diamanda in colombia
Diamanda will be peforming this upcoming Friday, June 14 in Medellin, Colombia at the Teatro Metropolitan. Diamanda says, "My performance precedes the International Poetry Festival by one week, and I am performing one of the poet's works SI LA MUERTE on my concert. The poet, my friend Miguel Huezo Mixco, from Farabundo Marti de la Liberation in the 70's, will be reading his other work the following week. We are both disappointed that the timing was not better for both of us." She goes on to say, "They are so glad we are coming; apparently there are lots of fear for cancellations, but I always laugh when people say this and say, 'Didn't you know that ALL my gigs are the ones MARIAH cancels? How do think I GET these gigs, anyway?' In all seriousness, we are looking forward to it. As is standard for us, we are always happy doing music in countries that have the ability to even speak their OWN language, not to mention a few others." The show is being directed by Juan Alfonso Vasquez, and for more information, email cultura@comfenalcoantioquia.com.

troum with legendary pink dots in bremen
This coming Wednesday, drone superstars Troum share a bill with The Legendary Pink Dots in Bremen. The show is at Kulturzentrum Schlachthof at Findorffstr. 51. Unfortunately that's all the details we have for now. Check LPD's site or www.troum.com for more info.

matmos and lesser live on record
For a limited time, the "Matmos Live with J Lesser" CD is available directly from Matmos. If you have any questions, they have put together a nice long FAQ list to answer anything you could think of along with a number of things you couldn't think of. Buy it now before it's gonzo!

upcoming panacea appearances
Hot on the heels of two live appearances in Arnstadt and Montreal, more upcoming shows from Panacea are scheduled for July in Berlin and Speyer. Check the web site news for more details. The new album, 'Underground Superstardom' is out now.

"QUEEN ELIZABETH" & "ELIZABETH VAGINA"
Head Heritage
Queen Elizabeth is Julian Cope and Thighpaulsandra's ongoing "sonic ritual" project. Birthed in 1993, the first album was released in 1994 and the second double album, newly reissued, in 1997. Well over three hours of improvised music is spread over the three discs, the "shortest" of the seven tracks being thirteen minutes. As one might expect from these two space cadets, languid analog ambience (or "Ambulence" as Cope refers to it) via Mellotrons, Moogs and ARPs is the primary mode of space-time travel here, though percussion, guitars and miscellany also play a part. On the debut, brash quasi-arpeggios make up the bulk of "Superstar" while intentionally distorted piano chords interrupt the knob twiddling drift in "Avebury: The Arranged Marriage of Heaven and Earth".
On 'Elizabeth Vagina', "Tal-y-Fan" is a shocker kicking off with bombastic rock drums and bass guitar groove, later settling into extensive modulations. And the tail end of "Temples of Ker" breaks into a charming piano and guitar led ditty, nearly negating the 11 minutes of chugging synths preceding it. It surprises me that with this much meat, there's not that much to really sink my teeth into. That is, instead of being engrossed, I more often than not find myself impatiently waiting for something better to happen. I love ambient minded music but I feel that most of this material is lacking in magick and is, well, rather self-indulgent. And everything here pales in comparison to Thighpaulsandra's later work with Coil and on his own. He took the Queen Elizabeth concept to the next level for his brilliant solo debut 'I, Thighpaulsandra' by fashioning ingenious songs amongst the meandering moments. Even Cope cops to this by admitting in the sleeve notes, in reference to a track on 'I' originally intended for a third Queen Elizabeth release, that it "vastly transcends the breadth of musical vision originally destined for the Queen Elizabeth version". - Mark Weddle

samples:

• Avebury: The Arranged Marriage of Heaven And Earth
• Tal-y-Fan
• Temples of Ker

