive reviews have littered the web of this cassingle. bruno from ruralfaune calls this his “song of the year.” recorded in early 2006, the first side sounds eerily contemporary. dense, layered experimental pop music from the stratigraphic future.
nukkuu (finnish for sleeps) is the long awaited sophomore album by celebrated finnish folk fave lau nau. nukkuu is psychedelic, abstract & emotionally captivating. nukkuu is an album of changes. in the years since her debut album kuutarha, laura became a mother, moved to the finnish countryside and took valuable time to carve out a space for her enchanted art in the new found tranquility of her remote surroundings. conceived in tight attics & vacant dens on off hours when her young son nuutti was fast asleep, this is an intimately crafted 9 song collection that unfolds like dreamlike musical ribbons for the senses and delivers the listener to a place of unhurried contentedness. deluxe gatefold 180 gram vinyl… totally beautiful, of course. recommended.
nukkuu (finnish for sleeps) is the long awaited sophomore album by celebrated finnish folk fave lau nau. nukkuu is psychedelic, abstract & emotionally captivating. nukkuu is an album of changes. in the years since her debut album kuutarha, laura became a mother, moved to the finnish countryside and took valuable time to carve out a space for her enchanted art in the new found tranquility of her remote surroundings. conceived in tight attics & vacant dens on off hours when her young son nuutti was fast asleep, this is an intimately crafted 9 song collection that unfolds like dreamlike musical ribbons for the senses and delivers the listener to a place of unhurried contentedness. deluxe gatefold 180 gram vinyl… as beautiful as you knew it would be!
once upon a time there was a world famous free jazz band rauhan orkesteri. all their instruments and half of the players were taken away, leaving only two peasant brothers and a pile of garbage. they abandoned melody, rhythm and the shine of chrome and started to build from the garbage the stormy temple of all miniatures, which they open for you right now. this is the top peak of lauhkeat lampaat’s work.
r.keenan lawler has spent the last 25 years developing his own personal sound world, constantly pushing himself in new directions and developing new techniques, while remaining completely focused on his vision. his experiments on 1930 national resonator guitar are the stuff of legend you sometimes hear from town to town by someone who may have had the good fortune to witness one of his performances. words such as cosmic, monolithic and deeply american have been used to describe the experience of his music. he has worked with other like-minded musicians such as matmos, pelt, rhys chatham, john butcher, charalambides, ignaz schick, philip samartzis, my morning jacket, david watson and lukas ligeti. in 1999 he self released ghost of a plane of air, it quickly went out of print and has since been heralded by many as a minimalist masterpiece. it is now available for a larger audience. lawler here pushes the bounds and very definition of the resonator guitar: bowing, picking, scraping, knocking and combining it with electro-acoustic manipulations and on site recordings. the sound that pours from the speakers is dense, affecting, cavernous and like no other, often delving from delicate picking into a flurry of notes and ecstatic drones. ghost of a plane of air is the sound of a man looking deep into his soul and coming out the other side changed, scarred and poetic. this reissue has been remastered, and includes a previously unreleased song recorded during the same time period.
in a genre built on obscured and unsung genius, corridor of faces transcends and stands out as a true psyche masterpiece. rising above any number of recently unearthed late-60s anglo-pop platters, the sole offering from small town massachusetts phenomenon lazy smoke is a cohesive, solid, classic album in every sense. ten songs that weave into one-another, painting some beautifully drifty sonic picture as they go. the first remarkable trait of lazy smoke’s sound is the lead vocals’ uncanny similarity to john lennon. if that likeness was the whole story, we would have a beatles sound-alike on our hands, and that would be that. upon digging just a little deeper below the surface, we instead find a darker tone and a patient, eerie and almost shut-in feeling resonating through the songs. while bands like the beatles and the left banke were singing about love, lament and hallucinated travel experiences, the songs on corridor of faces get sincerely dark right away. even the seemingly-light teenage love-themed ’sarah saturday’ shares an undercurrent of on-the-edge uncertainty and dread. it’s this undercurrent that calls to mind comparisons to forever changes-era love and the more damaged end of the pop spectrum. originally privately pressed in ma in an edition of only 500 copies in 1968… includes liner notes & photos.
le drapeau noir = chora + hunter gracchus + part wild horses mane on both sides as an octet… limited vinyl only release from this heavy hitting uk free music collective.
two spiritual brothers. recorded live on quebec city radio. full blown sax, free drums, and voices preaching in a language none of us have ever heard before. heard the pet store near-by had a problem with their cages, some birds got loose and nested in the studio. brothers didn’t mind, they’re real “earth people,” right, they felt at home hangin’ with their feathered friends. twenty minutes in length and it’s definitely not enough. co-released with cricxkets recordings. photocopied artwork pasted on cardboard jackets. a real bootleg feel. numbered edition of 100.
all songs were recorded during a few days in jenkeping early 2007. the recordings took place in viktor’s room in his father’s apartment (god bless tolerant neighbours). help was provided by jonas ottosson (sanchez is driven by demons) who played some, gustav karlsson (log cabin) who mastered the record and robin watkins (dialog cet) who made the beautiful purple (cd-r) and green (net) cover artwork together with jesper canell. the record includes songs that make a stunning impression. the free form tracks samerna hade rett and pink moonlight introduces a new shift in leafes music making. slow, dissonant and lose structured make the songs exciting and haunting. leafes howls with the wolves and bastard son are pop songs at their very best. interesting soundscapes and amazing lyrics brings that extra to the otherwise great songs. autumn storm is a tale inspired by the storm gudrun that caused a lot of destruction in the southern parts of sweden a few years ago. the song will surely bring tears to your eyes as you’ll hear about the animals taking shelter. the closing song wooden lung generates pictures of how modern life shapes us as human beings. the song is not without some sad parts but it’s neither without hope. in the mountain’s belly is a perfect break from the hectic urban life of ours and make you long for more of leafes peculiar direction in pots, drones and sad farmer’s broken hearts… really sweet release from this new project. beautifully packaged with a thick stack of art inserts. recommended.
leafes will finally release their seedland project. an experiment in drums, drones and folktunes… limited to 100 copies. nice covers. nice sounds!
wonderful release of folky pop songs from an american summer stripped down and slowed down to the bare bones. ten pieces about lost friends, angels, ghosts and mountain gods. recorded in a cool room during a hot week in a southern town.
long delayed vinyl reissue of this classic mid-2000s slab of voice-storm magic by pedal steel songstress heather leigh. originally on fag tapes. freshly remastered and with all new art by heath moerland. edition of 400.
a legendary chicago area band who should have made it with their killer 45 i live in the springtime!, here we have a selection of their best recorded material. springtime itself is too good for my ears (and here you have the single version plus a different fuzz version as well), but we get a total of 15 fantastic tracks ranging from fuzzed-out garage-psych to lighter flower-power with lots of jingle-jangle guitar, all circa 1966-1968 and all original compositions. the level is really so high we’re still surprised how they didn’t put more than one 45 into wax, really. anyway, it’s been way too long since these recordings were made available on vinyl by cicadelic (more than 20 years now!), so here’s a very welcome new release by the mighty lemon drops! … great stuff final on wax again!
one copy only. screen printed cover. from 1999
“hasenlove” is the debut musical release of hamburg visual artist antonia leukers. she’s a founding member of “institut hasenbart”, a 10-piece artist collective dedicated to a meta-scientific research of hares and related social, zoological and aesthetical phenomena in reference to the art world and pop culture. leukers has previously created stitched, sewed and animated sculptures while casually growing cucumbers, working for a local in-vitro fertilization hospital and advising young people on erotic issues as a german dr. ruth for a popular online magazine. inspired by a journey to island, hearing local travel guides spontaneously interweaving their narrations with sudden outbursts of folklore chanting and an encounter with wolfgang miller’s (die tedliche doris) strategy of transforming and combining his (pseudo-)scientific, documentary and social research into a musical and artistic performance she started to elaborate her fellow artist’s lectures with musical renditions. as a passionate diy home-recording artist she has soldered her own microphones, used cheap toy instruments, gameboys and minidisc recordings of kitchen sounds to create her very own bricolage comic universe. by recycling corny aor mainstream rock/pop songs into some oddly disturbing and wonderfully weird rabbit love songs with newly-made german lyrics and combining these with some truly strange original compositions (ranging from freeform collage to distorted techno to deranged singer/songwriter stuff), she has created a musical love story in 7 parts. spiritually influenced by (though not really sounding alike) german “neue deutsche welle” artists such as der plan and theatrical and surreal performance bands like the residents her versions of popular love songs sound like a teenage/female andrew lloyd webber on bad acid. this 1-sided vinyl-only picture-disc lp is a strictly limited edtion of 300 copies. both the gorgeous design and ornamental etching on the b-side have been done by fellow hasenbart founding member renate nikolaus… all copies here include the VOM LIEBREIZ DES HASEN fanzine, an amazing 40-page fanzine accompanying the above lp with gorgeous art, lyrics, illustrations, photos, articles… screen printed & xeroxed… very cool & unusual art object!
a very obscure and nearly impossible-to-find piece of american acid folk-rock recorded in 1968 by mark levine — an underground dylanesque singer-songwriter, here backed by top-notch musicians like ry cooder and mike deasy. a complex and enjoyable piece of music from the outer fringes of the late ’60s featuring explicit lyrics (sex & drugs), and trippy liner notes and cover art.
lichens is rob lowe’s (90 day men) vehicle for performance and recording solo and with collaborators. lichens is a transfixing experience that loops wordless vocals into curtains of ghostly drone which lowe makes witchier with the addition of both acoustic and electric guitars, percussion and other effects. recorded live as a one-time improvisation without overdubs, the three tracks on the psychic nature of being reveal and extend already mesmerizing lichens live performances. holy mountain’s deluxe vinyl edition of the psychic nature of being comes housed in a sturdy old-style tip-on jacket that features original artwork by mr. lowe not available on the cd version… top notch space-out trance sounds. awesome album & great cover art too.
single copy only.
“the moon” kicks off lsl’s vinyl debut with some synth squelch/drum liftoff, until the trademark banjo and extremely-distorted guitar interplay begins the melodic tapestry, joined by four voices around one microphone. “no you won’t” was one of the earliest lsl tracks, recorded in an era before murk and caves. a clean electric guitar, bass, and banjo create the foundation upon which a nonchalant female lead vocal spooks some warnings punctuated by fluttering flute leads. as freaky as these folks come. hand-stamped (from hand-carved linoleum stamp) black 7″ vinyl record held in a chipboard sleeve, with a full-color photo pasted to the front and an in-house screenprinted front and back design. hand-stamped numbered to 300… loose 7inch from the tryst haunt subscription series.
“the moon” kicks off lsl’s vinyl debut with some synth squelch/drum liftoff, until the trademark banjo and extremely-distorted guitar interplay begins the melodic tapestry, joined by four voices around one microphone. “no you won’t” was one of the earliest lsl tracks, recorded in an era before murk and caves. a clean electric guitar, bass, and banjo create the foundation upon which a nonchalant female lead vocal spooks some warnings punctuated by fluttering flute leads. as freaky as these folks come. hand-stamped (from hand-carved linoleum stamp) black 7″ vinyl record held in a chipboard sleeve, with a full-color photo pasted to the front and an in-house screenprinted front and back design. hand-stamped numbered to 300… loose 7inch from the tryst haunt subscription series.
although they sprung ready-made from of the ashes of legendary candombe/beat group el kinto, one of the best-kept secrets from uruguay’s musical mythology is nevertheless the group of musicians who recorded one album as limonada. so what happened? the story starts with the end of el kinto, when band leader and iconoclastic maniac eduardo mateo decided to embark on a solo career (see our lion productions collection of his early music for more details), and the other members of el kinto said ‘let’s do something together.’ and so it was that in the middle of 1970, limonada recorded their one and only album, ‘limonada’ (sondor 33.111). it is a strange record, with backwards tape splices and abrupt song changes, that remains at the same time absolutely accessible and very groovy, in a tropicalia sort of way, which might explain why it was an immediate success. in truth, it’s a profound mystery why the limonada lp – one of the ten best sellers of its time within three weeks of its release – seems to have vanished from the consciousness of even the most devoted fans of obscure music. until now, of course. now, on to the presentation – the highest quality mastering and pressing (done at acoustech mastering/rti in california, the same people who master and press every title that audiophile label classic records makes); the resulting lp is housed in a poly-lined sleeve, inside an ultra-heavy 1960’s style jacket, which is housed in a loose-fitting plastic sleeve. inside you will find an insert with historical background on the uruguayan scene, details of the band’s past, plenty of photos, as well as a brief overview of the legendary sondor label, printed on 100% recycled paper. the lp labels are replicas of the sondor originals. a top of the line pressing all the way. limited edition of 500 copies.
lp version. limited edition of 500 copies worldwide. this is the second album from swedish folk siren lisa isaakson and her band lisa o piu. this is the follow-up to 2009’s critically-acclaimed debut album when this was the future. to get inspiration for the creation of behind the bend, lisa spent time in a small cottage located deep in the vast woods of vastmanland, sweden, where she enjoyed the last breath of the summer. every evening she and david svedmyr walked further into the woods to an old rowing boat that lay on the edge of a forest lake. in the light of the magically ever-glowing swedish summer midnight sun they paddled across the lake and then further along a forest creek with lush green trees that hung down over the fresh running water and water lilies. this is the kind of set and setting where you travel into another world… and they did. the initial recordings were made under a vaulted blue ceiling with gold stars in the old 15th century timber church of hjulsjö, sweden. the new album is filled with delicious and bewitching watery woodland folk hymnals — eloquent yet eerie. the harp has been given more space, the violin plays a greater role, the 12-stringed guitar plays graceful melodies and all is led by lisa’s gossamer vocals, as delicate as a wavering candle flame. come along for the ride… very lovely stuff here once again.
this is the debut full-length release by sweden’s lisa isaksson and her band lisa o piu. raised in a small town on the outskirts of stockholm, she spent most of her time drawing sketches in horse stables. later, these horse drawings would become song lyrics accompanied by her mother’s old guitar, recorded on a 4-track. through the years, she eventually formed the band piu together with her school buddies, and their first single was released in scotland in 2007. the single got a lot of good reviews and lisa and piu gave a couple of concerts on the british isles as well as home in stockholm. they also had the opportunity to perform with the british folk musician roger wootton who led the legendary acid-folk band comus during the early 1970s. the performances went so well that they were released as a live album. as summer came and turned sweden into a green and pleasant place again, the core members of piu went to a small cottage in the beautiful archipelago north of stockholm and recorded what was to become when this was the future. the album is filled with delicious and bewitching woodland folk hymnals, eloquent yet eerie, and led by lisa’s gossamer vocals, as delicate as a wavering candle flame. the album is produced by mattias gustavsson (life on earth!/dungen), and it somehow divinely conjures the essence of linda perhacs, bridget st. john, joni mitchell, sandy denny, vashti bunyan, and joanna newsom into one singular siren, but with a thoroughly unique, thoroughly haunting delivery… beautiful album. limited to 500 copies.
portland, or-by-way-of-michigan garage gang little claw first tripped our radar with their self-released why not 7 inch, which was/is raw and physical and swingin’ in all the ways you want a 7” to be. their la live shows proved even more ripping and charged; we were sold. so we sprung at the offer to enshrine their latest (and best) album, human taste, on vinyl for the world’s turntables to adore. packed with classic, cracked anthems (“frozen in the future,” “colors you drown”), basement weirdo stompers (“modern vampire,” “breathing tape,”) and naked art-punk riddles (“lay to waste,” “summerphile”), the lp’s two sides are slyly sequenced to seduce, blind, and devour, demonstrating a rad range of attacks, escapes, claws, tongues. it’s a great late summer record: between styles, beyond genres, and aggressively alive. taste the taste. black vinyl lps in jackets with art designed by the band, plus a pro-printed, double-sided 11×17 poster/insert. edition of 600.
adagio830 is proud to release the debut full lenght lp by our friend christian deroeck. after touring the us this fall for almost 4 weeks and released this album on cd by himself – this is the proper vinyl version. all records come w/ heavy cardboard cover, spot uv, poster inlay and heavy vinyl. christian deroeck spent most of the past decade writing, touring & recording with the brooklyn indie/punk band meneguar. in late 2006, he and bandmate jeremy earl decided to combine their bedroom recordings and release them together, as woods. they recorded two albums together and toured the us and europe. in early 2008, for several reasons, christian left both bands. he spent the summer of 2008 working as a carpenter in eastern long island. inhabiting a tiny basement room, he began working on the songs that shape on the knife. in the fall he moved back to brooklyn and teamed up with his old friend, multi-instrumentalist dylan edrich (chain and the gang), and little gold was born. recorded to tape at emandee studio in brooklyn, on the knife is a deeply personal take on love and loss, and was very much shaped by christian’s departure from his previous bands. like his earlier work with woods, the songwriting is earnest, and of course there are a few indulgent headphone tracks as well. now joined by stand-up drummer patty conway, little gold has begun to incorporate more improvisational and psychedelic sounds into their mellow, country-rock oeuvre, and in the process are becoming a notable live act around nyc… recommended!
the little wings side will be entitled magic wood (spelled “cagim doow” or “magic would”) and contains 5 new songs along with ads, commercials and noise collage parts between em. justin’s half of the record (“me vs. evil”) will consist of 15 noisy minimalist pop songs that were recorded in 2001/2002. everything from both sides was recorded at home and has a very gainy, warm feeling to it. you’ll feel happy. the lp version will be pressed on mixed color vinyl and have hand painted covers by kyle and justin themselves as well as a small booklet of drawings from the two!
what would the soil say? a fair speculation from the lands oldest apostle – “god made the earth and the earth was round and the earth stood still in its roundness – thus gave rise to the color green – the amorphic quality of this color sprang life – the first sounds involved gurggling cro-magnon hemorages – the rest is adequate history – hamburgers hotdogs hermaphrodites haunted house huge hard hair – this is my recollection, i am soil!” a true testament of northern californian 4:20-vibe/freak-out unfurled for the rest of the world – a live non-stop excavation of classic impulse! ether fused a la cro-magnon(artists alone decide – ) with a utilitarian nod to”new weird-ness” and finnish-psych-spooge – recorded in davis, ca”live in studio a” sept. 2004 – 4 colors, 500 copies, collaborative artwork – why does acid cost so much? features members of klondike & york, antennas erupt, my whole hand was wet, tally band, and black bottles.
loosers from portugal continues with their psychedelic free noise jams after releases on labels such as qbico, ruby red, meudiademorte and woodsist. a quiet and subtle guitar-driven piece, feels like a slooow and hot sunday afternoon. the flipside has more crude and dirty out there jazz madness from brooklyn’s owl xounds exploding galaxy, featuring adam from holy mountains la otracina. 420 copies, all on black vinyl.
portuguese sidelights seekers finally unveil this thick black dinner plate of drums and mosque smoke. 2-color silkscreen of a jeremy earl drawing on a textile-photocopied sleeve. edition of 340.
this new record of the restless loosers present the band in a surprising and mind-blowing rock shape. three long trippy songs spacing from the hypnotic guitars and supergroovy bass and drum riffs of “love has come around”, to the mysterious mediterranean atmospheres of “the moment”, passing through the almost psychedelic beat sound of “don’t let go”… travelling the ways of love. ltd. edition of 180 copies.
one copy only. amazing south american mystical psych. deluxe, out of print.
