11.30.09
Derrick Hart – Songs From A Cross [The Sea] (12Rec)
It’s been a while since we heard from 12Rec, but true to form once more they do not disappoint. There’s always a sense of excitement when this label adds a new artist to their roster, such is the eclectic culture surrounding the imprint. It’s like the musical equivalent of a young child opening a large Christmas present with no idea what’s inside. This time 12Rec are treating us to lush and highly accomplished Indie Pop or ‘US-American Folklore and off-key Pop music‘ as the label notes calls it. Derrick Hart clearly has a few influences here, with the press release mentioning Brian Wilson, which is certainly true on the harmonious ‘Rest Well’ while there’s a tad of Daniel Johnston in his vocal delivery. I can also here Bonnie Prince Billy on there while the multi-textured opening number ‘Sunchild‘ reaches for Arcade Fire like grandiosity and succeeds. Perhaps my favourite is the 2-minute blast of ‘Sad Leafless Trees‘ which reminds of My Bloody Valentine at their most ethereal.
Following Nic Bommarito’s “Harp Fragments“, this is part II of our “America, the beautiful” series.
I am following the enigmatic Derrick Hart for quite a while now. Equally rooted in the chromatics of US-American Folklore and off-key Pop music, Hart is blessed with a wonderful voice and musical talent that makes his compositions shine like nothing else I heard in a while. His four track “Songs from a cross (the sea)” EP is probably the shortest 12rec. release ever – but one you do not want to miss.
“Songs from a cross (the sea)” kicks off with “Sunchild”, a febrile and angst-driven piece of Indiepop that marries the grandezza of Arcade Fire with the broken beauty of Brian Wilson. “Sad Leafless Trees”, the instrumental intermezzo afterwards, is a digestion of Hart’s Americana-sound. It is exciting to follow its textural drift.
“You’re winning so I quiet” is Derrick Hart in full effect, a larger-than-life DIY Country hymn. Hart’s great ability is to play it candy – but not much. For “Rest Well”, clarinet and cello strike up for a melancholy ballad that makes me think of Vincent Gallo and, ehm, Chris Isaak at the same time. Timeless!
11.26.09
New Century Classics – ‘Natural Process’ (FDM Recordings)
Ahh our it’s good ol’ friend Post-Rock again! New Century Classics hail from Poland and are giving away this rather fine record via FDM Recordings (though they do accept donations). ‘Natural Process‘ is, in fact, a lovely affair — or at least the first 6 or 7 tracks are. Mixing string arrangements with glockenspiel, guitar, drums and other Post-Rock type instrumentation is the order of the day. There’s a strong whiff of Album Leaf to NCC’s sound, though I do detect Mr.Beast-era Mogwai too especially in the opening double salvo of ‘Post-Cards‘ and ‘Congraatulate For There‘. Quite expertly composed and reasonably enjoyable, though it does all tend to become too saccharine and probably outstays it’s welcome by at least 4 tracks. Still Post-Rock fans should lap this up
new century classics was formed in may 2006 by a group of friends and refugees from various parts of the world, centered around a mutual love of good music and the desire to fill their time and their hands with as many instruments as possible. the band consists of two poles, a polish-american and a polish-canadian hybrid, and an italian who’s decent at banging on things with sticks. always experimenting, new century classics is constantly acquiring new sounds and new instruments (when they can afford it).
if necessary, new century classics’ music can be defined as post-rock. however, genres tend to be limiting and definitions are better left in dictionaries on shelves. In december 2009, new century classics will release their first LP through the Polish label FDM.
11.25.09
Strom Noir – Sen Zimnej Noci (Hibernate)
Bratislava-based Emil Matko describes his music as a meeting point between ambient electronics and post-rock minimalism and that is certainly true of ‘Sem Zimnej Noci‘, his 7th release since Strom Noir’s 2007 inception.
