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Motor Ghost consists of Alex Neilson and Ben Reynolds and this limited edition LP is their first recording. It is an impressive document; their playing is challenging and full of life. A Gold Chain Round Her Breast is not always my cup of tea but it is captivating and surprising in equal measure. Most of the pieces sound much larger than a two piece, both musicians being highly adept at what they do means that they avoid the usual thinness of a guitar and drums duo.
Dancing Wayang
Neilson has been grabbing my attention with his stints with Jandek and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, two artists that his style fits in with snugly. A Gold Chain Round Her Breast is my first chance to hear him play his own music (well not entirely his own but he has far more of a creative input here than he does drumming for other artists). Here he has a lot more freedom to express himself and his drumming is the main draw on most of the tracks. Reynolds is not too far off himself, his guitar is one part blues ecstasy and ten parts circular saw.
The improvisations are richly colored, neither player encroaches on the other's space. They instead fill out the piece with their own hues and shades. At times it sounds like neither musician is listening to the other but they know what the other is feeling. It does not always gel together, on "Tremble" there are a few moments when it sounds like the music is going to spin off its axis but they always regain their composure. It is these moments that show off the power of improvisation, it is dangerous sounding and as Blixa Bargeld puts it: "There's no beauty without danger."
On "My Dancing Day" Reynolds switches to acoustic guitar which suits his style of playing far better than the electric. This brings side A to a stunning close, his fretwork comes to the foreground while Neilson's drumming becomes blurred, almost like a sandstorm hitting the drum kit. Turning the LP over, my ears are greeted with the furious sounding "Golden Promise." The spacious improvisations that have preceded it seem like distant memories as this piece thunders around the room, one of the players adding the dümuk to the instrumentation. The cornet-like tone of this instrument sounds hysterical (in a manic sense as opposed to hysterically funny) next to the drums and guitar.
The album spins to a close with something completely different. After nearly two sides of frenetic instrumental music, Motor Ghost dispense totally with their weapons of choice and instead opt for a bout of a cappella folk singing. "Leaves of Life" is a haunting song drenched in reverb, its lyrics set based around the crucifixion of Christ. Neilson alone sings, his voice sounding much older than I was expecting, the pain of the song creeps into his singing. On this note, the adrenaline rush of the rest of the album evaporates and the sound of the needle running off the groove sounds a lot sadder than it ever has. It is a startlingly gorgeous end to a good but thorny album.
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Like labelmates Noiseshaper, the aptly named Dubblestandart operates in a space metaphorically and geographically outside of dub reggae. Whereas the trailblazing, crossreferencing On-U Sound roster managed to strike a balance between the integrity of its Jamaican forefathers and the promises of forward-thinking pop, this Austrian band has yet to earn the right to do little more than skulk under Adrian Sherwood's mighty shadow.
Collision - Cause Of Chapter 3
Last year's Are You Experienced failed in its attempt to replicate that admittedly tricky On-U formula, even going so far as to enlist original New Age Stepper Ari-Up for one of its few highlights, "Island Girl Dub." By contrast, Immigration Dub (which features both a new remix and a video for that collaboration as bonuses) is a more enjoyable though considerably less ambitious record, taking the emphasis off of genre-crossing and returning to the beating heart of dub.
The album starts strong with "We All Have To Get High," a tribal, funky, and almost soulful proclamation with a cheeky vibe sure to please those drawn to reggae for its generally pro-marijuance stance. "This One Is About Flying" and "Tiny Place Called Earth" stick to formulas previously utilized by the band as well as more potent forebears such as Mark Stewart or Tackhead. Perhaps a reference to the Angolan social democratic political party, "MPLA Dub" lightens the mood a bit musically while offering no distinct clues as to its meaning. The title track features spaced-out toasting from Nigeria-born 3gga and a solid rhythm section while "Dub 51" instantly recalls (with some concern) the chord changes of Rhythm & Sound's "See Mi Yah" riddim, though somewhat faster.