laid back, stoned and utterly frightening cemetary groove, falling somewhere between apocalyptic swamp blues and intensely weirdo folk jam recorded on a sunken ship on it’s way to the dark depths. a mesmerizing chunk of loose string hooks, primitive metal percussion rust, other worldly piano pummel and explosive shifts of damaged radiowaves, all drenched in shuffling weirdness and suffocating summertime heat. lost boys are a mysterious gang of drug-crazed truck crashing improvisers, leaning on the musically thuggish side of the tracks where fixed stares spew threats against decent society. an absolute sparkling testament on how life sucks. packaged in classic supreme tape style, the way it’s supposed to be. awesome. if it matters, edition of 30 copies – long out of print.
the revenge of the mad truckers – loner folk frustration and backalley rumble done by trashcan survivors, think primitive psych clash meets gross haircuts and smelly armpits. savagely pure recordings by scar-bearing loners that have turned their backs to society, spewing forth a half-sane beast of wiseass improvised thunder. no choruses or accessible arousing pop swirls — only sheer claustrophobic transmissions, drenched in lost boys’ typical mysterious ghost aura, infinite like space itself. packaged in full color fold out covers, in an edition of only 30 copies. classify under loner death trip – weird ass dark folk brooding. cool stuff. long out of print.
long out of print.
brisbane’s improvisor extraordinaires, the lost domain, have been launching sonic missives into the stratosphere for almost 20 years now. these guys were blitzing the path well-travelled by jackie-o motherfucker and no neck blues band, before either group even existed. in australia, they know how to play the blues. maybe it’s in the water, or maybe it blows in from the ocean, but one listen to the lost domain’s”white man at the door,” and there’s no denying it: these motherfuckers can play the blues.”white man at the door” follows the legendary shytone”dead set,” a compendium of pre-war inspired clssics compiled by lost domai mainman, john henry calvinist (aka david mac kinnon), and much beloved by none other than john fahey. these six tracks are like nothing else the group has released. ragtime frank (aka simon ellaby) puts in the vocal performance of a lifetime as he extracts songs like”in my time of dying” and”frankie & albert” from deep inside his bones. over an archaic bed of acoustic instrumentation and junkyard percussion, ellaby belts out gut-wrenching line after gut-wrenching line. it will bring listeners to their knees. the pre-war inspirations behind these tracks are obvious, but the execution and emotion is 100% authentic.”white man at the door” is a lost relic. it’s like something found in a dusty corner of the library of congress, begging to be rediscovered. this is the kind of album that most bands only dream of making. it is pure, whiskey-addle perfection.
who is lotus??? grinding. pulsing ugly cartoon hardcore with red-ass danse and troll grunts. using a rerigged commodore 64 and 2 mics attached to 200 foot cords. these gentleman conjure perfect soundtracks to itchy + scratchy or your next bruce willis comedy movie fight. audience interaction is a must and i can tell you dear reader that these boys get the house humpin. i witnessed 100 art students losing their collective virginity to the hot house sounds. my dad likes this record! – msg (freedom from records)their 2nd cd. co-released with a bunch of other labels. complete spazzing mouths over hard laptop beatings. roll around on the floor. real cds. full color cardboard jacket which is then shrinkwrapped. full color printing on cd. buy one!! they’re cheap!!!
nearly 40 years after its creation, weird forest is proud to release this seminal jazz album for the first time ever on vinyl. the incendiary grooves captured in this wax defy description. it is not free, funk, fusion or fire music – it encompasses all of these sounds and then blasts far beyond them. featuring the late great organist, larry young (miles davis circa bitches brew, tony williams’ lifetime, etc), this album is mandatory listening for fans of miles davis’ live evil fusion era, young’s own lawrence of newark, sun ra’s cosmic explorations and even japanese guitar terrorists like keiji haino and masayuki takayanagi. beautifully packaged, weird forest-style, in a deluxe double-gatefold cover and remastered for vinyl by weasel walter, the love cry want 2xlp is an essential document of a criminally unheralded group.
exact details on the origins of the love is so fast are vague; essentially, it was a project created by danyhell and estrella (currently in los llamarada) intended to flesh out bedroom improvisations and act as an inner search for a sense of skeletal (pop) structure amid the morass of postmodern rock effluvium. performed live and recorded in one take, the five hazy, languorous tracks certainly charge the ions with positive, crystalline zip, creating an electron hole that sounds like alien transmissions from a long-ago mars. not the band, friend, the planet! fans of the debut lp by los llamarada (s-s records) will be downright giddy with the precambrian narco-menace that comes carbonating off the love is so fast’s archival recordings. or, as the band says themselves: “this is the music we dreamed of but couldn’t play.” grab the peyote, i think i’m frida kahlo.
in early 2008, thrill jockey released gyromancy, a limited edition art book & cd release from robert a.a. lowe & rose lazar. gyromancy featured a 3″ cd of music from robert a.a. lowe and was accompanied by a 72 page perfect-bound book featuring the art of both lowe and rose lazar. thrill jockey is now happy to present eclipses, a limited edition lp-only release again featuring the music of lowe and the visual artwork of both lowe and lazar. eclipses is an extension of gyromancy. remaining in view of what came before and altering the vision. pushing out beyond natural terrestrial landscapes into those slightly more cosmic or alien in scope. it makes an appropriate addendum to the onset of this particular phase. the music was recorded at home by lowe utilizing semi-modular and polyphonic analogue synthesizers. accompanying the full length lp is a 12″ x 36″ double-sided full color poster showcasing the artwork of both lowe and lazar. this is again included to properly voice the images, which end up as a sort of storyboard to the music.
robert aiki aubrey lowe (lichens, singer, 90 day men) constructs haunting, beautiful, at times hypnotic rhythms and melodies using synthesizers. his love of the warm, bubbling, physical sounds of the synthesizer permeates these seven songs, which seem simultaneously strangely familiar yet also somehow distant and alien. fazo iv: la kvalito de speguloj (phase 4: the quality of mirrors) is a further extension of lowe’s exploration of sonic vocabularies and emotional landscapes. because the modes lowe utilizes are tonally and melodically universal to his ear, he has titled the album in the language of esperanto– the universal language constructed to foster international understanding and peace. this notion of univeral understanding comes through in waves on fazo iv. there is a certain tranquility in these tracks– something very meditative and therapeutic; a calming honesty that leads the mind inward and transcends language. limited edition of 300 lps pressed on 150 gram vinyl with full color 11×17 poster insert.
as the title would suggest represents footage james filmed of all three members of lsd march (shinsuke michishita, ikuro takahashi, masami kawaguchi) performing solo sets at philly’s best book store, bigjar, while on a short us tour in the fall of 2006. shinsuke and masami’s renderings represent a japanese working of psychy folk for guitar and vocals. ikuro offers a contrasted short piece of oscillator assemble that is firmly rooted in the avant-garde, with overtones of conceptualist art, found sound, and experimentalism. the release comes packaged in a 3 fold heavy stock cover with a pressing size of 550 copies design and silkscreen by jason killinger from birds of maya.
a four track special lp. 2 versions, one on black vinyl and one on coloured vinyl, each version is limited to 100 copies worldwide. the running time is 40 minutes and contains live material from their last european tour in 2008… all copies here are the black vinyl version in a black sleeve with paste-on photo art and an insert. very limited stock.
samara lubelski’s 5th solo lp future slip serves up a gorgeous and friendly collection of bittersweet melodies, sinister basslines, gestural polaroid lyrics, and spot-on drumming garnished with sprigs of fuzz, paired with a guitar riesling. it is a record of knowledge and innocence, of truth and fairytale, of wonder and clarity. envision france gall performing the songs of sterling morrison and mo tucker with ralph molina on drums. the show is at a loft across bowery from cbgb’s and the only person in the audience at soundcheck is jandek, cross-legged in the middle of the floor. produced by thurston moore. and here is the result: future slip is a worldly record, a record which offers ‘a taste of the new dimension’ but warns of ‘guru bummers’. to a sunny day it adds the shadows which allow the perception of depth. on a rainy day it offers a selection of cakes. anyone who does not dig this record deserves our pity, as they know nothing about the joy or sadness of life… limited vinyl version with insert. sweet stuff!!
with parallel suns samara lubelski has flown into a higher orbit with her merger of the fuels of folk, psychedelia and pop. they combine into a potent mixture that gives her compositions a vibrancy that shimmers in the reflection of their power. the music streams down and ends up in your ear through dappled arrangements that are warm and bright while still having them shaded with darkness from both the lyrics and sound… limited vinyl version. by far her best yet, and thats saying a lot. recommended!
lussu and magneetti are a finnish-american duo from helsinki. they joined forces in early summer of 2006 and began recording in lussu’s appartment shortly thereafter. their debut release is noisy, droney music: vignettes of drum beats laced with ethereal voices and reverbed guitar. at times, it unleashes harsh episodes of distorted rhythms and noise, other times, a dark universe of”spooked-out” earthy tones coming from either the finnish forest or the”spin-cycle” of your washing machine. this limited editon of 150 copies is beautifully decorated with pressed leaves handpicked near the road of a main norwegian highway. delicate and unique, this cd-r release greets its audience with both visual and aural delights – new project from jonna karanka (kuupuu), so you know its gooood! very lovely packaging too.
dub-revisioning of personal pain. an attempt to abstract himself from sorrow…or intensify the hurt four-fold. 3″ cdr.
the end of january sees this superb new release by the magic carpathians.”gharana” has been specially recorded for reverb worship.the recording consists of three collective improvisations by the band featuring eric arn, anna nacher, marek styczynski and audrey widota. available now in a limited edition of 50 copies.
through a mutual admiration of each other’s work magic lantern & the hop-frog kollectiv have created two stunning masterpieces for a collaborative release. the hop-frog kollectiv’s somba is based on recordings on silvertone and hammond organs donated by shea m. gauer of open books and features yanqin (chinese dulcimer), ruan (moon guitar), been, electric guitar, midi guitar & flutes. the title comes from the regionally known name of three clans in the atakora mountains of the sahara desert who’s ancestral and family ties govern their society through their belief that the dead are permanently among us and constantly influencing us. magic lantern’s underwater dynasty was recorded for ukelele, guitar, flute, piano, bells, hand drums & voices. this piece could alternatively be titled underwater raga. the magic created by the interweaving flute and string melodies creates and epic soundtrack to an atlantis like hesse-esque world that’ll take you to the outer places you’ve always needed to explore. this is magic lantern’s follow up to their highly acclaimed wax release on not not fun entitled high beams. this lp is limited to 300 copies.
it’s been a while since the lantern shined its high beams out into the world but life’s a maze of alternate paths (marriage, children, portland oregon, etc) and that’s just the way it goes/went. fortunately for all lovers of heavy male psych brotherhoods the ml gang convened back in 2009 before parting ways temporarily to track their second full-length, platoon, and here it is. as oughta be expected, it’s a monstrous hot-rod cruise into screaming dual wah distortions powered by the poker faced gavin / chip rhythm section and splattered with jazzy freak-out organ (courtesy of phil / stunned), trademark drooling white light william giacchi guitar shred, and the occasional stallones echo yelp. featuring most of their live classics from the pre-hiatus era (“dark cicadas,” “friendship,” etc) and tracked / mixed by best coaster bobb bruno, this fills the hole in yr heart left by high beams. black vinyl lps in classic national geographic photo collage jackets designed by cameron araw. mastered by james plotkin. edition of 700.
magic lantern came into being at the mid-point of the decade, sparked into existence by a simultaneous period of musical discovery for philip french, william giacchi, and cameron stallones. inspired by the psychedelic approach to musical tone and structure in various eras and genres of rock (not at all excluding germany and japan in the ’70s), the three realized they ought to make use of the new creative tools they’d stumbled upon, and began jamming the summer away in twin poles of long beach and whittier, ca. over the course of a year they recorded every jam and compiled a full-length’s worth of home-studio demos which later became their self-released cd-r. at the same time, each member was developing solo and side projects to channel parallel universes of sound. a year after their first jam together, magiclantern decided to make the leap to playing live and recruited good friends and like-minded musicians chip knechtel and gavin fort to be their marathon rhythm section. the jams from their cd-r were used as the blueprints for the band to develop a raw, stripped-down sound that emphasized hypnotic rhythms and improvised guitar duels. after being invited to play at the tee pee records showcase “manifest destiny” in august of ‘07, th’ lantern kept up a steady diet of shows in la and long beach for the next year, earning a local following and two highly limited tapes on not not fun records. through the spring of ‘08 they began writing new material as a band and developing the new songs live. in the summer they recorded these jams with sound wizard bobb bruno, which led to the not not fun lp high beams that september. at this point the band had fully emerged from transition into a shared creative vision of five musicians, each possessing a sin
companion banger to the platoon lp, this 33 rpm single finds the lanterns firmly in retro motor city rave-up rockist terrain, covering the cult classic “showstopper” on the a, backed with their own james brown soul revue funk-rock shaker “cypress” on the flip. recorded during the platoon sessions and mastered by james plotkin. black vinyl 7 inches in cosmic boogie collage jackets designed by cameron stallones. edition of 500… already out of print.
more markers fuckeree & good times on pete nolan’s own elusive imprint. crude block printed envelope covers with insert. way limited.
documenting last summers tour with lambsbread and featuring guests joshua burkett & steve gunn. on pete nolan’s own elusive imprint. crude block printed envelope covers with insert. way limited.
all hail this new supergroup of finnish mystics. the magick travelling backpack band is no longer showering, but is bathing with rocks and grime all over western europe. they’ve been booted out of that magic forest that burned down years ago, anyway. so who are these moaning, droning superstars? the backpack band on this go around is keijo, uton, j. koho & tiitus (of vapaa, the free players, kulkija, etc), & christelle gualdi. and it’s gualdi who keeps things in check. while the finns do their best to muck everything up, spilling buckets of psychedelic mud skronk and painting the windows and walls as black as coal, gualdi’s crystalline voice calms everything down. sizzle. 100 copies.
super quality recording of a great i trust my guitar era magik markers show in baltimore back in 2003. the early band were in full effect here, creating tight organic instant no wave compositions each night out of naive guitar, rocking/shambling beats, screams and whatever happened to be going through elisa ambrogio’s mind each night. this is a really cohesive show and it kind of sets the record straight about what the early markers actually sounded like. the banter’s on point too. cool document.
a formality and restraint the markers have never exerted on their previously recorded material is present on boss. now the markers are jainists, with their mouths masked so as to not inhale even one tiny insect, here pursuing the killer gentle with a vengeance. recorded in the cavernous dark of echo canyon west, with producer lee ranaldo working the boards like a diviner, boss documents the markers with a previously unheard fidelity and orchestration. idiosyncratic song structure and melodies interspersed with a destructive drum stomp are reminiscent of the early electrified blues of junior kimbrough, or the black hole rhythms of kousokuya. mixing a gentle vulnerability with a winded egomania, the markers have always had a musical tunnel vision; boss is that vision made manifest… self released edition of only 500. screened covers. wicked.
another killer markers gem on pete nolan’s great & elusive arbitray signs label. two more discs in the series that started with the awesome road pussy’ disc a month or two back – these ones are equally great. as burning, damaged, grooving, ridicolous as ever. nice sreenprinted art paper envelope packaging with insert, to match road pussy’. recommended and surely quite limited.
this new cdr captures the markers live and in other peoples home studios and spaces. tales from the american road, where the markers creepy crawl their way into the heartland only to set it on fire. weird old organs, an army of vipers, and smeary punk jams. learn the story of the blue snake and feel the hate as the markers try and levitate a room full of southern college kids who think pavement covers are cool. hand screened art card “battle of algiers” style sleeves… the usual crude screen printed envelope covers with xerox insert. way limited.
one sided lp of the infamous bloody face cutting show in beligium. instrumental noise assult edited and remastered to slow motion shit attack – altered vinyl version of the cdr we had awhile back. great double sided screenprinted fold-out chipboard covers. ultra limited and instantly out of print, so don’t sleep on it.
recorded in san francisco a few months ago in a home studio zone.. moves like some kind of deep space taffy pull.. haz from jazzfinger really likes this one… screened covers.
another insane markers release. this includes some of the same stuff as the ’road pussy’ cdr, but is not the same album, rather the entire road pussy session… got it? crude screen printed envelope covers, this time a bit oversized. damn limited, no doubt.
out-takes from the balf quarry lp on drag city… screen printed envelope packaging of course.
lost in between heaven and hell, sprawling psychedelic grooves picture brothers of the occult sisterhood, terracid and friends painting spirals of red dust on snake dancing bodies in front of a new golden dawn. edition of 83.
traditional japanese folk instruments processed through the lens of acid mothers and lsd march instigators. new psychic territorial landscapes the cosmic cartographer mapped yesterday before tomorrow.
acid mothers temple main man kawabata makoto links up with lsd march guitarist michishita shinsuke to create another amazing platter of fantastic sounds and vibes. maru sankaku shikaku (circle triangle square) finds the duo moving on from the electric guitars of their previous duo releases to an all acoustic album featuring ethnic instruments from around the globe. two side long pieces mesh drone music with an ebb and a flow usually found on soundtracks or the soundtrack in one’s head. new psychic territorial landscapes the cosmic cartographer mapped yesterday before tomorrow. limited to 500 copies on swirled colored vinyl in a gorgeous gatefold sleeve.
after being a fan of kawabata makoto’s music for a long time it really is great to be able to announce this new solo recording on reverb worship. we discussed doing a release sometime ago and due to his touring and musical commitments it seems to have taken a long time to come to fruition. however the wait has been really worthwhile and here is the result. “subjection of drone” is a solo improvised “live” recording from a performance at music japonica in osaka, japan on 4th october 2008.the cd features one long track which flows in different segments starting off with ethereal jazz styled technique then into bowed string playing, then multitracked drone, followed by glissando styled effects finishing off with ever increasing guitar noise. the piece comes to an abrupt end followed by polite applause. the cd comes in a one time edition of 100 hand numbered copies. each cd is different and comes in a resealable polythene style packet.
limited edition of 500 copies in a letterpress jacket by 43rd parallel press. we don’t know where we came from features acid mothers temple leader kawabata makoto on both electric & acoustic guitars. recorded at kaccho-buu matsuzaka by takayama manabu. layout by important…now out of print.
hooray! boy am i happy to be putting this cracker out. recorded live, without the cumbersome weight of newfangled techniques such as ‘overdubs’ (gee-whiz!) which may seem a little commonplace for you hip-to-be-square cats until you realise that the good mr malcolm plays two guitars and percussion with his feet. his third guitar, the guitar he actually holds in his hands, has about half a million strings and a number of contact mics imbedded where the sun-don’t-shine to amplify a host of springs, triangles, and other junkyard ephemera. this is a second-to-none ride through a world of sunshine, as viewed through net curtains from a darkened room in suburban new zealand. charming, stupifying, and profoundly accomplished. the noise of music!
real nice album. one copy only.
manaia is the solo project of jen strickland, who wastes no time in establishing herself with this cdr as one of the more evocative solo artists stepping across the modern garage-psych landscape. “faith” is filled with the kinds of peculiarities that keep me coming back to a disc. the vocal delivery, the recording quality, and the guitar tones, all have a genuine “worked over” quality that gives this album an immediate depth. strickland’s voice cries out and whispers cryptic mantras that speak of spiritual yearning and discovery but all without sounding cliche or cheesy. ~ foxy digitalis. features 2 way-out cover versions of buffy sainte-marie’s ‘he’s a keeper of the fire’ and a creepy a capella translation of townes van zandt’s ‘if i needed you’. amazing hand-assembled packaging – screenprinted silver ink on deep blue metallic-infused paper. limited edition of 100 copies. exceptional packaging as always. nice!
