This album has been a long, long time coming but the wait has most certainly been worth it. Aaron Davis has been firing missile after missile as ACRE for some years now, but nothing else stands out as his defining moment quite like "Sacrifice." This opus was in the pipeline for years, being etched out of silver and rising from pile of ash after pile of ash. It's absolutely monumental, totally epic in scope. Each thick slab of heavy droning sibilance is a testament to Davis' vision and attention to detail. It will suck you in immediately and stick to you like glue.
Notably there are no synthesizers or guitars anywhere on "Sacrifice." When you hear the density of sound and variety in the sonic textures blowing out your speakers, that seems utterly impossible. Yet, here we are. As the opening blasts of "Badlands" echo through your skull at 100 mph, the horizon seems lost in a thick, white haze. Everything else stops and shuts down. Subtle shifts in trajectory are barely noticeable at first, but by the end of the journey you've landed on a completely different plane. Surface to air, infinite flight; all achieved just over 14 minutes. It's not all a blown-out, straight-to-the-skull masterpiece. "Live Take" feels positively smooth and silky in comparison. Reverberating tones drenched in pure light bleed nothing but efferevesence and life. Everything feels exactly in the spot it should be, there's no detritus or collateral damage to speak of. Davis runs a tight ship, only letting things bolt for the door and scream over the edge when its absolutely necessary.
In the end, the biggest thing about "Sacrifice" is just how massive it feels. From the beginning, its string of endless symphonic hypnosis. There are lingering connections to David Tudor and Norman McLaren fighting their way to the surface throughout. ACRE's compositions are as precise as ever here, each note and each path carefully chosen and dropped into place. No synths. No guitars. No laptops. No looping. Yeah. It's time to start dropping bombs.
Edition of 500 in neon-green gatefold jackets printed by Stumptown.
ACE031: J. Hanson "Boolean Blues" CD - $13 PPD Worldwide
Josh Hanson is another of Portland, Oregon's underappreciated sons. Having come up through the ranks of long-time, long-forgotten faves Hochenkeit, he also spent time as a member of The Davis Redford Trio. But Hanson's path diverges into a totally different sphere nowadays, spinning solo modular synth exploits to the stars. Influenced not just by the likes of Subotnick and Cluster but also various types of Eastern sounds, Hanson is looking forward, trying to find new pathways in electronic music. Using a homebuilt synth, Hanson is like a magician that keeps you looking one direction while he's cooking up something special from out of left-field. "Boolean Blues" is psychedelic and mathematical all once
Starting with the pulsing and surprisingly catchy "Shut Your Fucking Krout," you are instantly sucked in as a listener. The revolving synth melodies are in your face, never trying to hide behind a veil of reverb of fuzz. "Catshit and Sandalwood" works as two separate tracks, conjoined at birth and held together through piercing synthetic bleeps. Again, there's a softness and melody here that hook you straight off, but the heavy doses of electronic mayhem that go along with it are what keep things uneasy. It's like a warning bell going off so often you have no idea if there's hell on the way. That feeling comes to a head on the centerpiece, "Swat Valley Driver." This is where the psychedelia really kicks in. After a methodic exercise in control backed by a minimal, analog beat, you are greeted with heavy Indian influences. No, of course there's no sitars or tanpuras, but Hanson twists his synth into spitting out racing analog ragas. It's fucking exquisite, all the while backed by black bass lines. "Peace in Sumeria" continues the theme but moves a little bit West, getting lost in translation all the way.
What is perhaps most amazing about "Boolean Blues" is that even though at its heart it's a synth album, wholly electronic, it feels like so much more. It's full of warm tones and rich visions. It's a trip in every sense of the word.
Edition of 500 in gatefold jackets printed by Stumptown, designed by Brad Rose.
both of these have been a long-time coming (a good year or so), so it feels real good to finally have them out. hoping some kind of album release show in portland will come together, but i dunno! would be rad, though. dylan ettinger's "cutters" should be available at distros before the end of the month and a 3-tape batch as well (indian weapons, sorc'henn, & jouurney). scott tuma's "dandelion" LP will be available soon, too. we'll have limited copies on hand, but as always overseas customers should grip it from boomkat.
