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VITAL WEEKLY
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number 579
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week 22
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Vital Weekly, the webcast: we offering a
weekly webcast, freely to download. This can be regarded as the
audio-supplement to Vital Weekly. Presented as a radioprogramm
with excerpts of just some of the CDs (no vinyl or MP3) reviewed.
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* noted are in this week's podcast
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SIGNAL QUINTET - YAMAGUCHI (CD by Cut)
ELLEN FULLMAN & SEAN MEEHAN (CD by Cut) *
GORDON MONAHEN - THEREMIN IN THE RAIN (CD by C3R)
FORMICATION - ICONS FOR A NEW RELIGION (CD by Lumberton Trading
Company) *
HATI - 100% RECYCLED SOUND INSTALLATION (CD by Eter) *
ALOG - AMATEUR (CD by Rune Grammofon) *
PHILIP BIMSTEIN - LARKIN GIFFORD,S HARMONICA (CD by Starkland)
KTL - 2 (CD by Editions Mego) *
FEAR FALLS BURNING & NADJA (CD by Conspiracy Records) *
UNIT 21 - DISLOCATION (CD by Lagunamuch)
HEIZUNG RAUM 318 (CD by 1000 Füssler)
PISTOL DISCO - RADIATION (CD by Celebrity Lifestyle Records)
KOMPJOTR EPLETRIKA - DARRK CIRCUITS FADEAD WAVES (CD by Celebrity
Lifestyle Records) *
MAEROR TRI - AMBIENT DREAMS (CD by Beta-lactam Ring Records) *
TARAB - WIND KEEPS EVEN DUST AWAY (CD by 23Five Incorporated)
*
TIM CAITLIN - RADIO GHOSTS (CD by 23Five Incorporated)
SIX TWILIGHTS (CD/DVD by Own Records) *
HENRY KUNTZ - WAYANG SAXOPHONY SHADOW SAXOPHONE (CD by Humming
Bird Records) *
GRAHAM LAMBKIN - SALMON RUN (CD by Kye)
UNDERGROUNDED (CD compilation Fateless Flows)
STEVE RODEN - DARK OVER LIGHT EARTH (CD by Moca) *
STEVE RODEN - ONE STONE AND ARCS AND EARS (7" by Disques
Ades)
B12 - PRACTOPIA (12" by B12 Records)
B12 - SLOPE (12" by B12 Records)
WÄLDCHENGARTEN - BLACK RABBIT (CDR by 8K Mob)
UBEBOET - SPECTRA (CDR by Twenty Hertz)
EMBRACING THE GLASS/HASLAM (CDR by Cohort Records)
JOE FRAWLEY - TANGERINE (CDR, private) *
ALFREDO COSTA MONTEIRO - ALLOTROPIE (CDR by Bourbaki Records)
THE STRATO ENSEMBLE - DRAWN STRAWS (CDR by Fateless)
PRESTON - AESPATIA (CDR by Boltfish Recordings)
MONOLAB - THE GIRL WHO FOUND THE BABY BALLOON (CDR by Droning
On Records)
MIXTURIZER + PHIL TARR & FRIENDS - COLLABORATION (CDr by R.O.N.F.)
MASONIC YOUTH/SLOP CAKE SPLIT (CDr by De Hondenkoekjesfabriek)
FCKN'BSTRDS/RANCID SHIT WANK SPLIT (CDr by De Hondenkoekjesfabriek)
YY - ... DA BALCONI DO FANTASMA (CDR by Rumpus Records)
VISTECLARO - COSMOSONORO 1 & 2 (2CDR by Rumpus Records)
MORAL CRAYFISH - MOUTH OF THE DOG (CDR by Rumpus Records)
SIGNAL QUINTET - YAMAGUCHI (CD by Cut)
ELLEN FULLMAN & SEAN MEEHAN (CD by Cut)
It's a bit unclear what happened in Yamaguchi in 2006, when a
bunch of Swiss people landed. So far we already reviewed two CDs
of improvisational work, and here it's under the banner of Signal
Quintet that they perform some more music. The Quintet was founded
in 2004 by Jason Kahn to get his graphic score 'Timelines' (see
Vital Weekly 464), but that was still as Jason Kahn. Now in a
formal way a group, it features five of the six original players
(Steinbrüchel wasn't there): Thomas Korber (guitar, electronics),
Norbert Möslang (cracked everyday electronics), Günter
Müller (mini disc, ipod, electronics), Steinbrüchel
(laptop), Christian Weber (contrabass) and Kahn on analog synthesizer
and percussion. Many electronics at play here, but the acoustic
side of the matter is of equal importance. They blend here together
in quite a natural manner. Huge clouds of sounds stroll by, with
electric charges as well as mild explosions of bass strumming
and guitar sounds. Quite vivid music that never derails. Each
of the players is aware of their role in the bigger picture, holding
back when necessary or full on when needed. Great CD, one that
fits the For4 Ears Records' 'Signal To Noise' CDs of recent.
It's been ages since I last heard music by Ellen Fullman (in fact,
there may never have been a review of her work in Vital Weekly),
but upon hearing this new work, it feels like common territory.
Fullman plays long string instruments, up to 20 metres. Here however
they are a bit shorter, 14 metres, which she plays with her fingers.
The high and low pitched, long sustaining sounds form a nice floating
mass of sounds. Here she plays an all improvised duet with Sean
Meehan, who plays the snare drum with cymbals, and on this recording
he plays it with a dowel and a friction. The three lengthy pieces
here are covered with overtones, slowly humming and reverberating
(all in a natural manner of course, as this is an all acoustic
recording with no electronics). It's entirely unclear how Meehan
gets his instrument to resonate in such a similar beautiful manner,
but once floating away, I don't think I really care how. Along
the lines of Paul Panhuysen's long string installations of the
mid eighties, this is a true beauty. Here too one could argue
nothing much changed over the years, but since it's been so long
since we last heard from Fullman that we can forgive her. Great
CD.
