There’s something happening between Brooklyn and Baltimore, the two conductors between which the current of Phaserprone flows. After an extended hiatus between releases, the label/talent duo of Jochen and Jonas present sequels to a trio of releases, now with an even more baffling creative mission in their profane configuration of aural identities.

Reshuffling the deck entirely, the bouncing baby Gristle of ‘Thorn Elemental’ by U W Owl has seeped like so much oil into the soil, now leaving just a stain of sound across the six tracks of ‘New Birth of Old Death’. A faint electronic chanting accompanies heavy ozone and sea change on the blowing “Corpse Candles”, a wickedly opaque introduction dominated by concrète noise and understated compositions, a cross-wired brain slurring in tongues the possible combination to this arrested scene; the eternal drone of the chant reemerges as the track dissolves into a whistle of mechanical wings and a mile of billowing noise which covers ominous foot-falls as “Ultan’s Maze Speaks” in alien dialect surrounded by a chirping, whirling stillness. Familiar the recent rituals of Burial Hex, these constructions refuse dark ambience in requesting – no, throttling - the ear’s attention, and recreating a moment of pure uncertainty and uneasiness. The reverse side’s “Drugs” unfurls a deceptively musical Om of looping, sailing drones stranded in a heavy fog like buoys off a northern coast. More vocal interference enters “At Dawn”, now tuned to a tedious, almost articulate clarity, but immediately engulfed in a gust of melted garble; what should fill the space lying before “Amidst a Fuligin Cloak” is a vacancy of life marked only by a whirring motor and the distant clatter of metal like a fabric, making the icy entrée of the track that much more devastating: with full depressions of synth notes, the soundtrack ambience of Jonas’ solo work materializes with mute delicacy, sawing the sonic space with natural erosion. “Folded Eyes” continues this solidification with the creeping strum of bass strings, harping an eerie apparition of a Tom Carter solo, regrettably clipped by the snap of the tape. The study comes wrapped in brutal black letterpressing by Jonas on fancy paper, art by Jochen, and heavy, gilded slip sleeve. Limited to 100 copies, and the first installment of a four-part series.

Though the sole project of Jonas as referenced above, the Grasslung contribution “Splendors and Miseries” on the split-release ‘Power Visions’ reproduces the narcotic vibration of the latest U W Owl, though now compelled by a busied twilight of mechanical patterns etched of track-long tonal striations, phasing whirs, and vocal noises which seem to appear from inside the narrow pillars of noise. A thick, ribbed serpent of Hive Mind grumble threads itself between the bars of sound, puncturing the ethereal fabric by tooth and scale, the favored tweeter of tiny movements flecking the space around these larger, blustery streaks. Guest accomplice John McCusker of Phaserprone’s Southern Man appears on the compliment as Pelerine, crafting an entirely commiserate piece called “Auchenor” from warbled phasers on a bed of wispy hiss and the occasional clatter of striking objects. A breath of unseen tension is released at odd intervals, warping the page and bringing attention from new sounds (moisture, propeller-plane) with each appearance. A booming hum like side A’s snake revolves around the clearing of the final moments, choking out some final sustained strains before coiling the cassette to rest. With less narrative than its admittedly cloudier predecessor, the tape offers slightly less for being more straightforwardly ambient; just the same, the sentiments are too married to be ranked or even cleaved, and to consume ‘Power Visions’ with the lot would offer the greatest palette of sensation. Another black print on fine paper, the cassette comes with more fantastic art on heavy slip sleeve. Limited to 100 copies.

Finally, from collaboration to cooperative to a final configuration of agents as (re)interpreters, Jochen as HSDOM (née HsDOM) and kindred spirit Matt Brinkman (of Meerk Puffy and Mindflayer) as SYNB take turns retooling each other’s works – ‘Fullmoon’ and ‘Black/Gold Chip’, respectively - in nine non-sequential parts. Notated as simply “SYNB [[HSDOM]]” or “HSDOM [[SYNB]]”, it is difficult to determine who’s remixing who per track without knowing the original text; I suppose it doesn’t matter much, however, as the pair share with Jonas and McCusker a hive mind (lowercase this time) approach to populating vast planes of sound with electric pulses, the former pair creating a filter for brain leakage only slightly more concrete (no accent this time), and with Throbbing Gristle rhythms of note. No where is this more defined than in the emerging bounce of track one, an additive industrial percussion of repeating samples, dissolved bass beats, cracked knuckles and a skewed rhythm of lolling static which loses form as climax, stuttering and blinking with panicked frequency. The blistered surface of the following drum and bass follows an Oval pattern of sequenced samples – claps, glitch, whistles, and conventional snares – in a holding pattern rhythm with another slight flourish of sine weirdness. Swapping duties momentarily, the second second author takes control of the tools, revising a 12 minutes stretch of wayward phases, alien detunings, and buzzing electronics: if I were to guess, this is HSDOM at work, recalling the bizarre terrains of his previous ‘VOMC’ full-length – like a Total Recall terminal of alien interaction, with intercoms alighting in all corners, squeaks and chatter of conversation, and steady mechanism of movement all around. For want of descriptors not befitting a UFO landing, I will jump ahead to suggest that each track follows through with increasingly engaging (re)constructions, quickened by diminishing durations, and prone to growing segments of definitely danceable bust-outs; added are new permutations of voice, added drum effects, and evolving beat textures. A ripe reward follows in the final two turns with an uncharacteristically warm dub (aided by the exaggerated crackle of a dusty phonograph) of glitchy bass and chopped, albeit live percussion couched in a thin slipstream of seething fuzz, and into a clubbable heavy drum and bass throb processed through an array of effects, and fitted with bells and whistles. Along with the recent, agreeable techno minimalism of Borg, the album comes as yet another far-fetched stamp in the Phaserprone passbook, solidifying the boys’ new lease on musical life; and though I must admit no idea of what they’re up to, I am entirely enamored and wait with baited breath for another rune to expound this convolution. Fully-printed disc comes in a crushing, razor-cut handmade digipak with black/silver print and recessed design and text, plus insert; bagged for safe keeping, and limited to 200 copies. (Phaserprone cassette, $7.5; CDr, $14 HERE)

FIT051- MV&EE - 'the ground ain't dirty' CS $5
"swirling psychedelic guitar moves with some killer vibrations." limited to 200

FIT052- WARMER MILKS - 'In This Room' CS $5
"A bare country holler for friends. Recorded at the Holiday Inn last spring in Nashville. Features hits "SS NITR" and "No Longer Friends With Anybody". Front cover photo taken by S T Y in S D M's truck. Austin nights, Paris mornings." -MT" limited to 100

FIT053- WIGWAM - 'Monolith' CS $5
"psychedelic basement scum duo from kalamazoo, mi featuring miles haney(tapeworm tapes/ evenings)" limited to 100.