‘Nympph‘ is a gorgeous opener, chock full of Guthrie-esque gossamer guitar textures, reverbed to a degree of perfection. The same goes for the album’s title track itself, where the laid-back, light sounds seem to float in mid-air. ‘Cicada Queen‘ too reinforces these sentiments, winding echo-drenched found sounds round drifting washes of synth and soft guitar arpeggio’s, which seem to glance off stereo speaker systems.
Matko truly excels, though, when he leads us down darker paths. Which is apparent especially on the fore-boding ‘Out of Body experience‘, where black glissando synth washes tangle, like reeds beneath a murky river, with recordings of heavy rainfall. ‘Meet Me On The Other Side‘ is similar in aura, building dramatically by layering huge vacuums of guitar, recalling Prazision-era Labradford, before it all evaporates into nothing more than a deep chill tone. The ghostly wailings of ‘Rusty Nails‘ too is a particular highlight, cinematic in scope and, like Solo Andata’s latest for 12K, conjures images of a futuristic, rain-swept and neon-lit Utopian city.
This particular release is a far more varied set than previous outing ‘Kueyen‘ (issued through netlabel Resting Bell) which, truth be told, didn’t offer much in way of originality. This time round Strom Noir’s sound moves from mildly intriguing to rousing and imaginative.
Sem Zimnej Noci (Buy)
Inverz – ‘Slow’ (Phantom Channel)
Finanlly, our 13th webrelease and one I have been looking forward to issuing for quite some time. We pride ourselves on sorting through the zircons to bring you the diamonds, and Inverz shines brighter thanmost.
Inverz is Thessaloniki-born Savvas Metaxas, who runs the excellent Granny Records stable. Influenced by the likes of Fennesz, Pan American, Alva Noto and My Bloody Valentine, Metaxas utilizes acoustic & electric guitars and an arsenal of pedal effects and field recordings, to create a sound rich in texture and panoramic in depth.
‘Slow‘ is the third Inverz release to date, a suite of four meticulously crafted long-form compositions that transcend the standard notions of Ambient/Drone.
‘Everything In Order‘ bathes in dreamy reverb, like Labradford or Chihei Hatakeyama at their most thoughtful. The title track tantalizingly weaves fretboard scratches, human breath and flickers of static round cut and spliced guitar recalling Fridge at their most experimental. The slide-rule attention to detail of both book ending pieces (‘Home End‘ & ‘New Found Lands, New Found Sounds‘, on the other hand, shows why Metaxas was hand-picked to collaborate with Greg Haines and perform with Machinefabriek.
A very fine piece of work indeed.
11.23.09
Hakobune – ‘Isohel’ (Hibernate)
While Takahiro Yorifuji is not, by a long-shot, the first guitarist to use his instrument of choice to experiment with layers of very un-guitar-like sound, as this Hakobune release will atest, he has still hit upon a winning formula.
This two-track affair, tenderly invites us to meander through Kyoto-based Yorifuji’s untapped and undisturbed sonic paradise, where swathes of half-distinguished, sauntering melodies effortlessly melt into the ether. ‘Isohel‘ is as fresh and invigorating as a cool Spring morning and is imbued with a distinct sense of grandeur.
‘Late Autumn‘ is the cornerstone piece here, with the following ‘Late Spring‘ acting like a slow-burning reprise of the themes established before. The former, though, undulates over almost 15 melody-rich minutes where textures mingle then coalesce. It’s soft, yet inherently powerful, like a gigantic tidal wave captured in suspended animation. It has the properties to consume all, but instead chooses linger.