Address: http://cut.fm
GORDON MONAHEN - THEREMIN IN THE RAIN (CD
by C3R)
Ideas. Ideas and concepts are the fundaments of the work of composer
Gordon Monahen. In my book he's still best known for his excellent
piece 'Speaker Swinging' and for collecting campy music. Other
works I must admit I don't know that well, so this new CD comes
as a surprise. Here on 'Theremin In The Rain', the concept is
rather simple: have a bunch of sound producing sculptures and
the resonant frequencies are picked up by a theremin. The computer
part, the midi in the game, is set to trigger the sculptures rather
than to process the outcome. This brings us a highly curious CD.
On one hand there is the sound of objects playing sounds, such
as water drops on steel plates, strings, motors playing strings
but also the clear sound of the theremin, making it's sweeps and
oscillations. These are not all heard together. In each piece
a certain quality is investigated. Despite the hectic and nervous
character of some of the pieces, such as 'When It Rains', the
tone is overall minimal. Slow changes, despite all the hectic,
are quite important. Monahen knows how to make a highly varied
work of different moods and settings for his instruments. Partly
musique concrete in approach (save for the fact that he doesn't
use a load of different electronics), there is also an element
of structured music in this work, with semi-ethnic like percussion
popping up here and there. This makes this a highly fascinating
work, and one could only imagine what it looks like. It would
certainly make a great concert. Still a pioneer! (FdW)
Address: http://www.c3r.ca
FORMICATION - ICONS FOR A NEW RELIGION (CD
by Lumberton Trading Company)
The previous releases by Formication came to us in the form of
a CDR and MP3 (see Vital Weekly 537 and 560), but here Alec Bowman
and Kingsley Ravenscroft present their first real CD, and also
the first one they don't release themselves. It sees them however
in a similar territory as before. They take their influences as
far back as the seventies, Ash Ra Temple and Tangerine Dream,
via Throbbing Gristle towards Coil and minimal dance beat music
of say Porter Ricks and the ambience of Pete Namlook. All of what
you can think of as trademark sounds for these bands are present
in the music of Formication. It's not music that is crafted together
to make a very coherent and well structured time based sound,
but it's more music for a mood. A dark, atmospheric mood, with
chanting like monks, pseudo tribal rhythms and deep ambient synthesizer
patterns. At times too ritualistic for my taste, but that seems
to me to be the most essential part of this music. I can enjoy
the more musical outings of Formication, but they head for a world
that is not my world. It's nice at times, but perhaps not too
well spend on me. (FdW)
Address: http://www.lumbertontrading.com
HATI - 100% RECYCLED SOUND INSTALLATION
(CD by Eter)
Polish metal music (in the most literary sense of the word) musicians
Hati have already released a bunch of CDRs and toured quite a
bit, including various concerts with z'ev. On '100% Recycled Sound
Installation' they do not necessarily present one or more pieces
of music, but the results of a sound installation of some kind.
It's been written in the booklet, but a visual component would
have been nice, rather than the somewhat badly reproduced pictures
in the booklet. These metallic constructions are played by hand
or by mechanical objects. Only in the long 'Barrels III' we get
the idea that things are played manually. In the other pieces
things sound a bit more mechanical (perhaps I am entirely wrong
here). The music is less based on electronic, if any at all, and
the lack of reverb to create those artificial overtones is also
not really present, which makes this into quite an enjoyable CD
of atmospheric metal percussion music. Not with the similar power
of some of the early z'ev work, but more on a meditative level,
which works quite nice. (FdW)
Address: http://www.hati.info
ALOG - AMATEUR (CD by Rune Grammofon)
Music by Alog have never ceased to amaze me. The duo of Espen
Sommer Eide and Dag-Are Haugan have by now released a bunch of
works on Melektronikk, Smalltown Supersound and En/Of, and here
return with a strange CD, once again. Apparently 'it was recorded
on various locations in the western and northern parts of Norway,
often using instruments found or built for the sole purpose of
this recording', which is something that is hard to believe. But
'these sessions were subsequently worked on in the studio to bring
out the unique spirit of the 'Amateur'. In the post-production
world of the studio anything is possible, I then think. To describe
the music of Alog is not easy, but 'amateur' is a good description,
in the most positive sense of the word. 'Childlike' and 'naive'
are two others that fit the description quite well. There are
hints of minimal music, microsound, folk and improvisation - and
perhaps any category in between these that could be applied to
the music of Alog. They play their instruments (whatever lost
and found they might be) like children, not banging around but
with a curious interest in seeing what a sound does. Carefully
as not make too many sounds. Beautiful electronic sound scapes,
with interesting electro-acoustic sounds here and there. Very
nice. Once again. (FdW)
Address: http://www.runegrammofon.com
PHILIP BIMSTEIN - LARKIN GIFFORD,S HARMONICA
(CD by Starkland)
Bimstein is a composer from Utah, presenting his second cd for
Starkland. The first one, "Garland Hirschi's Cows",
was widely acclaimed a few years ago. So what will be the lucky
number for this new one. Bimstein is a composer of very accessible
post-minimal 'classical' chamber music. His compositions are very
melodic and uplifting. In no way Bimstein wants it to make difficult
for his listeners. No problem for me, but alas the works are that
simple, that most of them just take too much time. After a few
minutes you know what is going on, and it starts to bore. But
maybe I'm missing something. The works are played by three different
small ensembles: Sierra Winds, a wind quintet; Equinox Chamber
Players and the Abramyan String Quartet. Besides Bimstein makes
use of sampled sounds and voices. This goes together very well
in most pieces. Like in "Casino" were a wind quartet
is combined with sounds that come from gamble machines. Most compositions
have a strong narrative structure. On 'Casino' we hear a voice
telling a story that ends up in the conclusion that gambling is
very much like religion. Its this story that seems to determine
the length of the work. For 'Half Moon at Checkerboard Mesa' Bimstein
recorded several animals living in a National Park in the neighborhood
of Bimstein,s place. These natural sounds are accompanied here
by the oboe-playing of Stephen Calan. In general, his music has
a charming lightness over it, reminding me in some way of the
music of the Residents. Especially in a piece like 'The Bushy
Wushy Rag' where Bimstein cites themes and riffs from other songs,
etc. The title track is based on the harmonica playing of Larkin
Gifford. Recorded and deconstructed by Bimstein. He met Gifford
while campaigning for mayor. You don't hear that often as the
beginning of a musical collaboration! The voice of Larkin is also
included in the composition, diving up memories from the past.