Strategically, the band sprinkles a few quality covers in with the originals, including a take on Dub Syndicate's "Wadada" featuring a sampled Prince Far I. Of particular note is a refix of Ken Boothe's "When I Fall In Love," reprised towards the album's end as an extended dub take. The snappy percussion and swirling vibes, along with the whistled hook, remind me just why I got into Dubblestandart in the first place. A step in the right direction, Immigration Dub shows more than a few glimpses of the promise unveiled on the absolutely essential Heavy Heavy Monster Dub record, though a stagnancy looms ominously on the proverbial horizon should the group grow complacent.
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Those seeking Burial style experimentation wont find it on this dubstep producer's full-length debut. Far more comfortable representing the dancefloor, the up-and-coming artist uses his time on plastic to submerge listeners in a black sea of uneasy darkness and bass.
The relative youth of dubstep compared to other club-oriented electronic music subgenres partially insulates it from some of the pressures of the full-length album. Whereas techno producers are constantly derided, and with good reason, for making glorified singles collections instead of cohesive audio documents, artist albums from Skream and MRK1 are credited for trailblazing almost by default. And while both of their recent CDs rightfully deserve attention and praise for the high quality tunes, the principle of "first mover advantage" arguably added an extra boost. As in the business world, once vinyl-only dubstep imprints subsequently appear reactive, scrambling to get something out on disc for an eager and voracious audience. After last year's impressive double-disc label compilation / DJ mix, Tectonic Plates, the prominent Tectonic imprint selected Random Trio member Cyrus to be their first, albeit unlikely, flagship act.
It takes all of 40 seconds of sparse jittery "Gutter" for that now-familiar snare-centric dubstep pattern to make its first appearance, immediately followed with a dash of tabla and a wistful woodwind emulation. By immediately conjuring the most obvious and just about clichéd elements of the sound, Cyrus displays his "if it aint broke, don't fix it" attitude. Still, just because an artist is comfortable in the present paradigm that defines the subgenre does not excuse him from slacking off, and thankfully Cyrus proves himself to be very good at making the club-ready tunes that many have become familiar with on dancefloors worldwide. On the previously released "Bounty," he shows an understanding of the space between the beats and how to utilize them to create a sense of drama, sometimes with light strokes of ghostly synth and others with near silence. "Rasta From" throws a bone to the dub reggae contingent, throwing a mess of echo over a generally unintelligible Jamaican voice, without compromising his overall austere vision.
Throughout these 12 cuts, Cyrus performs a balancing act between coddling the minimal and unleashing the extreme, yet still holds it all together impeccably. Boisterous wobbly bass aggressively dominates "The Watcher," while the decidedly barer "Indian Stomp," which appeared on the soundtrack of the dystopian Children Of Men, throws spicy Eastern vocal and percussion into the mix. While having earned the respect of many in the dubstep community, Cyrus' profile hardly matches that of superstars like Digital Mystiks or Kode 9. He doesn't necessarily need the cult of quasi-celebrity that has formed around some other producers, though at the end of the day it may ultimately lead to less public excitement and fewer sales beyond the scene's core constituency. Nonetheless, From The Shadows is an entrancing noir of aural bleakness with just the right amount of dramatic tension.
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Only four full albums into her solo career, Jessica Bailiff has already racked up enough rare and unreleased tracks to put out a compilation that succeed where most fail. It manages to stand on its own as a coherent work of a developing artist rather than a mismatch collection of oddities.
The songs on Old Things show the clear development Bailiff’s career. The newer tracks are a stark set of intimate folk songs, gentle minimal acoustic guitar chords and soft, delicate vocals. The older works, on the other hand, are exercises in fuzzed out guitar drone ecstasy: pure shoegaze the likes of which haven't been heard since Kevin Shields went into seclusion and Pete Kember & Jason Pierce stopped talking. "Crush (version 2)" and "For April" exemplify this perfectly: all slow tambourine percussion and minimal, fuzzy sustained guitar riffs mixed with beautiful angelic vocals. The former also features Low frontman Alan Sparhawk's 12 string electric guitar work that thickens up the sound to even more lush levels. Even more so, the stiff drum machine and lead guitar elements prominent on "Maybe Tomorrow" could be a lost Darklands era Jesus & Mary Chain demo like we were teased with via "On The Wall" and never heard again.
