Important

ELEH – ‘Retreat, Return, Repose’ 3CD
This deluxe 3 CD set presents Eleh’s Retreat, Return & Repose together for the first time. The LPs were originally only available
via Important Records mailorder. Mastered for the digital domain.

AKI ONDA – ‘CASSETTE MEMORIES VOLUME 3’ CD
“South of The Border is the third installment of my Cassette Memories album series. All field recordings were taped in Mexico, a country I’ve had a special fondness for since I was a little child. My first memory was watching photographs and Super-8 films my father shot in Mexico City from his time there during the 1968 Summer Olympics, where he competed as a member of the Japanese national hockey team……..” Aki Onda

WEBSITE

Not Not Fun

RITES WILD – ‘WAYS OF BEING’ LP
adelaide, australia’s stacey wilson has been constructing shadowy echoplexxed swoon songs for a few years now and ever since we heard her self-released tape EPs she’s been a household favorite. /WOB /collects the choices gems from these OOP vaults, plus a couple unreleased cuts, for the perfect introduction to her enveloping soundworld.

PROFLIGATE – ‘VIDEOTAPE’ 12″
noah anthony’s latest burned mind industrial overload alias is also far and away his best. /Videotape/ captures 2 eerie, sprawling, horizon-jamming drum machine/synth epics, the perfect follow up to last month’s /Come Follow Me/ LP. direct orderers get a home-dubbed tape of Profligate remixes.

ROCHE – ‘A NIGHT AT THE HAÇ’ 12″
san fran old-schooler unspools longform zombie brainwash acid with all analog gear. deep house infinities.

EZLV – ‘SELFISH BEAT’ 12″
french-canadian duo splits the diff between malvoeaux and sound stream strategies: pumping twisted disco edits, half glitter domed, half end-of-the-night melancholy.

MAGIC TOUCH + SAPPHIRE SLOWS – ‘JUST WANNA FEEL’ 12″
excellent style-marriage between magic t’s unifying house anthems and casio chanteuse sapphire slows’ faded metropolis vocal hooks. plus a dark atmospheric I:Cube remix, and a magic touch dub. one of the silkiest SILKs to date, no doubt.

VERTICAL67 – ‘SOULMATES’ CS
awesome collection of woozy, memory-haunted electronics by this versatile berlin producer. shades of acid sparkle, nostalgia ambience, and rubbery robot dancefloor magic.

WEBSITE 

Moon Glyph

Leisure Birds – ‘Globe Master’ LP+7” $12
From a heavenly body appears “Globe Master”, the second full-length from Minneapolis sci-fi garage quartet Leisure Birds. Executed as a concept record “Globe Master” follows the journey of an unknown entity from the outermost dimensions of the galaxy to its eventual fall & transcendence to Earth. Enter the “Silver Runner”, the namesake of the entity’s mode of transport, which begins the pilgrimage with a propulsion of synthetic loops, skyward keys & slinking bass lines. Expansive in scope, we encounter the deep-distant desert jam of “Egyptian Ring”, the sublime, harkening call of “Osiris” & the powerfully cosmic, heady whirl of the finale, “Globe Master”. “Sonvs Universvm”, the 7″ epilogue, presents an array of planetary tones in remembrance of our being’s journey. On our 45th release Moon Glyph is ecstatic to unveil Leisure Bird’s grand evolution. “Ceres Fall. Saturn Shatter. Fall To Earth. Rise Globe Master.” Ed. of 500.

Halasan Bazar – ‘How To Be Ever Happy’ CS $5
Surfacing from Copenhagen comes the baroque psychedelia of Halasan Bazar. Fronted by the wistful crooning & natural songwriting of Fredrik Rollum Eckhoff, the group builds dreamy, pastoral tunes sonically fitted between ’60s folk, AM pop & heaven-gazing psych. Armed with an abundance of instruments & sonics, the complex soundscapes of “How To Be Ever Happy” explore themes of alienation, love & the inner-battle. The slow, strumming genesis of “Figure It Out” matures into a blossoming of circular guitars & deep-seated hooks. On an album of ne’er-ending gems, “Mountaintops” stands out with its lush arrangements, sun-kissed guitars & infectious, buoyant harmonies. A brilliant new voice is here in Halasan Bazar & “How To Be Ever Happy” marks their great metamorphosis. Ed. of 150.

Dead Luke – ‘God Takes LSD’ CS $5
Following last years “Meanwhile… In The Midwest” LP, Dead Luke returns with his newest creation of blazed visions, murky blues riffs & deep fuzz with a cassette christened “God Takes LSD”. After the tab hits your tongue, the hues of opener “Oh My Lord Can’t Help” bloom with a rich psychedelic tapestry. Humbly beginning with a slow bass groove to ultimately peak as vocals loop and the guitars are set ablaze. Complementary to this is “I Loved”, a sunny pop tune with double-backed vocals & a jangled garage force. Eclectic by nature, “God Takes LSD” pulls out the stops with a ferocious live jaunt, trippy synth fields, atheist jams & barn-burning renditions of future-classics. Under the star-spangled midnight sky, Dead Luke salutes you. Ed. of 150.