somewhat of a concept album, each disc has a theme : exile, anger & faith, and each disc features a different recording situation. overall the sound comes off something like early pj harvey or sandra bell – emotionally taught female vocals accompanied by often chugging / chrunchy electric guitars, as well as occasional drums, synth, clarinet, slide guitar & electronics. a power dose of soul – amazing hand assembled packaging, each set is housed in a lovely handmade iridescent paper box with metallic embossing, art paper insert, vellum inner sleeves, and stenciled discs. numbered edition of 50 copies, only available here.
subtle and disgusting acoustic/electric lo-fi junk project – . ’sugar britches’ c-11 on bone tooth horn soon – .future: splits w/quantum twat and blair harris) –
the fabulous third lp by mandrake memorial, one of the best bands of the us psychedelic sounds history, is the release chosen to open our new wah wah deluxe series. this marvelous 1970 lp from the poppy label is reissued for the first time ever on full 180 gram vinyl glory, housed in its original escher gatefold sleeve and complete with a colour insert that reproduces the original lp insert plus contains some interesting texts courtesy of poppy label founder kevin eggers and mandrake memorial member craig anderton. for those unfamiliar to this top band’s sounds, we’ll just add that their three lps shall be up there with the best works of the best bands that came out from the states in the psychedelic era. think of the west coast pop art experimental band, pearls before swine, united states of america and the likes. puzzle is a masterpiece that not only benefits from the master work of the mandrake members, but also from that of producer ron frangipane. the combination of talents delivers a perfect mix of classic psychedelia with beautiful orchestra passages.
new album by the most relentless free-rockers in the solar system. recorded after maniacs dream’s trip to zanzibar, where they succeeded to find the beauty of antiquity. ‘how beautiful! like in the homeric times!’ bella blossa said of the harem that inspired him to write the last song on side a. the song is a speed of light free fall into the orange hole, like the whole album! in time! comes with beautiful psychedelic covers by bema bergman!
with two acclaimed seven-inches under their belt, the mantles answer the call for more with a stunning debut lp sure to please all who cross its path. the mantles have been dead-on in distilling a contemporary pop / psych concoction that mixes equal parts early chills with early dream syndicate–and really, who among us wouldn’t want a bottle of that with which to quietly tipple the day away? recorded by greg ashley, the lp taps said hybrid, and if anything, burrows deeper into the core of rock, extracting essential magma that fuses early sf ballroom psychedelia, byrds-ian jangle-pop, and the velvet underground’s extraordinary ability for serpentine leads and bridges. and yep, that pretty much covers all the bases. look for the band to embark on their first us tour in september, supporting ty segall coast to coast.
david maranha’s recordings stretch back over 20 years with the portuguese avant trio osso exótico, as well as collaborations with z’ev and minit. a followup to marches of the new world (2007), antarctica is made up of two side-long excursions into monolithic drone-rock. in the vein of tony conrad & faust, “venus in furs,” la monte young and terry riley, maranha’s ensemble is driven by keyboards, strings, and hypnotized-heartbeat percussion. like the great white expanse of the titular continent, it can be taken in simply as a glorious wash of sound; listen to it closely, however, and you’ll hear the smallest details jump out in high relief: a feather can move a mountain. an edition of 300 copies in silkscreened covers. digital download coupon included.
matt is a composer and researcher here in portland. he is a student of speech and hearing science and a co-editor fo a rm magazine. his recorded work is mostly made up of finely tuned field recordings and prepared instruments. if i had to make references i’d drop keith barry, olivia block, and andrew chalk. beyond his works for cd recording, matt is increasingly focused on scoring and performing works for large groups of musicians and ‘non-musicians’ using traditional and self-made instruments. chiasmata is an edition of 90 copies, photo cover, inserts, pink cds, heavy vinyl sleeves.
kawaguchi masami (miminokoto, lsd march, broomdusters) returns with his new rock syndicate, recorded live in tokyo. monster guitarpsych feedback screech and heavy dosed garagerock insanity. 100 copies.
deluxe 2lp set pressed at rti with heavy duty tip-on jackets from stoughton. b-side includes two bonus tracks not found on the original cd. featuring contributions from alan bishop and charles gocher of the sun city girls on both the album and bonus tracks. graphic design by stephen o’malley. at last the long-awaited reissue of a west coast outsider death cult classic! from the forests of the northwest, an uncharted document of shamanistic psychedelia. recorded mostly during rituals deep in cascadia and filtered through destructive electronic meditations, this record is a trace down the tributaries to the origins of mmob’s no-age mystery. featuring members of sun city girls, earth, asva, eyvind kang, and more. this deluxe reissue contains 20 minutes of lost, unreleased music from the original sessions presented in glorious gatefold vinyl… real sweet heavy covers with obi strip.
echoing like a long lost werner herzog soundtrack, totem two is a record of subtle meditations and deep electric hallucinations from the crystal caves of the northwest to the orchestral desert portals of turkey. totem two finds mmob exploring the disappearance of the mystic and the schisms of our age. in times when forces move against our souls, these are the first sounds of music that can only be described as no-age, a resistance is making itself known. featuring members of earth, asva, burning witch, the diminished men, and more, as well as special guests from secret chiefs 3 and the thriving istanbul music scene. mmob has now solidified into a 7-piece cosmic psych force. like a reverse dark side of the new age sound, on the totem series master musicians of bukkake perform ritualistic electric excursions into the outer and inner reaches. relying more on the electric power of psyched guitars, analog synth chants, and exotic heavy percussion. this totem trilogy echoes with the delusions of a west coast death cult. outer-spaced gamelan, dusty fuzz rock from celestial deserts, meditations of a deranged krishna gathering, and the blurry acoustic guitar majesty of the cascade mountains all reveal themselves here in epic form. master musicians of bukkake’s newest offering in the totem trilogy, totem two marks yet another psychic and sonic shift from their first record visible sign of the invisible order (abduction records 2005/lp via important records 2010) and its predecessor in the trilogy totem one (conspiracy records 2009). on totem two, master musicians explore and meditate deep on the death of the mystics, the forgotten ones, the schisms of our time, and the inability to realize the primary clear light for what it is. totem two shifts from electronically altered bön cult rituals to outer spaced sufi sects. finally succumbing to the fully orchestrated no-age darkness of the religion of the future only to end in delusional ‘enlightenment’ atop mt. shasta, scrawling the deranged rambling of new age psychosis on the crystal walls of a cave. every sound and note played is put to tape by a group with a singular purging purpose. recorded, mixed and produced by randall dunn (six organs of admitance, sunno))), earth ,etc.), at aleph studios in seattle, wa. ‘perede kaldirma’ was recorded in istanbul, turkey at the legendary ada studios, november 2009. featuring a collaboration between mmob and turkish musicians from the istanbul music scene, it features amazing ney solos by serkan bagkenesen. over the years, ada studios in istanbul has been the host for records by erkin koray and baris manco to name a few. inspired by and for lovers of: popul vuh’s work with werner herzog, early vangelis and tangerine dream, as well as philip glass’ kundun soundtrack… limited vinyl version with obi strip.
newcastle seems to be having some kind of insane surge of awesome musical activity in the last few years, and it seems unstoppable. least stoppable is powerhouse mike vest who is creating some serious jams with his outfits bong, blue queen, basillica and now the heavy sludge dual guitar drone beast master slave with pete ryde. 3 tracks of heavy guitar drone, with the last track having an almost weirdo skaters feeling to it. limited to 50 hand numbered copies in bright orange sleeves to burn your eyes while the music burns your mind!
this group has been called mountains of matallama, mountains of matalama, mountains of mata llama, mountains of mattallama, mountains of mata lama, mountains of mattalama, mountains of mattalamma, and on down the line. for the record, this record, and the rest to come this is matta llama. residing in ny matta llama have been playing together longer than they would like to admit. what do they play? blood music. the music works like that of the circulatory system chugging and pounding. at other times it can turn out a wispy, crispy tune of flickering light. all of this delivered via drums, keys, guitar, and bass with the occasional seasoning of vocalizations and in/organic dripping. with this, their first record, they offer 5 cuts culled from years of rehearsals at the hint house. these impromptu rock excursions gleam with but a taste of their musical existence, and with that expect more to come. matta llama. with deluxe foldout poster and fancy matte cover art! 500 copies.
debut release from 2006. tiny pressing on this cool micro label.
robert fransisco party. very very very cool and dirty and pumpin’. comes with a nice little silkscreen cover by the man max noi himself.
anopheles records is proud to announce our latest archival release, the first ever authorized, high quality vinyl lp reissue of baltimore, maryland’s maypole, whose sole album, & #145;the real,’ was recorded in three days in july 1970, and released in early 1971, shortly before their label folded, dooming the album to stillborn status commercially at the time. the lp is an ambitious, 50-minute feast of tight harmonies, powerful arrangements, fluid improvisation, and flat out great songs, and serves as a touchstone for twin guitar-driven, west coast-styled psychedelia, soaring power pop, and blistering hard rock. if you’ve been looking for an lp to file next to your public nuisance and morgen lps, then this is your tonic. the stature of maypole has been muddied by the previous cd reissues, but this lp edition gets it right. featuring state of the art remastering and pressing, a high quality full color ‘tip on’ jacket featuring original artwork, and a full color insert loaded with lyrics, photos, and complete historical notes by maypole founder, dennis tobell, this is the closest to ‘classic psychedelia’ anopheles records has delved in to date, and we’re glad we didn’t settle for something second rate.
this is, without a doubt, the most outright beautiful tape we’ve ever released. san francisco’s mccann (who’s on a roll of sorts with recent solo killers on stunned, dnt, and his own roll over rover) teams up with longtime friend manata for a full-length collaboration. in the grand tradition of synth/guitar duos like fripp & eno and budd & guthrie, mccann & manata lay down perfectly soothing waves of ethereal ambience. like standing in a tide pool and pondering the vast ocean—infinitely pleasant, yet a strange, otherworldly presence lies beneath. your summer will be a little better with mccann’s synth and viola and manata’s guitar as the soundtrack. with full color art, inserts, and labels by matt yacoub. edition of 75.
lo-res video preview of coppicing. the first video available from sean. twenty minutes of visual and auditory regeneration. features some easter eggs, so look around. comes with a download of the soundtrack. ntsc dvdr, limited to 100 copies.
scientists recently figured out that the northern lights are the explosive result of an electromagnetic tug of war between the earth and its moon. a cosmic battle of polar opposites in stereo? sounds like it’d make a great tape. 98 clear tapes with white imprinting. in 4×6 re-sealable baggies, with oversized full color covers. most feature full-color printed inside spread, about 20 feature hand cut and glued orange vellum “sunspots” designs. composite of photos from summer roadtrips through the southwest by nicholas longworth and tevia romaine… out of print.
genesis reminds of the best early ’70s uk progressive records and is practically impossible to find even in bad condition. limited edition, deluxe 180g vinyl, from the original analogue master tapes, exact reproduction of the original first pressing.
mccully workshop is one of the most important south african rock groups. their 2 first albums, inc. (1970) and genesis (1971) are considered to be among the best, rarest and more expensive south african psychedelic/progressive rock albums — sought after by all serious collectors worldwide. inc, is a great psychedelic album. limited edition, deluxe 180 gram vinyl, from the original analogue master tapes, exact reproduction of the original first pressing.
reissue of the arhoolie lp originally titled fred mcdowell – volume 2. a beautiful set by the mississippi blues legend. one of fred’s best. intense delta blues… licensed from arhoolie.
melodic ballads and new songs from emeralds guitarist spark new innovations and memories thought to be lost. one third of the drone masters emeralds… very nice album.
the debut solo release from former ash castles on the ghost coast member and current iron kite and rubble player shawn david mcmillen. five epic, mostly instrumental songs performed with bowed bass and metal, indian goat bells, analog synth, a rusty old autoharp, amplified springs and an abundance of guitars. features guest appearances by bc smith (iron kite, etherea planes indian) and matt martinez (friday group). one-time vinyl-only edition of 500 copies, packaged with eye-blistering artwork by mcmillen reproduced in a sickening black cast created with multiple passes of ink.
this lp was recorded in new zealand in 2004, and is the duo recording of new zealand guitarist donald mcpherson and japanese guitarist tetuzi akiyama. a beautiful meeting of 2 virtuoso acoustic guitarists, both thoroughly schooled in the vast world of improvising. donald mcpherson, a native new zealander has been playing the guitar since the tender age of 12, studied at the otago art school in the ’80s. and in the ’90s he released a number of extremely limited lathe-cut folk records. this record finds tetuzi and donald playing melodic folk improvisations that grow and morph into compositions that on each listening uncover some new layer of beauty. both playing on acoustic guitar, they have a level of communication and understanding of each other’s playing that allows a musical connection to grow and blossom into a full-length recording of delicate melodic mayhem – 180gm vinyl, heavy fold-around covers with insert, hand numbered edition of 550.
a reissue of a tape that was initially an edition of only 5 copies. blending homemade synths, field recordings, and vocals, an epic recording that requires a closer listen. buried under the tape hiss and piercing highs there is many details that could easily be overlooked, minimal beats, cryptic vocals, radio interference and insect song. isolationist psychedelic noise. color cover on black shimmer cardstock, with an insert containing texts / collage, on silver paper, clear labels. hi-bias chrome tapes in an edition of 56.
this one could easily be described as something of a gps curveball 45. following last year’s rapid fire -4 day- sell out of the band’s debut (lp), the 45 here features 2 tracks of kraut grooves, incessant bubbling moog freakouts like some holy mash up of add n to x, holy fuck vs. cluster, neu! and co., or some imaginary ’70s czech horror flick soundtrack set to an oil wheel backdrop, in tasty psych sleeves, numbered to 300 copies only.
debut lp that came and went in 72 hours. whacked out, moog mayhem that recalls the likes of cluster and harmonia in tandem with early stereolab and holy fuck. 200 numbered copies sold out at source.
switching instruments and experimenting with recording techniques, meneguar has cooked up a totally unique (and surprising) record. the in hour channels the spontaneity and aesthstetics of swell maps, the pop hooks of the zombies, and lyrical collage of guided by voices. everything was home recorded at their little xanadu in brooklyn, rear house, home base to jeremy earl’s woodsist label (blues control, sic alps, wooden wand, jana hunter) and the changing roster of meneguar’s alter egos (woods, shepherds). only six months since their last record, the in hour represents a serious departure that still holds true to the band’s undeniable pop sensibility.
messenger girls trio, the excelsior salon trio… comprised of sir richard bishop (by appointment to her majesty-what the old broad did to deserve that, we’ll never know) and david knott (improvisationally board certified music therapist), in congress with robert millis and jeffery taylor (often known for their recreational duties in both climax golden twins and afcgt). the quartet last released a trio album in 2002 for the anomalous record label. or perhaps the trio released a quartet album. after that richard bishop toured. dave knott put people’s minds back together or took them apart–it just depends on your point of view. climax golden twins devoured 78rpm records and other victrola favorites. meanwhile the quartet trio tape kept rolling-cassette players, digital devices, dictaphones, micro cassette, wire recorders, phonautographs, notes on paper. edited from hours of material recorded between 2002 and 2008. mostly improvised in living rooms and on front porches. mostly in seattle: on goat hill, at the shabby greenwood grotto studio and at the sun city girls’ cavernous blue west headquarters, may it rest in pieces. mostly with acoustic guitars and percussion. occasional insects were wrangled into the proceedings. layered. sliced. stretched. messed, tweaked, poked, prodded, beaten and slipped luxuriously onto a vinyl platter for your listing enjoyment and listening pleasure by the epicureans at uzu audio. 545 copies of 180 gram vinyl, packaged in a custom made gatefold jacket, silkscreened, stamped, and numbered… beautifully done, as always.
the duo of helga fassonaki and andrew scott has quietly become a force in the world of darkside improvisation. over the years, their sound has evolved like amoebas from the ooze, growing and expanding into something otherworldly. walls of guitar sherds blast through blackened holes in the cosmic continuum searching out another eye to gouge or another heart to pierce. this is metallic bliss pushed to eleven. where “republican trees” hits it stride is when the lines between beautiful and abrasive get smudged. scott’s guitar playing becomes a torrent of aural hell blowing fuses from here to his native auckland. fassonaki takes this in stride and the two push each other back and forth finding a natural rhythm that simultaneously enchants and disturbs. by the time helga starts wailing on the final track of the album you’ve been rocked from your foundation, left to flounder alone in the muck. you can’t really ask for more than that, can you? … triple fold-out screen printed cover. limited to only 100 copies.
helga + andrew transplanted to la from new zealand which should be severe culture shock but they’ve made the move without losing the fire of their electric light darkestra. vertical guitar shred and rickety amplified eastern instruments gathered on strange trips, this cs showcases their dense intensities, blown to hell, a million layers of stratospheric fry. have a future cdr comin up on root strata too that’s worth scoping.
meth teeth reside in portland or. and in some ways embody the rainy day big country vibe of the city with its youth culture dreamers, old druggies, and rustic history. there is something that is really hard to pin down about meth teeth, the songs rely on simple ramshackle rhythms, upbeat shinny guitar interplay, and big fat chord churners, and a lot of tambourine banging away on the snare drum. ultra catchy summertime rockers keep you sad and lonely, and upbeat and hopeful all at once. – shawn reed/night people.
completely isolated and fully deranged. weathered blasts of feedback and digital rumble. recorded live to cassette in verdun. too many nights spent getting lost in the douglas hospital fields can really make a man turn on himself. tortured screams and unrelenting microphone violence. most likely as a direct result. photocopied artwork on coloured paper. photocopied insert and labels. hand stamped. numbered edition of 100.
filleted over two sides of wax, here we have a rare meet up of three of the brightest lights in the twin cities musical orbit. on march 21, 2009, paul metzger – best known for his transcendental gypsy raga guitar and banjo meditations – jumped in the ring with percussionist davu seru and veteran multi-instrumentalist milo fine for an evening of uncompromising spontaneous composition. medusas lair is stunning, inscrutably wily, living music. one time edition of 300 lps pressed on
180 gram virgin vinyl. milo fine: drum set (bowed cymbals), b flat clarinet, prepared piano remains, voice; paul metzger: modified guitar; davu seru: drum set.
anamnestic tincture is a live album by virtuosic musical carpenter paul metzger, culled from many hours of concert recordings. side one comprises metzger’s public debut on his modified banjo, recorded in 2002 at a former church-turned-underground art space in minneapolis. one of his most memorable compositions, “after milo” later turned up as an untitled improvisation on his cd for the chairkickers label. jumping ahead six years (and several more banjo alterations later) to side two, the glittering “orans” gets a workout at a memorial show for the artist matt zaun. as an acknowledgment of the occasion, metzger also gave a one-time-only performance — “dark green water” — on another of his mutant instruments: an acoustic guitar with the body drilled out to accommodate a cymbal set into its face, and ten assorted strings of varying lengths laid over the top, giving it a particularly metallic and dissonant sound. anamnestic tincture is released in an edition of 425 copies, with an original vintage snapshot mounted on each cover… awesome new album in great looking home made covers. recommended!