WEBSITE

Slicing Grandpa - 'Big Monster Canadian Coat' C48 $7
"Reckon the coat is a result of the battle. Between the big monster and whosever made the coat. Like a bloody thump thump rattle and there a ululatin all echolike. Stoned away in a 24 minute war cry rolling on the meaty bones of a weepin punk juggernaut. Same perversely devastatin rock warning on each side. -Valhalla." Edition of 100 on white shells imprinted with red, hand-cut inside folds and inserts.

The Mossy Throats - 'Wing Socket' C30 $6
"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.

Jock Jams - 'Jock Jams' C60 $5
"Definitely cruel, but cruelty with restraint. Pulsing, like maybe flyin high above somethin monstrous being teared apart. Just the reverberatin, ceaseless crunch and evolving drone of dark activity. Gorgeously beautiful. -Valhalla" Edition of 50 on red shells with hand-cut labels and inside folds.

Traum Ecke - 'Traum Ecke' C30 $7
"Members of Ducktails in an oceany billow, with a redwood girth. For the early mornin, when you feel like you're inside the breath of the sun. Throb to warm and broaden your chest, soften the tissue and broaden the veins. -Valhalla" Edition of 100 on yellow shells imprinted with white, hand-cut inside folds and inserts.

WEBSITE

The second segment of Extemes’ Anthripodean series showcasing local Australian experimentalists, ‘Devic Kingdom’ by Robert Vincs offers an expansive view of the saxophonist’s (not to mention the saxophone’s) range, as the artist explores a new music beyond the limits of jazz, or the always-gauche “world music”, entering a post-Zorn terrain of unconscious worlding, evoking a very real ethnomusicality of fantastic quality. Utilizing practiced techniques, as well as instruments of a virtuosic reverence, Vincs turns tracks like “Avatar” into a flurry of swarming incantations, shepherded by the siren song of his horn. The Naked City cachet of tracks like the title-track and the high-minded, low-material “Body without Organs” nod over the shoulder to a novel frontier of exploration; and though not nearly as novel themselves at this later date, the craft is still there, as is the pushing of the edge in fellow tracks “A Little Hadron Collider” with its glitchy, digital texture, and finale piece “Playing with Tears”: a droning, sawing endeavor, the (self?)restraint of the horn to a high, narrow platform effects distressed cries from a stranded bird’s nest, afloat on a neglected stretch of creative waters. CD comes in standard jewel-case, and is available for $17 HERE from Extreme.

And from the same thick ether as Vincs’ disc, trumpeter Toshinori Kondo (IMA, Praxis) carves ‘Silent Melodies’: once accomplice to Brötzmann, Hancock, Bailey (plus), Kondo here appears alone, his horn amplified and with few effects. A frequent dabbler in “sacred music”, the 12 pieces of this disc suggest a taste for the extraterrestrial while never leaving the recognizably popular realms of Gershwin (“Gone Dream 1&2”), bebop (“Sky Cry”, “Moon Cloud”), or analog soundtrackers like Vangelis, Eno, and other early seekers of the next station (“Resonant Space”). Working solo, the it is the manipulations layered behind the lines which transcend the simple pleasures of the trumpet to another phase of listening. “Wind Temptation” places the horn’s decaying logic over a metronomic phasing in alternating channels, a see-saw which offers the silvery lead as a fulcrum, but which cannot seem to maintain so simple a rhythm as a mocking tweeter supplements the tempo. No track better evokes a silent melody as “Mountain Shadow”, a hollow exposition gagged by wax-paper, or as if all the marrow from the melodic line were sucked out, leaving a porous shell which only stands for its minimal seclusion. The sappy waltz of “First Light” may indeed be just that, yet there is an appreciable brassiness emphasized in the resonance, an overexposure beneath the light melody which reveals a snaking inhalation that seems to consume the piece, and the disc. Release by Off (a subset of Stilll), and available for $15.5 HERE.

ORR-006 Cursillistas - 'Fleece Face' C30 $7(US)/$9(World)
"Cursillistas is a Portland (the one with lobsters, Big Blood, and a lot of seagulls) psych-folk gem! Matt Lajoie puts songwriting to the side and makes a garden of loops on this release. He uses mbira, banjo, nylon-string guitar, harmonica, wooden flute, drums, a bag of coffee beans and his voice to create something he initially described to me as "Konono no. 1 meets Charalambides". Best description ever. Building and winding in a way I thought near impossible with loops. Drifting in and out of the vines and spinning high on the treetops. "In an edition of 50 with silk-flowered cases and hand-painted tapes.

ORR-007 Headdress - 'Turquoise' C54 $7(US)/$9(World)
"Headdress glide and coast off the wings of a night-owl onto the ribbons of magnetic tape. A cool mellow breeze through the quiet desert air full of acoustic guitars and tambourines. Sometimes there's even keys (plugged into a Cactus I'm sure) all melting together into a sandy quilt of minimal psychedelic songs. Like WWVV in the Texas deserts. Haunting vocals and steady simple rhythms. A re-release of the Turquoise CDR but now with an extra nine minute jam! Due to some absolutely idiotic math on my end the tapes have six minutes of silence at the end of the b-side. Think of it as time to relax and recollect yourself after being softly blown away." In an edition of 50 with 3-panel fold-out art

ORR-008 Gorman - 'The Holy Eightfold Path vol. I: Right Understanding' C30 $7(US)/$9(World)
"Basement midnight soul-searching. Organic drones wrought from whatever's available. The first in series of 8 c30s from Gorman tracking the various steps and paths down the Eightfold." Limited to 6 with sequin stuck tapes.

