Dog Hallucination – ‘Serving Two Masters’ 3″CDr/DL
This is another “downpayment” in what D. Petri and “Doggy P. Lips” intend as a progressive advance toward an actualization of some sort of ‘new experimental-psychedelia’, or at least a uniquely new flavor, as imagined by the duo; a sort of existential/mystic, psych/non-psych, transportive, incendiary, visual music/audio that is achieved by specifically designed tonalities, texture sculpturing, rhythms, and compositional structure either of individual pieces or entire recordings. Serving Two Masters is a humble, Earthy and psychedelic work of distinct immediacy. A brief collection of personal, guitar-centered, psychedelic, dreamy, dramatic, visionary vignettes & quasi-monumental ruminations, the 6 piece stream of Serving Two Masters fills only a handful of seconds less than the full 24 minutes of a 3″ cd. Despite the comparitively small duration, it’s coherence, complexity, and feeling of closure is of the type provided by many well-realized full length albums. The pronounced guitar-with-effects experimentalism here is of its own searching style, but listeners may find similarities to the approach or moods of the instrumental sides of Main, early Mercury Rev, early 90’s Flaming Lips, Ashtray Navigations, James Plotkin, or Christian Fennesz’ guitar treatments, as these have all been inspiring or influential for Dog Hallucination. Other possible touchpoints may include Z’ev, Swans, and Brian Eno, but the group has distinctive angles that weave through many halls and levels of influence, not the least of which being their lifetime being raised and living in small towns in the mid-western United States. This recording is of a relatively naked earnestness, not so much seeking the far out as it is seeking relatability of presumably universal thoughts on life and death. Otherworldliness is used here to sensitively point in some important directions, rather than to bind and command, though at times the effect may be a subtle hypnotism. By coupling restrained abstract structural forms and manipulations with carefully chosen melodic elements and tonalities, the aforementioned emotional and/or intellectual “distinct immediacy” is arrived at. Also of note: This 3″ e.p. is a segue and prelude to a long-labored and delayed full length album slated for release late summer 2013, to be called Mitzi, which deals in similar emotional, textural, and instrumental territories. High quality, specially designed, hand cut / folded, home printed paper envelope w/ high quality printed disc, inserts, beet leaf-dyed fabric & pressed sage leaf from D. Petri’s garden. Limited to 50 copies.
Gushing Cloud – ‘Beat Wings In Vain’ CD/DL
Gushing Cloud follows up his debut 2010 EP, Prism Shelter, with the strikingly colorful full-length CD Beat Wings In Vain. This album is infinitely more focused, complex, and heady; the result of 3 years of heavy experimentation and honing of creative and technical craft. It’s a fascinatingly varied patchwork of colors, ideas, and strong musical character spread over realms of groovy electronic, thoughtful ambient, and noisy/experimental/progressive rock music. Collaborations are featured throughout the album, with song writing and instrumental additions from Dog Hallucination’s D. Petri, Lovely Little Girls’ Alex Perkolup, and Cheer-Accident’s Thymme Jones and Jeff Libersher. GC places these characteristically flavorful contributions in a uniquely conceived context that harmonizes the electronic and organic elements with genuine style. While some comparisons to the sound and spirituality of forward thinking electronic acts like Boards of Canada or Four Tet might be made, to some people Gushing Cloud’s songs may feel more like groovy electronic instrumental step-grandchildren of Brian Eno’s non-ambient albums of the 70’s or the first four classic Faust albums. Kumo/Bengtsen playing saxophone in the avant-art-rock group Lovely Little Girls has perhaps rubbed off a bit onto parts of the album, as has being in the experimental electronic quartet Amalgamated and occasionally playing with the Chicago experi-prog-rock mainstays Cheer-Accident. Also spending 9 years in the guitar-heavy experimental-dreamy-art-noise-rock band Rebekah’s Tape shows in many of the guitar parts. Influences are inevitable, and can of course be discerned, but there is an organic earnestness of personality in this music that is difficult to pigeonhole. Melodies on guitar, saxophone (alto, tenor, and baritone), synth, piano, and trumpet are engaging and hooky, yet off kilter with subliminals. Multi-tracked synthesizers, various weird laptop manipulations, bass guitar, poly-rhythmic drums, odd-ball samples, funk grooves, noisy guitar, and zither are utilized in the earthy-technological infrastructures jutting up around and sprawling out beneath. Beat Wings In Vain is rife with complexities, and will bear innumerable listenings for audio scrupulizers, while holding a good deal more than sufficient emotional, festive, groovy content to fulfill the lusts of enthused weirdo dance floor inhabitants or thoughtful household head-nodders. Mastered by James Plotkin. 9 tracks on CD, bonus track w/ download (CD comes with download code) – (Either way, you get the extra track.) Beat Wings In Vain comes in a high quality digipak, with according high quality collage/painting/photography artwork, psychedelic and mystical. First 50 copies sold receive a complimentary 11×17 poster of artwork related to the album.