paul metzger continues to pile up the plaudits from critics and peers alike for his virtuosic string-slinging, gaining notice through his cd on chairkickers and his split lp with ben chasny and chris corsano on roaratorio. metzgers modified banjo is tricked out with additional sympathetic raga strings, although the compositions on gedanken splitter are informed by much more than eastern drone music alone. recorded in the same period as 2007s deliverance on locust music, thisis a more agged and aggressive (although no less accessible) affair. metzger winds these improvisations around thornier threads than on his previous releases, and while never turning completely abstract, gedanken splitter moves even further away from anything resembling typical banjo fare. this is mesmerizing and singular playing… excellent new album! recommended.
short recording from a giggo by the breaking world boss.
wow! gorgeous first-ever reissue of this rare spanish band’s lp from 1971. great west coast-influenced guitar sounds, progressive hammond grooves, nice soft pop vocal harmonies (reminiscent of csn¨y), and cool folk-inspired acoustic guitars melt on the sources of the ultra rare lp of the band originally released on the palobal label from barcelona. this lp and two 45s, including the mega rare non lp single ’toma tu parte de felicidad’/’triste y solo’ whose b-side, a killer version of garden odyssey enterprise’s ’sad and lonely,’ makes original copies raise up to the 500/600 euros tag among mod/garage/freakbeat djs and collectors. these were their only releases under the mi generación name (although the band is also known for their studio work on the cover albums sonido eléctrico and sonido acústico, issued by the joint label.) the mi generación lp is a killer gem that will please anyone into the cool sounds of the late ’60s and early ’70s. but for those who want more, they’ll get it: for the first time in many years, here’s a chance to get the mega-rare triste y solo picture sleeve 45 for far less than the 500 euros you will have to pay on the collector’s market. get that top version of ’sad ¨ lonely’ you’ve danced to at parties, which by the way surpasses the original in your vinyl collection! ain’t that enough for you? no problem! in addition to all that, we are ready to include a whole unissued second lp that the band recorded in 1972 but was never released at the time. more cs¨n inspired vocal harmonies, acoustic guitars ¨ beautiful songs by this great, underrated band. a deluxe package! two vinyl lps housed in a colorful sleeve, plus the mega-rare 45 perfectly reproduced with its original color picture sleeve and all. strictly limited edition of 500 copies.
before michael yonkers would revise the history of recorded music with the clarion chords of microminiature love, he was in a band called michael and the mumbles, and they made this self-titled lp in 1966. in the premiere spin, their would-be debut comes off as a naive, teenage trip thru the typified garage band moves of this era. but repeated listening reveals a darkness beneath what some dullard might be deceived by as it’s crisp, winsome visage. it’s only to a slightly less visible degree that the mumbles lp has the same characteristics that would make micro the singularly original piece that is; it’s emotionally bleak themes, dissonant undercurrents, and recklessly wild performance. so, once again we have a michael yonkers lp that is going to turn yr world upside down, make the college girls scream and leave you wondering how many more times this can happen. seriously, pigeon falls up here looked like a riot on the sunset strip. indulge yrself. ps. michael and the mumbles is on the king of all known formats (with a digital download coupon, natch) only, the mastertapes used herein are 45 yrs old and aside from the glitch on “cold town”, they sound amazing.
picking up where the lawless nursery / echo lake compilation leaves off, the lark sees multi-instrumentalist songwriter will ryerson achieve new mastery of an already distinctive style. song and sound are here inseparable parallels, with ryerson’s language as colorful as the sonic experimentalism in which he dresses it. part ‘outsider,’ part upside-downer, this resembles no other underground pop music.
previously released on cd by sunbeam, now issued as a 180 gram double vinyl release. mighty baby are firmly established as one of the best-loved underground bands in british rock history. combining elements of blues, folk, jazz and psychedelia, their unique brand of experimental rock n’ roll is brilliantly captured on these rare recordings, finally given an official release here. three tracks were captured live at a gig supporting u.s. legends love in march 1970, while the remainder were taped soon afterwards at london’s olympic studios. finding the band midway between the blazing psychedelia of their self-titled november 1969 debut and the mellower sounds of their october 1971 swan song a jug of love, the set comes complete with sleevenotes, rare photographs and an introduction from their bassist, michael evans, making it simply essential for all fans of the band.
this is the 2nd lp by migrantes (jason bill {guitar, air organ, hammond organ, cymbal} & caroline vickers {hammond organ & vocals}) of tucson, az. pressed in an edition of 536 copies and housed in a lovely printed full color jacket, this is a sublime record! “for those that have never been there, the desert signifies space, sand, and nothing. when i (who live nowhere near any deserts) first visited jason & caroline (who live smack in the middle of one), that was what i had thought too. i was a bit surprised that the desert in fact looks nothing like its platonic counterpart – it is in fact interlaced with ropy thorned plants, crawls with life of every species, and is inevitably circumscribed by distant mountains. for some, monsoon moods may capture the real desert, the one where home fires burn under looming stone, where love and life flourish in austerity. for me though this lp somehow encompasses sweaty nights in 100 degree summer warehouses, ghostly drives through norfolk shipyards, the slow crack of datura pods drying in the sun, and all the other things that have grown inside j&c to buoy them up into this warmly inviting space illuminated by their big hearts. a stunning record that camouflages the simplicity of its ingredients with songs of glowing precision and vox-laced hammond drones of vertical majesty.” – tom carter.
lp version, deluxe full color gatefold sleeve. limited edition of 500 copies only. after an 11 year silence, here’s a new album by the mysterious and legendary swedish psychedelic multi-instrumentalist, s.t. mikael. this is part one of a suite of two separate albums. mikael spearheaded the diy psychedelic rock/folk movement of the late 1980s/mid-’90s, with a collection of albums that now fetch up and over $1000 on ebay. during his long absence, s.t. mikael grew more secretive and reclusive, but all the while he was still writing music. now that he’s finally back, here’s a chance at last for the world to join his psychedelic world again. the music, stretching out in many different directions, has been done freely and spontaneously in an extremely relaxed and happy environment. he also joins forces with dungen’s reine fiske and fredrik björling, whose musical expertise now also grace the grooves. these otherworldly acid tripper recordings now exist in the real world and s.t. mikael proves, once again, to be a gifted songwriter and an unconventional performer with a very personal ear for acoustics and an emotional honesty seldom seen these days. melodic folk-rock elements flow with waves of heavy fuzz-phase leads; weird, detached, haunted vocals echo over the band and the whole thing seems to teeter on the brink of psychedelic oblivion. this is not psychedelic revival, but the psychedelic now. his soaring vocals, surreal lyrics, fragile, folky melodies, heavy fuzz riffs, mind-bending soul funk and penchant for the spiritual and mystical make this a fascinating voyage that is so mind-twisting, soul-swirling, upper psychedelic that your third eye takes you on a joyride through an altered state! this album makes your brain start thinking in those pebble-splash-pond-mind circular expanding waveforms that reveal the password to tomorrow.
new solo studio recording by japan’s reigning surrealist blues poet. forty plus minutes of all new material recorded in france during mikami’s 2008 european tour. numbered heavy weight vinyl only edition of 333 in handpulled screen printed sleeves. includes lyrics in japanese and english (title track alone is a trip through painted omelets and the moon to a rusty french bicycle). while mikami is building up a massive body of work through his long running association with psf records this is the first of his studio dates to be committed to vinyl in decades. singular and essential… another total class siwa release. already sold out at source.
evan miller has been a staple around digitalis hq for the past few years since he busted onto the scene via too many killer night people tapes. over the course of many, many releases, miller has traversed all manner of different landscapes. perhaps he’s best known for his post-takoma acoustic jaunts, but there’s always been elements and vague hints of drones that circle underneath his picking like tonal sharks, looking for any sort of bait to jump out at. well, “three improvisations” puts it all together one in fine package. side a features two short songs for six-string guitar. to the point, they pull in melodies and keep them caged up until the exact, perfect moment when they are set free. it’s deceptive in its simplicity. side b adds electric elements (c/o phil ochs) and field recordings to jumble millers various sides into a cohesive whole. 95 copies with coffee-dyed tape labels.
iowa city’s evan miller is never one to stay in the same rut for too long. his earlier releases were composed of fahey-esque spells, heavily emotional acoustic guitar work emanating tones of nostalgia and simplicity. on transfigurations on lap-steel guitar, a new zone is crafted with lap-steel guitar and tape collage, creating equally nostalgic music from the other end of the spectrum: delicate, minimal drones. tones interweave and textures evolve: it is evan’s most personally progressive work, combining past themes and reinterpreting them on another medium: electric lap-steel guitar. mastered by pete swanson. in an edition of 450 full color pro-printed cardboard lp sleeves and printed labels designed by jeff witscher (secret abuse / callow god).
cole is back and this time on a ton of labels (different versions of this album will be on stop drop, marriage, paw dawns, and arbor). the entertainer extraordinaire brings his playful melodies and clever rhyming in attempts to cheer you up and maybe make you dance a little. cole sings song about how much he loves you, as in, this wasn’t recorded with his girlfriend in mind, but actually you! very similar to the more recent playfulness shown by adrian orange and calvin johnson; totally positive and uplifting. this is a much more cohesive album than cole’s previous arbor release, “no strangers”. in a numbered edition of 50 copies in sewn/stamped sleeves with stamped discs.
one copy only. out of print.
i recorded it in 2000 a few months before i started the pseudoarcana label, and given that my initial idea for p.a. was for it to focus on harsher and more abstract musics the simple melodic folk songiness of ’short road’ resulted in it sitting on the shelf for much longer than it perhaps should have.there was a great poet who said of his work that all he had ever done was write the same poem again and again, trying to get it right. i’ve sometimes felt that i only have the one song inside me, and i’ve approached that song from a hundred radically different angles and have ultimately become convinced that this song can never in fact be realised in any definitive way. but that one song is still there inside me and there are places on ’short road’ where i think i come as close to realising that song as anywhere – edition of 500.
vinyl debut from the ohio duo of mist (john elliot and sam goldberg). following up their “certain expansion” and “stole colors” cassette releases on pizza wagon, mist offer up two full sides of their best material yet. electric organs. beautiful and dreamy preogressive synths, kosmik string synth zone. mastered for vinyl by james plotkin. limited to 500. pro printed covers. front cover photo by ashley krantz.
really wild, psychotic, exotic, progressive psychedelic beast from brasil – all those attributes in an extreme way! long freaked-out tracks driven by furious organ and massive fuzz – wahwah guitar assaults, also added distorted vocals (portuguese lyrics) that creep deep inside your cranium – one of the best ever! comes in usual world in sound quality with original amazing triple fold out cover that is beyond belief… repressed totally deluxe reissue of this great brazilian psych rarity. ultra-heavy textured tri-fold gatefold cover, 180gm vinyl, etc.
for one night only the mongoloid men (connelly, olson, young and nyoukis) came lurching into a brighton basement. cheap beer and indian food in their stomachs, beards and hair full of hash smoke. a swarm of metallic insects shitting debris into ears of those who attended. horrible, horrible noise.
the monks were five beat playing american gis stationed in germany who, after their discharge, decided to stay and continue their musical mission. meeting up with a team of local managers, they transformed themselves and their sound into a holy racket like the world had never known. this five-person order literally birthed the above genres through a fuzz-drenched evolution of sound, bursting with social commentary and future primitive rhythms. their landmark studio album black monk time is packaged with numerous period photographs (many unseen) and an extensive two-part essay by canadian music journalist kevin howes (jamaica-toronto series), and includes bonus material… brilliant deluxe reissue of this classic garage slab. includes a whole second lp of bonus singles & rarities, 180gm vinyl, heavy gatefold 60s style foil stamped cover, rare photos, etc.
today, ‘garage,’ ‘psych,’ and ‘punk’ are three overused words to say the least. they’re dropped from every direction to brand, market, and sell, but looking back to the mid-1960s, there was only one group of musical mavericks that clearly defined them. the monks were five beat-playing american gis stationed in germany who, after their discharge, decided to stay and continue their musical mission. meeting up with a team of local managers, they transformed themselves and their sound into a holy racket like the world had never known. this five-person order literally birthed the above genres through a fuzz-drenched evolution of sound, bursting with social commentary and future primitive rhythms. krautrock? it started here. do we hear non-believers? we are not making this up. if you aren’t already converted, it won’t take long. light in the attic is ecstatic to present the monks recorded legacy in the lavish and lovingly researched: the early years 1964-1965… brilliant deluxe archival release. 180gm vinyl, heavy gatefold 60s style foil stamped cover, rare photos, etc.
phil from ussr first time on vinyl wackies – silkscreen book madness art by jacob horwood, dylan nyoukis, sekitani norihiro, jeff garcia, andrew zukerman etc. edition of 150… totally mind melting package here. recommended just for the looks of this thing!
brand new one from spencer of the skaters. sure to be gone in a wink.
more mysterious electrified rainforest trance ocsillations for spencer from the skaters.
brand new one from spencer of the skaters. sure to be gone in a wink.
more mysterious electrified rainforest trance ocsillations for spencer from the skaters.
mysterious electrified rainforest trance ocsillations for spencer from the skaters.
more mysterious electrified rainforest trance ocsillations for spencer from the skaters.
seriously zoned mysterious & powerful trance trips from spencer clark of the skaters. limited.
happy live document of this prolific band. party mixes and coversongs, including a collab and dirty rhymes – . monotract released some stuff on labels like spite, gameboy, animal world and white tapes and will release records in the near future on load recs and ecstatic peace! the cover is a great foldout cumshot by jelle crama – one of the hippest cd covers yet!
her first ‘official’ solo-output since 2005 – after collabs with jessica bailiff and birch book. pretty much focussing on organ sounds and harmonics, in her unique style: scarce, minimal and haunting tracks. somewehere someone is probably more dark and droning than previous works. ltd to 185 copies, comes in handwritten and handstamped sleeves… quite cool & lovely stuff.
in an era when “variety of sound” means a flip of the radio dial and then a burst of blasé melodies, pretty monsieur mo rio has emerged with his fascinating oeuvre. as you listen to his music, you will hear and experience the exciting, warm aural magnificence that is monsieur mo rio. with influences ranging from swinging baroque pop to bossa nova, his songs will remind you of summer, spring smells, and a love that will be. and while we applaud the result of this musical journey through monsieur’s mind, we must not forget that this chèr ami was not only the author, conductor, main musician, and singer on this album, he also was its engineer – really pretty fantastic fake-french pop from this german wonderkid that mixes said french grooviness with kinks damaged pop craft, a heathly dose of experimentation, and supurb studio trickery & talent.
san francisco’s moon duo feature the combined forces of wooden shjips’ erik johnson and sanae yamada. led by, ‘catch as catch can’, a blistering sonic stew and b/w the a cover of the scientists’ classic speaker burner “set it on fire”. taking threads from the fabric of loop, neu, silver apples, the psf canon and the red eye / black eye label oeuvre the band weave a tapestry of droning motorik rock noise… first release on this new label, sure to vanish quick.
san francisco’s moon duo was formed in 2009 by sanae yamada and erik johnson (wooden shjips). inspired initially by the legendary john coltrane and rashied ali, moon duo counts such variant groups as silver apples, royal trux, moolah, suicide, and cluster as touchstones. utilizing primarily guitar, keyboards, percussion, and vocals, the pair plays space against form to create a primordial and disorienting sonic stew. they released two acclaimed records in 2009: the love on the sea 12-inch single on sick thirst and the killing time ep on sacred bones. escape, their debut long-player on woodsist, marks the fullest realization yet of the young group’s evolving sound… sick new full length!
moon duo is the solo alter-ego of wooden shjips guitarist and singer ripley johnson. under the moon duo moniker johnson creates expansive krautrock influenced tapestries of warm cascading fuzz and controlled feedback, organ, and accenting keyboard. this four-song 12-inch is the second moon duo release and it incorporates a much more concise, composed and driving sound than before. johnson expands on ideas only hinted at on the sick thirst 12-inch, adding a driving drum machine beat behind the thick walls of layered sound. don’t sleep on this one.
new private press release from the post death chants duo of michael & alison. odd mix of pop, kitsch, psych, improv, etc…
moon pie features alison and michael from death chants. the live band sometimes features fellow ex-death-chanter paul, now of the recording projects aswara and muntjac. the music is psychedelic, prismachromatic, and pan-galactic, with inspiration drawn variously from shoegaze, folk, vaudeville, and albanian urban lyric song of the 1930’s, all presented in a collagey psych/dreampop context. the ep has 6 tracks and is 21 minutes long. each copy is packaged in an individually collage-decorated clothbound cover.
you may recall a while back in reverb worship’s early days being introduced to the music of sand snowman with his two wonderful “i’m not here” and “the twilight game” albums. featured on these and also on his more recent “two way mirror” album on tonefloat is the gorgeous vocals from moonswift. not only is she a very cool singer but also a talented songwriter and musician too .evidence of this can be found here on her debut album simply titled “moonswift”. the cd contains three long tracks clocking in at over 35 minutes. on this recording she is responsible for most of the music aided by guitarists mike baluk and sand snowman. this is an outstanding album with a delicate understated jazzy psychedlic feel. electric guitars weave in and out of the spaces within the music giving a dreamy chilled late night vibe. the cd is available now in an edition of 50 hand numbered copies in a stencil sprayed sleeve… first edition, sold out at source.
a scabrous grab bag of weirdo recordings assembled by thurston moore: hardcore basement slam jammer with mark ibold (bass) and john moloney of sunburned (drums), a rough demo cue made for an hsbc tv ad (w/ steve shelley-drums – uncredited – sorry steve!), a few noise b-sides from various lost releases and a couple of long psycho-bead kosmi-killers and some subterranean acoustic luv n all wrapped up n a pic disc with art by t moore extracted from his street mouth series of collages… picture disc. edition of 500 copies.
i gave a kiss to a giant leech. it sucked me in. with a little effort, i wriggled to its opposite end and out into a different world, but i can’t say how it differed from the one before. likewise, all the atoms and other bits of matter that pass through us – that we swallow and transform – bear more or less fresh fruit, as they are reborn through us. boris morgana’s rotti frutti is not just an oral delight, it’s aimed at the whole organism. it percolates, hisses, comes and goes: gently as well. furtively it infiltrates the brain through the ears and causes reactions. and maybe these inner oscillations move on to the hands, feet and other organs: maybe they carry the germ of a wholly new fruit. when it comes about, it’s too late: everything has changed and one can’t but accept it – allow the rotten fruit to issue forth.
one copy only.
moses was formed in 1969 in esbjerg, denmark by søren højbjerg — guitar / jørgen villadsen — bass / henrik laurvig — drums and vocal. moses played their own heavy and punshy and stoned progressive blues. their record changes from 1971 has now become cult in the collectors market. by the end of 1969 the band got a contact with the independent record company spectator records in denmark and in the summer 1970 they recorded the only album, changes in 2 days in the spectator record studio in ålborg, denmark. finally the rarest and perhaps best album on the rare danish spectator label. the music is strongly influenced by the cream and other hard psychedelic guitar bands. it took us quite a while to get a deal together and we are happy now to close the final chapter of the spectator story with this great release of moses. extra heavy fuzz-guitar madness all over with strong bass and drums and great vocals… numbered edition of 500, heavy sleeves, 180gm vinyl with insert. originally released in denmark 1970.
a loss for words, folks. s…thing…ain’t like nothin i heard period. twisted, gnarled up like the milkweed and splattered like it’s oozy juices. warty and aggressive, like something pullin viciously from every corner. beautifully tremendous, yeah tremendous. like the very end of something. or the very beginning of something. -valhalla. edition of 100 on orangey yellow shells with hand-cut labels, inside folds, and inserts.
very hip private press avant solo guitar stylings from this seriously talented portuguese fellow. one disc is solo acoustic, one disc is solo electric. all recorded at home.