WEBSITE

New imprint, Digitalis Ltd:

ltd#1: los pranks s/t CDr $9
"australia meets argentina. los pranks are the supergroup of michael donnelly and eon from brothers of the occult sisterhood, 6majik9, etc and the kings of buenos aires, vlubä. it's safe to say that los pranks are the aural equivalent of psilocybin mushrooms. this shit is steeped in. hell, they'll probably start growing out of your CD player midway through playing this beast. anyway, los pranks offer up six jingle-jangle romps through forests spotted in dayglo orange, magenta, and green. this blast furnace wails with psychedelic fervor. donnelly's trademark beefheart-inspired junkyard wet dream is perfectly augmented by the insanity that is vlubä. you can't understand a word that the argentinians ramble, but when everyone is this strung out, who fucking cares? balls-out guitar wails get sucked up by the torpor of post-tribal percussive blasts. hell, i don't even know what post-tribal is, but los pranks will melt your mind so bad that we'll all be a bunch of drooling idiots. yeah, it's that damn good." (ltd to 74 copies) HERE

ltd#2: treetops - 'cool runnings' CDr $8
"brand new offering from arbor headcheese, mike pollard, and his solo brand of treachery, treetops. "cool runnings" is a journey through the caves of winter. three tracks of squalid drones backed with a cacaphony of tribal-infused drum blasts. treetops winds its way through these distorted masses, offering up glimpses of the light at the end of the ice tunnel with spectral piano notes, floating like frozen flakes in the white ether. this short but sweet nugget is like a black cancer mass, looking for victims and holding nothing back. THIS is the sound of young america." (ltd to 84 copies) HERE

ltd#3: sparkling wide pressure - 'guide me little tape' CDr $8
"sparkling wide pressure showed up out of the blue one day and my ears have been better for it. the brainchild of tennessean frank baugh, "guide me little tape" is like a journey through a long lost friends' private journal. concocted with boxes of old tapes and found sounds, sparkling wide pressure is like something you shouldn't be reading, but can't help but nose through. you get sucked in after a few minutes and then you are a goner. "guide me little tape" is all over the map. finger-plucked acoustic ditties edge up against walls of shimmering, cathartic drones. hushed voices are like streetlamps along the twisting path. baugh proves to be an absolute master of the collage, using unlikely sources as compatriots, weaving a sonic melange as intricate as the hand-woven quilts grandma used to make. this is timeless music with no boundaries, a rich and varied piece of sonic art." (ltd to 71 copies) HERE



suffice to say, we're excited about this stuff. up next on the ltd imprint will be the first batch of tapes from the likes of svarte greiner, xela, starving weirdos, tarentel, ajilvsga, & more... plus some cd-rs from heavy eye of the sun, evening fires, and others. a massive 3" boxed set is in the works for summer, too.

cursillistas pre-orders are on their way tomorrow. and speaking of cursillistas and chriss sutherland, they'll be playing a sort-of record release show next friday, jan 31st in portland, maine. here's the info via chriss:

There is a RECORD RELEASE CELEBRATION for Chriss Sutherland and Cursillistas on Thursday, Jan. 31st at The Space Gallery in Portland, Maine.

Music starts at 8:30 and the door is $6

... for those who live in Portland... Strange Maine has copies of my record "Me in a Field" and they will also be available at the show along with Cursillistas "Wasp Stings the Last Bitter Flavor"...

lastly, twinsistermoon's "levels & crossings" will be released next, so if you want to get the bonus pre-order 3", get on it! thanks everyone.

arbor50 Emeralds/Quintana Roo - 'Bubble Quiet Complication/Beheaded Dynasty' LP $14
"Blessed waves of beautiful sounds build and decay into perfect pieces of music. From opposing locations and opposing approaches to drone, Ohio's Emeralds and LA's Quintana Roo juxtapose themselves with skillful perfection. Emeralds' epic synth composition "Bubble Quiet Complication" marks the acts first vinyl appearance, and possibly heaviest work to date. A tribute to the sine waves of 70s, this massive grower oscillates and progresses completely discretely; impossible to follow and completely transcendental. Bass heavy subsonic patterns work their way underneath the beauty, completely proving and reinforcing this bands recent acclaim. Quintana Roo (comprised of members of Robedoor, Pocahaunted, and Changeling et al.) take a more natural/native approach to their craft. A massive horn blasts marks a call to arms on "Beheaded Dynasty". Twinkling chimes and electric textures help paint a natural base. Hand drums start the onward march to oblivion, met along the way by a blessed to infinity bass line building to an organic overload." In a numbered edition of 450 emerald green LPs with printed labels and proprinted cardboard jackets with an insert all from the psyched psyche of Devon Varmega.

arbor54 Traum - 'Built For Nothing' 1-sided LP $10
"Suburban Michigan is a breeding ground where every weirdo has a label, a band, and a handful of secret/under the radar collaborative projects. Here Graveyards' Ben Hall and Lambsbread's Zac Davis create a monolithic one sider influenced by too many private press jazz records and abstract instrumentalism. Davis turns in his effect pedals for nothing; pure clean tones plucked up and down scales and bridges so uniquely that it is easy to confuse the guitar for a sax. Ben Hall drums like a man with four arms; constant rattling trap tapping and assorted pots and pans clattering, flowing completely smoothly. A perfect union of sound." In an edition of 300 copies in screened chipboard sleeves by Anthony Decanini.

arbor67 Avarus - 'Kirppujen Saari' LP $13
"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.

With a delivery approximating an amalgamation of Jandek, Lou Reed, and Dylan-as-storyteller, Donovan Quinn (The Skygreen Leopards, Verdure) presents ‘October Lanterns’, a solo recording completed in 2003 now teasing the briefest release through an anomalous, hand-numbered CDr edition of 100 from Minnesota’s Soft Abuse. The cheery yellow song of organ, flutes, and metal percussion which bookend the album belie the more sinister obstacles which lay between moments of such pure happiness; moments such as the minor key soliloquy of “Miner” and “Blackbird Headchamber”, a smoked downer befitting Quinn’s recent excursions alongside Ben Chasny and his Six Organs of Admittance. Despite these exceptions, and the artists’ general sleepy demeanor, the disc is heavy with optimism in the little embellishments like the jaw-harp ribbit of plucky “The Crooked Smile of a Jack-O-Lantern”, the melancholy sprawl “Along the Hollies”, or clip-clop bluegrass “The Guttering Flame”, a guitar song pulling west with the swagger of Nick Cave’s recent big country sound, again at play in the dry, smooth tack of “One Thousand Matchsticks”. Writing from Northern California, it is clear Quinn’s spirit travels wider and faster than he, yet the sentiment is real, and the collection of songs hold tight the ropes. Blank CDr comes in a handmade, over-sized heavy paper sleeve with paste on art and a little pocket. Surely this gem has long since vanished in the hands of the spookier-types, so look for Quinn’s first official full-length (with backing band the 13th Month), due this spring. (Soft Abuse CDr, HERE)

Body Morph - 'Mountain Manglings Vol. 1' C34 EXBX-022 $5
"Electronics are fucked, mud in the sax, and the tape player eats tapes like magnetic fettucini. Sounds like a cool band to me! Horrifying tape manipulations and electronics, with horns to match. Like trying to claw your way out from under a mountain... the long way. Creatures of habit thrown to the grave, only to reemerge as walking dead versions of themselves... horrible motor skills, but man, if they get ahold of ya! DIRT EATING HORROR!!!" Edition of 25 tapes.