It makes the piece like a tribute or personal portrait. Without
doubt this is the most personal piece on this cd, but the least
interesting for my ears. Again, Bimstein offers some very melodic
compositions. But what are his musical pretentions? I find it
hard to judge this obvious ironic and humourfull music. Only Bimstein,
leader of the new wave band Phil 'n' the Blanks in an earlier
life, can fill in these blanks... (DM)
Address: http://www.starkland.com
KTL - 2 (CD by Editions Mego)
Of course I heard of KTL, the new union of Stephen O'Malley of
Sunn 0))) and Peter Rehberg, but their first CD didn't make it
into Vital Weekly. On the '2' they continue their work with recordings
made in a former abattoir and a 16th century manor and some of
the pieces were used for the theatre piece 'Kindertotenlieder'
by Gisele Vienne and Dennis Cooper. Rehberg behind his laptop
and O'Malley with his guitar - both are highly skilled musicians,
who certainly know how to craft an interesting piece of music.
Four long pieces of four different approaches to the word 'drone'
I'd say. Held back in 'Game', whereas in 'Theme' they go full
on open in a wall of sound approach, through a steaming mix of
psychedelic guitar sound and sizzling electronics. Highly minimal,
but also very effective. In 'Abattoir' things are taken a bit
further through an even more extensive brick of feedback, which
is all about fuzz and distortion, but it's the weakest brother
of the four. In 'Snow' things fall to the floor - metaphorically
speaking - with some highly charged electrical fuzz and a deeply
haunting and spooky piece is the result - perhaps the strongest
sister here. It's quite a tour de force this one - again. KTL
is like a match made in heaven - but did we expect otherwise?
Address: http://www.editionsmego.com
FEAR FALLS BURNING & NADJA (CD by Conspiracy Records)
So far the works of Nadja didn't blow me
away. Their two CDs are alright, but perhaps not made for me.
Outsider metal, heavy weight stoner rock. Here Aidan Baker and
Leah Buckareff team up for the second time with Dirk Serries,
whose career of Vidna Obmana seems to be forgotten and it's Fear
Falls Burning all around. They already produced a LP together
(see Vital Weekly 537) and there is a straight line from that
one to this new CD. Four tracks, all clocking at some fifteen
minutes. I am not entirely sure how this record was made. I know
Fear Falls Burning love for straight recordings, and Nadja uses
the studio. Maybe this is the result of a postal/internet audio
exchange, but for the same matter they just teamed up together.
I must I enjoyed this better than Nadja on their own. The music
is less muddy, yet still forceful and loud but there is space
for hearing instruments as it is supposed to be. Drums play an
important feature, more important it seems that in the recent
Nadja release, and the opening of the third piece is even calm
and relaxing - the Dirk influence I think. It's still not really
my cup of tea this one, but it's best I heard so far of this lot.
(FdW)
Address: http://www.conspiracyrecords.com
UNIT 21 - DISLOCATION (CD by Lagunamuch)
Lagunamuch is one of the interesting Russian labels, judging by
the few releases I heard from them. Their artists don't dabble
in industrial or gothic, which I guess to be a good thing. Unit
21 could, name-wise be mistaken for an industrial or gothic act,
is one Stanislav Vdovin, who plays music since 2003, mainly doing
techno and house remixes, and later 'non dance solo albums'. For
'November' he uses 'looped micro samples from soviet vinyl records,
home microphone recording, drum pattern and processed white noise'.
Although this CD is indexed with seven tracks, which are all quite
different from each other, it listens as one pleasant, mildly
experimental piece of music. At the first the static crackles
of vinyl skipping is perhaps just a bit too easy, but as the CD
progresses, and the other sound sources are added, we are uplifted
in a spiral form of rotating sounds, a swirling mass of static
hiss, a bit too much reverb, but also drum machine patterns that
aren't exactly groovy, but which work quite relaxing and field
recordings of a highly obscure nature. Quite a nice CD, not a
really big surprise but nevertheless very nice. Ambient glitch,
might be the best description, but less based on the digital variation.
(FdW)
Address: http://www.lagunamuch.com
HEIZUNG RAUM 318 (CD by 1000 Füssler)
Perhaps the sensation of a low humming sound that is not annoying
is something that many readers will recognize. I once slept next
to a refrigerator, but was fascinated all night by all the sounds
it produced. Room 318 is the name of a room in the building where
Asmus Tietchens teaches sound at the University of Applied Science
in Hamburg and 'heizung' is the German word for 'heating'. Except
that it doesn't produce heat, but it makes a nice whistle. By
turning the knobs of the radiator the whistle changes. Since the
three persons (or took) classes with Asmus Tietchens have paid
close attention to the old master, it's a small step of recording
the radiator - actually, all three of them - and turn them into
music, along of course with an excercise by the master himself.