electric guitar 1-9. rec 2008… guitarist born in lisbon, with public activity since 1989. from that to 1997 he studies and experiments with prepared guitar, mainly acoustic. since then his interests shifted to the development of a personal language for fingerstyle electric guitar and started working in a regular basis with bassist margarida garcia. a lot of acoustic guitar has been played at home in the last years, and it has also been possible to find him playing with bands osso exótico, curia, dru, and collaborating with david maranha and afonso simões. worked with sei miguel from 1997 to 2005. founds the record label headlights in 1998. draws and shoots… newest solo outing from this rather amazing guitar player. limited to only 300 copies and packaged in a nice mysterious letter press printed heavy black paper cover, to match the curia lp. nice.
motor ghost is the new project of drummer / vocalist alex neilson and multi-instrumentalist ben reynolds. & #145;a gold chain round her breast’ is their first recorded document as a duo. from the brooding opener through tracks of soaring electricity to the beautifully fragile a capella rendition of the folk song & #145;leaves of life’, this album sees alex and ben exploring darkness and light and all shades in between. alex’ drumming provides much of the backbone of the album supporting and conversing with ben’s acoustic and electric guitars, loops and the call of the dümuk (a greek horn). the album comes in screenprinted sleeves, all of which have been hand embellished and are individually numbered. the first 100 copies of the album include a 3& #148; bonus cd-r containing a 4 song solo vocal set alex performed at the macbeth in london the day before the motor ghost studio session and feature exclusive and extensive liner notes by scottish folk singer alasdair roberts. these will sell on a first come first serve basis… killer new lp on a new label. lovely hand printed covers. limited to only 300 copies.
third full length release from this new haven, connecticut rock band, but the first on the band’s own label. the mountain movers went into the studio with 10 new hits and some serious psyched out guitars. the results were documented to 2 inch 16 track reel to reel and put onto vinyl for your listening pleasure. “the day calls out for you” finds the band focusing on guitar driven songs, which is a departure from their previous piano and horn colored albums. heavy echoes, heady tones, and strong songwriting really make this a gem. vinyl only, hand-numbered, and limited to 270, the front and back covers feature the beautiful artwork of head mountain mover daniel greene. included is a cd of the album, courtesy of the band. the line-up for this recording includes: dan greene (singing, guitar, art), rick omonte (bass, noises), joey maddalena (lead guitar) and john miller (drums).
our very first one sided lp, which is a bizarre trip from michael curtis hilde’s mountainhood project. this one follows on from the two lps on time-lag’s red records label a few months back which vanished super fast, as well as other releases on reverb worships and yod. total outsider midnight missions into weirdness… strange strings twang and rattle into the darkness, a very strange experience spread across one side of black wax. limited to 300 copies in pro-printed wrap around sleeve featuring art by michael… ultra-zoned stuff. nice.
last year i discussed with michael hilde the idea of doing something special for my 100th release on reverb worship. michael very kindly agreed to do something memorable and very worthwhile. “live at dearborn house” is a 5 track 3″ cdr ep. we are very proud to announce this release which both michael and myself have spent a lot of time and effort preparing and working on. michael spent roughly three months doing the artwork. each and every one of the 100 covers has been hand drawn, painted and numbered by michael himself. the artwork is totally gorgeous and straight from a very talented and creative mind. you can see all of the cover designs on the “mountainhood” page on this website and on my myspace page too. no doubt michael will be posting up images too on his website www.mountainhood.com. made in a limited edition of 100 hand numbered copies. each cd is individually titled. this release has been priced to compliment the hard graft, labour and artistic input involved to create such lovely collectables such as these. you are not only getting a twenty plus minute “live” cdr but a individual work of art as well… far-out sounds & totally great hand done packaging with michael’s unique a wonderful artwork all over.
northern california’s mountainhood has a long long long discography, and we’re psyched about the latest. shine shine is sometimes sweet folk songs, sometimes a wild party (like a bunch of horsemen dancing around a stump), and just about always full of plenty of goblin voices. take it on your roadtrip and get nostalgic about redwoods and the moon. with an 8-page minibook of art by michael hilde. edition of 200.
300 exquisitely handmade copies. part 2 in the larger multivisorial dreamsaga called: the light, the road, recorded in nyc, continues the epic narrative of kria blisses’ journey to/through the chrystal palace first introduced in goldenness, part 1. packaging painted, pencilled, photographed in new almaden, northern california or point lobos, big sur, also forms a narrative whole broken down into several acts or series perceivable only by over-eye. this record follows his sold out records on time lag, ecstatic yod & reverb worship. this is volume ten in our arts & crafts series. each record in the series is released in handmade packaging by the artist on the record. it’s clear that michael hilde poured countless hours into these jackets so we’ve documented each one. there wasn’t enough time to photograph the inside covers which are as detailed as the outside. hilde went beyond all expectations… great new single, each copy with hand drawn/painted packaging. nice.
hopefully mrtyu requires little introduction, because the project evades easy description. an odd compound of vedic imagery, metal misanthropy, and violin agony, this music moves away from any particular fan base in pursuit of its distant, darkened idols. ornate shroud is mrtyu’s most potent spawn to date. hewing closer to song form than previous releases, the album conceals antony milton’s violent guitar and violin work behind mrtyu’s characteristic murk. its pieces transition from jagged riffs to eerie ambient scrapes through wooly feedback, approaching the uncanny. although the year is yet young, 2009 will likely not produce a bleaker aggraga record. edition of 350 180gm lps in heavy-stock linen-paper sleeves hand-screened, -cut, and –glued by reuben little of 43rd parallel press.
the first real album. the final album. all six classic originals and one new patric cunningham song. forty minutes. digital, high quality fidelity. the most listenable, most proud, most quality mt. moon release in the whole catalogue. the manifesto. the will and testament. the definitive arrangements and versions, the ideal, the end… mt. moon was a band led by songwriters jakob battick and patric cunningham, featuring instrumentalists/vocalists ryan higgins, zach brown, michelle dempsey, mike wellington, and tim cunningham. we managed to play four shows, record our first hour-long radio session, and create an ep, a live album, and one seven-song, forty minute album in the summer of 2008. it was all supposed to only last from may to july anyways… pretty cool private press local release. bing band dream folk collective sounds. color cover art, hand written liner notes, etc.
lovely free sounds from taiwan. wind blew the sea & brought many circles with drops. moon married the sea & reflected in the surface. he asked the reflection: where is my best friend? wind played his flute & the sound brought him to the brightening woods of the giants to see the god of mountain. the god of mountain told him loudly through all animals’ voices in the woods: it’s wind! edition of 90.
as organ scientist mudboy is back in europe, lexi disques is happy to present his new 7-inch. mudboy comes from providence, rhode island, the town of lightning bolt and hp lovecraft. he released cassettes, cdrs, vinyls, texts on various european, belgian and american labels including his own free matter for the blind label. he’s also making sound/light installations and silkscreen visuals. a short cv is here if needed. music for any speed is based on a reflexion on time. artwork: mudboy (printed on newspaper). with poster & download code.
crashing circles in the midnight horn cdr (about 45 minutes) a collection of all-acoustic improvisations by sam hamilton, mark sadgrove, andrew scott & eve gordon. droning bowed-strings are the predominant sound, with a few gentle percussive sections. very cave-man, very hippie, but very beautiful too – these two pieces were recorded in the dead of night, in concrete echoey spaces in the urban environment (too close to the neighbours at times). 1st edition of 50 copies, and sewn and stamped covers, each disc with a unique wordfind – just found a few copies of this long out of print disc.
cd reissue of siwa #6 in screenprinted gatefold sleeve. first released on lp in 2000 in an edition of 300 which sold out pretty much overnight. three tracks recorded at kid ailack art hall in tokyo in the late 90’s. just over 40 minutes of solo improvisations for er-hu, voice, kengali, rings, cymbals. the recording has been remastered for the digital format but contains the same material as the original lp.
fuzz and buzz improvisations tuning in with the higher forms of new england reverb. turning deep, lonesome abstract guitar feedback modulations upside down into mad psych blues of the dog. edition of 100 copies.
with highrise being basically an in-active band the last few years narita munehiro has been keeping his electric guitar skills sharp with gigging around tokyo in varies duo’s and other small groupings. (as evidenced by the fantastic cd between narita and drummer hano on psf) this archive release documents 2 live sets from narita recorded in late 2005 and the summer of 2006 that put on display the recent solo works of the man who the term psychedelic speed freaks was really captured from. running time of around 40mins one time pressing of 600 copies packed in an extra glossy 2.5 panel sleeve with appropriately chemically treated photographic work from the live dates.
sweet early solo one from paul of death chants, aswara, etc… new age / cosmic / nature analog spaces. hand colored, numbered edition of 88.
paul grimes, member of the now defunct death chants walks a surprisingly personal path on this album. very outside the common psychedelic genre he draws a path of his own. on warp, grimes scrapes together a faboulous blend of easy listening, light marbles and more retro space tunes. a hot mix of elements of kitaro, joe meek, and even some hits of an introspective dennis wize. fantastic stuff for the upcoming summer hangovers.
second mystery release from paul of death chants. layered modular synth, flute and more with drifting echo waves… way out there. nice double sided color covers. green tapes. numbered edition of 95. sweet.
murphy blend’s (named after a pipe tobacco) only album, is one of the best and rarest early german progressive rock records. excellent hammond organ, that delivers a unique heavy psychedelic krautrock sound. it was originally released on the legendary kuckuck label in 1970. english lyrics. limited edition, deluxe 180g vinyl, heavy exact texture cover.
debut vinyl full length by this long-time h-town expat/pedalsteel visionary. past cdrs on her and dave keenan’s volcanic tongue imprint have sketched out the breadth of her possessed solitary vigils, but her three pieces here are even more untamed and unique. voice, electric strings, song tendrils blowing in the soul’s breeze. edition of 500… sweet…
blaring new cd from heather leigh of heavy-metal minimalists scorces/charalambides/taurpis tula/jailbreak et al. this one creams the most mind-flaying assaults from her recent euro-tour with tight meat and the skaters alongside some spontaneous audience actions as documented on the elvis-in-prison cover shot that extends the whole jailhouse rock ethos of her recent fag tape into new vectors of then. with just electrified pedal steel and vocals heather takes the whole keiji haino/munehiro narita school of protesting strings into the kind of primitive folk-doof environs that nurtured both donald ayler and abner jay and folds them in on each other to birth a music that feels as primal as it is sophisticated, as physical as it is phantom. if you like your energy hand-made and with a feel for the full interaction of flesh with hallucinatory power sources, then this is the place to plug in. limited hand-numbered run of only 121 copies with printed discs and stamped sleeves in high quality plastic slipcases… long out of print.
new project by italian space-brothers improv duo my cat is an alien, recorded in remote western alps in fall 2007. forget all the space psychedelic textures… forget all sort of space toys… this is a totally different affair: this is haunted music created with wooden primitive instruments, distant echoes from the other dimension. a pagan ceremony to welcome winter. stunning film by roberto opalio to introduce you to the reign of the phantoms. private edition of 99 handnumbered copies; in heavy cardboard with paisted artwork… quite cool new offshoot project from the space brothers.
mutantea is anla courtis (reynols), j.koho (kulkija, aan, vapaa, keijo & free players) and jani hirvonen (uton, aan, last night on earth) — recorded early 2006 in helsinki, at the night time, in the middle of darkest winter, after the show in gallery, just before going to sleep. three electric guitars, with differert effects and styles to play, together in this mass, which gave us this wave called ‘mutantea’. includes also arts by bart de paepe (sloow tapes).
matt earle, from siltbreeze band ‘xnobbqx’. this is a great fucked up and kinda dubbed-out rock record!
live in manchester 2/12/10. another chapter in the heroine celestial agriculture series.
live in coventry 2/13/10. another chapter in the heroine celestial agriculture series.
i must confess to temporarily losing contact with the complex universe of matt valentine, perhaps our decade’s greatest american vernacular artist, about a year ago: swamped by the (admittedly unrelentingly powerful) wave of solo and duo acoustic guitar cd-rs he was releasing, i put my hands up in the air and stood back to breathe. consequently, records such as green blues and its predecessor mother of thousands, both performed with constant foil erika elder and their rural pick-up gang the bummer road, hit like a sucker-punch. for one, mv & ee have focused their occasional prolix tendencies while maintaining their fondness for destabilizing psychotropic song forms. secondly, these records represent a great squaring-off of valentine’s interests: multi-limbed guitar improvisations; soaring post-buckley freedom melody, best exemplified by mv’s space chanteys album from years back; and loose-arm group-sound that swallows american primitive threads such as free jazz, early 20th century blues and the rustic melancholy of the grateful dead circa american beauty. green blues is one of the first records released by a newly energized ecstatic peace!, thurston moore’s imprint, who’ve hooked up an m&d deal with fontana/universal. it’s appropriate that green blues appears on first blush to be mv & ee’s most coherent recording, the first half of the set tackling c21 campfire songs that nonetheless still carry within their dna the intensely fucked structural liberties that are part and parcel of valentine’s song writing. opener “east mountain joint” floating out on humming mellotron supplied by j mascis, is a celebratory flash, but it’s tracks like the following “drive is that i love you”, which smear hypnotic acoustic guitar mantras with black-tar electric guitar fuzz as wasted as royal trux’s self-titled debut album, that carry the most weight. most songs on the set are built from simple acoustic guitar, around which collect waves of distortion, floated flute and violin and purring tambura and dulcimer, sediment and grit that pulls the focus out on the aperture. by the closing two songs, “grassthighs” and “solar hill,” mv & ee have dropped most of the overt structure and let the bummer road fill in the gaps with fractal detail. mv & ee have been the primary instigators and aesthetic anarchists in the american underground for some time now, and green blues is another kick to the solar plexus from the duo and their extended family. luminous yet dense with foliage, filmed through a haze of smoke and fog, it’s their strongest collection of songs to date. – jon dale – nice triple digi-pak cover. featuring : mv, ee, mo’ jiggs, nemo, sparrow wildchild, samara lubelski, willie lane, tim barnes, and j mascis.
a mysterious bootleg of a wild mv & ee concert featuring tom carter and j mascis as the golden road. one track with 4 guitarists, 3 numbers with j on guitar and tom on bass and one cut with j on drums. deep spaced out rural rock sound…the vibe and layout is exactly like one of mv & ee’s heroine’s, impeccably copied and presented here. i got in touch with matt about it and the bootlegger sent a box of copies to their door. mv is cool with it for now… very elusive title here, better act fast.
real raw ‘you are here’ sound captured live in the deep tapers pit by number one uk golden road archivist pete coward. this disck is a window into sweet harvests from a handful of shows, most notably an electric “easy livin” eye opener from a back room in brighton from the ‘gettin’ gone in aquarius’ tour, plus a soaked “tea devil” from dylan nyoukis’ ‘colour out of space festival’ as well as a blown out epic “canned happiness” from this years ‘golden cherry ball’ jam at instal. fasten yr jaw on the big league chew-z “environments” bubble featuring the usual heads (mv/ee/doc dunn/samara/chris davis) along with mick flower, chris corsano, the cherry blossoms and phil todd. child of microtones and ecstatic peace joint release – golden roadies unite! edition of 199… metallic printed art paper covers.
orbiting the earth in vermont is matt “mv” valentine, once the brawn of the tower recordings, and erika “ee” elder, ceo of heroine celestial agriculture and the mv & ee medicine show. together with their dog zuma, they run the child of microtones library of exploratory music–sometimes their own lunar blues, sometimes finger-picking-style noise/space, sometimes lonesome frontier folk. mv & ee have landed at the dicristina building bearing drone trailer, featuring the golden road: doc dunn (pedal steel, guitar, harmony), mike smith (bass, fender rhodes, harmony), and james anderson (drums, engineer). you may recognize these names as part of mv & ee’s touring band when they scorched across new england and the rust belt en route to terrastock this past june. drone trailer is a consolidation of the previous musical high-life of the duo’s space shanties for the 21st century. in other words, mv & ee explore their unique mix of lunar raga and astral string band music, with a couple deep-space burners/covert jams such as opening blast “anyway” thrown in to bust it all open. nobody is gonna mind if they hear a little crazy horse and prime-era dead here as well! previous releases on their own child of microtones label, along with notable albums on time-lag and ecstatic peace.
still riding high on the glorious steed that was green blues, matt valentine and erika elder entered a western mass studio armed with enough fresh material to choke a whole team of horses. you may ask, “how can this be?” well, since recording their ecstatic peace debut the duo has toured extensively, all the while writing tunes, scavenging esoteric guitar equipment and revamping their backing band to suit the environment of gettin’ gone. a new sound has organically evolved that will most certainly astonish listeners new and old… deluxe limited heavy vinyl edition. gatefold cover.
side a is called ‘limits’ and it’s a full golden road blaster with riffs as meaty as a new york deli sandwich, ripped-up mv vocals and swirling ee vocals through a fat leslie speaker. side b is a sleww, stonnnned (possibly 4-track) recording called ‘jacked-up’ with a haunting, almost dissonant vocal from mv and one of the greatest examples of erika elder’s intuitive, whacked-out electric mandobird playing we’ve yet heard… limited to only 300 copies!
this summer loving bliss festival of a record is everything we hoped it could be and more. side a, “moment spacing” is a two-and-a-half-minute blast of “ooh-la-la-la-la-la” joy that wraps a posi+ aura around the world. b-side, ‘bong judge’ is the stoned, slowed down, phaser-drenched, stretched-out basement tapes version of (almost unrecognisably) the same song running at six+ minutes. the most beautiful record we think we’ll hear all year. featuring: mv – guitars/vox, ee – lap steel/vox, willie lane – guitar, sparrow wildchild – vox, janane tripp – vox, chris livingood – vox, samara lubelski – bass, john moloney – drums… last copies.
restock… in house micro label private tour version. recorded at oxfam café in medford, ma. 11/03/08. line-up here is matt valentine, erika elder, doc dunn and the muskox crew.
restock… in house micro label private tour releases. live set from unrock, krefeld, germany 5/17/08. line-up here is matt valentine, erika elder, samara lubelski, and doc dunn.
live in hudson, ny 7/26/08. another chapter in the heroine celestial agriculture series.
live in jersey city wfmu on air studios 1/21/09. another chapter in the heroine celestial agriculture series.
restock… private press cdr version of this recording also issued on blackest rainbow. recorded at the conservatory, oklahoma, ok, november 2, 2007.
philly 9/09. another chapter in the heroine celestial agriculture series.