Ahhh, gotta love it when some stupid band/label sends out shitty promos blindly, not bothering to figure out what kind of music/content a publication covers, and then get all upset when said shitty promo gets treated as it deserves. The Blue Hook, obviously god's gift to the world shitty bar bands, come on down! Yes, being a homophobic douchebag is a great way to get your band's name out there. Right on, fellas - excellent marketing. I always love when people insist they're not pissed off or upset about something and then spend the next hour of their time explaining why they're not pissed off or upset. Good stuff. You might fool a fourth-grader with that.
Sir Andrew Murcock Livingston,
We at the blue hook thought it was only fair, that we got to have as much fun as you did writing that review. For a Zen Buddist with a love for meditation I sensed a lot of anger and maybe a little PMS. Enjoy.
From the desk of the National Reviews of Reviewers Society:
0 out of 10, ouch, I thought reviews at least got a one for spelling their band name correctly. Mr. Livingston starts the review with the kind of hate language a seventh grade boy hanging with his friends in the lunchroom would use. He starts with a truly unique lead, by making a generalized rant about his hatred towards record label cover letters. Managing to use up 50% of his 45 word review on something that has nothing to do with the album he's reviewing. While it may be a valid point, perhaps it would be better served on a blog somewhere or perhaps as a post on the facebook group "Music Reviewers and Fart humor ". We enter his piece midway through the second verse with really only one conclusion, he is clearly pissed at his life and the world and is having a bad day. He uses the adjective "limpy, weak bar band rock" to inaccurately describe a CD with songs in several genres, multiple heavy grind it out Rock and Blues songs and features several Mandolin tracks, Trombone, Violin, Sax, 12 String and a big muff (The nastiest of all distortion pedals). Atypical of the traditional bar band rock. As the second verse continues, Murcock really starts to gather some momentum, lashing one razor sharp insult after another. It is here, where he has his one moment of truth and the only thing worth reading.
"I've never heard vocals pushed more to the front of any album ever. And the faux-vocal strains are so bad you can hear every ounce of throat pleading for recognition of integrity."
An astute observation, eliquently stated, he shows a glimpse of what he could become, or perhaps once was, an actual writer. He intuitively exaggerates his hatred, adding drama, and extra pizzazz to an otherwise worthless piece of shit review. He comes across as a person who listened to the first two songs, and decided to bullshit his way to an ultimate low point in his journalism career. He continues to lay on the cheese and bury himself deeper in a hole filled with the bitterness of a has been and the inspiration level of a coat hanger. He continues to masturbate his ego till he explodes on himself in delirium.
Overall, one leaves the review feeling shallow and naughty, wishing they had never experienced such a thing, and regretting that last click of the mouse. Still unclear of who's worse, the band or the reviewer, the reader leaves confused and dumber than he was 2 minutes ago. As such I am recommending that The National Reviews of Reviewers Society revoke Mr. Murcock's license. The best score I can award in good conscious is -3 out of 10. Thank you for your time.
PS - We really loved your photo. The cocksuckers cramp and dick broom is top notch!
Well done Adrian Szozda! Your scathing critique provides far more entertainment than your generic, utterly forgettable band ever will. Pat yourself on the back a few more times for your unbelievable cleverness and witty reply (dick jokes! ZOMG!). May your bigotry and homophobia take you far. You are obviously one of life's winners.
The Bubbly Blue and Green is a four-day festival of eclectic 'water music' influenced by shipwrecks, rivers, waves and lighthouses.Housed in the halls of Kings Place, the festival runs from the 24th to 27th February 2010 and features Philip Jeck, Janek Schaefer, Hauschka, Hildur Gudnadottir, ISAN, Samphire Band, The Sleeping Years, Iarla O'Lionaird, The London Snorkelling Team, Paper Cinema andThe Willkommen Orchestra. Tickets are on sale with very limited SAVER SEATS available online at £9.50 for all concerts.Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9AG
The Bubbly Blue and Green: Wednesday - Hall One 8pm Touch recording artist Philip Jeck is an awarding winning turntablist feted for collaborations with the likes of Gavin Bryars. Using dusty vinyl records and processed Dansette record players the Liverpudlian conjures a galaxy of poignant, immersive textures - not least on An Ark for the Listener, a new work inspired by Gerard Manley Hopkins’ poem The Wreck Of The Deutschland. Innovative sound designer and sonic artist Janek Schaefer has made music using everything from three-armed record-players to voice-activated devices circulated through the Royal Mail. Tonight he performs ‘Phoenix & Phaedra holding patterns’ his latest composition for FM transmitter, 9 portable radios, surround PA, and an empty stage, as we motor along the waterways of our sonic imagination.Hear a rehearsal Philip Jeck’s work in progress version of An Ark for the Listener. More on Janek Schaefer ‘Phoenix & Phaedra holding patterns’ HERE.
