Month: February 2015

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Caïna I am the Flail of the Lord
‘Caïna, the UK-based black metal project helmed by Andy Curtis-Brignell, can described in a number of different ways, given how much its sound has evolved over the years. It’s rooted in black metal, and has carried at least some element of its ferocious darkness with every permutation, though Caïna has never been particularly faithful to the sounds of church-burners past. At times, like on 2008′s Temporary Antennae, Caïna more closely resembled post-rock. And 2013′s Litanies of Abjection, Curtis-Brignell once again stepped away from tradition and delivered a dark ambient record. Much of Setter of Unseen Snares is remarkably accessible, not just by Curtis-Brignell’s standards, but of black metal in general. Its first proper track, “I Am the Flail of the Lord,” has the momentum and roar of a great metal track, but it’s unusually catchy. In fact, it almost doesn’t sound like black metal, pummeling with the urgency of hardcore.’ — Treble

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The Inward Circles And in Their Groves of the Sun This Was a Fit Number
‘Richard Skelton’s explorations of the human soul within the landscapes of the British Isles have made for some of the most eloquent and evocative music of recent times, and his recent concert at LSO St Lukes with the Elysian Quartet was one of the live highlights of the year. Now, he returns with a new project, The Inward Circles, and a refreshing new direction. His distinctive drones and rough sonics, the capturing of water over landscape and air moving past rock, have taken on a tougher, more electronic edge reminiscent of artists like Stephen O’Malley and Peter Rehberg’s KTL. Where before his music, and the beautiful books that he published to accompany them, might create images of the vast damp spaces of the north of England in a way that seemed to reflect the ambivalence of nature towards us fragile and fleshy mortals, The Inwards Circles is full of threat, things ancient and unknown appearing amidst the sphagnum moss and heather.’ — The Quietus

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Tujiko Noriko Minty You
‘My Ghost Comes Back sees the return of Tujiko Noriko after a hiatus exploring worlds beyond those we regularly inhabit. The results of these travels provided the formula for this, her most accomplished record to date. As rich in ambition as it is skewered in it’s melodic stance, the album is a decidedly more acoustic affair in which a host of guest musicians incorporate mandolin, viola, musical saw, optigon and other such wares into the exotic environment where her unique songwriting now resides. Furthering an exploration of unorthodox arrangements, rhythm and melody Noriko concocts engaging pop explosions where flickering electronics, staggered rhythms, shimmering vocals all dance on a plateau of melancholic ecstasy. ‘My Heart Isn’t Only Mine’ launches proceedings as a slow burning landscape of electronics, organ and subdued vocal arrangements which unfold over 14+ minutes, delicately setting the scene for a new kind of record. ‘Give me your hands’ and ‘Minty You’ exude a joyous warmth as pop perfection extends into the ether.’ — boomkat

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Secret Circuit Rogue Unit
‘Emotional Response have trawled through boxes of old cassette recordings from L.A multi-instrumentalist Eddie “Secret Circuit” Ruscha to compile a follow-up to 2012’s brilliant Tropical Psychedelics compilation. Predictably, the resulting collection is nothing short of brilliant. Typically eccentric, melodious, atmospheric and bristling with interesting ideas, Cosmic Vibrations delves deeper into Ruscha’s archives and comes up with gold. Highlights are naturally plentiful, but keep an eye out for the psychedelic ambience of “Electric Brain”, the analogue electronic explorations of “Nova Laser”, and “Shockers”, an acid-flecked chunk of chiming Balearic deep house with exotic, Arabic touches.’ — Boomkat

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Aaron Dilloway & Jason Lescalleet Black Mountain
‘It doesn’t mean anything to you until you decide that it does. That could easily work as a mantra to be repeated before playing any of Jason Lescalleet’s or Aaron Dilloway’s music, as a precursor to the experience and a step toward preparation. It’s an interesting premise, because there are no boundaries as to how far you can take it; you can nearly apply this concept to anything and feel content that what you are experiencing is a product of your own intrigue, your own desire to make “it” work. But in order for that to happen, you need to have an entry point that can send you somewhere fascinating. On Popeth, the second collaborative full-length from Lescalleet and Dilloway, that entry point is a deep-cut and disintegrating tunnel of sound, a fractured rumble that marks negotiated conversations between respective artistic methods of instrumentation.’ — Tiny Mix Tapes