The original source material is at the end of the CD, and the
crude whistling makes it hard to believe that it leads to the
preceding seven sound pieces. It's easy too assume that all of
these composers work with computers these days, and that one could
also wrongly assume that their pieces would sound similar. This
is not the case. Each of them approaches the source material in
a different way, and this leads to quite interesting pieces of
music. Asmus Tietchens delivers a piece of his trademark style
processing: silent but loaded with small sounds and even a rhythm
of some kind. Gregory Büttner applies the recent Tietchens
methods (his 'Menge' series) into a well-crafted piece of sizzling
electronics. But there is alson the more industrialized noise
of Nicolai Stephan and Stefan Funk (especially in his last two
versions; he has four in total), who take an entirely different
route in their approach. Their music is closer to noise than to
microsound, but they make a nice variation on the matter. Quite
a nice compilation altogether. (FdW)
Address: http://www.1000fussler.com
PISTOL DISCO - RADIATION (CD by Celebrity
Lifestyle Records)
KOMPJOTR EPLETRIKA - DARRK CIRCUITS FADEAD WAVES (CD by Celebrity
Lifestyle Records)
Following their debut 'Two' (see Vital Weekly 552), here is the
second CD by Pistol Disco, not called 'One' but 'Radiation'. Still
a duo of Alexander Palmestal (vocals and keyboards) and Mikeal
Enqvist (drums and keyboards) and they continue the sound of 'Two'
here: hard heavy rhythms, with lots of space for wailing keyboards.
They continue where they left of with 'Dark Star' on the previous
CD. Although Pistol Disco takes their influence from synth punk,
say Suicide, The Screamers or, more recent, Philip Quehenberger,
but on this new CD the softer element prevails. Melody is added,
even when the boxes of distortion are full open. Tracks are still
a bit long, or even a bit too long here and there, but the overall
notion of this new CD is: progression. Pistol Disco moved away
from the straight harshness and landed into a field where things
are more pop music like and there is a lot more to gain. As such
I think 'Radiation' is better than 'Two' and hopefully will be
guidance to more good music.
Something entirely different is Kompjotr Eplektrika, also from
Sweden, who deliver their second album, following 'Redisetkompjotrallesklaarepletiktrika'
on Oscillatone Recordings (see Vital Weekly 487). The man behind
the band is one Mats Björk and probably some others - the
text is not all too clear. We see here a stylistically continuation
of the previous release: starkly minimal rhythms and synthesizer
sounds that float around. It has the same rhythm patterns as Pan
Sonic, Goem or Henrik Rylander, but the synthesizers used remind
me of the first one, not of the other ones. The true progression
starts in the fourth track (I think called 'Skulldrummantra')
when Kompjotr Eplektrika starts out in full Brinkmann mode with
scratched techno record. It's not like that for the rest of the
album, but it breaks away from some of the more rigid sounds that
are otherwise known to Kompjotr Eplektrika (and to the others
mentioned). But it's this combination of rigid minimalism and
more up lifting wacked techno rhythms that makes this a great
follow up. (FdW)
Address: http://www.celebritylifestylerecords.com
MAEROR TRI - AMBIENT DREAMS (CD by Beta-lactam
Ring Records)
If there is one band from the 80s and 90s that released their
work on cassettes that is now truly famous it's no doubt Maeror
Tri. I was amongst their first fans collecting from almost day
one. While not playing cassettes as much as I did or should, I
never got rid of the old Maeror Tri tapes. They are perhaps the
only band in the world that have all of their tapes released as
CDs - not CDRs. To be very honest, I don't recall 'Ambient Dreams'
that well, but the fact that it had a real picture stuck onto
it, sticked in my mind. All of the sounds 'originated from natural
ambient sources' it says on the cover. It will remain a mystery
how Maeror Tri conceived their music, even when I saw them play
live a couple of times. An accordion, some junk for percussion
and lots of sound effects - things were always that simple, but
the proof is in the pudding, not the ingredients. Maeror Tri,
certainly in 1988, didn't have access to a studio or refined recording
techniques, but 'Ambient Dreams', almost twenty years later sounds
still as fresh as it did. Mysterious clouds of sound pass by the
listener and they create outer-worldly atmospheres. Ambient music
but with a healthy doses of experimentalism - and all quite dark.
We can only assume that it's this quality that appeals to some
many latter day fans of Maeror Tri and its successor Troum. A
great work, still after all these years. And finally the tape
can go to Ebay (anyone?) (FdW)
Address: http://www.blrrecords.com
TARAB - WIND KEEPS EVEN DUST AWAY (CD by
23Five Incorporated)
TIM CAITLIN - RADIO GHOSTS (CD by 23Five Incorporated)
Releases on 23Five always look beautiful, with an extra carton
cover around it, great design and great music. A collectable label.
They are from Los Angeles, but have a special connection with
Australia. Before they released a compilation with musicians from
down under, and a retrospective 2CD of Gum, now it's time for
Tim Caitlin and Tarab. Tarab is one Eamon Sprod and before he
had a CD on Naturestrip called 'Surfacedrift' (see Vital Weekly
422). Now the meaning of the word Tarab is revealed: it means
something like 'the ecstatic surrender one can experience when
listening to music'. I can imagine the 'tarab' for Eamon when
he was recording the sounds captured on 'Wind Keeps Even Dust
Away', as he is one of the types to run around with a microphone
to capture sounds. He is actively involved in bringing out the
sounds, rather than an objective by stander capturing sound events.
