Mirag - Black Temple Carved In Smoke

Label: Battlecruiser
Format: CDR
Released: 2006

"“Black Temple Carved in Smoke” is Matthew Bower’s (Sunroof!/Total/Hototogisu/ et al) contribution to Campbell Kneale’s ingenious Battlecruiser label, an imprint that features black and doom metal releases created by the alter egos of various drone/free titans. Previous Battlecruiser releases have featured, among others, Pete Nolan, Antony Milton, CJA and Kneale himself in a variety of blackened guises. Along with Ming’s “The Kill” and Myrtu’s “The Burning Ground,” “Black Temple Carved in Smoke” is perhaps the most captivating and essential of these fascinating releases. Foregoing recognizable or parodic metal touch points, Bower opts instead to construct a singular, howling, polyrhythmic maelstrom of sound.

The first untitled track finds Bower navigating through thick, foggy vistas of feedback and chugging percussion, blasting through the chaos with his characteristically searing riffs. Sections of the piece are reminiscent of “Ghosts from the Sun”-era Hototogisu, all white electricity and blistering guitar pyrotechnics. Track two is less rhythmic than its predecessor, opening with a torrent of feedback squeals and de-tuned riffing before spiraling downward into driving gloom and murk. Both tracks are fantastically heavy and quite compelling, my only complaint is the length of the disc, a shade less than fifteen minutes. Lets hope this isn’t just a one-off for Bower." 7/10 - Alex Cobb, Foxy Digitalis

Here

Blue Sabbath Black Fiji + Helicoptère Sanglante - Untitled

Short post follows:








Label: Countripsyde
Format: CDR
Released: 2007

Five tracks of acerbic noise from this Parisian collab.

here

*Blue Sabbath Black Fiji's Lazer Saber from last year has just been re-released on Abandonship Records in a tiny pressing of 50. Don't waste any time.

Death Chants - Natural History / Valley of Light

Another couple'a Death Chants as per request.

Death Chants - Natural History












Label: Time-Lag
Format: CDR (ltd. 180)
Released: 2005

"As genres continue to liquefy into each other and separate out into individually crafted and organic mash-ups, the world begins to sound like a smaller friendlier place. As a band name, Death Chants a total misnomer, this collective are far too alive and remarkable to be soundtracking any repetitive marches to the graveyard.

It’s easy to find a lot of music that’s based in the worlds of free playing and traditional structures/styles, and Death Chants aren’t alone in giving heavy nods to country and folk. But where many bands give in to crapulous backroom antics or moonshine madness, Death Chants are endearingly rickety, yet undoubtedly focused. They combine loose playing with long drifts and tentative steps into areas like drone and free playing. There’s an immediately warm lo-fi atmosphere on Natural History that appears to be rooted in the traditions of early American music.

The opening “A Dog in the Ether” begins conventionally on acoustic guitar and cello before gracefully flowing into areas of what should be on the border of discord. Instead, the cello swoops like John Cale’s viola, creating a raga-drone through the song. Following the same basic tenets, “River Road” tiptoes along through smog-infested feedback. A strum-along acoustic section moulds the song whole, as shimmering peaks and falls roll through. An accordion tries to steer the song back into the traditional world, but its foothold proves too loose, and the composition melts away like buffeting drifts of snow. The movements between wandering adrift and core melody make this 11-minute ride arresting from start to finish.

“States” wraps things up with a short ramshackle take on beginner’s garage rock, a decidedly odd touch. The loose and shaky percussion follows a battered acoustic guitar and kazoo-like sing-along vocal. There’s an unexpected flute line that, while eerily ethereal, holds the piece together quite well.

Natural History has many of the hallmarks of a debut – fresh, devoutly amateur and full of potential. I’m looking forward to finding out if future Death Chants hold the same charm and bizarrely bright edges." - Dusted


Tracklisting:
1. A Dog In The Ether
2. River Road
3. States

here


Death Chants - Valley of Light















Label: Cauliflower Dreams
Format: CDR
Released: 2006

"this disc will send you to the moon and back. 2 loooong tracks that sing about the deepest river on earth, your mind." - Cauliflower Dreams.

Tracklisting
1. The Village & The Lake (37:57)
2. Distant, Faraway Suns (28:20)

here

Heavy Eye of the Sun - I & II

Heavy Eye of the Sun - I







Label: Self-released
Format: CDR (ltd. 100)
Released: 2005

Surging, melifluous folk dirges spanning a meal of instruments. Fantastic vocal interplay (sustained vs. fluid overtonation). "Three pieces to get lost in"

Tracklisting:
1. Forest of Cymbals,
2. Comme des nuages dans un fleuve
3. Eyesun/Solœil

here
buy


Heavy Eye of the Sun - II









Label: Self-released
Format: CDR
Released: 2006

"The name Heavy Eye of the Sun inspires vivid imagery. I imagine Mayan temples erected toward the sun-borne gods, and ancient ritualistic dances performed in the fire light by feather-adorned priestesses. It's one hell of a name that insinuates something monolithic, something great. So it takes some guts to name your band that. Thankfully on Heavy Eye of the Sun's latest album (and their debut before this, quite honestly), they certainly live up to these lofty expectations.