Slothbear – ‘Don’t Taunt A Tiger ‘ (Rack & Ruin)
Grizzly Bear, Panda Bear, Minus The Bear, Polar Bear — whatever next? Why Slothbear of course! I’m not sure why Indie Rock bands have a certain fascination with our furry friends, but what I do know is ‘Don’t Taunt A Tiger ‘ is well worth a moment of your time. Slothbear, like many great bands, hail from the huge melting pot that is New York. Their style of jagged, razor-sharp rock reminds me of quite a few bands, not least Polvo. Through in a smidgen of Sonic Youth’s wild experimentaion and Pavement’s use of quirky melodies and maybe Dennis Leary on vocals and now you’re getting a better picture. My favourite number of this two-track single by far is ‘Killed By Cars‘ which is a paranoid affair, full of spasmodic, jerky percussion and prodding, intrsuive guitar lines, underpinned by some dark synth washes and propelled by a slightly sinister, yet strangely infectious chorus. I just know Pitchfork will love these guys. Oh and they are also on the look out for places to rock the fuck out at — trust me they do it very well
we are slothbear, a group of chums who have all played together in past bands that just didn’t work out. we are batesmaroo, doblique, jamoots and palz (speaking). we are sworn zoocrats — that is, we believe in rule by animals. we are currently held in captivity in long island, new york, USA, but would like to get back to our roots in sri lanka.
11.22.09
A Western Addition – ‘Lullabies For The Sleepless’ (Resting Bell)
A simple, but effective record, housed in the prolific Resting Bell’s back catalogue, worth grabbing alone for the utterly sublime closing track ‘Whales‘, a devastatingly haunting number featruing an angelic, cascading Guthrie-esque progression. A Western Addition describes his music as ’sketches’ done in one take, with no overdubs or looping, where ’subconcious melodies absorb’. There’s much to admire in the lack of digital manipulation and use of lo-fi recording equipment, from the ethereal down-tempo shoegaze of ‘Rever‘, the controlled vitriol of ‘Sagano‘, to the nocturnal stylings of ‘Dancing Angels/Sad Angels’
Artist Description
I’m writing these words from Qingdao, China where this collection of songs sound like they’re from outer space compared to the syrupy love songs that blast out of the speakers here. These pieces take me back to my years in my studio apartment off McAllister Street in San Francisco. Often, as I’d watch the evening fog roll by pass Twin Peaks out of my kitchen window, I’d play my guitar; and sometimes on those special nights angels would visit, allowing my fingers to miraculously play themselves.
The recordings are of various objective quality due to bad recording technique (’Sagano’ was recorded on an IPod mic). But when I tried to rerecord some of the songs I discovered that I preferred the original versions because they had the most honest emotion. In the end I decided to just keep them, warts and all, as a document of that time. Basically what you hear is me in my cramped kitchen talking to myself by banging, scraping, and caressing six steel strings on a plank of wood.
I don’t know where these songs come from; but I know it is a dark restless place. So in that spirit, here is a collection of lullabies for the sleepless who hold a special place in my heart.
11.13.09
Rho – ‘October Turncoat’ (No-Source)
No-Source is a new label I’ve been meaning to mention for a while, run by Tim Dwyer who netaudio heads will know better as Off Land. Refreshingly their focus stays clear of the cliched Ambient/Drone fields much-loved in the scene, instead prefering to deal in under-represented genres such as Indietronic, Folk, Chamber Pop, Acoustic and Instrumental. After a good but slightly patchy introductory compilation (aren’t all comps?), No-Source has quickly got down to business with not one, but two releases. I’ve chosen Rho’s ‘October Turncoat‘ here due to the duo’s unique and beguling sound. I detect influences including The Gentlemen Losers, with their mix of dusty beats and Americana-tinged guitar (‘Simpl‘, ‘And More Rain‘), while the likes of ‘The Game of Flowers‘ and ‘JW2‘, which are both beatless, combine the sinister atmospherics of Boards of Canada and filter them through acoustic/instrumental aesthetics, to create something that’s psychedelic and melodic. An interesting statement from both label and artist.
mellow electronic / ambient / acoustic music. Rho is childhood friends Steve Setzepfandt and Josh Wittman. No-Source worked with Rho to curate the October Turncoat EP. October Turncoat sets out to show off Rho’s more acoustic side. Each track contains washes of guitar complimented with subtle ambient texture. The EP often evokes the sounds of early Bibio or “The Campfire Headphase” era Boards of Canada. Three songs, Simpl, JW2 and The Game of Flowers are all taken from Rho’s 2008 debut, “Breathing Through the Liquid System“. The songs, Long Drive Home and Lightning Strikes and LEDs are taken from Rho’s most recent album “Glass Memories“. The EP contains one previously unreleased track, And More Rain, a 5 minute journey of backwards guitars, subtle picking, drums and end of a season.
