‘Light Poured Out of Our Bones’ is the first collaboration of electro-scene veterans Aaron Martin and Justin Wright. Five tracks of cosmic psychedelic, if that ain’t too redundant for you, spelled-out over 40 breezy minutes. Though the title might suggest a more maximal, wall-like sound (I seem to recall something with a similar title coming from Aidan Baker a few years back), the image of light pouring from bones is less forthcoming from these methodical and delicately-paced tracks. Wright provides a vision-swirl of synthesized soot like galactic images, familiar to his work as Expo 70 – if toned-down significantly for the sake of sharing the dialog. Martin, conversely, brings with him an array of instruments and the sounds they conform, which contrast beautifully against the crackle and hum of the synthesizer drone. While the mass of the sonic materials appears to come from Wright’s patches, there are austere little leads monogrammed here and there which really trump the interaction at stake: the Steven R. Smithian guitar riff of “Brush Fire”, twanging-off a suspended jag of metallic distortion; the gothic organ of “Sleep Threaded into Ashes” transitioned starkly into a tight jangle of strings; and the saw of cello de-masked as a knobby chord from behind a shimmer of bowls and ringing tones. In between, it’s very much Expo 70, particularly “Moon Smoke” which in its entirety could well have been excerpted from Wright’s Sonic Mediations label. As a finale, the 11-minute title-track goes for broke, seeming to integrate every sound of the disc – at times, all at once – in an exceedingly-electrified jubilee of synth loops, punched up with arrhythmic shaker percussion inducing trails over the hot buzz. Something of a residue of debut collaborations, such kitchen sink tracks feel like the final “fuck it” of a sitting. These often taste of regret when sequels appear. This is a pair slotted for some such regret. The sixth and final installment for the series Circa 2011, preferably not the final from this duo. 300 copies on pro-press CDs with heavy paper inserts. Recommended.
Preservation CD
$14.5
HERE
You were right — it was impossible for us to stay away for long. So here’s one final tape before Stunned is out the door for good. We’re thrilled to have been unexpectedly given a chance to produce this years-in-the-making split between Portland brothers Plankton Wat and Super Minerals. Side A commences with four season-inspired songs by Plankton Wat that calm the tides of the mind and prepares a scene of tranquil Pangea. Nectar flavored spirals of guitar, flute, percussion, and banjo drip forth as dusk falls, and nocturnal creatures gather to listen from the edges of Dewey Mahood’s glowing camp. Side B finds M. Geddes Gengras & Caitlin C. Mitchell doubling Super Minerals’ size and sound, joining in deep Green Machines Studio icaros-weaving. Winds, guitar, and drums twist into thick vines, fueled by mighty herbal allies and Third-Ear harmonics which plunge the band toward a blazing red dawn. Final edition of 111 pro-dubbed & imprinted c40 tapes with double-sided jcard and insert.
It’s been a few beats since Hive Mind last surfaced. In fact it’s been rather quiet all around for Greh Holger (Cleanse, Black Sand Desert, Chondritic Sound boss). In spite of the austerity of Holger’s mission, it is this lapse which underscores the Hive Mind project in its newest instantiation, ‘Elemental Disgrace’. Released by new Editions Mego imprint Spectrum Spools (based in Austria though operated by fellow Midwesterner John Elliott from Emeralds), and in an edition of 600 proper LPs, the new digs do Holger no favors, where his synthesized sounds of organic ugly easily consume whatever framing is imposed by colored vinyl, glossy sleeves, or logos. Even the fidelity of this heightened production is lost on these two side-long tracks, which would likely be suited just as well to a cassette or lathe. That’s not to say that the recording’s rich colors, depth of field, and sharp separation isn’t appreciated; rather, the sound is simply the independent variable, which restructures any additions to its own totalizing force. These two sidelong tracks (parts “I” and “II”) add up to just over a half hour, begin in medias res, and end with a brief fadeout. The sound is familiar Hive Mind territory to be sure – deep, motoric churning, chirping loops, maximal vibration – the general effect that perfected impression of being swallowed into the earth. Yet ‘Elemental Disgrace’ somehow appears a little less hostile than previous recordings. Where formerly it seemed as though the sounds conspired against the listener, like they were somehow sentient (if very, very primitive), it now appears the sound is indifferent – fatal for sure, but no longer on the hunt but self-destructing. Though recorded in pieces of less than average Hive Mind length, perhaps this altered impression comes from the diversity of sounds fit into this single survey. Given the velocity of oscillation, the fly-over effect particularly of side A offers a grander, molecular/macro contrast to the former concentration on monadic figures emerging from the spinning filth. This is an overly-impressionistic listening to be sure, but perhaps the only way of wrapping one’s head around the complexities of this noise.