Strange Water - 'Sunken by Seaweed' C60 EXBX-020 $6
"A killer, good-vibe, long time comin' collab of myself and Mike Pollard (aka Bigg Mike, Mike Arbor, Treetops, T. Tops, Treeguaps). Holly's description of this hour-long mind-meld was that it sounds like something totally tranquill and weird to meditate to, but then turns dark and raging, but without any sudden change or wild antics. Dark tape molasses with shimmering electronics, cymbals, flute, and digereedoo poking out. Bright washes to low hums and everywhere else. I don't know if this is what goes down in the strange water or if its what happens when you drink it." Full-color artwork. Edition of 50 tapes.

Villa Valley/Oubliette C57 EXBX-017 $6
"A raw one from the vaults! First installment of the "EXBX Catch-Up" series. Was supposed to do this one... ohhh... about 2 years ago?! I think this thing had some time to sit and fester. Intensely strange Villa Valley side starts the thing off. Rough swells, weirdo electronics, fucked up tapes... I think I could hear sax, but who even knows? Shadows loom and the edges are ruff, but a real gameplan is executed here. Definately a ruby in their discography. Oubliette side is a TOTALLY warped listen. Unexplainbale physical clattering, some really fucked loops of an organ or something. Prolly from a movie? The track never stops moving and Seth never stops hating your ears. Like sippin' purple drank, but Oubliette style... which is, like, codine, shards of metal, stomach acid, and Mountain Dew (for flavor). NOT FOR FANS OF MUSIC." Full-color artwork. Edition of 50 tapes.

Worm Hands - 'Brains on Froze' C36 EXBX-006 $5
"Second part of the "Catch-Up" series finds us with a crude and deep tape simply labeled "WORM 3/13" Its the master Dave G gave me the first time I ever toured, about 2 and a half years ago. The sounds held within are a vague, slimey cavern of wreckless abandon. Probably recorded in total darkness, with their brains on froze. Also included on this tape are choice live sets from our short tour together last summer. If you were there, you know you wanna hear it again! I'm just bummed I don't have the tape of the set where Josh drank and smoked the wrong combo and just sat outside puking all night. He only came in to do a 30-second RAGEFEST and then ran right back outside to puke." Amazing. Edition of 50 tapes.

Battle of Disarm - 'Chaos City demo'/'Not Lie demo' tape $4
"BRUTAL lo-fi japanese d-beat/crust. First 2 demos here. Shitlickers and Totalitar covers..... INTENSE!! "They originally formed over rising concerns on the cruel treatment of animals, & high usage of vivisection by major corporations. Since they first formed in 1989, they have refused to release any material on compact disk, in protest of the technological advances that has swept across Japan, which they say has led to worldwide "corruption and murder".

WEBSITE

They say you only hurt the ones you love, and no matter what I say here today, this is sure to end in tragic misrepresentation. A loadstone of the post-rock era (following the “breaking” of punk in 1991), Québécois Fly Pan Am provided a vital creative space for the collision of long-form rock instrumentals, Dadaist punk composition, and concrète experiment through their handful of consistently-great LPs and EP for Montreal’s Constellation. Following FPA’s break-up in 2005, guitarist Jonathan Parant formed Feu Therese with the help of Shalabi Effect’s Alex St-Onge, sound artist Stephen Oliveira, and visual artist Luc Paradis. Striking-out the overwhelmingly “difficult” aspects of their anti-rock debut, ‘Ça Va Cogner’ (literally “it’s gonna hit”) saturates the desire of the elitist and the philistine alike, fulfilling all sorts of suppressed and insatiate wants, and therefore likely to turn off the naïve who think it naïve or the joyless who call it a joke.

Indulging in post-RIO Francophilia and the greater European prog-electronics of groups like Univers Zero, the band create ecstatic works of bright, warm synthesizers, bulbous bass lines wed to a relentless percussion, and the inextricable command of Oliveira’s overbearing croon as lesser-Gainsbourgian “chanteur”, speak-singing entirely in French. Ironically, thought perhaps not surprisingly, it is Parant’s guitar which grounds the album through its acceptably “post-“ character, posed fleetingly as the familiar FPA jangle effects of intro “A nos amours”, the shy soloing of early “indie” on “Les déserts des azurs”, in the opening screed of “Visage sous nylon” - a quick digression to lofty, wailing whammy play emphasizing the uncomfortable proximity of a logic so widely pried-apart by fashion - and with increasing efficiency these distinctions too become collapsed with the familiarity of the intervening decades, sobered only briefly as a muted player in the finale “Laisse briller tes yeux dans le soleil”. Returning through the circle, the cellophane ripples of synthesizer and galloping bass turn “Visage sous nylon” into so much Pet Shop Boys, the sound soon splintered with effects overkill, a call and response of falsetto vocals, and steady relay of new melodic lines over steady, throbbing rhythm. This rhythm resumes as blatant seduction with “Le bruit du pollen la nuit”, flippantly faded in and out for Oliveira’s moist come-ons, the sexuality of which is disturbingly punctuated by a strong resemblance to Vincent Price on “Thriller”, and his uncouth, breathless explosions between passages ala The Birthday Party. The Tangerine Dream introduction of the title track serves as a pensive interlude, gilded with the synthetic dust of ‘Low’, and then into a warm romance with colliding, plastic synthesizer passages, watery guitar, and a chorus of young voices singing an anthem befitting 1980s J-pop. A sequel of unusual sorts, “Ferrari en feu (pt. 2)” carries the spirit of last album’s devotional theme, yet now filtered through such unflinching pop that the constellation of sparkling electrons exhaled by the keys enters a literal swirl of fizzing static, differentiated solely by the padding of drums and the bold round figures of the bass notes. The indulgence/larceny culminates prematurely with “La nuit est une femme”, a bubbling midi ballad with staggered rhythm, a melodic duet as emotion – male voice reproducing the pout of keyboards, not the female accompaniment – and a swelling coda which consumes the voices with little resolution; a convincing display disconcertingly difficult to attribute as ‘Ça Va Cogner’ collapses distinctions where it reclaims these sounds as its own.