11.11.09
øjeRum : ‘There Is A Flaw In My Iris’ (Rain Music)
Continuing the Danish theme, here’s another netrelease I’ve been sitting on for far too long, issued by Rain Music who appear to be on hiatus or completely dead, having not updated their site since January 2009. Which is an annoying trait of many netlabel’s which tends to give the whole scene a bad image. At least Rain Music left us with øjeRum’s, ‘There Is A Flaw In My Iris‘, which is composed by Copenhagen-based Paw Grabowski. Utilising an myriad of acoustic instruements, tape loops and processors, Grabowski has created a beautifully tranquil album of folk/ambient songs. Heavily delayed vocals, precociously strummed guitar, twinkling, starlit glockenspiel tones and lazy, sunday morning melodies, and twinkl are the order of the day here. There’s new work on the horizon too, with murmurings of a new release through the brand-new No-Source netlabel and I’m sure I read of something due out on Under The Spire. For now though, lose yourself in ‘There Is A Flaw In My Iris‘. Now if only Rain Music would get their act together and start hitting us with such wonderful records again.
øjeRum is the music of Paw Grabowski – a 26 year old artist living in Copenhagen/Denmark. His music is often based on simple melodies conveying more or less fleeting moods and feelings. He composes his music on taperecorders and laptop using guitar, acoustic bass, his voice, synthesizer, xylophone, melodica and musical boxes.
11.10.09
Slaraaffenklang – ‘Danish Dynamite Live at Sono Festival 2008′ (Rumraket)
Having taking some time out for a break, it’s great to finally get our November posting into gear. I do always enjoy when a newmonth is added to our side panel archives. One band I did get to see during my hiatus was the fantastic Efterklang, who performed magnificently in Glasgow’s Oran Mor, peppering their set with new compositions amidst older classics such as the frankly astonishing ‘Chapter 6‘. Even the most stone-hearted of us, had our frowns turned upside down by the sheer joy and exuberance of the occassion. Peter Broderick headbanged like a young metaller on guitar, frontman Casper Clausen stalked the stage and commanded attention like a seasoned pro and the rest of the band created a wonderul, carnival-esque atmosphere. It was one of the most enjoyable gigs I’ve been to in some time. Having recently signed to 4AD, you can’t help think if the label get their act together this troupe could hit the heights, if not surpass that, of Arcade Fire and Sigur Ros.
Which is a rather long-winded intro for this free ep released on Efterklang’s own label Rumraket a few months ago. ‘Danish Dynamite Live At Sono Festival 2008‘ is a collaboration between Efterklang and their fellow Danes, friends and labelmates Slaraffenland, with both outfits combining to perform two songs from each other’s repetoires. No fewer than 11 musicians took part in this project and it had Rolling Stone magazine boldly declaring that it was ‘like an entangled Animal Collective and Arcade Fire, with much more fire in the engine room’
In May 2008 Efterklang & Slaraffenland were on a joint US tour under the name The Danish Dynamite Tour. Halfway through the tour the bands got a call from back home. The newly established Sono Festival wanted to hear if Slaraffenland and Efterklang could be interested in performing a special concert at their festival. After a very quick talk on the topic it was decided that everyone would love to play in a band with two drummers and a lot of distorted guitars and therefore the offer was accepted.
The 4 songs on this free live EP are all recorded at Sono Festival in Rødovre (a suburb to Copenhagen) November 8th 2008. This was the first and maybe also the last concert with Slaraffenklang. The idea is simple and fun. Slaraffenklang is the mutant band of Efterklang and Slaraffenland. There are 12 musicians on stage, all men, and the songs performed are covers of Efterklang and Slaraffenland. Sometimes just louder and more rumbling versions and sometimes in new slightly new arrangements.
‘Danish Dynamite Live At Sono Festival 2008′