Housed in a beautiful collage by the artist & photographer, Maryse Latulippe, "II" is the aural equivalent of a sacred talisman. It is enchanted with mystic spirits. This Montreal duo, comprised of Olivier Borzeix and James Schidlowsky, at times remind me of a more acoustic-based, freer version of The Skaters. Their voices bounce off each other like trees spiralling toward the sky. The opening track, "Comme les ailes des libellules," is an absolute mind-bender. Dueling, rapid-fire acoustic guitars destroy everything in front of them so that Borzeix and Schidlowky's voices can rise above the ether. It's perfectly executed and totally great.

After following a similar track on the second track, the duo unleash some absolutely hypnotic folk goodness on "Shivers." Their voices, again, are the key here. High-pitched wails sound as if they're conjuring the essence of long-dead gods. "Shivers" is thick with layers of acoustic guitars, like a neverending cosmic thicket. Hints of banjo rise from the haze to show you the path home. This is truly brilliant stuff.

"II" ends with the loose-blues of "Sun Spiralling Down." It's far more meditative than its three brethren, but is the perfect end to an excellent album. "II" is full of beautiful acoustic drones, steeped in decaying leaves and wrapped in walls of sonic ivy. It is masterfully organic in all the right places. "II" carefully carves out a niche like an archaic stream slowly etching its way toward bedroock. This is Heavy Eye of the Sun's journey to the sea. Recommended. 8/10" (Brad Rose, Foxydigitalis)

Tracklisting:
1. Comme les ailes des libellules
2. Dappled/Pommelé
3. Shivers
4. Sun Spiralling Down

here (*.m4a)
buy


Heavy Eye of the Sun III is still available through FoxyD's ltd. ed. line. And, I assure you, does not disappoint.

Dylan Nyoukis - The Shield That Pierces The Earth

Label: Catsup Plate
Format: LP
Released: 2000

Limited release of 300 copies. My God this is incredible.

"Dylan Nyoukis, most known for his work with the Scottish sound
collage ensemble Prick Decay, has recently unearthed his first
solo full length. Self-described as a folk album, "The Shield
that Pierces the Earth" doesnt exactly mimic Dylanisms a
la "Highway 61", as Nyoukis instead explores otherworldly terrain,
inspired partially by indigenous music from around the globe. From
the gamelan-like percussion explorations to the howling monkish
chants (and so much packed in between), "The Shield that Pierces
the Earth" is a one-man tribute to a large portion of the Folkways
library. Nyoukis also incorporates odd looping bits of sound and
electronics, and with the lo-fi recording and crackle of vinyl,
these fragments could easily be mistaken for a lost recording of
classic concrete sounds. Seaming it all together is Nyoukis
ability to give each sound a distinctly old-timey feel, producing
a fluid continuity between folk and non-folk terrain. Packaged
gorgeously as a handmade gatefold LP (complete with pink
vinyl!) "The Shield that Pierces the Earth" drops from the skies
as a lost experimental classic immediately upon release" (othermusic.com)

Tracklisting:

A1		Excerpt From ‘Dead Pharaoh Vs Smeared On Monkey's Eyeball
A2		Clay’s Festering Lungs
A3		The Lonely Way To Go-Go (Variation On A Theme By Neil Campbell)
A4		Release Me From Your Kung-Fu Grip
A5		Return Of The Javanese Rod Puppet
B1		Mohair Pants
B2		Morgue, Newness
B3		The Chicken Sees
B4		The Snout Of A Zoom Lens

here

p.s. Absence explained by academic concerns, but all is over now.

Sunshine Has Blown - S/T

Label: musicyourmindwillloveyou (mymwly0048)
Format: CDR
Released: 2006

gorgeous solar aquatic noise scapes from this Joel Stern and Adam Park led ensemble, weaving tones amongst abstract structures...electric, meyeopic, static, streams of image noise like pictures...good to grow.

originally packaged in textured paper with inner sleeve artwork by velvet pesu.

joel stern (1,2,3,4) – electronics, violin, guitar, mbira, trumpet, objects
adam park (1,2,3,4) – reel to reel tapes, electronics
velvet pesu (2) – cello, mbira, percussion
joe musgrove (3) – turntable, voice, objects
scott sinclair (3) – drums, voice, pc

edited and mastered by Joel at Governor's House March 2006.

Tracklisting:

Governor's House Brisbane 25th November 05
Mormon Gibbon Brisbane 19th Feb 06
Muji Judith Wright Centre Brisbane 19th December 05
Governor's House Brisbane 25th November 05

download

Tirath Singh Nirmala - Blossom Dawn Freckles

Label: Self-released
Format: CDR
Released: 2006

Last oop TSN upload. And as a novelty, a (tiny) cover. It's been emotional.