Denying the very wants of fashion by arresting this remarkable sound solely to an album, the band has cheated creative death through a fatal statement: dying before their time – and therefore dying right on time – Feu Therese disbanded this past summer, months before the release of the album, feigning another gutting loss for those who continue to believe in the regenerative power of unconventional music. I can hardly wait. CD comes in a full-color gatefold with art by Paradis. Highly recommended. (Constellation CD & LP, $13 & $18 (US) HERE)

PT:o4 Body Collector/Droughter split 2x 3"CDr $12
"Harsh noise split release from two dudes everyone should be listening two." Each 3”cdr come in a mini jewel case and the two are housed in handmade cardstock boxes that are numbered out of 75.

PT:o6 Circuit Wound/Is - '…' split 2x 3"CDr $12
"Harsh noise split release from two more artists that are well known for their dynamic noise output." Each 3”cdr come in a mini jewel case and the two are housed in handmade cardstock boxes that are numbered out of 75.

or pick up both for $20. WEBSITE

Bartolomé in France has a new music blog offering new sounds every night. It's called Dolphin Island:

Hello. Here we go with my so frenchy words. I’ve create this blog to broadcast the music I like. A new song for every post, I’ll try to be the most regular as possible. Must of them will sounds as free & psych drones, noise, freak folk and all that stuff. If you run a label or a band, feel free to send me some sounds if you want to see them here. I hope you will appreciate some of these sounds. You can email me here: liledesdauphins[at]gmail[dot]com.

See the site HERE

What number we at? Somewhere near the mid-twenties for the recently deceased year, Masami Akita as Merzbow releases a complimentary pair of discs: July’s ‘Zophorus’ and late-November’s ‘Live Destruction at No Fun 2007’ – possibly the last for the year, but I wouldn’t count on it. Both arriving in florid gate-folds (the former a digipak) with original art by Akita, on their own the duo lack nothing that the other must provide, and, though time may tell, the compliment paid is all the more difficult to isolate when considering the cohort of releases which surround these two documents. All this intends to say that this is Merzbow in established form, fast reproducing disorder, busy building no thing.

Lest this be read as critically negative, we must take Merzbow’s truth to be self-evident, that all noise should come to reclaim the space of sensation through a manifest suffocation of order via excessive production (in quantity and quality) and the regular novelty of instability. ‘Zophorus’ is only a logical (if all too logical) extension of this program, and in many ways, further decays the fringe of the shroud of musical logic which obscures our most precious noise as sensual silence, an absolute erasure from which to begin; in this regard, there can be no apex, only plateau, as the swelling, blinding liberation of noise is sustained. For those who intend to foremost critique the artist on some sort of expressionistic sonic quality, the album will likely draw modest praise as post-digital Merzbow ascends (or possibly descends) the pinnacle of one of his many stylistic spikes (a consideration really only relevant to one refusing the primacy of a sustained noise). Aesthetically, the ‘frieze’ of the music defies any zoophorus attribute which the title might imply, rather writhing with an abundance of artificially corralled, super-concentrated life. In five parts and in typical Merzfashion, the disc enters a staticky blast from the start, indicating no beginning, and necessarily no end; swirling colors like the violent rosacea of the feathered cover art, frayed at the ends and chirping like downed wires; a hoarse screaming of dry heat; and underneath it all, the vibration of electric guitar, alternating two humming keys, swelling with the explosive contours of the needled sonic wall. The bulbous throbbing of the second track creates a reluctant rhythm competing with a sturdy suspension of oscillation and the reckless crashes which survive the entire work. A procession of chirping chaos begins in the third, continuing in slightly different permutations through the fifth and final: like a million grabbing mouths, inarticulate and greedy, the bleeps pull at the ear, filling the space with molten bass and a gauze of static. The mottled noise of the fourth, and longest segment (17 minutes) barely conceals the tinny rooster cries beneath: aware of Akita’s affinity for the genus gallus and his past experiments in birdcall, the distress of this voice likely comes from the juxtaposition with the chaotic clattering of machinery which overlays the lot, a steady, metallic piston which ruptures the unbroken form of the noise swell (again guitar procured) with every eager strike. The briefest finale follows, returning Zophorus’ subtle departure to our original position abreast the eternal noise, an almost neurotic reproduction of sounds so carefully skirting repetition without pleasing the privilege of difference.

Giffoni-reported highlight of last May’s No Fun Fest, Merzbow’s set as recorded in the disc ‘Live Destruction at No Fun 2007’ comes in one large (LP-able) fragment, eschewing any lead-in or ubiquitous applause, effectively denying that it is liver than any other Merz. Minus the periodization of Zophorus, the shapeless set approaches true noise, a free form body allowed to sonically go anywhere, fitting any space, and in this set, striving perfectly unevenly to do so. The howling fire of the first minute phases from right to left as though there was some sort of glitch worked out in this grand design (a noise-musical joke?), harsh, high-speed static sustained for several moments before tapering into a canyon of low-end globs, complimented by feather-light static sprigs and into a forest of wide shards of sharpest glass pitches. Rhythms everywhere attempt to break forth, melodies slightly less so as the wavering, watery organ wheeze mid-track drones on, and tumbling drum of deep agreement following dimly behind. Incorporating a throwback of very real sheet metal to the dual laptop regime of his modern performance, the Merzworlds of analog and digital here clash and coalesce like no other, processing sound into noise at all levels of interaction, and collapsing these units back into the noise fold with an agreeable, if indecipherable brocade: metal clasps hint of zills or commuter trains, and the thunder of vibrating steel eases the spikes of crispy digital hiss to radio-tuner babble. Like a survey of all that is Noise, every thirty seconds appears to flip agendas, now a Prurient pummeling, now a Workbench crawl, now a John Wiese stutter-take: the busy demons everywhere toil in an unrelenting 40 minutes, a whole shipping unit in need of a serving suggestion for weak and strong alike. Whatever the duration of this piece, the result is no tidier or complicated than any other point of the piece, returning us in its immediate wake to the wanting of the initial impulse. But of course, this return is a falsehood, as we are always already afloat in this noise. (Blossoming Noise CD, $13 HERE; No Fun CD, $12 HERE)

NEW YAKI - 'the music of the' CDr [002]
"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.

'PINS OF LIGHT vol 1' compilation CDr [001]
"Inhaling psychedelic smoke signals from rusty radio towers, handstitched transmissions from : (VxPxC), Gown, Dirtnap, Shearing Pinx, Starving Weirdos, Mike Tamburo and Matt McDowell, Babel, Partli cloudi, Thread, Sister ray, and Michael Roger Waters, interspersed with magik mushroom rambling, and handstamped 3D art on foggy see through paper..." limited edition of 99.