He rustles the leaves, bumps upon metal and such like. Rather
than doing an electronic process the microphone changes the sound.
Location and position of the microphone is important. Unusual
places with natural reverb have his special interest. Although
his work is compared to Chris Watson, BJ Nilsson, Francisco Lopez
and Toshiya Tsunoda, I think it comes closest to the work of Eric
La Casa. It has the same poetic, collage like quality. It's a
great CD, but perhaps not the most innovative in terms of sound
scaping.
Something similar we can say of Tim Caitlin's 'Radio Ghosts'.
He's also from down there and the only time his name popped in
Vital Weekly (388) was when we discussed his 'Slow Twitch' CD
on Dr Jim's Records (which is really run by a doctor). Much water
has passed under the bridge, and here is the second CD by Caitlin
(that we know of). Caitlin plays his guitars by using objects
to get resonating sounds out of the strings. Small motor devices
such as ventilators and e-bows are placed in such a way that overtones
occur. Glenn Branca used a real ensemble to create this, Remko
Scha ropes and wires and Keith Rowe already the ventilator. What
Caitlin does is hardly to be called 'new', and the review of his
previous CD ended with the suggestion that he should find new
ways to create his music and not stick around with this, so perhaps
it's a pity that he did stick around this sound. He could easily
produce another ten or so of these kind of works, but it would
be good to see some progression. Four or so years would be enough
to get something moving, I'd say. But as such this CD is quite
nice. The pieces he plays are done nice and executed with style
and a keen ear for subtle changes. So in that aspect there is
no let down. (FdW)
Address: http://www.23five.org
SIX TWILIGHTS (CD/DVD by Own Records)
Glitch goes pop: a slowly growing tradition in this area. While
Fennesz showed the path, others take it further, by adding vocals.
Six Twilights is a 'music and video project' of one Aaron Gerber
from the Portland band A Weather. He recorded a bunch of songs
involving acoustic guitars, male and female voices, and organ
sounds on a hard disc and then played around with shuffle jog
dial to make glitchy music. Then he edited the bits together and
made this CD, which is released on a label from Luxembourg (and
this might be the very first time a label from this country occurs
in Vital Weekly). Sometimes the glitch is far away, such as in
'Tonight I'm Letting You Drive', and it shows as Six Twilights
as quite an accomplished song writer. Dream pop with a touch of
experimentalism. It's this combination of two different worlds
which makes things quite nice and quite apart from the usual suspects.
The DVD holds a film that is not the soundtrack to the separate
tracks, but seems to me a further collage of the sounds along
with images that we can expect in that direction: landscapes,
twilight, sunrise, skies, nature, people, all in further dream
like sequences. The visual material is nice, even when perhaps
a bit too much of cliche, but it certainly fits the music quite
nice. Altogether a very nice release, almost Japanese (Noble,
Plop) in sort of curious way. (FdW)
Address: http://www.ownrecords.com
HENRY KUNTZ - WAYANG SAXOPHONY SHADOW SAXOPHONE
(CD by Humming Bird Records)
Let's safely assume we can't know them all. The cover of the 'Wayang
Saxophony Shadow Saxophone' by one Henry Kuntz shows us a guy
with a saxophone up in the air somewhere in Bali, along with a
wayang puppet. It looks like a jazz CD, but it's not. Kuntz is
the player of the instrument and a puppet player. I know virtually
nothing about the tradition of the wayang puppets, except for
what I saw on my parents home video from Indonesia. Strangely
enough the music stands by itself quite well and it's not jazz
at all. Kuntz might be classified as one of the onkyo posse: the
player of an instrument who approaches his instrument as an object
to produce any sound, not necessarily the sound that the instrument
is supposed to make. I think I heard a lot of these kind of players,
but never of Kuntz. His CD has two main pieces: 'Ten Names Of
Peace', divided in five parts and 'Tenor Of The Times', in two
parts. In the first piece he treats the saxophone as solo instrument,
making a lot of false air and odd blowings, which is nice, but
perhaps a bit too common by now, even when Kuntz works in a quite
a hectic manner. In the other piece, the layering of the instruments
- four tenors playing at the same - works much better. The different
approaches working at the same time is quite nice, and certainly
a technique that could be explored by others too. This is a great
CD, but one that also left me quite tired behind. It's an intense
listening session, this one, but quite rewarding. (FdW)
Address: <henry.kuntz@ceb.ucop.edu>
GRAHAM LAMBKIN - SALMON RUN (CD by Kye)
The name Graham Lambkin may not ring an immediate bell, because
as solo artist he doesn't release that much. As a member of The
Shadow Ring is a more productive, having released on Corpus Hermeticum
and Swill Radio, and with the latter's label Scott Foust and Karla
Borecky he also works under the name Tart. 'Salmon Run' is his
first solo release in six years, following a LP in 2001. It's
a high and mighty strange release. He takes classical music, opera
and strings, along side with water sounds, ducks in the pond,
wind chimes and other obscure field recordings and musique concrete
into a highly personal setting. There is partly an electronic
setting of minimal electronics and tape loops. The setting is
not unlike that of Idea Fire Company. Although listed as various
tracks, the best is to sit back and listen to this as one long
piece. As said, highly personal, this Graham Lambkin CD is a perfect
example of outsider music. This is the noise that isn't noise.
Make something that is not very logical, throw in all the weird
elements and make an elegant mixture of them. This is a very fine
release. (FdW)
Address: <hawkmoths@yahoo.com>
UNDERGROUNDED (CD compilation Fateless Flows)
How hard it is to review a compilation is known by now. Fateless
Flow is a community of electronic musicians from Los Angeles,
founded in 2001 and whom release a compilation of some (?) of
the people connected to their scene. The sixteen tracks are tied
together through what can easily be described as 'dance music'.