Awesome variety on this release. Perhaps a little too much? Nah. There are more than noticeable traces of Neil Campbell on the final track. Ha. Here's some cryptic volcanictongue-isms for you:

"New limited edition CD-R from Astral Social Club collaborator Tirath Singh Nirmala aka John Clyde-Evans. Another schtoof straight through the third eye from this q-tip, with lycanthropic looped vocals and knotty violin rags that re-situate the milky cosmic romance of Tony Conrad and Jack Smith in a thatch-covered barn somewhere deep in the mud. Also features some unerringly piloted sheng singing, distorto sine wave tone momes, a buncha clouds raining steel shots of chanter, bamboo flute and a cascade of loomping doom. A mouthful of cotton wool butterflys, from a guy who knows how to gargle a buncha significant modern alphabets. Highly recommended, as is every toot from his peeper." -Volcanic Tongue

download

Son Of Earth-Flesh On Bone Trio - S/T

Label: Apostasy Recordings (AP007)
Format: CDR
Released: 2001

long out of print release consisting of three full early live shows.
originally packaged in shortened manilla envelopes, each with unique artwork.

Tracklisting:

As If We Are A Number (A Stone For John Shaw's Beard)
(Pilgrims) Spirit Blanket
Dream Of A New Mountain

download

Tirath Singh Nirmala - Moor Cragg Mist

Label: Self-released
Format: CDR
Released: 2006

Penultimate upload here. African kindly uploaded Birch Clove Burst 1&2 and Tattv-guna-mala 1&2 over at wehavenozen. Moor Cragg Mist was briefly up in the volcanictongue rarities (you can pretend that it's still available through googlecache), but it's just been snapped up. Blossom Dawn Freckles is still available through vt.

"Self-released session (his 5th to date) from the revitalised Tirath Singh Nirmala (aka John Clyde-Evans), a forlorn extension of vocal, feedback and tactile drone strategies, with loops of voice generating pyramids of 4-D construction, computer-manipulated brain waves, harmonium-led prayer hovers, bowed guitar/bamboo flute rituals and plenty of damp earth magic. This guy is turning into a one-man UK underground and every release so far has been a mind-blower. Out of print." - Volcanic Tongue

download

Orphan Fairytale - Twilight Time

Label: Sloow Tapes
Format: Single-Sided Cassette
Released: 2006

"Looping casio keyboards inhaling magic dust and blowing it out into bright dancing psychbubbles. Lost star heaven of 100 copies."

this is one of my favourite sloow tapes releases. it shifts between fractured, whimsical melodies, crude rhythmic clanging and passages of industrial-like drone. a highly unique and enjoyable listen.

Tracklisting:

A Untitled

download

Tirath Singh Nirmala - Sahasri

Label: Self-released
Format: CDR
Released: 2006

An unusual one here. Sahasri has more in common with the mentality of minimalism than any other release: this one could pass for a high-frequency Theater of Eternal Music / La Monte Young piece. Lovely.

download

Tirath Singh Nirmala - Smouldering Juniper

Label: Self-released
Format: CDR
Released: 2006

Another TSN release here, and again, no album art. And no blurb, so I'm having to write something. The rest (Blossom Dawn Freckles, Moor Cragg Mist, Sahasri, Tattv-guna-mala 1&2 and Birch Clove Burst 1&2) - that's the rest to my knowledge anyway - shall be arriving on-screen shortly.

Entirely instrumental effort, here. Moonlit Circles takes the raga and smothers it with some Eastern-inflected minimalism. Little tonal variation, quivered guitar strumming; beaten bells build and power through to a hypnotically nod-head ending. Smouldering Juniper takes you back to typical Tirath terrain: dual microtonal pipes slide over extended synth, leaving you with enough space to Pandit Pran Nath-along. Snowflowers Bloom, meanwhile, is a high-frequency chimed track - not so far from recent John Clyde-Evans output - which sits on speakers as fragile as a butterfly on a wheel.


download

Son of Earth - Carhole / Man

continuing the son of earth vibe i thought i'd post two more of their earlier records. they demonstrate tremendous control focusing intently on the subtle interplay between sound and space, this has evolved even further in their latest offerings erotic empire and pet. these guys simply get better with age. enjoy:-

Title: Carhole
Label: Apostasy Recordings (AP021)
Format: CDR
Released: 2004

A journey in three parts.

Live recording of the trio of Matt Krefting, John Shaw and Aaron Rosenblum at the Belchertown Carhole 2003. Slow metal sonatas, almost subliminal use of tiny sounds, distant, evocative drones and an approach to the jam that owes as much to Organum and Mirror as it does to AMM and MEV. Came packaged in a folded-in Global Priority mailer with insert and colour cover.

Tracklisting:

Floating Image
Walking The Transom
Owl's Vector Speech

download

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Title: Man

Label: Apostasy Recordings (AP014)
Format: CDR
Released: 2003

Packaged in handmade, hinged balsa cases. Burned man on front.

Tracklisting:

Our Achievements, Our Regrets
Clump Of Earth
Floor Person

download

Son of Earth - Flesh on the Bone

Label: Static
Format: 7''
Release: 2004

Short one here: under 10 minutes. Typically restrained-as-fuck.