Treasure Hunt – ‘Toys Unatic’ CS $5
Treasure Hunt is the moniker of Myles Byrne-Dunhill, a psychedelic collagist residing in Dallas, Texas. His newest release & debut for Moon Glyph, “Toys Unatic” is an eclectic expanse of kaleidoscopic brushstrokes, emanating the warmth of morning’s first light. The opener “One Fungi” contains loosely sewn elements that cascade into an aqueous, disorienting composition. This album fleshes out his personal sonic palette of organic sampling, plucked strings, earthy reverberations and transportive jazz. The result is a most joyous sound. Let Treasure Hunt’s vibrant odyssey affect your judgment and mold your psyche. Ed. of 150.

Tara King th. – ‘Uncolored Past (Part I & II)’ CS $5
With a swirling baroque fervor, Tara King th. reveal “Uncolored Past (Part I & II)”. Released in conjunction as two companion EPs, “Uncolored Past” crafts a wide swath of Parisian psychedelic pop held together by Beatrice’s spell-inducing vocals. It combines a Super 8 style of glowing warmth, a spaghetti-western drive & nuanced, succulent instrumentation – ranging from Farfisa organs, flutes, harpsichords, soft strings, vibes & a bevy of synthesized keys. On “Long Time No See” the group harnesses their penchant for contemplative songwriting & their truly blissful melodic scope. With great adoration, Moon Glyph is pleased to release Tara King th’s newest pop incantation. Ed. of 150.

various – ‘Opal Vol.I & II’ DL
A free, digital compilation of Moon Glyph artists circa 2012. All fresh, exclusive tunes for this collection. Comprised of 2 halves, 26 tracks & over 2 hours of music, “Opal Vol.I & II” spans the diverse psychedelic gamut we’ve been fostering since inception.

WEBSITE

Sound of Cobra

Plankton Wat – ‘Mirror Lake’ LP
Plankton Wat is the solo musical project of Dewey Mahood, also known as the guitar player of the amazing ETERNAL TAPESTRY. After several records on interesting labels as Stunned, Digitalis and Thrill Jockey PlanktonWat present with this 12″ onesided 5 songs of rare beauty. The coordinates of his sound are kosmische drones, spiritual improvisation, burnt out psych, and sun baked folk. Mahood plays different instruments and drives the listeners in a psychedelic thoughtful travel with his warm harmonies and the relaxing deep style of his guitar. The sound reflects the inspiration of artists like Jack Rose, John Fahey, Agitation Free, Sandy Bull and Brian Eno just to quote some of them. Mirror Lake comes out as a limited edition of 300 copies 12″ onesided pressed on 180 gr.

WEBSITE 

Merzbow/Actuary – ‘Freak Hallucinations’ [Review]

Sick and tired of that flood of only children into Harsh Noise?  If you were ever looking for a bunch of guys who know how to share, consider Actuary: not only are they plural (on ‘Freak Hallucinations’ they are five), they seem unable to release a disc without splitting it in half for a friend.  Today’s friend is a friend of ours, Masami Akita, the Merzbow hisself.  What the two artists share here is four ample doses of good vibes, as the title implies.  Recently hit by a hurricane, my home and I are newly acquainted with actuaries, who read risk and compensation from some magical golden tablets of “value”.  Actuary, it turns out, is of similar spirits, appearing across their three tracks as methodical, turn-taking, business casual, and generous with the humor – like a Harsher version of To Live and Shave in L.A.  Their titles evoke surreal witticisms (“Only Ghosts Hate New Things”), illiterary tongue-in-cheek (“Inhuman Bondage”), and sheer absurdity (“Ritual Embrace”).  They skate across these three groove sets in escalation from playful home brew sampling with half-speed background feedback (think Throbbing Gristle, Amps for Christ, or younger projects like Scissor Death), to a rather vile power electronics delivery with strained vocals and oscillations (in the vein of Bastard Noise) – but with an editorial distance and the foregrounding of a rhythmic vibe which swells low and steady thru the piece, loping-off its edge like a scotch.  From five men sounding one thread to one man sounding the whole knotted mess: Merzbow’s side-long “Sugamo Flower Festival” sounds an optimistic thrash of watery highs and muted lows, well-suited to the separation of the vinyl’s mastering.  In many ways a more relaxed Akita, the piece strolls the festival, encountering a diversity of organic forms, but never straying from the rhythm of the garden promenade; brassy, horny shapes appear in solo against the wisp and white-static of the atmosphere, and pass with equal pacing.  In the closing moments, consumer electronics emerge from the electronic rabble to sing a chorus of their own, suggesting we’ve crossed a boundary in the exhibition area, or the flowers have pollenated the receptors with their heady charm.   Now, the average career artist could be said to experience three or four creative “eras”, allotted to as many albums in each; Merzbow is more like eight or ten albums, but in roughly the time it takes others to get a single disc out.  So though it is possible to speak of Merzbow “eras” without sounding totally insane, you’re really not supposed to, and even he would give up the joke if it meant dissuading one from doing so.  Instead, it’s simply worth noting that Akita’s ongoing studies of Japan’s pantheistic flora and fauna have brought the artist around to a new perspective on the world, perhaps officiating the next zeitgeist for Noise with friends like Actuary.  Heavy, marbled black LPs come in a thick sleeve with art by Actuary’s Kevin Fetus.