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Cassegrain New Hexagon
‘Building on ample evidence provided by previous EPs and their bracing live performances, the duo has crafted in a late masterwork of this particular school, even in the face of increasing creative overcrowding. Centres Of Distraction is very much in keeping with the zeitgeist of experimental techno, but it easily surpasses most of its contemporaries in clarity and depth of execution. The pendulum swings of stylistic popularity and focus may already be moving on, as demonstrated by newer outcroppings of noise, kosmiche, and industrial that are now merging their way into dance music, but that is immaterial in the analysis of this particular streak of creativity. Cassegrain may go down as an odd footnote next to more famous peers whose music broadly falls into similar stylistic territory, but they have accomplished the rare feat of creating their own interpretation of that style, and this album is the most formidable, complete expression of their ideas yet and a work that rewards intent listening, hopefully and deservedly for years to come.’‘ — collaged

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Ghost Culture Lucky
‘Ghost Culture excels in atmosphere and layering, rather than heading direct for the doof. That’s not to say there’s nothing to dance to; it’s like some sumptuous buffet of electronic wonder – minimalist techno, kraut, ambient house, full on electro. You feel you know something or half recognise a fraction or mood. Like a secret shared by only the listener, like sensual caress and warm whispers and a tune that sounds both familiar yet reformed into new shapes. Ghost Culture is well aware that everything has already come before, but not in an irritating “DO YOU SEE?” way. Managing to make the sounds you’ve heard millions of times from history, sound fresh and new. This isn’t some retro Jack White analogue borefest, this is a snatch of the beauty that remains in the wheezing and dying lights.’ — The Quietus

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canooooopy mono montaged oratorio
‘Japanese producer Canooooopy draws from the more mundane moments of daily life. “The sound of an air conditioner, the rhythm of a pen falling down, a conversation from other people,” are just some of the ho-hum influences on his music that he mentions in an interview with Japanese music blog Hi-Hi-Whoopee, capping his answer off with “a monotonous life.” Canooooopy subscribes to a “100% sampling” ethos, and builds every track on his first CD release Disconnected Words Connect the Worlds from noises that seem innocuous enough in their original context—an automated telephone greeting, people chatting, children singing. Yet he’s able to warp them into disjointed little worlds, and Disconnected serves as a solid introduction to one of the wonkier beatmakers to pop up out of Japan over the last couple of years.’ — Patrick St. Michel

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Napalm Death Smash a Single Digit
‘With much of the metal scene in a permanent state of superficiality, Napalm Death’s righteous fury and utter disregard for routine sonic styles mark the grindcore legends out as one of the few truly subversive bands around. But even by their own standards, Apex Predator – Easy Meat is startling. Thematically centred on the horror of industrialised slave labour in the modern world, the band’s 15th studio album revels in the perversity of such compassionate and humane lyrical ideas being tethered to music that seeks to leave real scars. It’s a diverse set that veers from expected bursts of dizzying speed and violence such as “Smash a Single Digit” and” Cesspits” to gruelling, hypnotic dirges such as the dense, unearthly Swans-isms of the title track and the churning “Dear Slum Landlord”, while the hammering, dissonant grooves of “How the Years Condemn” and “Timeless Flogging” add twisted accessibility to an otherwise remorseless onslaught. Untrained ears might shrivel in terror, but those who appreciate the joy of noise will recognise the sound of veteran masters on unassailable form.’ — The Guardian

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Spencer Radcliffe & R.L. Kelly Green Things
‘Chicago’s Spencer Radcliffe and L.A. native R.L. Kelly (alias for Rachel Levy) make an exceptionally compatible duo on Brown Horse, released earlier this month on Orchid Tapes. Though Radcliffe’s brand of heady and meandering pop isn’t perfectly congruent with Levy’s simple, saccharine tunes, the two converge on a thematic plane. Ultimately, Brown Horse is a record about yearning, whether it’s for a past we can no longer access or an idyllic future that may never actually play out. R. L. Kelly and Spencer Radcliffe both convey an understated authority, bordering the line between youth and maturity, self-deprecation and self-assurance, and quietly asserting themselves through their liminality.’ — Impose

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Dalglish Oidhche
‘Chris Douglas is one of the most enigmatic, progressive and emotionally arresting producer/ composers currently operating around electronic music’s fringes. After an eventful youth that saw him host seminal parties in his native San Francisco before taking up root in Detroit – where he worked with and learned from such luminaries as Underground Resistance’s Mike Banks and Drexciya’s James Stinson, and established his O.S.T. project – he moved to Berlin in 2003. He has since written a series of unexpected, mysterious and affecting albums that twist and reimagine electronic music in enigmatic yet moving ways. Douglas has operated under a variety of names such as Rook, Scald Rougish and Dalglish, with the latter rising to prominence when his 2011 album Benacah Drann Deachd drew considerable praise. This month sees the release of Dalglish’s much-anticipated third album, Niaiw Ot Vile, which sees Douglas make his debut on Bill Kouligas’ increasingly renowned PAN label. The album marks a clear progression from its predecessor – a beautifully nebulous collection of outsider electronics mapping out new territories that touch on techno, musique concrète and the avant garde.’ — The Quietus