WEBSITE

The mythical Twonicorn appears:

THU 016 Envenomist - 'Black Bile' c30
"Cold synth landscapes from David Reed. Bleak and sterile variations on the label's usual terrain are both alien and mesmerizing."

THU 019 Changeling - 'Primeval Breath' c20
"Changeling has been releasing a great string of tapes, CDRs, limited vinyl. On "Primeval Breath" he clogs your speakers with thick tape fog. Still damp watercolor acid trails of voice and strings that are barely discernible from one another, blended into a thick warm brew."

THU-020 Brendan Murray - 'Scared In My Heart' c42
"One of my favorite composers right now-- I was floored by Brendan's earlier 'Ocean of Dirt, Mountain of Steam' CD on Gameboy. After hearing it I knew that I had to put out some of his work. 'Scared in My Heart' is an intense, structured piece spanning both sides. A slow motion journey reaching both harmonious and threatening peaks, meticulously edited with attention to detail."

THU 022 Bonecloud - 'Chrysalis 1951-1926' c40
"This Irish duo weave ambient bliss with an organic slant. Gorgeous drones and aqua hum flow forth from green dungeons. While they have moved on, I am honored to be releasing one of their final artifacts."

WEBSITE

2008 is the year of metal, and Vennt offer an early premonition with their debut, untitled EP of late 2007. The band is made of Sandy Saunders of noise project Torso (reviewed not long ago for his split with Unicorn), Jordan Hines, and Darcy Spidle (Divorce Records). Each of the four tracks on the disc runs just over five minutes, an a rather orthodox doom dogma is performed throughout: unlike the melted patina of psychedelic signature and post-production found on the recent Cadaver In Drag, the bass/drums combo of Hines/Spidle throb with only the slightest effect of delay, and with merited hardcore discipline. Saunders, here providing Goblinesque vocals alternating high and low, most often in Locustrian fits adept to the sludgy rhythm, takes further lead by introducing a segmented version of his power electronics (maximalized, yet diminished in volume to serve the team): hissing, squealing, chirping, grinding – effects which serve both in duet and as rich ambience for the intense brood which fills the claustrophobic space of this session. Highlights are found throughout, but most consistently on first and last tracks, offering regular blows exchanged by electronics and vocals on “Uneven Ground”, and on the latter “Visions of Smoke”, some innovative bass figures which disappear the track out of the dungeon and into the hazy, ambiguous field of Frosted malaise. Pro-pressed CD with heavy black sleeve and paste-on art; a co-release with Housepig and Hear More Records. (Divorce CD, $8/9/11(CND) HERE)

There are extra copies of the tapes Jessica Rylan currated as a part of the 2007 Deathbomb Arc tape club (year 3)." On sale individually HERE

the tapes available are:
BT1 - Boogey Boys/Quick Like Fox
BT2 - Josh Hydeman/Halflings
BT3 - Julia Holter/Timeheater "1776"
BT4 - Milkhorse/Captains of English
BT5 - Secret Diary/Orphan Fairytale
BT6 - Fisherprice Landmine

"Here we go, kids… the first set of our Time-Fold project is set to release. We have seven very special cd-r releases, all full lengths (with the exception of a very full 3 inch cd-r). Every release has a special cover designed by one of our friends, showing you what they think of our special holiday based naming and our "special" brand of sound. All of this is in preparation for our tour to the Mid-West in March. These cd-rs will never go out of print, will be made to order fresh each time, and are 5 bucks each… We only ask 1 dollar for each cd-r for US shipping and 3 dollars a cd-r for World shipping."

SAMPLE or BUY

'ARROYO MOUNTAIN DAY' (art by Geddes Gengras of Antique Brothers, Thousands, etc)
"High atop this haunted mountain in old Los Angeles comes a sound both frightening and inviting. Moving further away from the holiday themed titles, this seems to dedicate itself to a place AND a time. Recorded outside, but definitely manipulated inside, this acoustic/electric affair is a truly cybernetic synthesis of our modern world. Acoustic guitars and banjos collide and juxtapose nicely with looped keyboards and feedbacking Jew's Harps and harmonicas."

'I HAVE A DREAM OF GIANT'S DAY' (art by Tim Goodwillie of (VxPxC), the Goodwillies, etc)
"Sometimes just referred to as Giants Day by enthusiasts, this release of jumbled, dreamy confusion is a slumbering giant in its own right. Many of the "songs" seem more like implications of songs that are long gone or have yet to arrive, faint traces of something familiar and warm. But this feeling comes with a grim chill, like realizing you are standing in a giant's footprint. "Descending", one of the most ominous of the tracks, takes a simple keyboard line and collapses it down into a black hole of sound, while "Calming Air Raid Interlude" imagines a blissful and welcome reaction to the end of the world as we know it."

'JOHN PARKER DAY/LICENCE PLATE LIBERATION DAY' (art by Grant E Capes of (VxPxC), Thousands, etc.)
"(VxPxC) comes in all shapes and sizes. John Parker Day was a Micro Cassette with five short tracks. Very little is known about Licence Plate Liberation Day besides the mischievous feeling of the title and the thick drones within... This is the only 3inch offered in the Artist Cover Series and is specially priced."

'JUDGEMENT DAY' (art by Eli, our artist friend from San Francisco)
"The first in a series of long-form thematic tracks. This one is all about the court room. From the initial trial through the turbulent trial to the final acceptance of the sentencing, these three tracks are sure to please the voyeur in all of us."

'NOCHE DES RABANOS' (art by Erik Kistel, aka Kid Cromag)
"The second long-form tape in a later series with Judgement Day and Nanakusa-no-sekku. This one celebrating Noche de Rabanos, the Night of the Radishes festival. Four long tracks to take you on a journey through the Zocalo in Oaxaca to observe the spectacularly carved radishes of this celebration."

'No T for Tim Night' (art by Jake Klotz, of NYC's La Lus)
"One of the first new sessions after (VxPxC) returned to threesome status, this session, along with Hobbit Equinox rank as some of the group's best work (or so they say)."

'CONFUCIUS HEALTH AND FITNESS DAY' (art by Autumn Rooney)
"Beginning with a loping Western tune might not be the way to kick off this "tribute" to the mind and body of a legendary Asian philosopher, but heck, this is Hollywood. Following it quickly with some obviously tinkered-with organ and guitar, Confucius H&F Day follows the more refined sound of second-era (VxPxC) but with a little more craziness added in for good measure. With a driving tune worthy of Mogwai or GYBE lodged firmly in the middle of the mix (Towards a Brighter Future, Crawling), it is the gooey mess that surrounds it that truly defines and makes this album remarkable."

