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Audraglint
One look at the roster put together for this celebratory release had my mouth watering. Perhaps my laziness had gotten the best of me, but I had no idea that Audraglint had released music from so many fantastic bands. Upon listening, I was practically jumping for joy because all those fantastic bands I did know were joined by a gaggle of spectacular sounding bands I was entirely unfamiliar with. If Audraglint is a label that has you scratching your head, then here's the quick rundown: among other things Brian Foote of Nudge is the co-owner and label manager, they've been releasing their music in the same format from the start (white wax vinyl only, matte digipaks for compact discs, and all artwork by David Nakamoto), and they've released music from artists who have also appeared on labels like Kranky, Kitty-Yo, Community Library, Tigerbeat6, and Morr Music.
All songs are exclusive to this compilation and nearly all of them are little gems that run the gamut from sexy and seductive to goofy, funky, and unexpected. Grizzly Bear rises out of a fog of soft vocal delivery and strummed acoustic guitar only to reveal that they are covering a song from one of Yes' worst albums. "Owner of a Lonely Heart" turns out to be one of the highlights on the disc. It is a balladic, minimal interpretation of a song that was known for its excess and remembered fondly by me for its outrageous drum solo and weird use of synthesizer. As the disc continues, the diversity this label has represented really begins to show. Some bands give you what you might expect from a compilation with Kid 606 on it, others deliver a song or a piece of music so unexpected that it's hard to believe the whole comp fits together as well as it does.
Signaldrift contribute a smooth, nocturnal and club oriented track that rumbles with Bowery synthetic work and all manner of twitching glitch accompaniment. Caural invokes a breath of the exotic, Tarwater tap into the robotic and monotonous only to come away with a unexpectedly sweet result, Magwheels bring vocal harmony to a world of drift and desert swarms, Marc Hellner unleashes sweet programmed melodies and feather-soft percussion, and just about every second each of the other bands put to this disc is equally worth mentioning, but if I were to mention them all in the detail they deserve, you'd be looking at a book of a review. All anybody needs to know is that Audraglint and all the bands involved filled up 73 minutes of compact disc with nothing but solid, entertaining, surprising music. The last time I heard this kind of quality all in the same place it was Kranky doing the compiling. A great part about the whole deal is that this is a great place to start with the label, a great way to learn about some bands that obviously need a bit more exposure, and a chance to catch some new material even if all the bands on this disc have already made their way to your ears in one way or another.
samples:
- Grizzly Bear - "Owner of a Lonely Heart"
- Charles Atlas - "The Snow Before Us"
- Magwheels - "Ice Build the Sky"
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“Inerrant Infallible (Black Ships at Ninevah and Edom)” continues the lyrical themes found on Current 93’s most recent album. Musically it has little in common with that album, apart from the grinding riffage found on the title track. In addition to some wonderfully bizarre vocals (ranging from the biblical to the hallucinatory to Reese Witherspoon), Tibet also contributes a great repetitive bass line and a shroud of dissonant guitars. Catriona MacAffer plays some powerful bagpipes which complement both Tibet and the mood of the song. This is further proof that Tibet is at the top of his craft right now.
On the other side, OM’s “Rays of the Sun/To the Shrinebuilder” is exactly what I was expecting from them. Al Cisneros provides some seriously killer bass and his lyrics, although still impenetrable, are better than on OM’s two albums. Chris Hakius’s drumming is impeccable as usual. I was a little disappointed with their last album, Conference of the Birds but this has dusted away any doubts that they had lost their way too soon.
Inerrant Rays of Infallible Sun (Blackship Shrinebuilder) is an imposing and impressive release. Current 93’s side is slightly better than OM’s but both are of a high quality. I look forward to the forthcoming CD release as I imagine this 10” will become well worn over the coming weeks.
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- Matthew Amundsen
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The Cherry Point and Comets on Fire’s Noel von Harmonson create a monstrous cauldron of noise on this one-sided 7" record.
 
Recorded live in Los Angeles, the piece begins with a small voice before what sounds like a revving motorcycle kicks in. Pulsing chaos, feedback squeals like tortuous wails, and rifling electronic exhaust combine in a miasmic fog that could erase memories. Ending in a prolonged screech, the cacophony seems but a short-lived nightmare once the needle lifts.
Part of me appreciates the uniqueness of such a slab of one-sided vinyl, yet the other part of me wonders what further mischief this pair could get into were they allowed more room to grow.
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- John Kealy
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This is my first time hearing O’Reilly and, while I’m not particularly bowled over by it, “Take Care of Each Other” is a nice, simple song. The keyboard melody backed by a drum machine is delicate and relaxing and his lyrics are engaging but it didn’t really click with me. I’d have to hear more of his work to make my mind up on whether I like him or not.
As for (retards), “Ich bin ein Shitlander” is a bit of a break from their usual headfuck. It starts off with a minute or so of a discordant refrain which doesn’t go anywhere in particular. It then breaks into the song proper which sounds more familiar but lacks the full noisy assault that they normally employ; usually samplers and synthesiser are rattling my skull. However a new drummer does bring a new element to their sound that is promising. As I know (retards) are capable of better, this release wouldn’t be top of my list of tracks to recommend to someone unfamiliar with them.