Harald Sack Ziegler, "Kopf Zahl Bauch"
Staubgold
H.S. Ziegler began flooding the German underground scene with self-released home-produced cassettes in the 1980s. Particularly annoying naive and dada-esque, he used every style and toy instrument he could get hold of to develope his ways of expression. Throughout the 1990s, he released a wide variety of stuff in nearly any possible format on a wide selection of independent labels, teamed up with Blumm for more than 3 CDs and making regular guest appearances on Mouse On Mars releases, starting with 'Iaora Tahiti'.
'Kopf Zahl Bauch' (Head Number Belly) is finally his all-star album, featuring guest collaborators Mouse On Mars on "Toy Tech Two", along with Marcus Schmickler, FX Randomiz, Reuber, Blumm, Guido M?bius, and Ron Martin (more or less the whole A-Musik crowd with Joseph Suchy co-producing). This is by no means a wild electronica avant-garde celebrity album, but a collection of alternative pop tunes with charming harmonies and melodies and the occasional vocal tunes about lost loves, daily observations, and vacations in New York. "Urlauber In New York," for example, from the 'Staubgold 20' compilation, is used as this album's opener. These songs can get quite emotional but never to the point of sheer annoyance.
Ballads like "Einsam" (Lonely) or "Zwei Wochen Zwei" (Two Weeks Two, again with Joseph Suchy) or just songs like "Schenken" (Give a Gift, with Reuber) get better with each listening. The only track which is a bit too drowsy for me is "Lila Regen" (Pink Rain), but otherwise, this is a very cute and friendly album. - carsten s.

samples:

• Schenken
• Toy Tech Two
• Zwei Wochen Zwei

F?XA, "SUPERCHARGED"
Rocket Girl
Randall Nieman cut his teeth in the Michigan space-rock scene playing with Windy & Carl (then a quartet). Moving on to start a new project, F?xa, with former Asha Vida member Ryan Anderson, Nieman was able to fully explore the electronic counterpart to his interests, in addition to guitar and bass work. Although Anderson his since departed, Nieman has continued with rather prolific output ('Supercharged' marks the sixth full-length release). The array of instrumentation on this album is all in dreamy hints and touches. The theremin, Moog and synths never overpower the guitar, bass and drums, or vice versa. Less trippy than previous efforts like 'Very Well Organized' and less airy than '3 Field Rotation', 'Supercharged' draws from both styles, but infuses them with darker, milder overtones. The first of the eight tracks, "Hide Away" is a prime example. Smoky and magnetic, this song features assistance from The Telescopes'/Unisex's Jo Doran and Stephan Lawrie, who lend their low, sparse vocals (something new to F?xa's mostly instrumental repetoire), which are submerged into the wafting electronics. Then, later moving on in a different direction, the third track "420" is distorted and noisy. 'Supercharged' has a lot of variety, but still manages to retain a sense of balance, and is very polished and even. "It Was You" is another outstanding track, highlighting Nieman's skill for handling analog electronics as well as that of drummer Drew Peters (another figure in the burgeoning Michigan scene). The result is simple and charming. Unfortunately, the charismatic beginning of the album just doesn't follow through to the end: "The Formula", "We Could Be Together" and "In Your Dreams" are pretty and quaint, but become difficult to distinguish after the album reaches its midpoint and lack the character of the songs which preceed them. That said, I still wouldn't hesitate to recommend 'Supercharged' to fans of F?xa's previous work or anyone who has an appreciation for thoughtful, introspective instrumental music, such as The Album Leaf (on whom F?xa are clearly an influence). Plus, the sublime artwork by Martin Andersen (ex-v23) is an excellent bonus. - Jessica Tibbits

samples:

• Hide Away
• It Was You
• We Could Be Together

OTOMO YOSHIHIDE, "ANODE"
Tzadik
Anyone who mourned the passing of Otomo Yoshihide's incendiary plunderphonic rock improv explosion Ground Zero should give 'Anode' a blast now! The opening and closing highly percussive attacks are comparable to the middle section of Ground Zero's 'Last Concert' recording, where the duelling drums let fly, however these are more chaotic and loose, multi-layered and free. Perhaps this is no surprise considering Ground Zero demolition drummers Uemura Masahiro and Yoshigaki Yasuhiro are once more punishing the skins. 'Anode' was improvised under the conditions that the twelve musicicans do not respond to each other, do not plot an obvious course and do not play regular rhythms or melodies. The ten and sixteen minute variations of "Anode 1" are as raucous and cacophanous as you might expect, but are also more uplifting and joyful than anything I've heard all year. Six percussionists skitter and tumble thunderously foot over head as sine waves wail, an empty turntable buzzes and electric guitar feedback sings dissonant voids. Sandwiched between are two calm and reflective realisations of the 'Anode' game, which nod to John Cage's aleatory composition. "Anode 2" is the calm after the storm, as slow random trickles bounce off each other in curious lines. It segues neatly into "Anode 3" on which Nishi Yoko's prepared 17-string koto looms into the foreground pursuing a more climactic feel. Familiar names from the Japanorama tour such as guitarist Sugimoto Taku, sine waver Sachiko M and percussionist Furuta Mari are on board, and in Liverpool a four player version of "Anode 1" was the highlight. Otomo Yoshihide has released a mind boggling number of CDs, usually of very high quality and originality but some more essential than others. Alongside the I.S.O. CDs, this is the most assured and fascinating he's sounded since the demise of Ground Zero in 1998. Half of it's Otomo and friends at their noisiest, and few kick up such a glorious racket. - Graeme Rowland