"Dunno if they've dropped the Flesh On Bone Trio for good but these glam post-Industrialists (Matt Krefting, John Shaw, Aaron Rosenblum) with connections to Double Leopards, Virgin Eye Blood Brothers and The Believers just dropped their heaviest short-form release to date in the shape of an ultra-limited lathe that combines huge lungs of frozen air with the sounds of aquatic nightlife as broadcast over a warehouse tannoy system. Two sides, titled "Naked Float" and "Elimination Of Present Life", though the label also credits the A-side as "Son Of Earth", so I guess this beautifully lonely murk must be their theme song. If the malevolent hiss that cloaks Throbbing Gristle's Live At The Rat sides is yr kind of jam then you'll find plenty to wrap yr head around in the folds of this monster. Limited to only 100 copies, plays at 33¨1/3 and comes in a plastic see-through sleeve with a unique magazine cutting. There will be no re-stock on this one as it's already gone at source, so move fast." -Volcanic Tongue

download

Tirath Singh Nirmala - Slimp Tench Depth

Label: Self-released
Format: CDR
Released: 2006

Brilliant. Just brilliant. Everything John released underneath this pseudonym is worth tracking down. Check out Bluster, Cragg & Awe (currently on sale) and his more recent back-to-birthname Apetal Thunderfall on Foxydigitalis for two fantastically diverging-approach releases.

"Brand new limited private press CD-R from Tirath Singh-Nirmala, ex-John Clyde-Evans, and reputedly his last full-length for a while due to his temporary re-location to the Indian sub-continent. Heavier, fuller sound to this one, with drums, tons of bells, shivers of breath and tone and a feel that is somewhere between Vibracathedral Orchestra's more widescreen work, Tibetan liturgy, Sun City Girls and the more percussive, long-distance Steve Reich compositions. Already sold-out at source." - Volcanic Tongue

download

Edward Ruchalski - Having It Out

Label: Humbug
Format: LP (ltd. 50)
Released: 2002

First post for me, but I'll keep it short. Although this release doesn't out-do the fantastic Dark Night, it comes startlingly close. I'll let someone else do the talking...

'Maybe Ruchalski's most beautiful work yet, and another example of his densely layered, swirling sound constructions. Working from basic materials such as nondescript scrapes & buzzes, feedback, self-made motor mallet instruments, metal sheets, field recordings, vinyl loops from old 78's, one could easily imagine a bleak and/or very "difficult" music but neither is really the case as Ruchalski has a way of bringing real life to these inanimate objects, letting them breathe, sigh or sing in their own peculiar, rustic way. Sometimes even a narrative element is felt as if a story were being told (most likely a sad one - perhaps of the destiny of the WW1 soldier staring blankly at us from the collage on the cover?). Who knows? The music of Ruchalski remains shrouded with a sense of mystery to me. The underlying ideas are often familiar, like the almost obsessive study of the minutiae of sustained vibration.....(maybe it's "minimalism" to some extent?), or the environmental/field recordings thing .....but there's always something else in there, too. This LP contains mostly unreleased material (the side-long "Having It Out" and a shorter piece on the B-side), as well as some choice cuts from previosuly released CD-Rs "Moveable Sites" (Humbug011) and "Radio Journal" (Homemade Records). Edition of 50.'

Tracklisting:

A1. Part 1
A2. Part 2
A3. Part 3
B1. Moss Lake
B2. Highway 6A
B3. Refined Localities
B4. Elegy for V

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Satwa - Satwa

Label: Time-Lag Records
Format: CDR
Released: 2005 (Originally as a private press LP in Brazil in 1973)

"...Largely void of voice and word, the songs – Côrtes plucking steely leads from his sitar while Lailson's 12-string thrums crystalline chords – are loose and lovely. The sole interference in these glistening arabesques is the hoary electric fretwork of one Robertinho on "Blues do Cachorro Muito Louco," the most explicitly fried track. Otherwise, Côrtes and Lailson are left to experiment in musty silence. Seemingly taped live, each track is a dry documentation of the duo's gently rambling improvisations. Far from the recombinant psychedelia of tropicalismo that reigned over the pre-hippie underground in Brazil's bustling metropolises five years earlier, Satwa play bed peace bards. In double-mono, or fake stereo, Satwa is raw, untreated mentalism translated into pure songflow. At times exhausted and dusty – "Atom" – or archaically splendorous – "Valse Dos Cogumelos" – the duo's spiraling scrolls etched in rustic timbres unfurl gracefully."

awesome.

Tracklisting:

Satwa
Can I Be A Satwa
Alegro Paradissimo
Lia A Rainha Da Noite
Apacidonata
Amigo
Atom
Blue Do Cachorro Muito Louco
Valsa Dos Cogumelos
Alegria Do Povo

download

Edward Ruchalski - Dark Night

Label: Foxglove
Format: CDR
Released: 2004

excerpt taken from a most visual interpretation of this record:-

"..The disc begins with a swelling ringing drone that rolls and sways like wheat in a gentle breeze. Over this lulling undulation one can hear the whistles of distant trains passing by. The second track marries lightly stroked piano with resonating bells and chimes that are overshadowed briefly by screeching harmonics of bowed metal before the mournful cry of the train whistle returns. Underneath this swell, the steady insistent sweep of a sprinkler hovers into range.