---------------------------------------------------- Thursday - Hall One 8pm Hauschka is the alias of Dusseldorf keyboardist Volker Bertelman. His critically acclaimed albums on the 130701 imprint evince a playfully accessible approach to the often austere realm of the prepared piano. Haushka is joined tonight by gifted Icelandic cellist Hildur Gudnadottir to essay a major new, aquatically themed commission. ISAN’s Robin Saville and Antony Ryan may reside in distinct, watery locales (Southend, Essex and Orrefors, Sweden respectively) but their collaboration proceeds regardless. This is a rare live outing for the pair, currently working on the latest of their fluid, Eno-esque albums for Berlin’s Morr Music label. ISAN’s performance will include the debut of the Drispsophone and Hauschka
--------------------------------------------------- Friday - Hall One 8pm Molly Nyman and Harry Escott are BIFA-nominated film composers. With their 12-piece Samphire Band they present highlights from their repertoire, much of it inspired by the British coastline. The band will perform a live score to a film called 'The Lighthouse' and it is a animated film about a little girl who lives with her father in a lighthouse and has been made by the award winning filmmaker Pedro Serrazina. The Samphire Band will be joined by guest singer Kristin McClements to perform four sea songs arranged specially for the event. They will also be performing the Shifty Suite along with a film created by Nick Hornby.Dale Grundle grew up on the Ulster coast. Water was a recurring leitmotif of his former band the Catchers and latest incarnation The Sleeping Years. Accompanied by members of both - and the newly convened Arctic Circle Brass Ensemble - Grundle will perform songs in special arrangements by John Jermy and the late Nick Drake collaborator Robert Kirby. the previous work of Pedro Serrazina; The Sleeping Years. -------------------------------------------------- Saturday - Hall Two 5.30pm (Tickets from £6.50) Highly original theatre company Paper Cinema, what happens at the accidental meeting of inkblots, photocopies, cardboard, angle-poise lamps, the occasional table, video technology, a laptop and a banana box? A cast of hand-drawn paper cut-outs are magically brought to life by the Paper Cinema.Highly original theatre company Paper Cinema make watery narratives using projections of intricate marionettes against a white screen, accompanied by improvised live music. King Pest is an adaptation of the short story by Edgar Allan Poe, tells the tale of two sailors who flee London seeking refuge in a sealed off plague town. The Night Flyer is a tale of crossing the night, of stolen freedoms and dreams, lost birds and invisible serpents, mysterious trains and a very special girl. The Paper Cinema is live video animation featuring the hand-drawn marionettes of Nicholas Rawling.Watch Paper Cinema in action.
Icelandic cellist Hildur Gudnadottir has collaborated with the likes of Throbbing Gristle, Múm and Haushka. She released her debut solo album in 2007. An electronic-tinged follow-up, Without Sinking, appeared in 2009 on the Touch label.
Iarla O'Lionaird's solo albums, Seven Steps To Mercy and Invisible Fields (Realworld) showcased a truly extraordinary singing voice. The former Afro-Celt Soundsystem member's solo work draws on a rich Irish Sean-Nos (‘old-style') tradition and contemporary electronica, with rivers and nature prominent. Iarla will be joined by Graham Henderson founding member of Moving Hearts (Piano) and Keith Donald (Saxes). (Presented in association with Note). Hall One 9pm The London Snorkelling Team is the brainchild of soundtrack composer and erstwhile Bjork remixer, Tom Haines. He and his sub-aquatic bandmates make cabaret music they “imagined happening in the 1950s”, using brass, cocktail drums and glockenspiels.