It moves into the world of drum 'n bass, glitch, techno - anything
from straight forward to relative experimentalism. As with many
of these kind of local initiatives, it's not easy to spot the
true talent. How can it be if we only get one track per artist?
Some of the pieces are weaker brothers, certainly when they milk
out the cliche of dance music. But it's entertaining enough. If
you are not in their area it makes a good play and if you are
in the Los Angeles area, then be sure to pick a copy and book
one of these at your next dance party. Plenty of options: Mid-Air,
Gigacosm, Noncommittal, The Professionals, Gridmind, Ice Fields,
Koyannaasti, ATL Stompin, Unknown, Y Illuminate, Multiple Realities,
Tush, Digital Donkey, Linger, Fod and Broken Figurine. (FdW)
Address: http://www.fatelessflows.com
STEVE RODEN - DARK OVER LIGHT EARTH (CD
by Moca)
STEVE RODEN - ONE STONE AND ARCS AND EARS (7" by Disques
Ades)
It's been a while since I last heard something by Steve Roden.
Perhaps he was too busy with his sound installations, but then
much of his work was made with that intention anyway. Here he
has one installation piece called 'Dark Over Light Earth' which
he made for an exhibition of Mark Rothko's painting at the Museum
Of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. And if we think 'Rothko +
music' we think of course of Morty Feldman's 'Rothko Chapel',
one of the contemporary highlights of modern classical music.
For his piece, Roden divided the eight paintings in various color
sections and thus made a score, playing harmonium and glockenspiel.
He asked his friend Jake to play the Feldman piece on a pair headphones,
while attempting to play the piece on his violin. Through layering
and reorganizing Roden crafts a beautiful piece of music together,
with a bare minimum of electronic sounds. Slowly changing, with
the violin in a leading part, this piece moves in various directions,
yet at the same time it doesn't seem to move at all. It has the
same contemplative beauty as Rothko's paintings, as well as Feldman's
original piece. Overwhelming quietness. Great work.
A conceptual approach is also done on a 7" by Roden, where
he removes all the dialogue of a LP with the soundtrack of Robert
Bresson's 'Process De Jeanne D'Arc', leaving only the incidental
sounds, but through rough editing the beginnings and endings (transients
as they are called in radio terms) of words can be heard. The
only instrument, a horn, is sampled and used as the musical source
here, and which forms a backdrop in the endresult. The two pieces
on this 7" are similar pieces, with minor differences. The
sampled horn is deformed into a dark drone, and on top we hear
the crackling of the original record. An estranging affair of
obscure sounds, again in an intimate way. A simple yet effective
work. (FdW)
Address: http://www.inbetweennoise.com
B12 - PRACTOPIA (12" by B12 Records)
B12 - SLOPE (12" by B12 Records)
Somewhere covered with dust I must have the B12 CD that Warp released
some fifteen years ago - I don't even recall the title. But for
whatever reason I never parted from it. In 1996 B12 disappeared
from the music scene when some 12"s never got beyond the
stage of test pressings. Eleven years they return with two brand
new 12"s and announced is a 12CD box set. The first 12"
is the one from 1996 when they were not happy with test pressing
but now totally remastered and with a bonus track. Big time dance
music, with great keyboards lines and beat that hooks any non-dancer
to the floor. Stuttery beats but they work fine. Detroit viva.
Five sweet tracks of a highly varied nature.
'Slope' is a very fresh new release and it seems to be taking
them in a more updated sound, with glitch like rhythms, but the
acid synth is never far away. 'Slope' is a very uplifting piece
of music, quite cheery. 'Static Glitch' on the flip is a bit darker
and 'Magnetic Fields' falls somewhere in between. It makes perfect
sense this record. Like they have never been away and yet easily
bridge the gap. (FdW)
Address: http://www.b12records.com
WÄLDCHENGARTEN - BLACK RABBIT (CDR
by 8K Mob)
Danish duo and brothers Wäldchengarten have been regular
visitors to Vital Weekly. They have recently built a new studio
on a farm and 'Black Rabbit' is the first work they completed
over there. It consists of three part that run into each other.
Apparently the two brothers work with guitars on this release,
feeding it's signal (drones, e-bow, strumming) through the usual
endless pile of sound effects. The noise of yesterday is gone,
and in some thirty-three minutes they an atmospheric yet bleak
desolated industrial soundscape, of slowly changing moods, textures
and colors - various shades of black and brown of course. The
noise is suppressed, the feedback gets looped around ad infinitum.
Quite a good release, despite some of the flows in playback, unless
the static crackle is part of the music (and somehow I don't think).
This release marks the usual high standard of dark ambient soundscapes
that we know this band for. A fine dark half hour. (FdW)
Address: http://www.8kmbob.dustopper.dk
UBEBOET - SPECTRA (CDR by Twenty Hertz)
So far Miguel A. Tolosa, also known as Ubeboet have released a
couple of works, mainly through MP3 labels, such as his own Con-V
but also Earlabs and Zeromoon. 'Spectra' is a release that might
be the first that is produced in any sort of commercial way. Ubeboet's
music is not an odd-ball for the Twenty Hertz label, as the nine
pieces show a deep interest in digital drones. Usually it's hard
to think what went into the production of drone music, but here
it's clear that the laptop is at the hard. Around it we find field
recordings, FM radio, tape recorder and a lap steel guitar. Soft
tinkles occur, embedded in a warm bed of digital insect chirping,
moving through high and low ends of the sound spectrum. Nothing
new under the microsun, but I must admit that this was quite a
nice journey. Maybe it's the small melodies that are used here
and there that add just that little bit of extra needed to stand
out, in a very positive manner, from the usual suspects in this
field. It's an absolutely fine release and hopefully the start
of more beautiful things (with, to be honest, some minor changes
to make this reviewer happy and see a break with the drone genre).