still harvesting and sustaining in the deep woods of vermont , mv & ee (matt ‘mv’ valentine, once the brawn of the tower recordings, and erika ‘ee’ elder, ceo of heroine celestial agriculture and the mv & ee medicine show) are following their 2008 release drone trailer with their feature-film-for-the-blind barn nova, which marks their return to the ecstatic peace! label. mv & ee aspire to the sort of beautifully rewarding standard in their documented output that sun ra or the grateful dead achieved. it is with ecstatic peace! that their most consistent works have been born and continue reach fans with the golden road, their most constant band. together with doc dunn (pedal steel, rhythm guitar, vocals, drums) and mike smith (rickenbacker 4001, vocals), who appeared on drone trailer, as well as j mascis (drums, guitar, plate reverb) and woods’ jeremy earl (vocal, drums) they take you on the ride now known as barn nova and here they jam. justin pizzoferrato also appears contributing percussion, space echo and aiding once again at the controls. this album was recorded at mv & ee’s own home studio ‘maximum arousal farm’ as well as their current local new england rooms of choice, ‘bank row’ (an old mid 1900s bank) and j’s home studio ‘bisquiteen.’ these kindred spirits share a wealth of ideas including a serious reverence and desire to upgrade/expand the classic-rock idiom. barn nova marks the return of ’spectrasound,’ mv’s production technique that places tones dancing all around the stereo sound field: it has to be heard to be believed. this effect is all the more impressive that the majority of it was created recording live, rather than conjured through studio post-production during mixing. especially potent on the a side-ending stomp ’summer magic,’ where erika’s economical leads go head-to-head with j’s on a particularly mind-blowing live-in-studio effort; it brings to mind the vibe of green blues, mother of thousands and even an electric moon jook with matured songwriting. inspired by the likes of jerry garcia, john cipollina and tom verlaine, matt valentine displays an insatiable appetite to play in various idioms with constant exploration and development. meanwhile, elder’s harmony leads recall the glorious twinned guitar lines of canned heat’s al wilson & henry vestine at their most potent… limited vinyl version with poster.
in house micro label private tour releases. recorded at the earl, atlanta georgia. duo style.
restock… in house micro label private tour releases. sweet live duo set from dublab, los angeles, ca. 2/14/07.
brand new limited cassette, limited to 200, printed green tapes, and full colour artwork. super raw bliss rinden psychedelic jamz! recorded live to tape in santa cruz, live some kinda private recording from back in the day fool – and no doubt will disappear this fast becoming something like that, right>>? and here’s a few words from the mv about this dusty lil’ gem…. ’howdy folks, good timing… any time off with youse is good time. i finished this transmission on new years day, feels real good. it is a live set from santa cruz, a gallery called the attic last year on 2/17/07. ralph mazzeo’s art was up on the walls by coincidence, his first ever solo show…real kool sync. seymour glass of bananafish/glands of external secretion/brent lewiis ensemble/etc…rode with us to the gig to hang out. charalambides opened up with explosive harmonics, tom was using a homemade fuzz pedal that grant acker (of un/slurp dogs fame) built, grant also taped the show, on cassette, his reel combined with our child of microtones master is the veg wheel~ of this capstan…was a real hip afternoon/evenin’…the ’choice’ to use this came to me earlier in the month on the first of two december full moons for some reason and i dug the joint out, i say some prophetic ramble about oxide. ahhh, the synapse… long live the blackest rainbow’… nice color covers, printed tapes. instantly out of print.
live at issue project room, brooklyn – 1st set 10/16/09. another chapter in the heroine celestial agriculture series.
restock… live disc with doc dunn, samara lubelski and ‘crittle’, recorded at the bunker in january 2008.
live in greenfield, ma 8/15/09. another chapter in the heroine celestial agriculture series.
restock… a long live set featuring doc dunn and samara lubelski live in belgium in may 2008.
here is the first ever all live lp of “mv & ee” material and it is the perfect example of the scene in the tapers pit. the familiar tunes which have become staples in their set shine with an unheard intensity with killer solos and sonic excursions into the unknown, and then there is the deep of their singular ‘environments’, their space which manages to showcase the pastoral freakouts and cosmic raga forms so singular to this unique band. just as their recent run of releases on ecstatic peace! and dicristina consolidates the mv & ee private press universe and child of microtones orbit with the essence of the maximum arousal farm sound “home comfort” does the same to distill the gems of their live shows onto sweet wax. for those familiar with matt and erika’s cottage label “heroine celestial agriculture”, known to the heads as “heroine”, this lp reads like a best of curated by the ‘you are there’ swingin’ pig and the results are a stunning cross section of their duo exchange, funky trio with woods’ jeremy earl and big band exploratory stomp with doc dunn, muskox and willie lane of the golden road. here is the true sound of “mv & ee” with the songs, the extended jams and the feeling. this seminal duo and all they sail with need to be heard live and need to be heard live often, what a glorious document from the tapers pit. that’s tapers pit twice in a paragraph, class. peace. full color jackets with insert. limited to 550.
brand-new self-released com in a numbered run of only 99 copies packaged with full colour sleeves and inserts from the duo of matthew valentine and erika elder. a collection of massively dosed studio recordings, liberty rose opens with beams of elegiac solo guitar before dropping into a classic slow-burning jag with puffs of echo/delay damaged vocals melting into hallucinatory afterimages while erika slides quicksilver runs all the way down your spine. “crow jane environs” has a deep desert feel that could almost be mu if it wasn’t for erika’s oracular vocals and mv’s post-takayanagi soloing. the stark, stripped down version of “death is my friend” features a stunning/chilling vocal performance from erika and doc dunn joins the duo for the last two tracks, with “out in space” as dazed and lonely as anything on skip spence’s oar and “streams” featuring clouds of lucid unison vocals that you could disappear inside. i guess at this stage child of microtones has the same relationship to the ecstatic peace releases that richard youngs’ no fans imprint has to his releases on jagjaguwar, functioning as a repository for some of the most psychedelic, experimental and personal music to escape from the personal stash. and this is a major instalment. dedicated to dr ragtime. – volcanic tongue.
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 interprations 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 long blazing 11 minute space jam. the flip side opens with the classic blues soaked ‘tea devil’ with erika’s laid back 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 drum kit. straight from hear we head into a completely trance inducing psychedelic haze of wild jamming with a totally different version of ‘environments’. the whole of the bside 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… already sold out at source.
in house micro label private tour version. recorded at johnny brenda’s in philadelphia 6/13/08. line-up here is matt valentine, erika elder, doc dunn and the muskox crew.
ragas of the culvert, previously self-released as a cd-r in an edition of less than 50 copies as well as a quickly sold out cassette on fuck it tapes, is a glorious revisiting of the lunar raga style that created so much of mv+ee’s past. this meditative and purely instrumental six track voyage is guaranteed to transport you to distant worlds. ragas of the culvert will be from an edition of 840 copies pressed on 180gm rti vinyl. the record will be housed within “old style” stoughton lp sleeves bearing a new design by both matt and erika… all copies here include the pre-order only bonus cd, ‘total loss songs’, that featuring 50 minutes of previously unreleased and newly recorded material, complete with b&w cover art. sold out at source, so act quick.
in house micro label private tour releases. recorded at diverseworks, houston texas. matt valentine, erika elder, willie lane.
duo iowa city 10/09. another chapter in the heroine celestial agriculture series.
the box set documents the mv & ee live experience in various incarnations between 2002 and 2009. the music is entirely unreleased material (with the exception of guitar barn featuring j mascis and tom carter, which was issued as a bootleg cdr in the heroine style, but was actually unofficial). highlights include a 2002 mv & ee medicine show performance, the guitar barn jam with j mascis and tom carter, a new band, mv & ee with the wolfpack, a recent set with jeremy earl of woods, as well as classic bummer road and golden road jams. the box set will be presented chronologically and culminates in a pete’s pix vol. 2 featuring 7 tracks from various dates mainly in the uk (including tracks from the thurston moore curated atp in 2006, and dylan nyoukis’ 2006 colour out of space fest – both of which feature chris corsano). limited to 250 copies. the tapes: the mv & ee medicine show ‘citybillies’ brooklyn, ny 5/23/02 (previously unreleased) – mv & ee with the bummer road ‘the suncatcher blossoms a novatone’ tonic, nyc 7/18/2005 (previously unreleased) – mv & ee with the bummer road ‘abstract blues and egyptian mud’ campfire sounds, acra, ny 7/15/06 (previously unreleased) – mv & ee with the bummer road ‘pastis king’ paris, november 11th, 2006 (previously unreleased) – mv & ee with the golden road ‘barn joint’ red barn, amherst, ma, 10/16/07 (feat. j mascis and tom carter) (previously out as an unofficial bootleg) – mv & ee with the golden road ‘lobstora vs tone crabs’ floristree auditorium baltimore, md, 6/14/08 (previously unreleased) – mv & ee with the wolfpack ‘yurt aspects/rural centrifuge’ wickermania festival, the yurt, goshen, ma 8/2/08 / tinderbox, brattleboro, vt, 8/3/08 (unreleased) – mv & ee with jeremy earl ‘”he’s on tonight, saddleback”/”multiple gravitrons” cakeshop, nyc, 1/20/09 (previously unreleased) – mv & ee with the wolfpack ‘mamma zooed’ the triple, richmond, va, 1/23/09 (previously unreleased) – mv & ee ’smoked bossier’ art space, shreveport, la, 1/29/09 (previously unreleased) – mv & ee with the golden road ’sequential circuits’ vintage by the pound, toronto, on, canada, 2/7/09 (previously unreleased) – mv & ee ‘pete’s pix vol. 2′ 2004 – 2006 (tracks from cambridge uk, colour out of space, thurston’s atp, oxford, london, and more. features nemo, chris corsano, samara, willie, jiggs, sparrow, simoes) (previously unreleased)… beautifully done & already sold out at source. very limited stock.
restock… live disc with doc dunn, samara lubelski and ‘crittle’, recorded live at the luminaire in london, february 2008 by pete coward.
in house micro label private tour version. recorded space gallery on 16th january 2009, portland maine. really sweet classic style duo set, heavy on the new ‘drone trailer’ material.
the always prolific matt valentine and erika elder are back at it with the debut 7-inch on electric temple records, sweetheart of the nascar. rising from the depths of the grass-roots, free-riding psychedelic underground, mv&ee provide the nighttime companion over two midnight-oil burning tracks to their recent masterwork for thurston moore’s ecstatic peace label, barn nova. the a-side titletrack, “sweetheart of the nascar” is perhaps one of the duo’s heaviest tracks to date, pushing the threshold of rust never sleeps-era neil young into sludge metal meets mark hollis ambience. the b-side, “crow jane variations” is a slow-burner featuring erika elder’s reverb-drenched echoes behind a wash of lap-steel guitar and minor-key rustic psychedelic vibes. sweetheart of the nascar was recorded with matt valentine’s mind-boggling production technique, spectrasound. the spectre sound engineering was done by james anderson, while the final mix was done by long-time producer/engineer justin at barn row studios and matt valentine himself at their home studio, maximum arousal farm. the inventive technique is highlighted on “sweetheart of the nascar” with two drummers playing – one in the left channel, one in the right, spread across a gorgeous stereo-pan. matt valentine and erika elder hail from vermont, where they live with their dog zuma and a heap full of sears amplifiers and ruckus making material. over their decade long career, they have aspired to follow in the ways of the grateful dead, releasing numerous albums, limited runs, and bootlegs. the last mv&ee recording, barn nova, brought the duo their most criticially acclaimed national media attention to date after a decade of small-run releases, having positive vibes sent from pitchfork, popmatters, junkmedia, strangeglue, and many more. after having a recent stint with alt-rock legends dinosaur jr. and a current run with avant-heroes flower-corsano duo, the group is at their most prolific, delivering a slew of live performances throughout the u.s. and europe. limited one-time press, brown vinyl edition of 500 copies.
duo big sur 9/09. another chapter in the heroine celestial agriculture series.
restock… in house micro label private tour releases. duo style.
limited edition of 300 hand-numbered copies packaged in heavy duty screenprinted metallic ink jackets done by neil burke at monoroid. my cat is an alien’s new surprising master work is a concept-album split with their side project, praxinoscope. as always, in a world full of compromises, mciaa represent fierce independence and complete freedom. take roberto’s own words in the liner notes as the best introduction to this work: ‘one day we realized it was no more possible to discern archaic art and post-modern art in our palette; it was clear that they were both reflected in the same hall of mirrors. in other words, alien art and archaic art are the same thing. all archaic art deals with death, sex, transcendence and eternity. we’re all living days suspended in the void. the difference is in consciousness: this is real artists’ duty. beyond and other than this, only oblivion.
original soundtrack from roberto opalio’s film ‘alien blood’ (2005-2008), currently shown at sonic youth etc.: sensational fix museum exhibition, opened at life museum (france) in june 2008, and already scheduled around the globe for the next couple of years. the improvised score by my cat is an alien follows the minimal and surrealistic beginning of the film with sparse echoes of eerie sounds, growing in dark timbres and pathos. maurizio opalio’s heavily effected ‘blood percussions’ compress the air, while roberto’s wordless vocals, along with his space toys, alientronics & mini-keyboard are on the razor-edge of another dimension. the finale comes as one of the most epic crescendos ever performed by the italian duo. one of the most impressive and innovative mciaa’s recordings to date. special only-vinyl edition limited to 200. audiophile black vinyl lp in nice-textured cardboard handmade folder sleeve, with full-color paste-on artwork showing still images from the film.
another bout of glittering jewels, sputtering star systems and piercing high drones courtesy of your favourite astral-obsessed italian duo – as ever, their sonic output is at once reassuringly recognisable but still disconcertingly bizarre, forever reaching upwards and outwards, seeking to escape the confines of gravity and atmosphere in favour of celestial salvation. — dave stockwell, foxy digitalis.
private press ltd. edition of 110 copies / the entire surface of side aa features an original painting by roberto opalio in white translucent acrylic film etched texture; individually signed and numbered by the artist. a new special space art limited vinyl issue from maurizio and roberto opalio, aka audio visual improv duo my cat is an alien. a 23 minutes piece of cosmic wilderness crescendo… my cat is an alien are one of the most prolific bands on the planet. the vast spaces traversed on these recordings is mind blowing. it’s like some sort of aural personification of the kinetic energy that exists between roberto and maurizio opalio. for lack of a better word, it’s dazzling. everytime their stellar soundwaves emanate from my speakers, i’m like a moth to a lightbulb. i zone out and am completely entranced by this music. hushed beeps and glacial guitar drones do me in everytime. add in various other cosmic debris like reverb-soaked vocal howls, cymbal bursts, and various other space toys and mciaa stretch out toward the horizon like varicose veins to the sun. my cat is an alien are determined to take you on a journey through the darkest corners and deepest crevices of the galaxy. this is essential music. – brad rose, editor, foxy digitalis… nice one & very limited stock.
the entire recording of the improvised live performance at ed pinsent’s “sound projecting” radio show, broadcasted by london’s resonance 104.4 fm on december 10th 2004. in these sessions mciaa don’t play their usual cosmic guitars, but only a couple of space toys & toy-microphones, plus a pocket theremin & mini-casio provided by pinsent on the occasion; also featuring pinsent himself at turntables. a different aspect of mciaas experimental research, as well as a new amazing adventure through the ether. absolutely a key-document for all the fans of the band – reissue of the long-out-of-print cd-r, in a special private press edition of only 158, with heavy textured cardboard sleeve + full-color insert, individually numbered… sweet & beautiful vinyl edition.
entire session of one of the latest mciaa’s live killer performances, recorded at feedback festival in dijon on september 29th, 2007. split over 6 sides of c20 analog tape cassettes, the duo’s performance couldn’t but draw inspiration by the name of the event, launching a massive attack of feedbacks from the highest spheres. private edition of 60 handnumbered copies; in heavy cardboard with paisted artwork.
another voyage into the inky blackness with the cosmos-loving italians and another gem. mciaa have gone from making dronescapes that were merely beautiful to listen to (merely!) to vast vistas of sound that seem to exert an almost gravitational pull into their depths. this opens with roberto opalio’s parched vocal trances and the calming ching of oriental bells and builds into a soporific sea of echoing guitar notes with bells rippling through it like a warm wind. for some reason, the line from”astronomy domine” about”the blue you once knew” comes to mind. the sound then appears to collapse in on itself before ebbing into freefall. divinely beautiful. — boa melody bar.
“here we are/ dancing with the dark shadows/ here we are/ dancing with the dark shadows” this is the incipit of the first side of”when the windmill’s whirl dies”, the new work by the space-brothers maurizio and roberto opalio, alias my cat is an alien; and here we are indeed, ready to dance with the shadows which surround the light, as the intimate and vividly estranged mood originated by the floating guitar tunes will enter the furthest meanders of your mind. both the words, recited and shaped by roberto from his own homonymous poem that suggested the title of the album, and the oblique minimalism of the complex musical texture made of flowing space sounds, represent the abstract neo-expressionistic substratum of the whole corpus of the work. moving throughout a nebula of space dust and debris, the starting spoken-word vocals alongside the percussive section sound as powerfully impressive as the violent imagery of trees beaten down by the storm, while the whispered silence of”perspective of time” and”fallin’”, on side two, discloses the emotional and existential universe of an isolated broken soul, lost in a world of inanity. this is the center of the no-thing universe, where each single word or sound assumes the aspect of a sort of pagan prayer that speaks the language of astral folk-blues. in this context, mciaa’s outer space becomes a re-found uterus, meant to be the form of a new self-biogenesis. at the same time, space is conceived as symbol of the eternal theatre surrounding the mysterious cycle of life & death; such infinite space, despite such limited time. this cosmic-chant of the new millennium may heat our nights like a flame left to enlighten the shadows of the coldest darkness. at the end of it all, some words will still be ringing in our minds:”so, we’ll never forget the light”. after 2004’s key-work”the rest is silence”, mciaa’s”when the windmill’s whirl dies” comes as the second act of a trilogy dedicated to the great void. a beautiful recording housed in a thick, heavy duty gatefold sleeve. edition of 600 copies.
some soups are best eaten boiling hot. this soup comes close to being stripped naked, smeared with goose fat and feathers in a far off southern bar. someone vomits down your neck and swings your nutsack across the room. its just like trading braincells for amphetamine, a joyous almost cheerful adventure into the bowl prepared by dylan nyoukis and friends. eerie sounds from forgotten times, starring the radioactive behemoth and the voluptuary nobbler to drink you under the table. burying bears with melting feedback cheese. its a downward spiral of flammable gas under pressure that sets your hips straight against the wall. no cowboy dramas or desert road plasma, but a dismembered spirit shuffling among the autumn leafs. as with the teeth of lions you know the time has come to testify. halfway through youre one step away of leaving for vacation without your slippers. anybody. a dizzy maelstrom of home recorded freenoise blatter. chants crawl into the mix accompanied by childlike instruments for an en-garde slaughter fest with the four horsemen. the implied honor-like atmosphere is swept aside in favor of party time on a sunken submarine. a sinister force holds the soup in its power, evoking spirits too intense for average living rooms. now suppose what could have happened when the arthurian knights would have exchanged their magical potions for a sip of the mysterious blue soups of the south? be a slug in a saloon and join the acid bikers cult. fold out covers with obi-strip designed and screenprinted by janus prutpuss (covers for quetzal, trumans water, starfish pool, sickboy, stifled cries and lets not forget the tons of sweat for prutpuss and rotkop) with the kind help of knust from nijmegen – edition of 180 copies – another amazingly packaged audiobot release!
the follow up to their excellent debut cdr, the mystery water saloon boys is phil todd’s vehicle for group workouts in atmospheric and psychedelic jams. this disc features the duo of PHIL TODD (ASHTRAY NAVIGATIONS) and CHRIS HLADOWSKI (SCATTER, NALLE) exploring everywhere from twisted deep space raga to edgy paranoid ramblings using strings, effects, voice, reeds, wind, and percussion all mixed and mangled onto a very damaged old tape deck – limited.
vinyl edition of this nomadic psych-soul trio’s beloved 2008 studio debut, released on cd on greg weeks’ (of espers) language of stone label. this edition has swank glossy jackets, plus an 11×11 pro-printed insert, on colored vinyl. one time pressing of 500.