More abstract moments are also evident on the ambient drone "Your Sounds Make Patterns In My Eyes" and the processed guitar and loops of the closing "Figure Eight (For Jonathan)" that are a bit spacier and more abstract. These two tracks bookend the disc in a glorious drone that differs in mood from the boys club of Earth and Sunn O))), but no less compelling. "Helpless" is another of these monolith workouts: a right channel filled with glorious, almost tactile guitar fuzz while the left is soft vocals and percussion before ending with electronics and piano.
There is a very evident leaning towards the minimal throughout this collection, but rather than seeming intentionally Spartan or esoteric, it is more in the home demo DIY sense. The minimal synth lines in "Warren (Home Version)," augmented with repetitive acoustic guitar and just an overall demo sound is like a nice fuzzy blanket of analog warmth on a cold winter's day. Regardless of how to classify it (you probably shouldn’t), Old Things is a compelling, gorgeous listen which is simply too warm, too personal, and too likeable to ignore.
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Built on a bed of heavy duty cymbal flutter, melody is a transitory thing with zither and didgeridoo styled drones stretching over the piece. Coaxing chain mail butterflies from his rattling kit, Neilson again rescues the instrument from its rhythm prison. At times its polymath Neilson's vocal soars over the top, keeping him the source and center of the sound. The batter and clatter of his bent spine percussion structure may fade in and out of range, but even when his hammering workout turns down to the feathering of drums, the approach is unmistakeably that of the ensemble's leader.
Huge swathes of reverb meltdown broaden and oscillate like lawnmowers taking the heads of the wicked; Beast In redolent of a scorching, purging fire. Layer upon layer of solo players choosing their steps carefully means that this is not another hard-as-you-can festival piss-up outpouring. Heavy elements mount and plunge, making something more fragile then the sum of its individual parts. There are blasts of sugar overfuelled reed work over warm washes of twinkling percussion forming between the mud flats hum of escaping feedback. The second half of this single piece seems to be centered on some light refracted guitar work (either by Ben Reynolds or Ashtray Navigations' Phil Todd) which reaches for the skylight with hemp dirtied fingers. Oddly reminiscent of some of the laser-seared edges of My Cat Is An Alien's electronics, this playing is a great example of this team-ups refusal to go hell-for-leather throughout the whole set.
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Built on a bed of heavy duty cymbal flutter, melody is a transitory thing with zither and didgeridoo styled drones stretching over the piece. Coaxing chain mail butterflies from his rattling kit, Neilson again rescues the instrument from its rhythm prison. At times its polymath Neilson’s vocal that soars over the top, keeping him the source and centre of the sound. The batter and clatter of his bent spine percussion structure may fade in and out of range, but even when his hammering workout turns down to the feathering of drums, the approach is unmistakeably that of the ensemble’s head/lead.
Huge swathes of reverb meltdown broaden and oscillate like lawnmowers taking the heads of the wicked; Beast In redolent of a scorching, purging fire. Layer upon layer of solo players choosing their steps carefully means that this s not another hard-as-you-can festival piss-up outpouring. This means that heavy elements mount and plunge, making something more fragile then the sum of its individual parts. There are blasts of sugar overfuelled reed work over warm washes of twinkling percussion forming between the mud flats hum of escaping feedback. The second half of this single piece seems to be centred on some light refracted guitar work (either by Ben Reynolds or Ashtray Navigations’ Phil Todd) which reaches for the skylight with hemp dirtied fingers. Oddly reminiscent of some of the laser seared edges of My Cat Is An Alien’s electronics, this playing is a great example of this team-ups refusal to go hell-for-leather throughout the whole set.