(FdW)
Address: http://www.twentyhertz.co.uk
EMBRACING THE GLASS/HASLAM (CDR by Cohort
Records)
In Cohort Records' split series we once again stumble upon two
people that are new to me. Embracing The Glass and Haslam. The
idea of the split series is to bring together two artists from
the world of drone music and each gets about half the release,
a bit like doing a split c60 cassette in the old days. Like said
I never heard of either artist. Embracing The Glass is a duo of
Sean Carroll and Jeff Sampson, who are together since 2001. They
play guitar-controlled instruments and voice controlled instruments.
They start out nice, with guitar strumming (perhaps the first
time in the series?), and some sort of heavenly vocals, but over
the course of their piece, which is clearly divided in several
parts, the move into the darker land even a bit further, through
an amorph mass of sound, through which ethnic flutes and deep
synths wash their way. Here I was reminded of the work of Steve
Roach and Robert Rich, but Embracing The Glass do a well job here.
Haslam is one Byron Paladin who plays synthesizers and computers
and he offers three pieces of more ambient material. He starts
out in a true deep synthesizer mode, but over the course of his
pieces he also introduces the vague humming of radiation and some
rhythmical particles of say matches in a box with a firm dosis
of delay. However his main course is to play deep washes of synthesizer
sounds on his synths, which might as well be digital versions.
Highly unoriginal music, I'd say, but Haslam plays it with care.
All Eno and Hypnos fly by in this trip, but it's a nice trip anyway.
Address: http://cohortrecords.0catch.com
JOE FRAWLEY - TANGERINE (CDR, private)
A while ago I was introduced to the work of Joe Frawley (see Vital
Weekly 564) through 'Wilhelmina's Dream', an excellent work of
quiet plunderphonics. 'Tangerine' sees a continuation of this
type of work through three pieces. One striking thing is the use
of voice and piano being more present and the orchestral samples
are pushed to background. There is also a little bit of electronic
sounds, but these too are kept to a minimum. I have no idea where
Frawley gets his voices, or did I too hard understanding what
they are talking, even whispering about. Perhaps they don't tell
me a story at all? I rather think they are evoking images and
atmospheres, like being not fully awake and yet not really asleep
either. The piano softly tinkles away, a bit of reverb adds a
haunting, spooky atmosphere. Debussy meets electronics and a cilinder
wax recording with some old conversations. More Mood music of
a highly original kind, as before. Someone should investigate
this guy and offer him a CD contract. (FdW)
Address: http://www.joefrawleymusic.info
ALFREDO COSTA MONTEIRO - ALLOTROPIE (CDR
by Bourbaki Records)
Despite my name, my French is not what it could have been if I
paid more attention in school, but if I understand correctly from
the short liner notes of this release, the music was made for
an installation made in Barcelona, using sounds from 100 different
kinds of paper and there is no use of electronics. Monteiro is
one half of Cremaster, as well as many other improvisation musics.
The twenty minute piece is an interesting one, especially if we
are indeed to believe that it's the paper who does the talking.
I am not entirely sure how these sounds are generated (microphone
recording? contact microphones? tearing? rubbing? cutting?), but
it's very hard to believe that this just the sound of paper. It
seems like an onkyo recording of a saxophone, but in a multi-layered
fashion. The collage like approach works quite well here. Part
noise, totally culled from improvisations. Very nice release.
(FdW)
Address: http://www.bourbaki-rec.com
THE STRATO ENSEMBLE - DRAWN STRAWS (CDR
by Fateless)
From Los Angeles comes this quartet, with
Giuseppe Patane on bass, Dean de Benedictis playing keyboards,
Takeshi Nishimoto on electric guitar plus Andrea Jako, Giacomini
on drums & glitch pads. On their cdr "Drawn Straws"
they bring together some of their best session and live work.
Several tracks underwent some overdubbing afterwards. They play
lengthy, spacey jammings in a sort of jazzrock vein. Extensive
space travelings in the classical way like it was established
in the 70s. Although they take their time, this does not imply
they have much to tell. No feeling of necessity here. Its lacking
focus and sense for direction. No clear musical ideas that informs
the music. It surely has its nice moments, but in the end .....Waiting
desperately for something interesting to happen, I can only conclude
that it must be rather boring up there in there in the stratosphere.
(DM)
Address: http://www.thestratoensemble.com/
PRESTON - AESPATIA (CDR by Boltfish Recordings)
In Leicester in the Uk there is a city called Preston, but it's
also the name used by a person unknown for his music. His first
release is on Boltfish and that leads us by the hand to a specific
area of music: the melodic techno oriented music, with a small
and subtle touch of melancholic. Soft spoken keyboards, almost
ambient like, but beats that roll over eachother, most of the
time and which sound quite busy. Thirteen tracks is a bit much,
since Preston doesn't always offer enough variation to make true
differences between his pieces. But as one piece, this work offers
a solid fifty or so minutes of nice, pleasant background music.
It's a fine combination of busy beats and slow, melodic ambient
synthesizers. As such quite alright. (FdW)
Address: http://www.boltfish.co.uk
MONOLAB - THE GIRL WHO FOUND THE BABY BALLOON
(CDR by Droning On Records)
Despite being active in music since 1992, I never heard of Martin
Powell's project Monolab, or the bands he's also involved such
as Mirie It Is, Satangora, Metal Moustache and Likvake. With solo
cap on he calls himself Monolab, and he plays guitar, bass, theremin,
piano, audio generator, old synths, radio, effects and home made
instruments. The nine tracks captured here reminded me quite a
bit of the old Zoviet*France: much echo on the instruments to
create a quasi ethnic backdrop and sounds of basically any origin
dropping in and out the mix. But whereas Zoviet*France recorded
a lot, and released very little, here things are a little harder.