Obfuscated/Love Earth Music LP
$10
HERE

Sincope

SIN018 – JUSTIN MARC LLOYD – ‘funeral’ 3″CDr 5€
JUSTIN MARC LLOYD is a noise exerimental musician from Baltimora. For several years pursuing solo projects and many collaborations (Pregnant Spore, Ghost Volcano, Dementia and Hope Trails, Ok Putrid… ecc) Funeral is composed by 4 track of synth disturbing, odd drones, tape manipulation and broken noises. great dynamics and intelligent composition. Artwork by truculentboy. hand-painted cdr. Limited to 50 hand-numbered copies.

SIN019 – BRUITAL ORGASME C30  5€
Bruital Orgasme is a belgian noise experimental duo. With a very personal approach they mix harsh, ambient, drone, electronics, being able to create a very special sound. A very nice sound, unexpected and conceptually granitic, ready to hit the listener in every step. The side A is composed by height micro compositions that enhance their experimental side while the B side is a one long track. Pictures by Philippe Cavaliere, layouot by truculentboy. Limited to 50 hand-numbered copies.

SIN020 – COMPOUNDEAD – ‘cutting your certainty’ CDr 5€
Compoundead is a noise drone experimental duo from Italy.  “Cuttin Your Certainty” is a 3 tracks cdr of drone, ambient, cold minimalist approach, bare electronics and few industrial noise assaults. Artwork by truculentboy. silkscreened cdr.  Limited to 66 hand-numbered copies.

SIN021 – CRYSTAL PLUMAGE – ‘night conference’ C30 5€
Crystal Plumage is a collaboration duo of Benjamin L. Aman (guitars and electronics) and Sean F. Barrett (electronics & synth).  “Night Conference” encloses a hollow and nocturnal sound. Minimalist guitars, slow pulse, object and leaden drones. Great minimalist composition very evocative and suggestive. Limited to 50 hand-numbered copies.

SIN022 – NODOLBY  – ‘Deranged/unlaced’ C23  5€
Nodolby is Michele Scariot from Italy, Dokuro Records boss.  “Deranged” on side A is composed with tapes and delays, very intensive dynamics and and great noises frequencies. “Unlaced” on the side B is an charming and engaging acoustic composition. Drawing by Valerio Beltrame,  layout by truculentboy. Limited to 50 hand-numbered copies.

WEBSITE

Phase!

PHR-96 NEDERLAGET – ‘To Feil Er Bedre Enn En Rett’ C20
New superstar death-duo by the northern sound assassins Sindre Bjerga & Lasse Marhaug. Their first proper release (so proper that has been “recorded at the best studio in Oslo”, as stated in the release credits) contains 20 minutes of freezing cold electronic (non) music, which hardly restrains from exploding in your face in the most brutal way you could imagine. It is, indeed, a fine balancing act of accurate controlled power cut-ups from hands who don’t need to prove anything or, at the very most, raise the middle finger. Bravely. Edition of 100 tapes w/ on-body printing housed in vividly printed photo j-card.

PHR-95 PHIL MINTON & DYLAN NYOUKIS – ‘Live in Athens’ 1-sided LP
“it was in dhalgren that i had read about a father getting fired, and who trying not to depress his family about it, wakes up every day, shaves, dresses himself up, has breakfast and leaves for his “work”. where does his spent his almost 8 to 10 hours? a mystery. perhaps crying on a park’s bench or drinking or whatever. however, there are times when reality creates even more dystopian images than those in sam delaney’s aforementioned opus… it was through such events that our interest in the human voice was brought again forward, and it was upon a discussion on the instruments that we might fancy to hear after the quake of our mechanized world, that we decided on the human voice. it was something that evolved naturally, as since the depression’s outbreak, little by little we’ve started digging recordings of the human voice (voice as the original instrument to quote joan la barbara’s classic recording). so when the idea of setting up a live set focused only on the human voice came up, the names of phil minton and dylan nyoukis were thrown on the table immediately and without hesitation we invited them for what turned out to be one the most physical and vital live sets we had set up for a looong time. a set of vocal pirouettes and juxtapositions between dylan and phil which send us flying for almost half an hour that night at the basement of knot gallery and once again fueled our enthusiasm for adventure and quest. besides this, it turned into a great opportunity for 3 fellow conceptualists (ourselves) to collaborate on something they fancied and out of their enthusiasm this document is being released.” Nicolas Malevitsis, October 2012. Numbered edition of 300, w/ screenprinted covers designed and printed by MPA Designs.  Co-released w/ Πτώματα κάτω απ’ το Κρεβάτι & Mafia.