samples:

• Anode 1 Variation
• Anode 2

RAPOON, "PELL MELL"
Staalplaat
'Pell mell' means "in mingled confusion or disorder", a pretty befitting title for this unnecessarily full priced (maybe it's due to the hand made, compressed paper digipak?) mini album. The disc is comprised of just two tracks, under 20 and over eight minutes apiece, respectively. With these pieces Robin Storey explores contrasting processes. "Trace Area" begins with a mild drone loop which is then altered on the fly as additional layers are applied and peeled away. It takes a good eight minutes for something really interesting to take shape - a deep, distant, meditational bass pulse jarred by percussive racket - but it unfortunately regresses soon after. Near the end of the track, effected broadcast voices are tacked on as an afterthought. Compared to the bulk of Storey's work as Rapoon, "Trace" is the closest of these two to the "typical" Rapoon sound. "Pulse Codec" is much more rigid as a programmed rhythm provides the framework for electronic sounds. The beat is rather generic and off-putting right from the start. Pretty stereo panned piano notes bounce around inside the frame, but the damn drum machine relentlessly overpowers everything else, including your concentration. 'Pell Mell' is the most disappointing Rapoon disc I've encountered to date. At least half a dozen new Storey/Rapoon releases are on the horizon from Soleilmoon and Klanggalerie, including collaborations with Victor Nubla (Macromassa) and Andy Diey (Black Faction). - Mark Weddle

samples:

• Pulse Codec
• Trace Area (excerpt 1)
• Trace Area (excerpt 2)

DEREK BAILEY, FRANZ HAUTZINGER
Grob
It's nice to be completely surprised and wrong footed once in a while. Until about halfway through the second track "Cricket," I mistakenly thought ol' Derek Bailey was duetting his instantly recognisable (ir)regular angular electric guitar chops with some German laptop boffin. Murky low end rumblings and gurglings form a bedrock for Bailey to ponder pluck loose on top of and around. Then the realisation dawned that Franz Hautzinger was getting brooding motormachine revs out of the trumpet that most lung honkers wouldn't break wind for. There is a range of flatulence in his quartertone that is as amusing as it is uniquely odd. Anyway, three hours of farting about with intent were edited down for this disc, which is quite likely the first I've ever picked up on the back of the Bailey name alone, despite his unique status in improv lore. Bailey has continually sneaked into my CD pile via the likes of collaborators such as Ruins, John Zorn, Evan Parker, Matt Wand, Pat Thomas and Thurston Moore, but he's always been welcome. Franz Hautzinger can come back for a rum splutter anytime too. Why do improv reviewers so rarely mention the funny side? - Graeme Rowland

samples:

• Contracts
• Krautrock
• Out 147

VIBRACATHEDRAL ORCHESTRA, "DABBLING WITH GRAVITY AND WHO YOU ARE"
vhf
"Going out intending to Dig." My first encounter with Vibracathedral Orchestra was one of those wonderful moments when music materialised from nowhere to blow my mind. I'd travelled over the Pennines to Leeds to hear New York saxnoise insurrectionists Borbetomagus lock horns and attempt to raze a pub, but first these five scruffy looking local urchins picked up battered old acoustic guitars, switched on an old radio, bowed cymbals and swapped instruments whilst slowly unfurling a rapturous improvised clatter that recalled the early Velvet Underground AMMing it up with shards of warped minimalist reflection. "Fingernail R'n'B." They've since put out quite a few albums, CD-Rs and singles but the ones my ears have been most happy to vibrate to have been the ones for the excellent quirky vhf label. This latest is their most melodic and beautifully mind altering dose of hypnotic freedrone folk yet. There's a celebratory Eastern whirling dervish feel to much of it, but as if the dancer was caught in slow motion. "Mystical Coughing." The entire recording is permeated with joyful abandon as whistles blow love cries to drone boxes over clumping Maclise beats and atonal "European Son" monochords, whilst everything that can be bowed will be bowed! Chains rattle and break. The mood shifting splices between tracks are the most dazzlingly effective edits they've yet employed. When I interviewed them just prior to a gig supporting Low at Manchester University the most talkative Vibracathedralist Neil Campbell floated the notion that every time they play they just carry on from where they left off the last time, so it's just one long ever changing lifepath journey: "He Play All Day Long." However it was Bridget Hayden who had the perfect word to describe what their music: "Magic." Graeme Rowland

samples:

• Bombay Stores Disco
• Let Steam Rule and Luck Lose
• Mystical Coughing

Osymyso, "Intro-inspection"
Osymyso
"Wow." "Weird." "Jesus Christ." "I can't believe somebody took the time to make this." Those will probably be the first things that pass through someone's head upon hearing Osymyso's debut (I think?) 'Introinspection' - an incredibly intricate, massive, and cool example of the phenomenon known as "mash-up" or "bootlegs." If you've never heard the term(s), they're being thrown around to describe what is probably one of the most recent new music genres - songs made entirely, or almost entirely, from cut-up pop songs, as Osymyso demonstrates, or by "mashing" two or more of them together, as those fucking hundreds of British whitelabel 12"s featuring Missy Elliot or Kylie Minogue and a trance/drum'n'bass producer demonstrate. What's interesting, though, is this genre's reliance on the Internet - obviously something that RELIES on sampling, or outright stealing, is not going to fly with too many labels. (For another good bootleg mix that's actually legally sanctioned, check this) So, Osymyso, two guys from the UK, have released this disc on their own, comprising two mixes - one, the 12-minute "Intro-inspection" (ONE HUNDRED AND ONE different song intros packed and mixed together), and a recording of their appearance on the German radio show Back to the Basics. What can I say about the music, other than it's sheer brilliance and totally ass-lickingly cool? It is exactly what it is - hundreds of mashed-together pop songs - but somehow, they all come together so well that it sounds absolutely nothing like what it should. You're probably either going to totally love it and think it's the greatest thing ever or think it's utterly stupid and hate it. Either way, you gotta hear it at least once. - Chris Zaldua

samples:

• go here

DOC W?R MIRRAN, "Soundtrack Of Death"
Moloko +
Packed in a film can-like metal box, DWM publish another well-crafted concept piece of art & work—dedicated to member Frank Abendroth who left earth a few months ago. The recordings are not what one would call brand new or hot—made in 1997/1998—but anyone who's a bit into DWM knows their plenty projects are published in their own time whenever it suits them.
Part 1, "Muerte" starts of where Ennio Morricone left, but with todays instrumentation.
Part 2, "Tot" gives an impression of a quiet death in the pool or somewher else underwater.
Part 3, "Death" seems to desribe the mental death of working in the industrial production line. And the machines go on followoing their own logic and rules.
Part 4? "Hal?l" treats death in a warzone; shattering glass, falling bombs and permanent explosions compress for an nearly rhythmic piece.
Part 5? "Dod" concludes this summary of death with a 15 minute sledgehammer destroying dreams and hopes into a psychological wasteland.
The title is slightly misleading, as expectations of harsh noise, skulls, crosses and bones are not fullified. But still they—or in this case Joe Raimond on his own—achieve a very interesting realization of the theme showing different aspects and avoiding usual shock values or extremes. - carsten s.

samples:

• Muerte
• Tot
• D?d

BELLE & SEBASTIAN, "STORYTELLING"
Matador
For his third feature film, Todd Solondz asked Belle and Sebastian to write some music. In a situation that seems somewhat analogous to Coil with regards to the "Hellraiser Themes", very little of what they recorded in New York actually ended up being used. This 30-minute EP fully documents the results of those recording sessions. Belle and Sebastian take to movie scoring incredibly naturally, and obviously are well-suited for it. Inherently cinematic and epic, some of the stunning instrumental pieces presented showcase what truly gifted musicians they are. "Fuck This Shit" is a particularly stand-out piece, centering around a harmonica and piano, while "Consuelo" feaures trumpet and some gorgeous harp work. "Night Walk" is haunting. Soundbites from the film have been selected with the band's typical sense of humor, and scattered between various tracks, but seem rather unnecessary, or at least to someone who hasn't seen the film yet. A few more conventional Belle and Sebastian tracks are present as well. "Black and White Unite" is mediocre; certainly not as good as the band is capable of. The title track, the usual catchy B&S fare with lead vocals by the now-departed Isobel Campbell, is their slightly cheeky ode to Solondz himself: "Have you considered the way / People might react to all the things that your characters say?". "Wandering Alone" is the band at their irresistible best -- but with a latin-flavored twist! 'Storytelling' finishes off with "Big John Shaft", which has something of a kitschy Saint Etienne feel. Bearing in mind that this is not really a Belle and Sebastian album per se is key to enjoying this release for what it is: their first foray into a new arena of music. I find the fruit of their labors encouraging, and hopefully it's something that they will try their hand at again in the future. - Jessica Tibbits

samples:

• Wandering Alone
• Fuck This Shit
• Consuelo Leaving

We know that sometimes these CDs are somewhat challenging to find, which is why we have a community section which can be used to obtain nearly everything available on this site.

cLOUDDEAD, Reaching Quiet, Boom Bip & Dose One
Saturday, June 8, 2002, Cambridge, MA, USA
The Boston stop on the Mush Records multi-band fest was surprisingly well-packed, according to the group, whose East Coast dates haven't been bringing out the expected crowds a super bill like this, which also features Labtekwan and Radioinactive on a number of other dates, should be grabbing. Despite the glorious reviews of Boom Bip and Dose One (see last week's issue), Saturday night was embarassingly enough my first exposure to them. Cincinnati-based Boom Bip provided the bulk of the noise while Dose One's lyrical menagerie of superfast beat poetry, storytelling and wide-ranged vocalizations was almost an informational overflow. And it was beautiful, every minute of it.
While I'm generally not a fan of the laptop revolution, Boom Bip carefully avoided all typical clinical "thinness" with a thunderous mixture of low-end sounds and chunky rhythms. Dose One, on the other hand easily sounds like a hyperactive Annie Anxiety! cLOUDDEAD's other rapper, Yoni took the stage next with his funk-based outfit, Reaching Quiet, with two bass/guitarist/singer/keyboard people and one live drummer, all singing and speaking at various points. Yoni's rap style is less emotional and more straight-forward, and while the band is simply amazingly talented, I couldn't help but feel I was watching a much cooler version of 311. cLOUDDEAD's symmetrical setup featured both rappers in the center along with a small collection of gear along with two electronicians on the periphery. The combination of the two rap styles fit like a perfect puzzle while the songs were an otherworldly mixture of styles and genres.
In a time where a number of musical acts and releases are simply boring me to tears, it's a remarkable breath of fresh air to see such a talented crew doing something as original as it is enjoyable. I couldn't help but feel completely blown away in the presence of what is now considered a supergroup of modern underground hip-hop and am still rather shaking from the experience. Do NOT miss this show as they wind their way through Canada and onto the West Coast through the end of this month. Tour dates are located at dirtyloop. People will be talking about this for years starting with "remember when it was underground,..." - Jon Whitney