Comprising affiliates of popular Brighton label the Willkommen Collective, the Wilkommen Orchestra will be playing the songs of Shoreline, The Sons of Noel & Adrian, The Miserable Rich and The Climbers repertoires (a new Willkommen and friends project featuring members of The Leisure Society) all arranged especially for the occasion. It'll be the first time any of The Climbers songs have been played live, ahead of the debut album release in the Spring. Recent high profile shows for the Willkommen Collective bands including supporting Laura Marling at the Royal Festival Hall, Efterklang at the Barbican as well as both Sons of Noel and Adrian and Shoreline touring with Mumford & Sons. --------------------------------------------------------------------- The Bubbly Blue and Green24th - 27th February 2010 Produced by the Arctic Circle
Presented in association with The Line Of Best Fit / Note
Download a Bubbly Blue and Green 13 track MP3 sampler with exclusive tracks from Philip Jeck, ISAN, Sone Institute, Simon Scott and the London Snorkelling Team: http://www.jointhecircle.net/documents/BBAG.zip
watching tons of winter olympics (curling obsession) and having a folding/assembling olympics of our own. good times. so here we go, first batch of 2010, gold, silver, bronze, etc:
ltd#58: blue sabbath black fiji "wankers" c40 $7 US / $8 CANMEX / $9 INTL
and here the insanity begins. french transplanted duo blue sabbath black fiji have no limits. they don't know when to dial it back, they don't know when to turn it down and because of that, we're all getting fried whether we like it or not. "wankers" has been stewing for a while but finally is getting let out from its cage to wreak havoc on unsuspecting listeners. mindbender baby, let's floor it.
squealing feedback with cut-to-bits beats and trashcan percussion go into some futuristic tribal bounce. on the back end you're left wondering how in the fuck did i get here? unexpected guitar hooks skronk into the foreground, jumping the tracks laid down by minimal electronic beats. sometimes this shit even gets pretty, which really throws you for a loop. it's one fucked-up dream sequence that never wants to end. always searching for the loudest path, blue sabbah black fiji are unlike anyone else and thank your lucky stars for that. edition of 80.
i've long been a fan of collaborations, tape trading style or otherwise. sacred basil is the trio of nicholas barker (tempera), matt lajoie (cursillistas) and jordan spencer (gorman) and their collective talents are lighting up the skies. "tuvan annex" starts of shimmering and peaceful but it's a total ruse. guitar lines get washed into an oscillating oblivion and everything gets bathed in a heavy dose of noise swash. it's like being stuck in a tornado, desperately searching for a way out. the shimmer returns but with full-on density and triumph. each shift feels in the zone. blissed guitars and electronics join together, siamese twins moving in perfect harmony. contemplative, sparsely used notes flicker like a lightbulb about to give up hoping to make one final impression before crossing the great divide. there's something almost heartbreaking about it all.
but those aren't the only paths being crossed - not at all. rickety, looping acoustic guitars thrum their way forward with barely-audible background beats and electronic backwash. it's like being lost when nobody wants to admit their mistake. it's unsettling but worthwhile as it finally comes together and everything gets sucked to the bottom in a massive, exquisite whirlpool of sound. love those collaborations. edition of 90.
ltd#122: celer "rags of contentment" c75 $7 US / $8 CANMEX / $9 INTL
another subtle masterpiece, another broken heart. celer delivers over and over again until you can barely stand it. there's so much happening underneath the surface of those sprawling pieces that it's impossible to take it all in, impossible not to get totally, utterly lost. with each rise and fall, your breathing will slow to a crawl. "rags of contement" will soothe you, almost to the point of losing consciousness. sit back, close yourself and drift as far away as you can. this is stunning, beautifully composed music stretching to infinity. edition of 150. SOLD OUT
chapter two is finally written, leading into the homefront. four new songs, blissed hooks, bigger beats, singing like there's no tomorrow. all the bases covered, there's layers of noise and drone hints as well. with nods to bond and gaga, it's all coming together. time to dance.
killer art by phil french. edition of 150 chrome tapes.
steven r. hess has been around for ages, most notably operating as part of the incredible duo, on, with sylvain chauveau (type records) as well as work in haptic, dropp ensemble and others. hess is a chicago mainstay. thick, dusty drones highlight the bulk of "demise." subtle crackling feels like these are radio transmissions from a distange age. it all breaks down, though, and the almost-pure sine tones echo and weave their way between your muscles, finding a way into the deep tissue. this is a dense, sonic massage. hess is a heavyweight, providing one hell of a soundtrack to your favorite metal ghosts. edition of 85 copies.