PHR-94 FLESH CANDY – ‘Neither So Big, Nor So Lovely’ C40
Flesh Candy (a.k.a. Aris Stathis) breaks Phase!’s cherry on almost digestive, almost noise-free, pop music w/ his Dutch immigrant cut-up electronica blues. And it is a hard fist up in the air (and in the behind) ’cause i can’t really recall the time i’ve enjoyed that much of a ‘straight’ record. Dance yourself off to the daft-punked leftism, take a breath w/ the haiku jingles and let the bloodshed roll on the underground dancefloor as this debut full-length from a long time –even before its beginning– Phase! associate and blood brother urges you to. Edition of 50 copies on vintage looking cassettes w/ full-color double-sided folded A4 artwork.

WEBSITE

Omnimemento

Juppala Kaapio – ‘Rewound Groves’ CD
Fake fur, card stock, hand printed silkscreen, offset.  Limited to 123 copies (numbered).

WEBSITE

Tamed

MARSH CAVERN – ‘2’ CS 5€
This is the second Marsh Cavern physical release. “2″ presents 6 tracks from two different recording sessions at Studio Chaudelande. Marsh Cavern is only a guitar, a heavy guitar with unexpected structures. Of course it takes its source where heavy sounds are used, but no really “rock” layout here. Marsh Cavern sounds more like an exploration into a cold landscape or like a strange telling.  A story with its own image and sentence. “2″ is a good example that minimalism can bring intensity and range. This is a pro dubbed tape with printed slipcase, CS 70 program repeated on both sides. Sleeve illustrated by Félicia Atkinson.

WEBSITE

Creation Through Destruction/Black Leather Jesus split [Review]

This split from Lithuanian Noise label Terror suggests via one-sheet that this is a release “of pure harsh noise,” “for purists.”  The two uses of purity are worth qualifying, as the stream of harsh noise albums has yet to slow – at least to a significant degree – and demand some reflection on their persistence.  But first, the basics: the four tracks provided come from the new project by Serbia’s Creation Through Destruction (Alex of the prolific Dead Body Collection) and Texan Richard Ramirez’s collaborative community Black Leather Jesus.  Each track is over ten minutes, and the whole disc presents a respectable 50 minutes of material.  I’ll mention the titles here – “Uncertainty Principle,” “Stellar Magnetic Field,” “Stall Exhibitionists,” and “Bearfighter” – though they offer zero insight, and their evocation is meant only to jumpstart the dialectic of harsh noise into activity.  There is no doubt this is harsh noise as we’ve come to know it historically: a wall of high-frequency cacophony almost white for its density, each piece is nearly static, filling the spectrum from dull to piercing.  Taken alone, while a dominant and objective definition of harsh noise, this does not necessarily indicate its purity – something semiotic.  Nor does it pass unproblematic from the other side, as defined by the circumscribed “purists” who have the authority to assign authenticity – something institutional.  Rather, it is the phenomenal listening experience that I am interested in – something practical – by which I think this disc can best be qualified as pure harsh noise.  As described above, the sound encoded to the disc is “pure” as in “raw material,” nearly authorless in its static nature, and composed only by the physical limits of the disc: mine is slightly melted, and therefore concave, skipping as it chafes the CD player’s cradle.  The gaps provided by the buffering of the disc provide erratic absences and recoveries, against which the truly indeterminate blasts of noise emerge (that is, a blast-ness which would not result were I to stream the disc direct, without the errors).  The few skips which result in the outermost and initial moments provides plenty of tension for the remainder of the listen, where few if any gaps appear: mastered to an obscene volume, there is no turning it down without turning it off.  This very hands-off of the author, this non-moral, nihilistic release, purifies the situation by reducing it to a listening choice of the listener, who confronts the situation as it appears and not as an ideal, mystified, impure scenario of spectatorship.  In light of this, the “purist” is co-constituted, hearing the sounds in situ, and then, continuing to listen to that demiurge of harsh noise.  Edition of 300 copies in jewelcase with booklet.

Terror CD
$15
HERE