Mark Alexander McIntyre – ‘Grapes’ LP $12
Edition of 300. The second LP by the mysterious Mark Alexander McIntyre. Don’t let the floral artwork fool you, M.A.M.’s Grapes is one of the bleakest records I’ve ever heard and I’m incredibly “pleased” to be hoisting this slab of depression upon you all. This is a very down-and-out album of original songs written from the point of view of man who seems to be close to the void, or perhaps already within its deathly grips, reaching out to us with his weary, wraithlike voice. The songs seem to be interconnected, with the same characters and themes appearing on multiple cuts. Some of the lyrics deal with pain and loss obliquely, while others confront the harshness of reality head on: stomach problems, factory work, cancer treatment. Most of the material is recorded onto a wavering and echoey tape machine with just acoustic guitar, but as the album progresses, electric instruments and a full band cut through the fog. It’s truly a harrowing work, but one that I’ve been unable to stop listening to since I received these murky recordings nearly two years ago as an unsolicited demo tape. First review is already in…
Joeri Bruyninckx – ‘I Bake Your Pardon? I Never Promised You An Avant-Garden book’ $8
Edition of 200. One Kind Favor’s first foray into printed matter, a handsome chapbook of Interviews conducted by Joeri Bruyninckx entitled “I Bake Your Pardon? I Never Promised You An Avant-Garden.” Subjects include: Richard Youngs, Matthew Bower (Skullflower), Bill Orcutt (Harry Pussy), Id M Theft Able, Keith Fullerton Whitman, Mad Nanna, Cave Bears, Spencer Clark (The Skaters), Kevin Drumm, El-G, Billy Bao, Leyland Kirby (V/Vm), Mama Bar, Paul Labrecque (Sunburned Hand of the Man) and others. All of the artists are in a class of their own and the interviews are very thoughtful and revealing. Very excited about this one as some of these have only been published in translation, and never in their original English form. Bruyninckx’s work has appeared in Foxy Digitalis, Ruis Magazine and other respected publications around the world. Cover art by Malcy Duff.