Animal Psi

Make-Overs EP
Pretoria, South Africa’s psych-punk two-piece were kind enough to donate an EP’s worth of material to Heligator. And what an EP it is. These four tracks seethe with a sense of dread and dissatisfaction, writhing in vitriol and righteous indignation. They are also big, bombastic rock songs that sound as if they were coming up through the cement from a sweaty basement show. Make-Overs recreate this kind of adjacent intensity, moth-to-flame draw by keeping the mix somewhere in between fidelities. This is the kind of punk I knew was happening somewhere in South Africa when I traveled through there. Make-Overs lay it on thick with a minimalist approach to rhythm and melody, piling on tons of reverb and a spooked vocals creating an irresistible mix of punk, blues and kraut-inspired psych for international consumption. As this is Heligator’s first international release, it is fitting that it comes from Pretoria, South Africa. Pretoria’s close proximity to the refugee camp in Swaziland brings it all back home a bit. All proceeds from your purchase directly to the continued maintence and existence of the Malindza Refugee Camp library in Mpaka, Swaziland.

WEBSITE

Mantile #027 – Culver – ‘Prophecy Of The Black Spider’ CS £5

Mantile #026 – Stephen Cornford – ‘SWF’ CS £5
Unprocessed stereo recordings of shortwave interference. #foundhnw

WEBSITE

Benjamin Finger – ‘The Bet’ LP
Sometimes you find a secret door in your house. It is usually behind the bookcase or under the Persian rug. That is where these types of doors like to live. You have to find the hidden lever or sometimes you have to pull just the right book out of that bookcase… Sometimes when you are traveling in the web of underground secret passages in your house, there are windows. Each window reveals a glimpse of some strange story in a loop—to be repeated again and again. You stare blankly for a minute, and then continue down the hallway of windows, realizing each window—no matter how absurd the image—makes for an epiphany of meaning. Only blurred, amorphous, dusty. Norway’s Frank Benjamin Finger’s music is a bit like when you finally find that secret door in your house. His extremely elegant and classical approach to collage and modern composition takes you on a journey through a secret passageway of windows. Unintelligible voices stroke your face. Like lucid dreaming—or perhaps even what it is like in waking life—it can be whatever you want it to be. Watery Starve Press’s first vinyl release, The Bet, is yet another profound and enigmatic work by Finger. As ever, Finger composes careful meditations, deeply influenced by classical themes, musique concrète, the oceans, the clouds, whispers and wintry forest creatures. These compositions, in particular, seem to be breathing exercises. Although blissful at times, there is an eeriness that never escapes, suggesting the darker landscapes of a beautiful dream. Another must-have gorgeous release by Finger, seemingly for the persons who want to remember how to breathe. Or perhaps for the dead love ones in distant, past lives. Sometimes we vaguely remember them and can make out their ghostly shapes. Music by Frank Benjamin Finger. Cello by Elling Finnanger Snofugl. Vocals on 1, 3, 8 by Inga-Lill Farstad and 6 by Lynn Fister. Black vinyl. Art on record cover by Christer Karlstad (front) and Lynn Fister (back, inner watercolor painted sleeve.) Mastered by James Plotkin. Edition of 333.

WEBSITE

Aught – ‘Elizabethan Collar’ C26
Clear c26 in 4×5″ clear poly bag. Edition of 100.

WEBSITE

SP-41 Yamaoka – ‘Silent Bridge’ CS
Mellow, yet frantic tracks from Japan’s Yamaoka. Ambient/Techno fusion, with transient noise. Neon flying objects hover the post-industrial city while the listener weaves through digital landscapes.

SP-42 Strom Noir – ‘Travel To A Human Heart’ CS
Four drifting ambient drones from Emil Maťko. Traveling the surface of the sun at slightly different speeds and densities with bright and positive energy. Meditative currents help you sail along the reflective grids.

WEBSITE

CLAY RENDERING – ‘fire is fall’s rose’ 7″
on the title track lonely guitar, voice, and accordion hang in an empty space that slowly closes in on itself and opens into a bombastic finale. The piano-centered hypnosis of “red roots” finishes things off under ghostly calm waves. like swans meets tor lundvall. edition of 300.

SHALLOW SANCTION 12″
debut release from london’s shallow sanction. a refreshing but authentic take on the lineage referencing bands such as early christian death, amebix, and conflict. shallow sanction rejects the otherwise ‘in the red’ and overly distorted approach of recent years for a more honest, stripped down and raw gothic punk sorely missing from many of their contemporaries. an aggressive, ‘only man left’ feel runs through the ep. an isolated and anthemic voice echo’s along cold rainy drums and bloody nose bass, accented by the unusual introduction of effects and smartly placed electronics along the way in an otherwise skeletal and frightfully nuts and bolts morbid punk sound. shallow sanction evokes a nihilistic, apocalyptic, youthful, urban mentality set in old london coiling in on itself. edition of 300.

LUSSURIA – immemorial – 2CS
superior drone ambient. edition of 65.

DUAL ACTION – ‘sex toys’ 2CS
crazy road beats. edition of 65.

VATICAN SHADOW – ‘death is unity with god’ 6CS
militant religious industrial. edition of 100.

WEBSITE

DB073 – This Active Dad – ‘The Last List’ $7 CS
Gross tropical pop infused with breathable rhythms and a crusted noise approach. Good for sensual nightmares. Limited to 25 copies.

WEBSITE

Wonton Soup – ‘Hot Dog’
WONTON SOUP’S debut EP ‘Hot Dog’ has been released on cassette on Sun Lips Records. The Oxnard, CA natives sound is reminiscent of old surf and modern punk/garage like FIDLAR and Wavves. Limited run of purple tapes.

WEBSITE