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Release date: June 26th, 2007
"'In Pink' is the 3rd ( r ) album. I’ve worked on it for almost 2 years, both 'cause I’ve been very busy with Larsen and XXL as well as touring and working in the studio with other bands, and ‘cause it came through troubled and sometimes painful, but anyway intense times.
Whereas the previous 'Under The Cables, Into The Wind' was a very warm and relaxed album, and also my favourite so far, 'In Pink' is a pretty extreme one, swinging between joy and fear, introspective moody songs and explosions of - desperately optimistic - energy.
Still it is more a diary than an exorcism, filled with songs about death and transfiguration, including my version of an Irish traditional theme (which also Johnny Cash interpreted on one of his American albums) and Joy Division’s classic Atmposphere (which I list among the best songs ever written). It is also my most arranged and colourful album where my recent experiences as producer for other bands have converged, and the most "band" oriented among my solos.
While I was composing and recording it I was also playing lots of shows and often other musicians joined me on stage. I really wanted to have them on the album in order to get that sound in the studio too and also for personal and sentimental reasons, them being among my closest friends.
Paul Beauchamp (who is also my partner in the Blind Cave Salamander project as well as one of the members of the Steve McKay - of Stooges- band), Ango (of Mariae Nascenti), il Bue (of Larsen) and the amazing Baby Dee have contributed to the final result of this album along with Marco Milanesio that even this time has not only recorded and mixed the album, but also co-produced it with me.
The CD also sports some amazing pictures by photographer Giulia Caira that portray to perfection the moods of the music.
Pink was also the colour of Vivienne Westwood’s Sex Pistols t-shirts, so In Pink is a punk album and, despite everything - luckily!- it ends up with very positive notes, out of darkness and into the landscapes and the waters of the Blue Lagoon."
--Fabrizio Modonese Palumbo
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This vinyl-only companion to Astral Social Club's Neon Pibroch album, also on Important, is the equal to its more readily available CD counterpart. Balancing organic techniques with digital tools like he just originated the perfect formula, Neil Campbell has truly found his calling with his ASC project.
Melodic loops buckle under the gentle pressure, wah wah drones blend in with bird call electronics and pattering beats. As the title track opener progresses the sounds slurry into even madder digital sounds, fading into and out of harshness. Campbell's mixing of elements gives the impression that a Neil Campbell DJ session would never reach the expected peaks and troughs of a four-to-the-floor. Instead the music sits high in the breezy atmosphere, wobbling between linear tracks.
The brief "Manifold flange" is too brief to get a real road trip out of its sounds. The trapped and degraded/degrading droplets swirl around while a skinny beat pounds time. The chunks of repetition that make up "Nitrous Foment" build in single notes and batches of barks. Rising in summer wave lifts they engulf the song's core, leaving the songs bones as dust and swept away with the wind. A bit of noisy muscle is squeezed in at the end. It's typical Campbell.
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Release date: June 26th, 2007
"Super Grease" is a limited edition of 500 vinyl only release from Vibracathedral Orchestra/Sunrrof!/A Band member Neil Campbell. This is a companion release to Astral Social Club's "Neon Pibroch" CD also on Important.
Astral Social Club is the current project of Neil Campbell, formerly of Vibracathedral Orchestra, Sunroof!, A Band and many more. Campbell has been active since the early 80s, and The Wire magazine has said that, along with his friends Richard Youngs and Matthew Bower, he "provided the map co-ordinates for much of what passed for a post-punk UK underground during most of the 80s and 90s".
Campbell's approach as Astral Social Club could be seen as both a continuation and a refutal of his work with Vibracathedral Orchestra - a continuation in that it continues the quest into the unknown stellar regions of improvised drone-based music, and a refutal in its espousal of most of the elemental organic rock modes that made that band so special. The focus here is more on alien electronics and overloaded loop disorientation, sometimes even working with sounds more readily associated with the far end of dance music to produce a truly vast 21st century psychedelic sound.