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Black To Comm Hands
‘As the Singaporean artist Ho Tzu Nyen’s video Earth traveled around the world, different musicians were enlisted to provide live music for it, from Australia’s Oren Ambarchi to Germany’s Black to Comm. The latter was a natural fit for a video in which long pans take in a fabulous landscape full of piled corpses and visual references to European painting. In Black to Comm’s music, we likewise feel ourselves to be plowing across wastelands of aestheticized violence and apocalyptic beauty. You could call it a match made in hell. Black to Comm’s music is as abstract as an inkblot, and so you can project your favorite influences onto it: 1970s German experimental music, contemporary noise, eccentric outsider art, classic film scores– all fair game. Liberated from any one set of formal constraints, Richter uses his many resources to conjure delicate effects of mood and graded shading. If you generally listen to music on the factory speakers in your car or computer, you can basically forget about Black to Comm. All you’ll hear is distant rustling and moaning; some indifferently fretted acoustic guitar. The music is for close listening or for nothing.’ — Brian Howe

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Peverelist Kinetics
‘One to roll with the punches, Tom Ford aka Peverelist belongs to dubstep’s most intriguing characters without being one for the spotlight. Biographical articles or even interviews are rarely to be found. Music nerds care about music, not about their public relations. Notable for holding down the Rooted Records specialist shop in Bristol, and curating the Punch Drunk record label, the man like Peverelist is a driving force behind the marriage of techno and British bass music, alongside his peers Appleblim or Shackleton. Techno at heart but dubstep in name, his sound bridges the gap between the hypnotic minimal patterns of the music first given its name in Detroit, and the heavyweight polyrhythmic machinations of dubstep. Check amazing and outstanding tunes like Gather on his aforementioned Punch Drunk outfit that combines the legacy of Bristol’s bass control, its sound systems and London’s DMZ and FWD>> scenes.’ — rbmaradio.com