Recorded and released all it seems, which leads to tracks that
do not move beyond the point of a mere few loops and a radio badly
tuned. That is a pity since the potential of free form ambient
industrial music is certainly present in the work of Monolab and
with some more rigor editing could bring something out that is
nicer than this. (FdW)
Address: http://www.droningonrecords.com
MIXTURIZER + PHIL TARR & FRIENDS - COLLABORATION
(CDr by R.O.N.F.)
Firstly the R.O.N.F. records site has a very useful database of
its roster, Mixurizer is from Spain - Manuel M. Cubas and Phil
Tar guitar player of the abusive stepdads - from Sydney Nova Scotia,
whose message is his disgust for some states within the human
condition, why I think only some states, though it's a sunny June
day in the English countryside, birdsong, bees, and of course
before you forget a Blackhawk helicopter on some training mission,
England's green a pleasant land is used as a training ground for
- I would say our armed forces - but mostly the USAF, so I'm finding
it hard to find any part of the human condition worthwhile, this
is probably not the screaming noise and I think very abusive language,
oscillator feedback sweeps and improv noise shriek, but the total
nausea of the moment, is it the history or the remains of the
alcohol which makes one sympathetic with Phil's sentiment. If
anything I'd swap the 40 minutes noise fest for a stinger missile
anytime. (jliat)
Address www.ronfrecords.com
MASONIC YOUTH/SLOP CAKE SPLIT (CDr by De
Hondenkoekjesfabriek)
FCKN'BSTRDS/RANCID SHIT WANK SPLIT (CDr by De Hondenkoekjesfabriek)
A strange note inscribed with pencil for frans accompanied these
two split Cdrs, the text very runic and difficult to read, the
label even more - but here goes - so de HONDENKOEKJESFABRIEK ?
Masonic Youth (= honden??lys project) and Slopcake (wheelchair
full of old men project USA) very much the Tibetan signing kind
of thing & occultism from Masonic Youth, more techno noise
twittering from Slop Cake. Well this reviewer found the password
to M.Ys website - see VW532, and remember the number of the beast.though
I'm not supposed to give out this information, BTW it's the police
inspector in The Mousetrap. as for who killed Kennedy and Lady
Diana - I'd want cash for that kind of information.
Rancid shitwank (according to Marc Van Helburg's note - an Australische
Act?) start with a silly little tune, then whole thing stops and
we are into track 2 - screams, noise, that shortwave radio kind
of stuff, and crazy synths.. And screaming like the first exorcist
film.there are 18 tracks from R.S. and 5 from the F.Bs, the latter
still into noise and screams - though decidedly different, almost
gentler, although that doesn't seem an appropriate word to use,
some mucking about with playback speeds of voices, a popsong etc
etc.. It sounds disgusting and apparently is even more so live
- you know that bit in Event Horizon - well lots of bits. so I
must admit to enjoying this spilt more than the other, whose sound
is too cinemagraphic for me. So de Hondamotorbikething are to
be thanked for entertaining this sullen Englishman, well done!
(jliat)
Address http://www.xs4all.nl/~tellab/
YY - ... DA BALCONI DO FANTASMA (CDR by
Rumpus Records)
VISTECLARO - COSMOSONORO 1 & 2 (2CDR by Rumpus Records)
MORAL CRAYFISH - MOUTH OF THE DOG (CDR by Rumpus Records)
Rumpus Records is a new label from Norway, who travel wide and
far to find their artists. Of the first three releases, two are
from Argentina and from the USA. yY is a duo from Argentina of
L. Barzabal on guitar and voice andc J. de Diego on drum and voice.
In January 2007 they recorded their CDR at home, on an old reel-to-reel
recorder, just to get that 'most fantastically rotten sound'.
This the true insanity area. Distorted and detuned guitar, shouting,
distortion, illogical beating of the drums and throughout a lo-fi
recording quality. It's perhaps o.k. for a few minutes, but the
entire length of it, is a bit too much for me.
The same Barzabal teams up with Yagui Quintero, who plays trumpet,
horns, harmonica, quena, flutes and voice. Barzabal gets credit
for guitar, broken guitar, tape manipulation and objects. This
a much more interesting bunch of music, although at two CDRs is
a bit lengthy. The wind instruments play long tones, which create
an atmospheric backdrop. The electronic parts are steady, minimal
outings of drone like meanderings but which change slightly throughout
a piece. The recording is much better than yY, but one CDR would
have made the same perfect nice point.
The final release is by one Dan Cohoon, who works under the name
of Moral Crayfish, who took the name from his sister's imaginary
rock band and was also his used as his high school rock band name.
His album 'Month Of The Dog' was made as part of a contest where
people were recording one album in one month. Dan uses "prepared
guitar, violin, screwdrivers & various household objects",
but no mention of electronics, which is odd since they seem to
be present in large amounts. Eight quite long pieces of improvised
music, in which the feeding through boxes of reverb and delay
play an important role. It seems as if Coohon rather wants to
aim for a lengthy piece of sound, than for a concise, well rounded
composition, which is a pity, because with some editing things
would have been better (but maybe not an album...), now it drags
on a bit too much. (FdW)
Address: http://www.rumpus.no
Correction: Steven Vinkenoog's e-mail address is: <stevenvinkenoog.com>