debut vinyl album by contemporary electric guitar wizard bill nace, ‘too dead for dreaming’ begins in the form of a deconstructed blues piece, slowly exploring the territories of atonal composition, string–scraping and feedback, crashing all these styles in an instinctive, personal way. his affiliations with x04, northampton wools and vampire belt converge here in a unique flux. bill’s ability in creating sounds, follows a clear logic of ‘construction of tension’ that eventually explodes into pure sonic mayhem (part 2) then switching the attention from your blowing ears into new, obscure tonalities, with a spectral meditation that develops in the last part of the album and mirably closes the circle. it’s all here: one man, one guitar. a bulldozer. limited to 200 copies , hand printed and numbered.
mr. ruaradidh sanachen has been getting a name for himself recently with his one man kosmische metal space ritual project nackt insecten, releasing plenty of limited edition “stuff” on a whole bunch of labels. in february 2008, as part of glasgow’s wonderful instal festival, he was seen cradling a suitcase full of howling drone/noise aboard glasgow’s tube trains, and what a show it was – check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2v5nrb6nllo for a glimpse of the fun. as nackt insecten’s relentless sounds meshed in perfectly with the locomotive rumblings, i thought to myself what a fine 7 inch single it would make. and sure enough, over a year later, here it is. an explanation made by a member of the “audience” to a worried fellow traveller provides the title. this package also contains a cd of new nackt insecten studio concoctions, a conceptual sequel to the recent lp on blackest rainbow records. a real cd too, not a cdr! cover art by goldenlab’s fliss horrocks and the inclusion of a genuine glasgow tube train ticket completes this handsome package. limited to 200 copies.
side a features 4 tracks, sort of snippets of larger drone landscapes build from what sounds like burnt-out spacestations and lost may-day transmissions of shuttles travelling into the unknown. side b is one long 15 min drone piece that slowly works its way into total blacked-out nothingness. the atmosphere of the whole release warps you into some creepy sci-fi movie with the sound of xenomorphed arachnid hordes slowly eating it’s way through ancient space waste and abandoned spacecrafts. all in all, a haunting and throughout focused release by this insect! edition of 60 with artwork by jf.
we’ve been huge fans of marissa nadler for a long time (obviously) and when the opportunity presented itself to put out her first album on vinyl for the first time, we couldn’t pass it up. it contains some of her most beautiful and haunting tracks including “mayflower may” and the poe inspired / written “anabelle lee.” the album comes out a few months before her new album little hells is released…. 2nd time on vinyl actually, its just been out of print for awhile. super deluxe ultra-heavy 60s style gatefold cover this time, which is a nice upgrade. limited to 1000 and sure to go quick.
this album already has gotten a 8.3 album review on pitchforkmedia.com. we are proud to announce the latest release from renowned boston folk inspired artist, marissa nadler. on her fourth solo album, marissa nadler finds multiple ways to envelop the listener in splendid gauzy moods without becoming monochromatic. a master of creating rich dreamscape atmospheres, nadler’s voice shines and glides even more with a full band accompanying her. produced by chris coady, the starry musical guests include longtime collaborator myles baer, simone pace (blonde redhead), and dave scher (farmer dave). few contemporary artists can match the stunning ride of marissa’s reverb vocals that are a journey into themselves on every rose tinged track. little hells displays a brighter leap in musical maturity and attention to detail, as the fantasmagoric sounds delve into melancholy nuggets, sometimes erotic, sometimes gutting, but filled with a gorgeous sense of serene hope more so than previous album, songs iii: bird on the water… heavy 60s style covers, limited vinyl edition.
imagine for a moment the wicker man manned by the late teiji ito – resident avant composer for harry smith & maya derren – with psych folk giants comus sitting in for good measure and you’ve got some idea of what glasgow avant folk trio nalle have put together on their mesmerizing sophomore effort the sirens wave. centred around hanna tuulikki’s rich and expansive vocals, with a heady, kaleidoscopic mix of vintage whirling oscillators, moog synth and buzzing harmonium, alongside the intrepid string explorations of chris hladowski and aby vulliamy, these six pieces continue the long trek through other worlds of sound to form a dense, cohesive suite that meshes everything from japanese gagaku, european plainsong, near eastern modal drones and more. with siren’s wave, nalle have procured a special place where folk conventions are curiously uprooted & seamlessly meshed with other worldly avant tendencies. features members of the family elan, scatter & the one ensemble of daniel padden… limited 180gm vinyl. gatefold cover.
nautilus is the solo project of heidi diehl of vanishing voice/time life, long-time br transatlantic e-mail buddy who we finally got to meet just over a year ago on the very brief vanishing voice tour. since then, she has begun recording solo material under this alias, and has self-released one cd-r which blew our minds, and likewise blew local long-time br friend ben nashs cranium apart. the nautilus side opens with still rings, a far-out trip of weirdo outsider dripping mind-fuzz, like some kind of spatial insect gathering. tallahasse woman rings more bells with the sound of vanishing voice and heidis psychedelic string playing, and subtle vocals buried below it. jeans theme is another sweet track of tranced-out guitar with approaching percussion and waves of vocal drones. ben nash holds his side with two nearly 8-minute tracks, opener plymouth bredren blues has definitely got the blues, as mentioned in the title, theres some serious woe in the wah right here, and some almost paris, texas moments. interloper / latch also starts off pretty bluesy, but halfway through goes to a speaker-shredding guitar shaker, with some seriously serious riffs, that are almost breaking up as they begin, and then reverting back to the blues mediation of the beginning of the track. a great release, in an edition of 300 copies… great stuff! recommended for sure.
new self releases gem from solo uk wonderkid. two long tracks. numbered edition of 96 copies, already sold out at source. recommended!
subterranean substances flipping over into parallel visions of increased awareness. bringing the aura of inspired nakedness to fruition. exposing percussion by brett womersley. 70 copies… another great release from this dude! hot stuff. recommended.
vinyl debut for long term blackest rainbow brother ben… i’m extremly happy with this one. 8 tracks, 34 minutes. opening with a reworking of ‘kuad 9873′ from his blackest rainbow debut cassette… bleak drones smothered in vocal lulling, and finishing with a sweet guitar piece swirling in a lake of percussion, vocal and drone. ‘nightcall’ shows a more middle eastern psychedelic droning, bowing, wailing, and satanic mutterings. track 3 is the title track ‘the seventh goodbye’, and is the most ‘full band’ approach of ben’s acoustic psychedelic folk jams, but this blurs into sax blurts, waves of melancholic vocal drone and writhing riffery. perhaps similar to voice of the seven woods or six organs of admittance. side b opener ’smoke and flattery’ is the most experimental – multi percussion, echoes of whispers, finger grating guitars. ‘magnetophon pt iv’ is not ben’s recent sloow tape of a similar name, but a bluesy haze lsd dream, building into a drenched ecstatic guitar drone. following this is ‘what will always be pt.ii’ which is reminiscent of jack rose, or james blackshaw, the most beautiful composition on the lp. this bleeds into the final surrealness of ‘angel no. 7′ field recordings, bleak, fearful and empty. i’m honoured to release this gem. limited to 250 hand numbered copies on virgin vinyl, with black, white and red pasted on covers, plus a black and white insert. all artwork designed by darryl norsen who designed our (vxpxc) sleeve, and done a few beauties for important records, as well as posters for sunburned, six organs, hush arbors, magik markers and more… killer vinyl debut from this great under the radar uk dude. paste-on color art, insert, etc. limited to only 250 copies and sold out at source. recommended & act fast.
formless, yet totally purposeful impressionism from travis of warmer milks; totally blow out guitars layered over mysterious might, it’s almost meteorological. the tape’s totally autumn: breezy synths, rain-drop-drop percussive jewels, air-shifting riffs; when a recording reveals an certain experiential wisdom, (here through some sort of kaleidoscopic spasmodic vermism) it’s clear t-t-t-totally precise artistry was necessary–totally “next level” material. in addition of fifty (and numbered) totallly full-color “double cover insert” tape.
new double disc from the french duo of mehdi ameziane and solange gularte, aka natural snow buildings. shadow kingdom continues their journey through some of the finest experimental folk laced with beautiful drones, all recordings are new. stand alone cd version of the lp (plus two bonus tracks), 2xcd housed in an a5 16 page pro-printed comic featuring artwork by solange. this is identical to the cd version that comes with the lp, but obviously you don’t get the lps, the lp sleeve artwork, and insert that the lp has… limited to 500 & instantly sold out at source, so don’t hesitate here.
so here it is, the vinyl debut from the french duo of mehdi ameziane and solange gularte, aka natural snow buildings. shadow kingdom is the vinyl debut of this highly regarded project, and it continues their journey through some of the finest experimental folk laced with beautiful drones, all recordings are new. an epic piece of music, only deserved an epic release. you get the full length record across three 180 gram lps in a full colour sleeve featuring the superb art by solange. includes the cd version that features 2 bonus tracks housed in an a5 16 page comic by the band, plus a black and white insert. all sleeves and the comic book are pro-printed. mastered by ben nash. the artwork on the lp and insert is exclusive to the lp version… limited to only 500 copies. another epic dose from these, sounding as great as ever. instantly sold out at source, so don’t hesitate here. recommended!
this might sound like hyperbole, but i’m not exaggerating when i say that “the dance of the moon & the sun” was the greatest cdr release of all-time. the packaging, the music, the overarching feel of the whole release was nothing short of perfection. it was criminally limited (though understandably so with the intricate packaging & booklet) and eventually found its way onto various mp3 blogs and other file-sharing resources online, and it became the stuff of legend. but what of the music? it’s the rarest of cases that one would want to listen to 2.5 hours of music by a single band in a single sitting, but natural snow buildings is that rare exception. there is no filler on this monumental masterpiece. it is the history of all things. it is an epic poem. it is a love letter to the world. nsb find their way through dense forests and towering peaks using every weapon in their arsenal. the aching beauty of “wisconsin” is the perfect piece of ambience in the tradition of windy & carl. “john carpenter” is loose and subdued, washed in reverb with a nod to the dirty three. the title track flickers in the night sky like the north star, beckoning those who hear it’s heady call. the 25 minute stunner, “felt presence, ghostlyhumming” takes flight and never returns to earth, losing you in the darkness. it’s desolation will rip your heart out, while putting much drone-based music to shame. in the end, though, words can’t do something this special, this important justice. it is perfection defined. packaged with all new artwork in arigato packs from stumptown printers with 6-panel insert, featuring new liner notes from time-lag’s nemo bidstrup. limited to 500 copies… long sold out at source, we scored a few last copies. if you don’t have it yet, better go for it, cuz this one is a real stunner. highly recommended.
two of the most intense young “free” dudes from different parts of the globe (kelley from boston, neilson from leeds) unite for this completely weird record, taking free music to a different level, recorded on top of eachother via mail. this sounds like moving the heaviest metal closet on a little rubber boat from brighton to the east coast of the united states, kicking off with a heavy free jazzy tune full of retarded trumpets stuffed with little babies screaming for a change slightly changing into ice cold acoustic metal scraping ambience. tons of different sounds to discover and very unclear whether they came out of a trumpet, a drumset, a mouth or a whale. comes in a black and silver fine line drawn cover by dennis tyfus. limited to 400 copies – sweet!
david vanzan, virginia genta, maurzio abate, luca massolin, paolo pascolo, ali de zan. rec. june 6th, 2009. welcome to the temple, where you’d see the sun and the moon… experience the eternal balance between day and night, good and evil… gatefold cover. very limited.
david vanzan – percussion, voice, bow harp, bass, anologue electronics. virginia genta – soprano sax, ocarina, flutes, marimba box, bells. maurizio abate – kalimba, zither, hurdy gurdy, tape delay. rec. during the age of the dragon. deep, esoteric stuff… red vinyl, various color inner sleeves. very limited.
filthy, ragged, drone-damage from the mastermind behind the insanely credible pseudoarcana label, and recently crowned third member of black boned angel. crackle and smoldering fuzz turn over and over on itself at ever more terrifying pace until everything within its gravitational grasp begins to smell of burning plastic. frightening, shamanic, and dare-i-suggest bluesy (think fushitsusha not gary moore!) yet set within a down-on-the-farm, antipodean, post-xpressway context. the future of drone. the future of rock. the future of goddamn everything!
neu’s third album repressed on super thick, 200g vinyl. ‘75 is a unique entry in neu’s discography, mainly due to the fact that the album was created while band was going through growing pains and creative differences (this was their last album till much later in the 80’s). it had been a few years since the second album, and keyboardist/guitarist michael rother had grown very fond of the ambient style, while his band-mate klaus dinger (ex-drummer for kraftwerk) preferred a more aggressive, rock sound. as a compromise, they decided to record one side of the record (side a) in the old neu! style with dinger on drums and rother on keys. side b however, was a much more radical change in style with dinger on lead guitar and vocals leading to a much more experimental punk sound. both sides are equally fantastic listens and together they give a great variety to the album, reminiscent to the varied styles found in some of their peers albums at the time (such as ‘faust iv’). to aid with performing on the album, and more importantly, live, hans lampe and brother thomas dinger were enlisted to help execute more music than was possible by two men. upon its release, and arguably to this day, ‘neu! ‘75’ is one of the most diverse records available from the krautrock scene. while this can be seen as a positive point, the differences in musical direction (as well as personal issues) not only isolated the dinger/rother duo, it isolated their already small fan base. neu! broke up (for the moment). excellent space-out music for the cosmic heads in original gatefold sleeve, and on extra-high grade vinyl too.
this is what can be called one of the major sensations in the raga influenced psychedelic/acid folk field. also some of the earliest recordings in this genre and hitherto unreleased. after the release of the light of day album in 1966 the now legendary pat kilroy and susan graubard went on with playing and creating music together. what you hear on this album is what they recorded for warner brothers in the summer of 1967, a true groundbreaking adventure of the highest order. they expanded in the direction they started in 1966 and the result is far beyond and superior to everything i heard from that time period before in this musical style except for tim buckley. no wonder that it didn’t come out at that time because those recordings were for sure far too adventurous for warner brothers and also for almost other leading music companies at the time. incredible — and i mean incredible raga influenced psychedelic/acid folk with some of the best songwriting i know of with monstrous lyrics and deep lead vocals. also a wide range of instruments were played like incredible raga-esque acoustic guitar, electric bass, spanish cowbells, bell tree, silver flute, bamboo flutes, viola, tamboura, conga drums, tables, acoustic and electric bass and tambourine. pat kilroy sadly died of hodgkin’s disease in december of 1967 at a very young age. if this record had a proper release at the time, it would be a major classic and a milestone today in the psychedelic history book. this cd release contains six superb never before released bonus tracks recorded at warner brothers studios and kpfa-fm radio station during 1967. be ready for an incredible musical trip along with an amazing, long and very intense story behind… brand new cd issue of this amazing archival release, with awesome bonus tracks!
new yaki is gown and partli cloudi, culled from fahey tributes, grain elevators, jazz vangaurds, and apartment recordings towering above blackball records. exotic drones and percussive memory loss. analog delayed reactions. also guests babel and matt o))) on a couple tracks. vintage folkwaste library covers, limited edition 69.
joanna newsom releases her first album since late 2006’s ys, making up for lost time with a disc for 2008, one for 2009 and one for today. featuring ryan francesconi and neal morgan from joanna’s ys street band, have one on me is an extravagantly packaged (and extravagantly nicely-priced) collection of fantastic new joanna newsom songs — her most colorful record to date… limited vinyl version with large format booklet.
stunning, rare as hell album from the rich zambian ‘zamrock’ scene from the ’70s — have you ever heard of this record before? the ngozi family (ngozi means danger, and dangerous is their music indeed!) were also the band backing for chrissy tembo on his now well-known my ancestors album. they released this one in 1977, and you’ll be amazed when you hear it if you’re somehow into hendrix, black sabbath, heavy psychedelia or afro psych-rock. most of the tracks on the lp follow that direction, and the rest enter the afrobeat sound — but most of it is fuzzy, heavy psych-rock as you can expect. this release has a surprising high quality sound and is limited to 600 copies only. one of the rarest rock albums of the whole world!!! get it while you can!!!
our first split cd, two complementary mini-albums merged into one mind-altering whole. philadelphia-based niagara falls follow up two fine cds on their own honeymoon music label with perhaps their most evocative electro-acoustic drones to date, an aural tour of a misty archipelago located just off the coast of dreamland; 3 tracks, 30 minutes. meanwhile, the clear spots roll up one of their most fried rural noise fatties yet, assembling various wreckage from last year’s successful orbital barn launch into an imposing edifice that towers over the scree on the far side of the ridge; 1 25-minute track in 4 parts.
sequence of prophets, the third full-length album from niagara falls, finds the band once again radically altering their instrumentation and composition methods. upon the exit of erich breimhurst and jeff carpineta, sam cusumano and noah levey joined norman fetter in the latest incarnation of the group. the trio of norman fetter (ex-golden ball) (percussion, keyboards, and guitar) noah levey (keyboards and guitar) and sam cusumano (synthesizers and electronics) self-recorded the album in spring of 2008 at the band’s own honeymoon compound in the fishtown section of philadelphia, which has also been home to espers, golden ball, ex reverie, fursaxa, sharron kraus, heather leigh murray and christina carter. on the opening track, flatlands, the band employs a cacophony of insect nosies, long sustained keyboard drones, and tribal drumming, as well as sam cusumano’s hand-made acousto-electric devices and circuit-bent keyboards, to create a symphony of fluctuating electronic weather patterns. sequence of prophets is an illustratration of the band’s journey from free-form improvisation towards a more solid sonic anatomy. calling to mind the early experimental albums of tangerine dream and popol vuh, niagara falls has created a new synthesis of ambient new age experimentalism and neo noise. limited edition of 500.
ninni morgia: guitar, bass, el.autoharp, el.sitar, keyboard, percussion, kalimba. daniel carter: saxophones, trumpet, clarinet, flute, voice. jeff arnal: drums, percussion, thumb piano. brooklyn-based guitarist ninni morgia (quivers, the right moves), in this occasion with multi-instrumentalist daniel carter, one of the most active and talented musicians of new york’s free jazz community, who has played, among others, with: sun ra, sunny murray, test, matthew shipp, other dimensions in music, plastic ono band… and drummer/percussionist jeff arnal, create a beautiful mix of psychedelic free jazz and indian raga with a wide range of instruments like thumb piano, kalimba, bells, gongs, all centered around morgia’s versatile guitar work, previously compared to great masters like keiji haino, sonny sharrock and hendrix. on the various tracks of this 2lp, morgia’s guitar goes from miles-electric style funky-wah and the acid trips of jerry garcia, to the fury of haino and sharrock, and finally reaches the ecstatic visions of the great kosmische bands popol vuh and ash ra tempel. the record has been mastered by audio wizard scott colburn (sun city girls, magik markers, animal collective).
not too long ago, john clyde-evans made a huge splash with his phenomenal solo lp on england’s fisheye imprint. he also performed as an collaborator with the seminal uk group, hood. after taking a seven year hiatus and committing to the path of sikhism, he returned as tirath singh nirmala. his continually unfolding backstory is interesting enough, but it’s his music where the real magic and mystery stretch their silver wings. nirmala returned to making music after his close friend and collaborator, vibracathedral orchestra’s neil campbell, gave him some free software and set him on his way. nirmala responded with nearly a dozen self-released, highly limited cdrs. the releases were filled to the brim with eastern-influenced, transcendental drones and uplifting spiritual sound explorations. his manipulation of sine waves and use of obscure asian instruments creates a wholly original and unique sound. as on his solo lp as john clyde-evans, nirmala’s ability to concoct sprawling, majestic drones using such simple terms is unmatched.”bluster, cragg, & awe,” nirmala’s first non-cdr release, is the perfect beginning. it collects the best tracks from those now impossible-to-find releases and adds one new song and one collaborative piece with scottish guitar guru, richard youngs. it is a journey that lasts less than an hour, but contains a lifetime of aural experience, wrapped into one, shimmering golden package. oh yes, tirath singh nirmala has returned.