ltd#128: pine smoke lodge "twelve faces of the smoke mask" c36 $7 US / $8 CANMEX / $9 INTL
the woods up near portland, maine are getting baked in the sun and resulting in piles of reflective, organic sonics. pine smoke lodge have been hitting it hard lately with killers on stunned, blackest rainbow and their own existential cloth label. it's been one hell of a ride. junkyard tribal percussion bombs out the basement so the wailing drones can sleep in comfort. metallic shards ring out while wind instruments scream at the sun. this all leads into emanations as thick as the winter snow pack. this is heavy. really fucking heavy. they turn things back on themselves on the flipside, pitching their voices through reverb-laden caves and drowning everything under the ice.
pine smoke lodge are finding their groove right now and the places they're going to take it? who the fuck knows. but latch on for the ride because it's a beautiful place to be. drink it down. edition of 70 copies. SOLD OUT
ettinger's winding things up to start off 2010. first he's dropped some incredible jammers on his on el tule label and then there's this, his ode to klaus schulze and all things kosmische (and these babies will lead directly into his opus, "cutters"). but hot damn these puppies ARE interstellar. liquid keyboard excursions borne from sun spots soar and drift through neon-tinged skies. hypnotic anthems bobbing and weaving through static drones. each shift in modus takes ettinger through sunken tunnels and into a boiling aural river. this music flows. it never feels mechanical or totally synthetic. at times it reminds of julian lynch's blissed-out live sets, just free and delightful.
if the first two months of 2010 are any indication, dylan ettinger is going to be one of the main players this year. dude is going astral. edition of 85. SOLD OUT
ltd#134: holy family "anoint" c25 $7 US / $8 CANMEX / $9 INTL
this one is for the gold, all the way and all the time. holy family is the modular synth duo of lawrence english and john chantler (room40 extraordinaires). and you know what's coming. it opens onto a putrid, rotting corpse hanging from the bedchamber. chantler & english aren't fuckign around. their synths sound like they're dying, every note stretched to the point of breaking oscillating into the ground. this is not child's play.
before you know it your blood stops flowing, turned into a molasses. faint echoes try to scratch their way to the surface, totally buried alive. every so often you think you hear a melody whirring from behind, but everything gets swallowed back down into this deep, dark pit. intense. incredible. edition of 125.
package deals available, just get in touch.the second edition of 50 of the EAGLE ALTAR/bugskull split is also ready to go now, so grab those while they're hot.
good times ahead:acre "sacrifice" CD and j. hanson's "boolean blues" CD will be out in a 7-10 days. both are killer mind-melters. modular synthesis and heavy drones. dylan ettinger's "cutters" LP is close as well, co-released with ruralfaune this will likely only be available from distros/mailorders. we'll let you know. scott tuma's "dandelion" LP will be released march 15th (CD later). we'll have copies of the vinyl available, but overseas customers should grab it from boomkat to save a bundle. i also have VERY LIMITED numbers (like 4) of the "dandelion" art edition available. it comes with an individual print from artist chris koelle (who designed the cover) among other goodies. they're $50 - get in touch if you're interested. onward in 2010 - so many good things happening! now back to the olympics... USA woooo!
There is a free compilation featuring bands like Blue Sabbath Black Fiji and Foot Village here that looks pretty cool. I haven't even listened to it yet so let me know what you think.
Ahhh, gotta love it when some stupid band/label sends out shitty promos blindly, not bothering to figure out what kind of music/content a publication cove...
blogpost :: by Brad Rose
The Bubbly Blue and Green is a four-day festival of eclectic 'water music' influenced by shipwrecks, rivers, waves and lighthouses...
blogpost :: by Peter Taylor
to accompany the diogenes interview, they've set up a nice little preview comp for foxy d readers to scope out some killer tracks...
blogpost :: by Brad Rose
Indigenous Capsules Box Peyote Tapes 06/Object In Hand CDR Box w/Print Set Amplifier worship, synth noise and field recordings from Soundpressings/Obj...
blogpost :: by Brad Rose
Inca Ore Eva Saelens, aka Inca Ore, grew up in Detroit, descended from generations of bricklayers, was a Girl Scout and spent a lot of time on speedboats.. feature :: by Dave Miller
If Society "Indie label with heart and soul" says If Society's website. Founder Tommi Forsstrm speaks about his label, the Eurovision Song Contest and the future of music business... feature :: by Jani Helln