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p.s. Hey. ** David Ehrenstein, Who’s Leonard Reed? I’ll google him. Actually, the testiest waiter in Los Feliz, but testy enough to maybe win the prize for the whole East Hollywood area. ** Sypha, Hi. Do you have a publication date or general release time for your book yet? No, I really need to get Oscar’s children’s book. Thank you for reminding me. The Harry Potter movies take a big upswing in quality with the third one, if you ask me. ** Tosh Berman, ‘Fancy’ is great! That’s one of the few on that list that I’ve already read. Jeremy Davies is an awesome writer. He’s also one of the editors at the great, great Dalkey Archive press. Hardcore France 1970 sounds like plenty of an allure to me. ** Wvandenberg, Hi, welcome, and thank you a lot for coming in here! Wow, I don’t know if I have a very favorite Millhauser story. Huh. I would have to really think about that. Do you have one? ** Slatted light, D-ster! Always greatness to see you! Yeah, 2015 might just be the best US literary year yet. It’s crazy. You good? What’s up, man? Love, me. ** Steevee, Hi. That Facets set rings a bell. I think I saw it when making the post and spaced out on linking to it. Zachary Quinto as Glenn Greenwald, wow. Weird. Dylan doing standards is just such an incredibly uninteresting idea to me for some reason. No interest in hearing that, at least in theory. But I stopped following Dylan in general ages ago. ** _Black_Acrylic, I’m reading the Kitchell book now. It’s really great! Shit, evicted, ugh. I feel that. I have to start seriously searching for a new place right away. I’ve been putting it off because I’ve been so busy, but time is starting to run out, ugh, so I need to get on that. I hope the place that your mom found pans out. ** Gregoryedwin, Hi! Oh, well, man, ‘Hospice’ is a particularly shining light in there. Don’t forget that I’d love to do a ‘welcome to the world’ post re: it if you’re still game. Thanks for the props about this place. Very kind of you. Love, me.  ** Chilly Jay Chill, Cool, thanks, I’ll look into that Dibell novel. I’m going to scour the local shops for those Kluges first, but I don’t have much hope on that front.There’s only one actually really good English language bookstore here, and it’s mostly used books. So I’ll probably order them. That’s very exciting! We should start getting more feedback on the film soon. We finished it yesterday, and it’s going up on Vimeo Private today, at which point a couple of people we want to get feedback from will be able to watch it without the hassle of coming over to Zac’s place. The producers are being very curt with us. They’ll see the final version of the film tonight or tomorrow when it’s uploaded, I guess. I don’t have high hopes there at all. ** Keaton, As you know, I remember about 3% of the dreams I have, if I’m lucky. My dreams that I remember since I was a kid are like the same dream over and over just with an ever-changing cast of characters. That ‘Inferno of music’ thing is wild. ‘Bill Evans Trio with an 80 yr old David Gilmour’ is a hell of a brain-twister. Me, I vote for Dylan Carlson never ever ever working with singers again, unless I can pick them for him. Much love back. ** Grant maierhofer, Hi, Grant! That Gary Lutz book news bowled me over too. Exciting news about ‘Marcel’! I wish I’d found that in my search when making the post. Awesome! And I’ll go check out Queen Mob’s Teahouse, obviously! Lots of you = lots of great! Sean Kilpatrick’s editing help must have been super. He’s so good. Really excited for his new book. Cool, awesome thoughts on Blake’s work. Very interesting. New tumblr. I’m there. Everyone, mighty writer and d.l. Grant Maierhofer has a new tumblr. Go check it the heck out, why don’t you? It’s here. Thanks for your kindness, man. You’ve very important to this blog and to me too. Word. ** Misanthrope, The Mark Doten novel is fucking great, absolutely! Fingers crossed that … nothing comes of her trip down South. That’s the ideal, right? Yeah, poor LPS has been through way too much shit, and, yeah, heartbreaking it is. I hope he ends up okay. ** Brendan, Hi, B. Cool, let me know how it is. I’ve had zip luck getting a copy so far, but I’m still on it. ** Cal Graves, Hi, Cal. You’re being really sane about the workshop experience, I think, cool. Very good. I find those things can be so traumatic, but, after going to poetry workshops for a couple of years in college, which actually was really helpful, I stopped. I’m easily spooked about feedback until I feel like something is completely finished, I don’t know why. Anyway, it sounds sound like a classic workshop experience, complete with the most praise being rained on the most conventional seeming piece. Bleh. Ha ha, unprofessional is a compliment in my book. It usually means ‘original’. We finished editing the film yesterday, or probably so. Any changes now will be minuscule, I think. The trailer we made was a quickie. It probably won’t go public unless our producers decide to make it so. We’ll make a proper trailer at some point. We hope to show the film to a couple of more people later this week. That’s a good answer: the camera in ‘Slacker’. That’s a really nice answer. Hm, your question today is one I think I can’t answer just because the film I showed would totally depend on what I knew of the person I was showing it too, like what I thought would be helpful or revelatory to him or her, I think. Yeah, I think I would have to have a particular person in mind. I can’t think of a film that would transcend and be fit for anyone. Strange. Can you pick a film that you’d show? Cock-a-doodle-do, Dennis ** The Man Who Couldn’t Blog, Hi, Matthew! This is so cool! That’s such great news about your new book! Re: the news I saw on Facebook yesterday, I mean. I’m very excited! I will definitely read the new Shya Scanlon. I seem to have accidentally missed that one when I was compiling. Cool! Great to see you! Respect! ** Mark Gluth, The honor is most entiely only mine, Mr. Gluth. Yes, the Purtill/Moore zine, absolutely! I would be a billion percent into hosting that interviewish thing as a post here. Please, even. I’m on my knees, even. ** Kier, Hi, hi, hi! Yeah, that’s what Gisele has assigned Zac and me to write. We’ll see. She gets a million ideas, but she does seem pretty set on this one. Generally, my health has been great since I went vegetarian. But I was 16, so maybe my body grew into accepting it or something? I do take supplements most of the time, and I do eat a lot of protein stuff. But, yeah, iron pills, for sure, Why not, right? I’ve never played a single Playstation game in any of its generations ever. Weird. I’ve always been a Nintendo guy other than one year during which a friend lent me his Xbox. Yesterday Zac and I spent all day into the night finishing the film. And we did! I guess if we get some criticism from the people we show it to, we could go back and fiddle, but we’ve worked the film to a point where we think its pretty perfect apart from the technical stuff we’ll do in post. I would imagine our producers will shred it, but since their opinions and suggestions on the rough cut were incredibly dumb and wrongheaded, I think that won’t change anything, and we’re confident enough now to defend the film, and I just hope we don’t have an ugly war with them. It’s been uploaded now, so they’ll watch it tonight or tomorrow, I guess. Anyway, we mostly corrected some sound and color issues, and we did a last fiddle with the edit of Scene 2, which is the ‘club scene’, and, yeah, I think it’s done. But we have a little less than two weeks to get select feedback and revisit it before we leave for Germany, at which point it has to be set in stone. That was the massive majority of my day. Then I came home and looked at emails and did a little work and blog-making stuff. That’s it. And you? And Thursday? How did you and these current 24 hours get along? ** Done. Up there is the latest gig from me, this one full of newbies after the couple of elderly psychedelic-focused ones. Some awesome stuff in there. Please try it out, if you like. See you tomorrow.