from elevated drones to gut-spit vocal edits, blown woodwinds and heavy electronics, this is one of the finest summations of music made in ‘the tirath era’ – english artist john clyde-evans has retired his tirath singh nirmala name and now flies under the jce banner. tirath/john has also recently worked with neil campbell in astral social club, released a collaborative lp with richard youngs, and was previously a member of the hood crew. edition of 100.
another well-smoked slab of glorious “what the fuck?” by visionary caterwaulers of chaos and ex-chicago blues cruisers, no doctors. equal parts backwards boogie and straight skullfucking confusion, “t-bone pt. 1″ stomps one through hard and thick, slinging broken barn-boned riffs that collide head on with sputtering cross-eyed measures of brilliance and back again. “t-bone pt. 2″ ensues after a quick flip to side b as you and your square-minded notions are slapped straight in the face with a wet hose spewing talkin box (!) snarl and ultimately delivers your blown mind on a broken piece of hobo-stew stained porcelain.” – noel von harmonson (comets on fire). “like the grateful dead and royal trux, no doctors possess the ability to start off playing the most rudimentary of folk forms and then subtly shift into exploded, free-form sonic excursions.” – justin f. farrar (east bay express).
recorded close to the group’s inception in 1994, languid red marchetti is the nnck sound in its empirical form, rhythmically a-linear and fundamentally abstract. while nnck would go on to become a seven piece performing group, recording and touring extensively, this recording documents a smaller group of four original members engaged in the hermetically sealed sonic exploration which best locates their aesthetic origins. from the group’s statement on languid red marchetti: ‘a proto-intuitive latihan of feedback + pre-scaffold juxtaposition of layers which would come to constitute edifice, and eventually dwelling. where we would soon occupy this sound, it here was a force in and of itself, its directionless propulsion compounding into substance and landscape.’ this deluxe edition planam lp comes with a nnck generated essay on sound imaging through improvisation and is packaged in a full color jacket depicting ‘the hypothetical dissolve/corruption + subsequent inevitable repetition of suprematism.’ edition limited to 340 copies, with full-color cover, infra-suprematist inner sleeve and ultra-liner notes insert by keith connolly.
recorded close to the group’s inception in 1994, languid red marchetti is the nnck sound in its empirical form, rhythmically a-linear and fundamentally abstract. while nnck would go on to become a seven piece performing group, recording and touring extensively, this recording documents a smaller group of four original members engaged in the hermetically sealed sonic exploration which best locates their aesthetic origins. from the group’s statement on languid red marchetti: ‘a proto-intuitive latihan of feedback + pre-scaffold juxtaposition of layers which would come to constitute edifice, and eventually dwelling. where we would soon occupy this sound, it here was a force in and of itself, its directionless propulsion compounding into substance and landscape.’ this deluxe edition planam lp comes with a nnck generated essay on sound imaging through improvisation and is packaged in a full color jacket depicting ‘the hypothetical dissolve/corruption + subsequent inevitable repetition of suprematism.’ edition limited to 340 copies, with full-color cover, infra-suprematist inner sleeve and ultra-liner notes insert by keith connolly.
the first release of dokuro is the 7″ of nodolby, two tracks of guitar ferocity melted with blasted synths and tape manipulation of howling voices. the b side featured the droning trumpets played by demis da rold. the art work was drawed and curated by merlo and hand printed by canedicoda. nodolby is the sound’s onanist expression of michele scariot (part-time lover of emanuele “kabu” bortoluzzi in the electronic combo ent) , he run this project privately since ‘98, during all these years nodolby was like a slumbering creature that wait in his lair the right moment to attack you. his sound archive goes from guitar abuse to computer scorias through turntable detonations and it will be release in the future by dokuro… purple vinyl edition of only 66 copies.
as a wee lad – i would make these treks up to portland from my smaller home-town down south – i’d hit these spots like the x-ray and thee o hell cafe – and suburbia – and catch all these weirdos doing their thing – i saw jacike o motherfucker, smegma, daniel menche – all the og motherfuckers here in puddletown – . and i saw noggin – who were probably the least forgiving, most punishing slab of skree my virgin ears had heard – seriously rough guitar/violin scrapes and feedback – i still don’t have any idea how they made all of the sounds they pulled out of those little twigs – fast forward ten plus years, and i’m a bit older and making a small racket of my own – we’re on tour with gang wiz and playing up in bellingham, wa with noggin – all are stoked. the noggin bros rock up with no amps and two violin cases – so – now noggin’s as abrasive as ever, but totally acoustic – now – a few years further down the road – and jyrk is releasing their return to electric playing, which is a great amalgam of their intense electric skree and their acoustic athletics. all smashed up into this lil cdr – edition of 150.
nonhorse is the solo act of gabriel lucas crane from wooden wand & the vanishing voice and this is his debut album. on haraam, piles of mysterious old cassettes are used as source material to create magic in a stunning way over 42 moody minutes. different audio fragments on top of each other, over and over again, hand-mixed and orchestrated at what feels like must have been ritualistic tape laborations taken place somewhere where the sun never shines. various echoes from the past are buried under layers and layers of manipulated voices, train signals, animal sounds and god knows what. abrupt endings which burns like fire in your head. churches in flames, the soundtrack to the house with the laughing windows played backwards, alien autopsys, cemetery fog, total devestation – haraam is a beautiful junkyard nightmare, a horrifying and atmospheric album. 13 songs. mastered by pete swanson.
g lucas crane. the breakdancer. g lucas crane. the tapemanipulator. g lucas crane. the new york city guide. g lucas crane brings us a 60 minutes roundtrip of weird fidelities and strange sounds. i enclose what the mind of lucas communicated me through resonating electric wires. i wrote down this given information using the technique of automatic writing: “its tape one in the goblin universe series. the rare zero tape is the only tape to survive the arson of rozwell labs 2029. it was one of 6, the rare one through rare 6 were all holding sound patterns corresponding to analysis levels, the audio detritus left over from mental examinations. the exposure to these tapes responds to latent interdimentional experiances, womb style, aeomeba style. the silver disk is the symbol of the gobiln universe and altered opened mind in general. its yer “classic” unidentified flying object. a smooth, silver disk that turns pink red orange hues when its about to punch through off into the multiverse. apparently, it also turns blueish purpleish when landing. awesome mode! anyway. the rare zero tape survived and was taken to the quarentine site in los alamos nv, approching the rare zero tape causes an audiable “swarm of bees” sound to increase in anger and intensity the closer one gets. touching the rare zero tape with skin causes negative aura proxisms and results in instant death. listening to the rare zero tape does not kill, just touching the original. a military robot was charged with dubing the master and sending it to you. it is the sound of perliminary examination. the further 6 levels have been lost. good god.
ecstatic worship from the south australian crater cult… really great ecstatic string drone plus thumping drums kinda thing… in the usual totally amazing black petal packaging. nice one.
and so it ends where it began (well, almost). “mud dragons” is a vast departure from those backporch folk tunes of yore. rivers of sludge and silver clouds of analog electronics are the modus here. it’s deconstructionism at work, and still, i am the north sea. the end. 99 copies… the final foxglove release!
two ten minute tracks come smeared across this tape from brad rose’s the north sea. drone music, slowly shifting, and peppered with acoustic folk-oriented instruments and percussion, hinting at this artist’s background, but obviously looking forward to a drastic change in sound that is obvious from his recent releases under this project as well as activity in ajilvsga. color digital printing on a royal arsenal of metallic vellums; silver, gold, plum, purple. 2-panel j-card, 1 panel of real marble, an internal horizontal obi, and silver labels. edition of 100 on hi-bias chrome tapes.
it’s been a long time since i released some of my own music, but i felt such a personal attachment to this album that i wanted to get it out immediately. this is also conveniently known as ‘the tanpura album,’ as every track features the instrument used in some way. this is music for baking in the clay deserts of the frontier. it is for the back-alley snake charmers in the streets of bangalore. it is the sound of the bengali dawn, with its tribal rituals and ancient sage spirits. there’s nothing else left to conjure. 100 copies.
anyone familiar with the extensive north sea discography is aware of brad rose’s keen ability to mix it up between eastern-tinged folk instrumentals and more straightforward strummers, which usually feature rose’s classic low-in-the-mix mumble-drunk vocals and charmingly loose playing. “nikolette (reborn)” finds him revising a beautiful, quivering folk song from 2007’s baby blue bones cd (mymwly) with the more-confident-than-ever vocals now at the forefront, and an army of acoustic strings and hand percussion backing this boxtop prophet’s hymn. corsican paintbrush’s contribution follows suit, foregrounding eden hemming rose’s soft, lilting vocal melody and some rhythm-keeping strums while keeping a lush, hazy swell of drones and cave-echo vocals as the backdrop. equally ethereal and dusty, like 4ad dream-pop marred by dirt under fingernails and ash from the campfire turning cheeks black. black 7″ vinyl record has a hand-stamped center label, and comes packaged in a textured black art paper sleeve with flower petal inclusions, with line-drawings and stamped titles in white ink, and an embossed screenprinted insert featuring liner notes and a topographic street map of tulsa. limited edition hand-numbered to 300… loose 7inch from the tryst haunt subscription series.
brad rose of digitalis has been busting the north sea jams for quite sometime, and in the last year or so its developed from being a luscious garden, to a complete metallic desert of industrial waste land, christian bale and his co-stars would probably feel at home with this being the soundtrack to the next terminator flick, and who knows, maybe it will be? the a side, cyclones, is a pure doom soaked 11 minute beast. side b’s milk money is a fuzz layered nightmare of scolding blowtorches burning at your face and mind… intense and bleak. bleak forestry cover art, pro dubbed cassettes, limited to 100 copies.
this is the first official solo full-length release from tulsa’s the north sea (brad rose). rose is easily one of the free-folk movement’s busiest exponents, splitting his time between running the digitalis and foxglove labels, the foxy digitalis webzine and writing his own music under a variety of different monikers with a host of collaborators. somehow, he has found the time to craft exquisite idols, which elegantly follows a hugely acclaimed collaboration with uk’s rameses iii, night of the ankou. however, whereas night of the ankou explored both acts’ occasional leanings towards ambience and drone, exquisite idols shows rose digging deep into the dusty vaults of his american heritage and drumming up an album dripping with blues, folk and free experimentation. this is folk music as played from a snow-drift in tulsa, in a midwest wasteland or a forgotten forest drenched in moonlight. it is personal, secluded and almost lonely, but rose never allows the melancholy to take over. from the jubilant opening crackles of “eternal birds” right up until the rockin’ stomp of “feather-cloaked silver priestess,” there is the distinct feeling that although this might be labeled free folk, there’s a barn somewhere full of like-minded drunkards waiting eagerly to get dancing on them there hay-bales. just flip to the rip-roaring folk stomp of “take it from me brother moses,” take a swig of moonshine and let your feet do the talking. exquisite idols is an album steeped in tradition, yet its greatness comes from rose’s ability to absorb other cultures so easily — there are traces of indian traditional music, greek music and more, all hidden within the cacophony of banjo, guitar and clanging percussion. this is what sets him apart from his contemporaries and makes his music so absorbing… limited vinyl version.
brad rose as been channeling some seriously heavy vibes lately. picking up where ajilvsga left off, rose spews forth even more thick unholy shimmer. hints of past pursuits loom just beneath the surface, lush forest drones are completely overpowered by caustic metallic doom. c30 edition of 100.
brad rose joins the black petal family, with contributions from valerio cosi. tender earth-bound songs for hand and hoof eventually grow wings and scramble straight into the core of the sun. cdr with handpainted covers… very limited & out of print.
you thought you knew what digitalis industry honcho brad rose played the bouzouki? well, you haven’t this set of recordings yet. thought lost in the postal system or perhaps at the bottom of a pile of packages on some other label’s desk, it is now time for this incredible acoustic document to be unleashed. reverbed-out folk tunes at their finest. this release is housed in a sturdy cardboard package, stamped with the north sea seal, and contains a printed insert and a non-spraypainted cd-r (cuz brad hates that stuff)… very limited.
lo-fi guitars, drum & textured noise from leif svensson & craig peade (ex 2litredolby)… nice oz private press.
grey-area exact lp repro edition, originally released on fahey’s takoma label in 1967. charlie nothing was the fractured-psyche pseudonym of author, organic farmer, beekeeper and philosopher/clown charles martin simon, inventor of the dingulator (guitar sculptures made out the metal from american cars). the psychedelic saxophone of charlie nothing made
a minor splash in the european free jazz melting pot upon its initial release, but the albums non-dingulating psych sax improvisation, accompanied by gong, conga drum and banjo (supposedly borrowed from tiny tim), is highly sought-after by the adventurous and heavily medicated. limited to 500 copies.
one of the newest and most surprising discoveries in the 60’s & 70’s rock rarities field, this caused big hype among collectors in the last months. certainly easy to understand, as it’s an ace album no one had heard of before. guitarist william nowik recorded this obscure instrumental record back in 1974 in the ny area. psychedelic, progressive, very early floyd sounding at times, crimson-esque, and a kind of sound that reminds on the british early 70’s underground but with an experimental, trippy touch. fourteen tracks in total, but played and arranged in suites. seems that only 200 copies were pressed and never distributed, so it has taken 35 years to be discovered for the first time. this wonderful reissue comes with the intended original artwork (it came out in green and black cover instead of the black and white that william wanted), has nice remastered sound and includes an insert with rare unseen photos and extended liner-notes.
45 rpm jesus-in-a-jiffy and sequin serenade on white vinyl. very limited.
finland and new zealand meets again on this second collaborative album from uton and antony milton (first one under the nthnthsthsth moniker was released as a limited cdr on celebrate psi phenomenon back in 2004). a perfect clash of two beautiful worlds over 2 sidelong tracks divided into several shorter segments. layers of majestic droning sounds, field recordings, voices, guitars, percussion… full colour artwork by jani hirvonen and liner notes by jon dale. limited to 520 copies.
continuing in the series, nudge deliver a smoky dirge perfect for autumn. lineup consists of honey owens (of valet, former jomf) alongside brian foote and paul dickow (ex-fontanelle, foote et al) – limited to 214 copies in a sweet embossed, hand-stamped, sewn art paper jacket.
number none’s tentacles stretch out deep into the deepest depths of the wild oceans crawling along deformed creatures deprived of all oxygen who get some heavy hallucinating going ending into a tranquil state of sonic watery bliss. each copy comes with handmade papercut of a green exotic looking squidopus. numbered edition of 65 copies…. looong gone one.
great, causal yet commanding drones from this chicago duo. extremely well done twilight ghost drones. there’s something really unnerving about these subterranean transmissions – like landing on a newly discovered planet, and realising it’s all quicksand – edition of 50.
numinous eye is an improvised psychadelic-cosmic-noise-rock project based around mason jones (trance), and generally featuring the participation of various collaborators. side a is from a live set in tokyo at the end of 2005, with koji shimura (acid mothers temple, high rise, mainliner, white heaven) on drums and higo hiroshi (friction, shibusashirazu orchestra) on bass. side b was recorded live in the studio with chris van huffle (ex-subarachnoid space, gay barbarians, etc) on drums. limited to 490 copies on orange vinyl with insert and sticker.
the first release from new guitar-drum duo featuring ex-subarachnoid space guitarist mason jones. this one’s with drummer mike shoun (ex-caesura, prismatics). long, noise-psych-drone-rock tracks perhaps echoing fushitsusha, but with a bit more rock. in a cardstock folder jacket, hand-printed with a linoblock print cover.
the debut by roope from avarus, pylon and maniacs dream. nuslux plays good-humoured and chilled out electronic minimalism by mostly self-built analogue instruments. on this cd-r you can also hear some violin and the last sounds of a now passed out old yamaha sampler. the result is a celebration of sound waves, dry pulses, and harsh harmonies. the main mission is to try to get (back) near the listeners ear. this cd-r contains the very best 14 short songs of the enthusiastic and productive first sessions in the spring 2007. edition of 200.
100% minimalistic short circuit grooves! the pots of two d.i.y. oscillators are placed in three glasses of water to create parallel and random pulses and beats. the result is brutal, cheesy, funny and minimalistic dance party. probably the best nuslux item so far! … way out sounds from roope of avarus!
two solo pieces for voice and reel to reels (well one also has oscillator), plus one interlude. includes the first ever solo live joint. like if terry riley had down syndrome when he hooked up his time-lag accumulator. ‘like he was being eaten alive by goblins.’ – audience member.
forty-four short poems for amusement and contemplation, hand-bound and packaged as a “cd without a cd.” compiled from several years-worth of word experiments and traditional american pseudo-haiku. populated mosaics wonders, for one, “what do things look like from above?” … really sweet little book from elephant micah mastermind. recommended reading.
proof that there´s still excellent albums out there to discover. drawing mainly on artrock and early light-prog aesthetics, o.w.l deliver an ambitious song cycle which at its best transforms into dazzling psychedelia. a pro-level recording and elaborate arrangements that utilize keyboards, flute, vibes and multi-tracked male vocals make for an appealing surface, and unlike the typical moody blues derivates, there´s lots of personality and depth. the mood is cerebral and refined, but the commitment and songwriting should impress even those with no immediate love for the genre (like me). the dominating style is dreamy melodic prog-rock like the british album spring, but the vocal style and ghostly soundscape may at times recall freeborne and time on shadoks, while the chamber music intimacy reflects a possible pearls before swine influence. there´s more keyboard than guitar, which is typical for the style. impressive on many levels, with hypnotic eastern lysergia on “midnight carnival”, the album´s epic center-piece. the artist was formerly with the pre-lp mountain bus, and recorded this as the first in a projected series of albums. – patrick lundborg, author of the acid archives… of wondrous legends is a chicago baroque psych classic recovered from the dustbins of history. to the few who have heard it, it has earned comparisons to tim buckley, pearls before swine, and 60s british prog-folk. o.w.l was founded in 1968 on chicago’s north side by stephen titra. a founding member of the beloved midwestern hippie jam band mountain bus, titra left that band just as their dead-inspired, bluesy jams gained serious regional traction in order to fully devote himself to the inward looking, singular vision of o.w.l. of wondrous legends was recorded at chicago’s universal studios over a six month stretch in 1971 and a handful of test pressings were produced and circulated, but despite serious interest from a number of major labels, this gem went unreleased. the passage of time only further helped ensure the album’s place in near total obscurity until a copy of one of the test pressings was unearthed in a chicago junk shop in 2004. following several years of collaborative efforts on this lost epic, of wondrous legends now sees its first public release after some 35 years of obscurity. mastered from the original source tapes. features copious liner notes and vintage photos. 180gm limited vinyl pressing.
the first full-length album from east coast doom lords ocean. three rogue waves clocking in at a full 65 fathoms, unleashed with the deep low-end drone of sunn o))), burzum’s screams, the crushing heaviness of buried at sea, and the art rock of mogwai. slothful and suffocating. includes a non-cd bonus track-a cover of the cure’s “siamese dream.”… deluxe uk import of the out of print important label release. portland maine’s finest doom unit! silver embossed cover, 180gm splatter purple vinyl. limited edition.
space cassette by a real human genius. dr bibber (a dutch guy