Late last year, VHF Records released a compilation/mix CD drawn from the earlier string of self-released CDRs which showcased the diverse methods employed in Astral Social Club recordings. These encompass straight-ahead drumbox/synthesizer jamming, computer-processing, swirling loops, primitive vocal holler, noise catharsis, tranquil guitar shimmer and a busload of other angles. The live experience throws these methods up the air, cranks up the volume and adds a visceral, seething human presence before letting it fall all over the audience. Despite the excessive use of electronics and processing, the over-riding feeling is one of a raw, ecstatic communion with the music, a million miles from sterile "electronica".
Although largely a solo project, Astral Social Club collaborators have included Tirath Singh Nirmala, Richard Youngs and Arttu Partinen.
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Release date: June 26th, 2007
'Neon Pibroch' is a brand new full length CD from the Astral Social Club. Also available at the same time is a limited edition Astral Social Club LP on Important entitled, 'Super Grease'.
'Neon Pibroch' is dedicated to the memory of Textile Records founder Benoit Sonnette. Astral Social Club is the current project of Neil Campbell, formerly of Vibracathedral Orchestra, Sunroof!, A Band and many more. Campbell has been active since the early 80s, and The Wire magazine has said that, along with his friends Richard Youngs and Matthew Bower, he "provided the map co-ordinates for much of what passed for a post-punk UK underground during most of the 80s and 90s".
Campbell's approach as Astral Social Club could be seen as both a continuation and a refutal of his work with Vibracathedral Orchestra - a continuation in that it continues the quest into the unknown stellar regions of improvised drone-based music, and a refutal in its espousal of most of the elemental organic rock modes that made that band so special. The focus here is more on alien electronics and overloaded loop disorientation, sometimes even working with sounds more readily associated with the far end of dance music to produce a truly vast 21st century psychedelic sound.
Late last year, VHF Records released a compilation/mix CD drawn from the earlier string of self-released CD-Rs which showcased the diverse methods employed in Astral Social Club recordings. These encompass straight-ahead drumbox/synthesizer jamming, computer-processing, swirling loops, primitive vocal holler, noise catharsis, tranquil guitar shimmer and a busload of other angles. The live experience throws these methods up the air, cranks up the volume and adds a visceral, seething human presence before letting it fall all over the audience. Despite the excessive use of electronics and processing, the over-riding feeling is one of a raw, ecstatic communion with the music, a million miles from sterile "electronica".
Although largely a solo project, Astral Social Club collaborators have included Tirath Singh Nirmala, Richard Youngs and Arttu Partinen.
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Release date: June 26th, 2007
Black Magic Disco is the new all-star band featuring Tom Greenwood (Jackie-O Motherfucker), Maurizio & Roberto Opalio (My Cat Is An Alien) and Ramona Ponzini (Painting Petals On Planet Ghost, Praxinoscope). The project was born out of an idea from Tom Greenwood (former leader of the avant-folk-blues ensemble Jackie-O Motherfucker) who invited Maurizio and Roberto Opalio (aka the Italian improv duo My Cat Is An Alien) and their close collaborator Ramona Ponzini (also involved with the two brothers in the projects named Painting Petals On Planet Ghost and Praxinoscope, as well as in the new collaboration with Z'ev) to perform with him for two months of touring throughout all Europe in May/ June 2005.
As one can imagine, the result was killer. The music which came out of he live performances was totally explosive, combining Ramona's Japanese vocals & hypnotic chimes with Greenwood's psych-blues guitar attitude & wild turntablism, over MCIAA's alien cosmic flux of electric guitars, space toys & percussions, creating a still unheard mixture of sounds unifying archaic & post-modern, western & eastern, sky & earth. This debut CD represents a unique chance to experience almost 80 minutes of that pure and magic live action, divided in four long tracks taken from the original live recordings. Black Magic Disco's logo comes from the pencil of Roberto Opalio. The gatefold jacket CD artwork, curated by MCIAA contains some band photos taken during the live performances included in the record.
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