Over the next several parts of the piece, these basic elements are manipulated and modulated expertly to build a narrative in which individual events can be discerned (the slightly spooky piano figure from "Part Three", the "clock" striking the hour in the middle of "Part Four") but never interrupt the leisurely movement of the whole. As "Part Five" begins with gently plucked guitar frames chiming bells, one can easily picture the easy harmony of an elemental duet between a solitary farmhouse occupant and the wind chimes on the back porch. It is the first hint that acceptance and peace can be attained even amidst the turbulence of nocturnal noises.

Once the delicate piano chords at the start of "Part Six" have been swallowed by gamelan-like echoic bells, a babbling brook emerges as the underpinning for Rebecca Klossner’s "singing bowls". The presence of unfettered water (as opposed to its earlier appearance in sprinkler directed form) is emblematic of the softening the piece has undergone over its length. The final "Part Eight" breaks like dawn illuminating the previous evening’s sinister room corners as merely an innocuous and essential meeting place for the walls of home." - steve rybicki (fakejazz)

Tracklisting:

Part One (5:17)
Part Two (7:25)
Part Three (6:42)
Part Four / Part Five (8:02)
Part Six / Part Seven "Night Pasture" (6:52)
Part Eight "For Rebecca" (4:19)

Composed, performed and recorded by Edward Ruchalski.

Rebecca Klossner: singing bowls and field recording on Part Seven.

download

Various Artists - Naturalism

Label: Nature Tape Limb
Format: CDR
Released: 2004

for me this record teems with life & spirituality, containing a world i could happily submerge myself in for quite some time! wonderful.

"a compilation ranging from minimal forest droppings to ritualistic bloodbath songs." - nature tape limb

"like an outpouring from all the forest creatures hiding under the protection of old growth trees. lay down and put this on headphones, and as soon as you close your eyes, you'll smell the pines in the distance." - foxy digitalis

Tracklisting:

The Nether Dawn - Talking Northoly
The Wooden Cupboard - Cabin In The Sky
Neil Campbell & Robert Hayler - Live
The Skaters - Fishing Continent Horizon
The Wooden Cupboard - The Sun Dances With The Animals
The Candle Magicians - Lanterns Of The Black Witch
CJA - Clutha
Calf - Iron & Wind
The Gnome Eaters - Fly A Garlic
Noun Cocoon - Silhouettes Of The Sabbath

download

Various Artists - Radio Phnom Penh

Label: Sublime Frequencies
Format: CD
Released: 2005

thought i would further diversify this blog by posting one of the best compilations to yet come out of sublime frequencies. the music here is infectious and that which leaves me revelling in all its multi-faceted glory. a must hear!

"Rebel Guitars, Assorted Dialects, Heat-Stroke Synthesizers, and thats just a taste of this diverse assortment of Cambodian musical treasures you’ve NEVER heard before. Flowing from traditional to Modern, from rock and pop to folk and hybrid, all sequenced in the spirit of how it was captured: as radio programming designed to immediately transport you into the heart of Cambodia’s Capital."

Tracklisting:

Don't Want to Let You Go
Multi-Pop Indigenous
Blondie in Khmer Camouflage
Street Guns and Studio Drums
Synthesizers East of Siam
Indefinite State of Emergency
Phnom Penh on the Seine
Bubble Gum Independence
Rebel Guitars in Strange Dialect
Shiny Radio in a Blind Man's Wallet
Re-Mixed Culture or: The Graffiti Walls of Angkor Wat
Condoms and Condors
Sign-Off/The Venerable Anthem

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Masayoshi Urabe / Chie Mukai - Dual Anarchism

Label: Siwa
Format: LP
Released: 2002

Masayoshi Urabe : alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, bass block floten, alto block floten, electric guitar, harmonica, chains, bamboo harmonica, metal joints, bell, action.

Chie Mukai : kokyu (er-hu), vocals, piano, kengali, cymbals, bells, tambourine, toys, action.

An LP of music culled from performances recorded over a ten year period and edited by Masayoshi Urabe. A companion video containing different audio material was also produced by the Japanese 'There' label and an artists edition boxed set combining the LP and video was released in an edition of 20.

contains some breathtaking shifts in dynamic with its title offering a most perfect description of the aural conflict within, a very special record indeed.

Tracklisting:

A Dual Anarchism Part 1 (22:57)
B Dual Anarchism Part 2 (23:23)

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Hush Arbors - Live, Heeley Institute, Sheffield, England

Label: Backest Rainbow
Format: Cd-r
Released: 2007

A wonderful live set from Keith Wood recorded in october of 2006 in sheffield. released on blackest rainbow in a handnumbered edition of 101 copies.

tracklisting:

1 May All Your Pastures Now Spring With Herbs
2 Where The Black Bear Hides In The Sky
3 The Light
4 Bless You Girl
5 Bones Of A Thousand Suns
6 Oar Of Bone
7 Mr. Bones See's The Sea Again
8 Broken Bones

download

-

~apolpgies for infrequent posting of late. i have been (and still am) rather busy. things should pick up again soon. on that note, we are currently looking for contributors. if you're interested, send an email to:- bonemallow@gmail.com

thanks

Vodka Soap - Un Chand Pyramidelier

Label: New Age Cassettes

Format: CDR
Released: 2006

this record was actually my first exposure to all things skaters' related, needless to say it made a huge impression on me and was the spark for hunting down all i could from their various projects. volcanic tongue put it better than i could when it was featured as their tip of the tongue in april 2006:-