New label taking a huge first step - lend a hand to Amen Absen:

John Clyde-Evans - 'Delight in the Stream' LP
"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.

Available through the following distributors in the US: Fusetron, Flipped Out, Eclipse, Tomentosa, RRRecords, and Time-Lag
And in the UK/Europe: Volcanic Tongue and Boa Melody Bar

Nick Palmer is the man behind Directorsound, a practitioner of what the label Rusted Rail likes to call the “Dorset sound”: though offering precious-few examples thus far (most notably, a handful of fine works by Directorsound collaborator Plinth), this sound is rooted in esoteric instruments from centuries passed (“Amber Ember”), light ambient field-recordings made much heavier by the sparse instrumentation (“Tuberose”), and a fractured, though (mostly) traditional sense of composition, as best exemplified on the chit-chat of burlesque accordion, banjo, and proto-bossanova guitar on “The Gin Trap”. Like RR’s releases of Plinth material, the little disc ‘Leaving the Moors’ feels its size for its minuet song form and cozy atmosphere. Stamped 3” CDr comes in a finely-(hand)crafted paper sleeve which you’ve come to rely on the label to produce. Available for €5 from Rusted Rail, HERE. (And if still available, grab a free holiday gift from RR HERE)

From the murderous NYC outfit who won’t give the weary any fucking rest with their release schedule comes the day-trip psych excursion Nessmuk, dalliance of Pennsylvania’s Kevin Moist (The Clear Spots) and a few invisible friends (MB, BW, NR). ‘Flies Free’ pushes the upward limit of the 3” format with three tracks of five, seven, and seven minutes, starting with the stuttering, shining guitar build-up “Station Signals”, a climax which never comes, and which could merrily sustain for another 15 miuntes. Strains of this excitement continue in the warm reverb of “The Diamond Hard Grindstone of Heaven”, a thick pool of guitar wash, crawl, and swerve, building still, dropping out like Roy Montgomery on “Everything Living Glows”: a dense rhythm of pulling-off, shakers pass by as the percussion of non-engageable spirits, a sawing warmth like the drone of cello swelling and fading in the background. Not content to the limbo of this studied suspension, the guitar breaks loose with volume, rising to swallow the entire scene in a cacophony of trebly notes, moans, and percussion like chattering teeth. Nessmuk needs full-length. Sharply-printed CDr comes with full-color insert in mini-jewel case. Limited to 100 slices. Available from Abandon Ship for $5 HERE.

And following in the same lapel-less suit as Maine/L’animaux Tryst djam-band Tempera, Bad Bus contribute ‘#1 & #3 (Caucus)’, a double cassette collection of two light sessions of heavy improv [spell check always turns my “improv” to “improve” – a suggestion from the ghost in the machine?]: following the tradition of bands in other geographically confined spaces (New Zealand, Arizona, suburban Amazon) and other less-restricted spaces (fucking Brooklyn), the anonymous gang – gotta be at least three, and as many as ten – set a number of different timbrel plates spinning in a wide musical space, offering the self-same free-radical space as the periodic (VxPxCx), Lost Domain, Brothers of the Occult Sisterhood: pots and pans, sleighbells, horns, creaking furniture – a poltergeist world realigned on the second tape (#3), wherein a rhythm of verifiable drums develops with a string-plucked rhythm, trumpet/sasquatch call and response, and unraveling parody of orderly procession. Chimes and accordion/melodica/harmonium add to the mix, and were it not for all the cassette flipping (on my old component), this would be an ideally wack experience for not paying anything (attention, etc.) in particular. Sounds found in a hand-printed, fabric-bound cardboard sleeve, with hand-written cassettes (also an art edition available). Limited to 20, and available for $7 HERE from L’Animaux Tryst.

Mystified – 'Uncanny' (hnt009) C60 $4
"Ethereal drone, ambience, and field recordings combined to form massive walls of sound. Limited to 25."

Suburbia Melting/Mothkvlt (hnt007) split C32 $4
"Suburbia Melting is loud, harsh, and calculated walls of noise Mothkvlt is black-metal influenced electronics and vocals. Limited to 30."

Colossus – 'Throne' (hnt001) C30 $4
"Dark, heavy drone, drum, and brooding vocals from New Hampshire. Limited to 25."

Flea Apparitions/Doldis (hnt005) C30 $4
"Dark, heavy drone, drum, and brooding vocals from New Hampshire. Limited to 30."

WEBSITE or EMAIL

Drunjus - 'Eceladus' CDr $6
From Madison, Wisconsin come the duo of Woodman and Endless. Over 45 minutes of slow motion, deep listening. Wasn't sure if I could do it any justice... "The release is entitled Eceladus and the tracks are 'How Close is the Sky to the Ground?' and 'Chthonic Exterior'. 'How Close...?' matches my field recordings of a particularly creepy, creaky tree in a local marsh, Cherokee Marsh, along with all it inhabitants against a full on drone assault from Woodman. 'Chthonic...' is a particularly hazed out Dream Porch session featuring Woodman and I and the additional talents of Crystal Dragon, (a local analog synth compatriot) along with an evil brood of cicada." - Endless." edition of 100

Alistair Crosbie - 'Sad Faces of the Moon' CS $6
"After a steady stream of beautifully presented CDR releases on his own Lefthand Pressings imprint and endless collaborations, the rest of the world seems to be catching up with Alistair Crosbie, whose name appeared in numerous year end reviews. Still, after dubbing 100 of these things, I can't figure out if this is the soundtrack of being trapped under ice or some of the most inspiring, solitary new age bliss I've heard in ages. Either way, it is absolutely stunning." Edition of 100

In order to clear up space for the next update, buy both and get a free release from the back catalog (PM30 not included). Just send me an email with your order. Next batch should be here next week with: A. Jarvis CS, Century Plants 3" CDR, Slow Listener repress, and One Master CS.

HERE

Coming correct, Gary of Animal Disguise gave me ample time to get to these releases - the label’s sole contributions to the last quarters of 2007 - handing them over several months before their projected release date, which is why I tell you about them only two and three months late. Both discs come from bands I’ve only encountered in short-format releases, and so these full-length monsters offer a load of overripe fruits to smash on the ground.