WEEK OF JUNE 9 - JUNE 15
Antipop Consortium - Ghostlawns 12"/CDEP (Warp, UK)
Badly Drawn Boy - Something To Talk About 7"/two CDEPs (Twisted Nerve/XL, UK)
Beef Terminal - The Grey Knowledge CD (Noise Factory, Canada)
Charalambides - Ana/Kata 10" (Beta-Lactam Ring, US)
Contagious Orgasm - The Cause of the Flow CD (Ant-Zen, Germany)
Depth Charge - Robotomo 12" (DC Recordings, UK)
Electric Birds - Gradations CD (Mille Plateaux, Germany)
Fort Lauderdale - Flux 1912 12" (Memphis Industries, UK)
Guided By Voices - Universal Truths and Cycles 7" (Fading Captain, US)
Isan - Clockwork Menagerie CD/2xLP+7" (Morr Music, Germany)
Jello [Bola] - Chamchimzee 12" [with Autechre mix] (Peacefrog, UK)
Looper - The Snare 10"/CDEP (Mute, UK)
* Luna - Romantica CD/LP (Beggars Banquet, UK)
Daniel Menche - Deluge LP (Beta-Lactam Ring, US)
Mooz - The Wheel That Squeaks The Loudest Is The One That Gets The Grease CD (Sink and Stove, UK)
Joseph Nothing - Dreamland Idle Orchestra CD (Planet ?, UK)
Piano Magic - Writers Without Homes CD (4AD, UK)
Somatic Responses - Touching the Void CD/LP (Hymen, Germany)
Soul Parlour - The Way We Talk CD (e:motion, Germany)
Dave Tarrida/Various - Globus Mix Vol. 6: Plays Records CD (Tresor, Germany)
The The - Pillarbox Red CDEP (Sony, UK)
Twilight Circus Dub Sound System - Dub Plates Volume 3 CD/LP (M Records, The Netherlands)
Wevie Stonder - Stoat 7" (Skam, UK)
Your Favorite Horse [ex-Accelera Deck] - I Would Close My Eyes But All I See Is The Massacre CDR [limited to 311 copies] (Piehead, Canada)
Various - Constant Elevation CD [with El-P, Anti-Pop Consortium, Chief Xcel from Blackalicious, Peanut Butter Wolf, Steinski and more] (Astralwerks, US)
Various - definingTECH CD [with Fischerspooner, Miss Kittin & the Hacker, Peaches, Adult., Mr. Velcro Fastener, Detroit Grand Pubahs, Felix Da Housecat, John Selway, Shapeshiftr & The Sentinel, Dexter, Innate, Bug Orchestra, Japanese Telecom, Perspects and Bis] (Orbisonic/Manifesto, US)

the cheese family Visit the Zoo
Okay, so it starts out as a somewhat respectable bit of animation with dialogue, add a few cuss words and a few bizarre situations and you've got, "The Cheese Family in the Zoo of Danger and Mystery." Cute soundtrack.

meowwwwww
For a publication that's ready to be read (usually) at the start of the work week, we sure have a lot of work-unsafe links of the week. Here's one that is just too cute not to share, so long as you think cats and anime are cute. Make sure you have the sound up and be patient while it loads. http://www.geocities.co.jp/Milkyway-Lynx/9043/c-song.swf

now to be grossed out
http://www.shine.net.au/shinemag/bguide/default.htm - Dave Piniella found this one. How, we're afraid to ask.

post-apocalyptic mumbo-jumbo

Subject: just the beginning

do u think that something big will happen soon?
do u think that u will be blamed for the way u lived?
do u think that your life has importance?
do u think that u will be ready to change yourself?

be prepared for change you black emperor

Is it time for a new Godspeed record already?

Subject: [no subject]

how closely related does one have to be to someone for it to be socially unacceptable to date them?

for instance, would it be wrong to try to get with my mother's cousin's daughter? she's really hot.

Somebody needs to be carted away to summer camp,...

Subject: [no subject]

I would like to send a cdr for a possible review by U or the other respectible brain members, but i don't want to suprees myself, so if it's o.k. send a short note and i'll send the cdr

Who's U? If you have any questions about if you should send things, read our policies from the home page. Your answers will all be found there. Just don't go and suprees yourself, please, whatever that may be.

what's in jon's player when he's away...
Mum, "Loksins erum vid engin"
Biosphere, "Shenzhou"
Stereolab, "Aluminum Tunes"
Amp, "Sirenes"
ISAN, "Clockwork Menagerie"
Scott Walker, "Boychild"
Marlene Dietrich, "Die fruehen Aufnahmen"
Main, "Tau"

Jessica Tibbits, Arlington, MA