"An absolute masterpiece of sustained meditative breakthrough from Spencer Clarke of The Skaters. Spencer worked on this amazing recording for many many moons, spending a long time in the subterranean depths of the local museum, power-zoning on archetypal visions of death masks and energy centres. The result is one of the most conceptually unified trips to flash across his eyelids to date. Tiny orchestras of gamelan bells illuminate whole communities of overtone while tape wuzz spools into loops of roaring silence and almost subliminal speech and song-forms flit just on the periphery of yr ears. Elsewhere it sounds like a Hermann Nitsch ritual heard from 200 miles up, or an African Trips Festival illuminated by beautifully ornate carousels slow-spinning deep in the black desert night. Totally magical, ageless ritual and a mind-blower of the highest order. Highest possible recommendation."

Tracklisting:

Untitled (0:57)
Untitled (2:22)
Untitled (1:01)
Untitled (5:14)
Untitled (3:32)
Untitled (4:44)
Untitled (4:32)
Untitled (5:03)
Untitled (4:47)
Untitled (2:55)
Untitled (5:45)
Untitled (3:18)
Untitled (2:49)

download

The Wooden Cupboard - Animals Speak The Spirit Tongue

Label: 267 Lattajjaa
Format: CDR
Released: 2005

nothing i say can really prepare you for this record, though i shall say it blew my mind upon first listen. something totally primal and boundless is tapped into, certainly feeling more animal than human. once you give yourself over fully, it becomes a truly ecstatic, potentially mind-altering experience.

"Carrying forward ever deeper into the experimental we come to the pineal gland ripping music of The Wooden Cupboard on 'Animals Speak The Spirit Tongue'. Almost beyond music into a howl at the nightsky, the music wolves would make. From the worryingly quiet chimes to the terrifyingly intense calls, this unbroken music comes together into surges of crescendo. This is the sound of nature rebelling, calling out to their ancestors to reclaim the ground. Animal calls to the moon that put a chill in the heart of every person walking back home across the fields." - Lord of Misrule, Unbroken Circle

Tracklisting:

Crystal Agony
Eternity Has A Landlord
Spirits And Retribution
Eternities Diamond Prison System
Walkin' Gilded Coals

download

ferraro's first release as the wooden cupboard entitled "boiling the animal in the sky" is available here (my preferred of the two if forced to choose).

Taiga Remains - Moon Colored Dogs

Label: Students Of Decay
Format: 3" CDR
Released: 2005

two part 3" cdr released by taiga remains (alex cobb) on students of decay which had a very limited run of 50 copies. an overriding tension emerges and dissipates throughout these two pieces, incorporating just organ and strings with the most arresting of results. the sounds here make me feel as though i'm free-falling in some kind of rapturous descent; and once the second part ends, in my mind it continues, developing and shifting far beyond its 8 and a half minute duration. awesome.

foxy digitalis review:-

"...'Moon Colored Dogs' is a two-part sonic excursion into freezing Siberian waters, sunkissed and invigorated. Part one of this journey is a dense and methodic drone in the spirit of Birchville Cat Motel. It is like watching the sun first pierce the horizon on a perfect, snowy dawn. Shimmering guitars and subtle melodica notes fill the air, keeping you warm on this glacial surface. Cobb layers each instrument perfectly, creating something so dense that you can't help but be enveloped. It's quite an impressive introduction to the monster that is Taiga Remains. As good as the first part is, part two ups the ante. An overwhelming sense of melancholy wraps itself around "Moon Colored Dogs (part 2)." The guitars here sound like a swarm of bees making their way across the open expanses of the mid-Western United States. Underneath flows a river of organ drones that add organic magic to the proceedings. Again, Birchville Cat Motel is a jumping off point, but the somewhat abrasive nature to these sounds also remind me of the UK's mighty Vibracathedral Orchestra. Either way, this is an excellent and impressive debut from what will surely become one of the Rust Belt's finest. Recommended." - Brad Rose

Tracklisting:

Moon Colored Dogs (Part 1)
Moon Colored Dogs (Part 2)

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William Basinski - A Red Score In Tile

Label: Three Poplars
Format: LP
Released: 2003

A Red Score In Tile was released on the Three Poplars label (founded by Andrew Chalk and Christoph Heeman in 2000) as an LP limited to 600 copies. this may seem a lot compared to many runs from the other posts here, but as this is william basinski, the fact it's now out of print hardly comes as a suprise. For me though, this is still an understated record of amazing beauty when compared to the success of his most famous work 'the disintegration loops' (which is amazingly all still available to buy on william basinski's site here, and you really ought to)

aside from the fact this is one of my most favourite records, i found everything i felt i could say within this review (or at least, that you would want to hear):-