Emerging from the rich soil of Lexington, Kentucky, the three men of Cadaver In Drag (Jason Schuler, Ben Allen, Josh Lay) serve three tracks crafted for vinyl, making for an 18 minute, A-side epic and an even division of the second into two 10 minute tracks. Conserving the metallurgical noise, black, and stoner genres of Sleep, Man is the Bastard, Sunn O))), assorted Mick Barr projects and the like, the trio use these three stations to offer an olive-branch of sorts, inverting the appeal and reclaiming the styles for the pure power of sound, a ‘Raw Child’ to claim a new dominion; Satan surely weeps into his black t-shirt when the “queers” get their hands on metal. From the opening riff of “Walking Through the Gates of Hell”, it is clear that the growling bass which greets us will keep this trip on the ground, in the Earth, cementing our feet without a decibel to pull us up. Waving-off the rising, chattering punctuation of percussion with its meaty paw, the golem seems unphased by the complimentary feedback of his thin-stringed companion on the right. It isn’t until the fourth minute what he opens his mouth, bowels to speak, barfing some throat-blistering terror in cadence with the swinging cymbal falls. Contorting the voice, the bleariness of the recording is emphasized especially when the guitar ventures to riff, barely containing a rhythm within its unwieldy hot feedback: a chug-a-chug which grows tighter like a drill boring in steel, a voice replacing the guttural man, compelling the low-end and percussion to follow suit in a double-time pummeling. Through an even smokier sewage, “Fuck This Place” carries the thrash of the final preceding strains to a rowdier pace, with technical (for its speed), almost mechanical polyrhythm and noodling, with bass and anguished vocals to hold it all together. Though his mastering work comes understandably understated in the first track, guest engineer Robert Beatty (Hair Police) adds some synth patters stuffed inconspicuously in the folds of the locked-groove rhythm, adding to the splitting-sphere effect of the track, emphasized a bit on the nose with the channel-panning mix of the track’s final minutes (yet a good reason to try this one on headphones, at least once). A melodic loop of feedback drones into “Secession ‘61”, the token “sensitive” piece of metal – not a ballad – almost microtonal when comparing its baked tempo to the speed of the prior tracks, recalling the pre- era of distension and experiment; an emerging organ hums a baroque tune which the band respect with constraint, brooding in place with rhythmic cycles, evaporated guitar and brightened, repeating bass notes creating streams of stained color beneath the static. With attractive cover art which speaks less to the music than the production and its minor homage to decades passed, ‘Raw Child’ is a positively blasphemous statement amidst a tired genre of unholy religiosity.

Gary Beauvais, the aforementioned baron of the Animal Disguise manor, is Mammal. Beyond the broken machine music (seemingly recorded to even broker machines) of prior Mammal cassettes, the man’s 4th long-player (and an early centennial for the label) ‘Lonesome Drifter’ meets the bigtime half-way, containing the violent urges of his omniscient metal strings with crystalline production and periodic breathers of faux lo-fi belly-aching. Emerging as the warm-blooded spirit of the felled zebra of ‘Raw Child’, “Repulsion” seers itself a portal to a new platform with 10 minutes of heavy buzz-saw riff loops and industrio-Suicidal beat tooled just past the fleshly limits of control; this resurrection resumes later in the brutal triple punch of “The Drift”, where the expressionist plaints of guitar seem to die before the oppressive rationale of the programmed beat to emerge in the end, alone, as “Cremation”, a final requiem for the vanishing figure. Similarly laid-out for vinyl as the album above, the thematic album unfolds over four sides of programmatic logic. The first of a complimentary set of lyrical pieces, “Fatherland” is a solo bass blues laced with heavy delay and Beauvais’ cold, spiteful proclamation “I am my own brother/these lands are my own/…/Thanks for everything/it’s time for me to go”; bursting from this tape journal, the distortion carries on without the lament, a logical conclusion in need of no more explanation. The first five minutes of the stunning “Cyclops” find diminishing returns with the Prurient-tinged feedback of guitar and aimless strikes, eventually to be consumed by a Sabbath bass riff, coalescing as a minor masterpiece with washes of wrenched distortion delineating images in the tabula as the track’s inscription suggests. Having left home, the drifter voices alienation from the modern world with “Drifter in the City” – a rather unconvincing set of lyrics metered with onomatopoeiadic urban noise and a broken riff familiar the first chapter. The first climax of a forgivably formulaic tale, the drifter faces the specter of industrial death with “Incinerator Ballad”, a four minute static of harsh, mechanistic noise made to weed out foreign matter, but for the callous, made only slightly stochastic by the subtle, writhing of guitar beneath. Before escaping in the stark soundscape of his final-side cremation, the drifter faces the depressed “Lower Depths”: emerging from his confrontation with the city, the man finds nothing left (or rather, nothing ever there), closing the circle. A worthy allegory for the neverending pursuit of anything, ‘Lonesome Drifter’ offers the bracketed legend “this is both the end and the beginning.” More fine artwork so typical to ADR, front and back (plus lyrics!) come penciled by the Mammal itself, with fancy photo inside by something else. (Animal Disguise CD/LP/2LP, $11/12/18 HERE)

'Bored Fortress' 7" Club, Year 3 (NNF115-NNF120) $38(US)/$50(World)
"Well here we are again. On the eve of our THIRD ANNUAL Bored Fortress split 7" club!! The deal, once again, is that all subscribers will receive 2 split 7 inches every other month (starting in February and ending in July), each with art by a different artist, plus all club-joiners will receive special NNF gifts!! Space is limited however, so don't wait too long."

sounds by: CHARALAMBIDES, SLITHER, VAMPIRE BELT, SKULLFLOWER, SHEPHERDS, INCA ORE, MAGIK MARKERS, SECRET ABUSE, POCAHAUNTED, AXOLOTL, THURSTON MOORE, IGNATZ

sights by: CHRISTOPHER FORGUES, LIZ HARRIS, ANDY SPORE, ERIC SHAW, DYLAN NYOUKIS, SUMI INK CLUB

WEBSITE; EMAIL for questions

For a hassle,

two quick disclaimers though:

1) it is YOUR responsibility to let us know if you will be moving, or need
to change your shipping address for any reason during the duration of the
club. we aint responsible for misdirected 7 inches unless you keep us in
the loop about where the singles are supposed to go. easy! and,

2) the artist/band list is officially confirmed at this point but due to
life's weirdnesses sometimes complications arise, so if there IS an
alteration in the line-up we will immediately let everyone know, but we
wont be able to refund your subscription. just a heads up. hope this makes
sense!

all the sights and sounds are awesome though, so please join!! subscribers
get rad gifts as always.

the other matter of this email is: NEON COMMUNE!!! for anyone in the
greater california sector please please attend this art exhibit/music fest
of ours at ECHO CURIO (in echo park, on sunset blvd).