"Inspired by James Elaine's painting of the same title, Basinski created this extremely minimal composition. The piece takes up both sides of the record, and since it is comprised of a single loop repeated for the entire duration, my first thought is that it might have been better suited for release on CD. But perhaps having that second side—dividing the listener's attention by insisting on an interlude—is deliberate, serving a specific purpose. The piece is quiet, muted, mysterious; a few chords on piano, a slow tape loop, repeated from start to finish. Perhaps nothing happens during the duration of the piece, or perhaps there are slight shifts, disintegrations, changes. If there are, they happen so subtly and so gradually that I didn't notice as I listened, even though my thoughts were captivated all the way through. The entire recording, sounding quite shaky and distorted, is marked by a certain fragility, as if the tape itself is going to break apart at any moment. After listening, you resurface to a world that still seems to sound like this bewitching composition, resounding off the walls, suspended quietly in the air, in the very air you breathe. [Richard di Santo]" 

Tracklisting:

A A Red Score In Tile Pt. 1 (25:56)
B A Red Score In Tile Pt. 2 (21:50)

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Of - The Buried Stream

Label: Jewelled Antler
Format: CD
Released: 2005

'of' is the moniker of loren chasse (thuja, ov, blithe sons, child readers, coelacanth). his ability to draw sonic properties from a variety of natural sources always make his music an exciting prospect. in 'the buried stream', a multitude of acoustic instrumentation is used throughout, managing to coalesce flawlessly with beautifully considered environmental sound. nothing can quite prepare you for the sheer force and potency of "underground cloud",  it breathes, contorts and pulses as if some kind of (un)holy organism. the record as a whole never settles into a predictable pace and can at times, disturb or terrify (ie. the thick, suffocating drumming in "the jut of rock"). with this work in particular, chasse channels something pure, untamed and all-consuming. one of my favourite jewelled antler releases.

Tracklisting:

Underground Cloud
The Jut Of Rock
Axes
Glowing Prints
The Coral Fungus
Many Marriages
Mud Vowels
The Guidepost

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his latest release "the sun & earth together" is now available on ultra hard gel.

Wire Thicket - Dust, Static

Label: Students Of Decay
Format: 3"Cd-r
Released: 2006

Wire Thicket is the duo of Alex Cobb (aka Taiga Remains) and David Kirby, who released their debut 's/t' cd-r on pseudoarcana (which you can still purchase here) later that year they released The dust, Static 3"cd-r on Alex Cobb's own label Students Of Decay. This release consists of two tracks. the first, a 16 minute venture into beautifully ecstatic and full sounds that feel as though they are constantly rising. this has your full attention throughout, like when a storm rages outside and you can't leave the window. the second track for me is the aftermath of the first. dying static crawling beneath subtle notes. it feels like coming back round, and everything opening up again.

Tracklisting:

1  Dust, Static (16:03)
2  Brilliant Dead Highways: Revisited (5:37)

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Meursault - Nothing Changed This Week

Label: Eagle & Serpent Records
Format: CDR
Released: 2006

meursault is the solo project of glasgow's shaun falconer, this being the second release on his own 'eagle and serpent records'. heartfelt movements of understated piano & guitar evoke a tremendous sense of tranquility and contentedness. each piece holds a real clarity of vision with no wasted moments and many of quiet profundity. this has been one of my most valued discoveries and should be known by many more people. i urge you all to check it out.

Tracklisting:

Washing Her Hair
Hands On The Maths
Mirror
Just Coming
We Locked Arms And Boarded A Coach
Jumping From The 40th Floor, Just The Once
Ah-So

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Ghost Brames Of The Cerf's Magickal - For Ever Hang Thy Dreamy Spell, Round Mountain Star And Heather Bell

Label: Ruralfaune
Format: 3" Cd-r
Released: 2006

for me, this record is the soundtrack to many wonderful evenings since i first got hold of it. sitting and being lulled into places of your own imagination by the beautiful chord organ drones, and these two repeating guitar notes just pinning you there throughout till the pieces chaotic end. i urge you all to keep an eye out for more Ghost Brames releases. their static aero cd-r on leaf trail was one of my favourite records last year, and you can still buy it now.

"Having lifted the title of this majestic 3” CD-R from Anne Brontë’s poem “Memory,” this newly formed French duo aim to recreate the innocence of childhood as filtered through the human mind’s imperfect memory. Florian Tositti (The Reggaee) and Jacob Garet (undisputed master of the ‘Magick Skull of Noise,’ whatever that may be) have created the perfect 21-minute prescription for losing touch with the present and rediscovering the purity of unsullied youth. Multiple looped guitar patterns are interwoven and laid upon a blanket of drone, while a flute dances carelessly overhead. Frequent crescendos are followed by the development of new musical ideas, proving that GBCM (a fitting acronym, no?) are adept at creating engaging long form soundscapes. This is indeed another stunning release for the Ruralfaune label, an imprint that continues to explore fresh terrain in the global psychedelic underground. Cheers to them for discovering the spellbinding sounds of GBCM." - bryon hayes (foxy digitalis)

Tracklisting:

1 ForFor Ever Hang Thy Dreamy Spell, Round Mountain Star And Heather Bell (21:33)

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Aaron Rosenblum - The Hills Are Really Homes

Label: Hank The Herald Angel
Format: Cd-r
Released: 2002

Okay, so i'm unable to find the artwork or a decent review anywhere, but i can tell you a little about this release. 'The Hills Are Really Homes' is released on Son Of Earth member Aaron Rosenblum's own label (where you can also currently purchase his fantastic 'Among The Jackdaws' cd-r), and consists of five short tracks bound together with recurring field recordings of whirrs and storms, and woven guitar melodies (of which i would say hold a more dominant role in this record than any other of his i have heard). i am one for keeping my feelings on music to myself, so all i will say to close this is just listen. this really is a beautiful record.

Tracklisting:

1 Moving Side by Side with the Land (4:38)
2 You Smile While Trouble Is Coming (3:01)
3 Please Give Me the Keys for Heaven (The Famous Delta Haze) (3:22)
4 There Are Only 4 Days Remaining (But The Seventh One I Will Take For Myself) (1:29)
5 A Person Named What Have You Remained For (Ghost With The Most) (3:47)

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Teotihuacan - Teotihuacan

Label: New Age Cassettes

Format: Cassette

Released: 2006

"recorded in tijuana mexico and the desert outskirts of el cajon california. 1983 ufology convention. music for the desert temples of extraterrestrial light. recorded october-december 2004."

Tracklisting:

Untitled

Extraterrestrial Light

Untitled

Untitled

Inner Flowering

Untitled

Untitled

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The Floating World - River Of Flowers

Label: Foxglove

Format: CDR

Released: 2006

"after mesmerizing releases on barl fire and as part of the "folklore of the moon" subscription series, canada's floating world is bringing her show foxglove. "river of flowers" picks up where her previous releases left off, contorting solemn flute sounds into a web of glittering drones. each track is based off a poem written by her sister. these tracks are overflowing with warmth. this is not austere and glacial, but saturated with decaying leaves and flower petals. hypnotic." - foxglove

Tracklisting:

River Of Flowers

Orchid

Lotus

Anemone

Lilac

Poppy

Hyacinth

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Sabu Orimo - Ichi-On

Label: Subjective Spirit Sound
Format: Cd-r
Released: 2006

Sabu Orimo is a man in his early 20's with an absolutely mind blowing talent for playing the shakuhachi. The first time i heard his music was upon my friend's purchase of both ichi-on and susabu, and i couldn't believe what i was hearing. he quickly became one of my most played artists, and even now i am amazed each time i hear him. whether it be him furiously bashing his shakuhachi down on the floor screaming, or playing at his absolute quietest, his music is just as beautiful and intense throughout all of his releases.
ichi-on was the first of his i heard, and to anyone who has not heard anything from him already, i believe this is a great place to start. As far as i am aware (and with good reason) none of his releases are available anywhere, and if any of you have the solo shakuhachi  ii tape then please let me know. i am dying to hear it

"Second release by Sabu Orimo and another tour-de-force. Still unlike his previous outing, since it is a more intimate recording than its predecessor. Here, Sabu delicately exerts deep mesmerizing tones that balance on the edge of drone and the sound of a summer breeze after a tropical thunderstorm. Still he continues, be it in a less extroverted manner, around delicate gravities of a growling hiss which allows for environmental aspects of the recorded space to creep into the mix, filling the perimeters with atmospheric warmth and depth that stretches the perpendicular distance from the exerted chords to the farthest point of the arched surface he moves about. This gets especially poignant on “Yure” where the allegorical nimbly splattering of the rain supply the ideal backdrop for his instrument to fully blossom. Sabu radiates throughout the disc, tip-toeing on the razor's edge between full blown rage and mesmerizing meditative silence. Truly highly recommended and it fills me with joy and hope to hear and see such a talented new player on the scene since he will only get better and better. Massive!!!" - tiliqua records

Tracklisting:
1 地声 (7:31)
2 ゆれ (9:41)
3 ゆり (9:36)
4 狼 (4:51)
5 森 (29:15)

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Thuja - Ghost Plants

Label: Emperor Jones
Format: CD
Released: 2002

firstly, thuja are quite possibly my favourite group of musicians. i have an amazing amount of awe for what they have created (and for what they are still creating) both in collaborations and individually. 'Ghost Plants' is the second record by thuja released in 2002. as one might expect, most of their releases are now out of print, but you can still purchase 'all strange beasts of the past' from emperor jones.

"Ghost Plants is as savory and involved as improv music gets. It isn’t a sound effects record but should be. There are piano, guitar, percussion, electronics and other shit mingling freely but in a cohesive way." - emperor jones

Tracklisting:
1 Untitled (1:16)
2 Untitled (2:35)
3 Untitled (3:10)
4 Untitled (2:03)
5 Untitled (3:42)
6 Untitled (8:09)
7 Untitled (2:26)
8 Untitled (1:10)
9 Untitled (3:29)
10 Untitled (2:38)
11 Untitled (1:54)
12 Untitled (4:00)
13 Untitled (2:31)

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