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A record built from distorted, screaming renditions of Christian and Catholic prayers could’ve easily ended up buggering an already stiffened concept. Having already been thoroughly pillaged by bearded Norwegian sociopaths through the late eighties, this turns the concept into something beyond ineffectual ranting at the already converted. This re-released and reformatted six track disc sees Dominick Fernow spewing venom and generating tension.
The opener’s surprisingly melodic beginning soon belches into life with furious on-the-verge-of-vomit vocals. Musically, on this track and a good meaty chunk of the rest of the material, this genuflects loudly at the altar of noise. Higher tones mangle and bugger anything attempting to sit still, entreating the skies to rain fire, popped toads and dog shit from the sky.
The vocals on Point and Void veer between staccato shrieking, calling out the rest of humanity as spineless quislings via perverted prayer, through to a queasy alien voiceover disturbing evening reality TV viewing. As well as the noise, there’s also the use of unidentified field recordings (an early a.m. café, backstage, a studio mic left running?) that reveals occasional background noises and accidental TV / radio chatter.
Repeating this idea, the closing "Thou Hast Created Me" builds on this mystery of the where and why as US police sirens slip by. This subtler use of mystery, and a partial reliance on the listener’s ideas / fears / desires, shows that even back in 2000 (when the two cassette’s were originally dropped) he was ahead of the noise pack. Punishment is always worse if the recipient is kept hanging on.
samples:
 
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As with most albums originally releases under the direction of Lloyd "Bullwackies" Barnes, Rootsy Reggae / Visions Of John Clarke showcases a strong selection of talented musicians to support the poppy vocals that make these tunes so memorable. Clarke's lyrical abilities, while somewhat limited, sometimes distract with their simplicity, yet provide no real obstruction to appreciating his work. On the other hand, some of his clearly presented messages might polarize or alientate some of his potential listenership, a problem best evidenced on the glibly titled pro-life plea "Abortion." Surprisingly, Clarke offers very little in the way of "Jah praise," save for the reverential "Creator," though hints of Rastafarianism might be inferred from "Good Collie Weed," a track whose high-minded contents can be easily deciphered as more akin to addiction than benediction. For the most part, the subject matter of most of these topical songs stick to somewhat basic reggae music premises, such as social commentary ("Recession," "Pollution") and male-female relationships ("You're Just The One," "Shack Up With You"). Despite all that, Clarke almost always delivers the goods, crooning and wailing unhindered throughout.
It is difficult to say definitively which of the two albums presents Clarke's better collection of material, though the Rootsy Reggae half seems tighter and more coherant. Devotees of the reissue campaign ambitiously and admirably undertaken by Rhythm & Sound cohorts Moritz Von Oswald and Mark Ernestus will find some of this material here familar, as two of the tracks on this CD, "Recession" and "John Brown," were featured on the repackaged Reggae Goodies Vol. 1 & 2 compilation, though that probably wont stop any of them from snagging this on sight. For those entirely new to Wackies, this 76 minute CD offers a phenomenal value, but dub purists seeking more ascetic terrain might opt to give it a pass.
samples:
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Robert Hampson/Steven Hess:
"S/T"
CD
A sensible combination, brought to light by a chance contact resulting in a fairly lengthy process of recording, listening, and mixing. Robert Hampson, is, of course, the visionary behind sound behemoths LOOP and MAIN, and even served a highly productive position within GODFLESH, ORGANUM, and also collaborated with JIM O' ROURKE. Steven Hess is a percussionist who provides comfortably obscure rhythms and textures for PAN AMERICAN, FESSENDEN, ON, and HAPTIC.
Together, Hampson and Hess create a delightful peephole into the space where resonance from various percussions exist. These are the indirect moments that are just as real as those obvious times when a drummer nails the snare drum in 4/4 time. This is the stuff that for without, the attack, the beat, the percussion itself, would be lifeless pricks of meaningless sound. These recordings are filled with the active and excited ghost of interaction with material; highly unreal at times, and undeniably human at others. For those familiar with their previous endeavors, this is certain to please. For others, you are about to hear the collaboration of two people who know exactly what they are doing, and have created an even more powerful joined effort. Clearly tasty.
CDep released in an edition of 500, packaged in mulitple layers of clear material. See?
Available online from Crouton directly: http://www.croutonmusic.com/cr31.htm
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A sad little melody does creep under outer space transmissions, as if two passing space ships are talking back and forth, on “Unmighty Plumes of to Moon Shit” while “Telecopter Ordinary Century” is like attending church on another planet with its stately organ. “Sweet Misty” features strange voices as well as bloops that could be from electronic music’s infancy. A crew repairs a space station on “Havoc Yawk” between bouts spent fending off enemies who blast lasers in a battle of some unknown war. Apart from the constant machinery pulse which goes on for too long, I like the rest of “Classic at the Sound World” with its gentle tones and skittering almost-melodies.
One of the album’s weak spots is that although it’s generally ambient by nature, the tracks are atmospheric in mostly the same way, with only subtle variations from song to song. In this sense, it’s excellent background music while exploring outer space, but it’s a little too fleeting at times to give it prolonged earthbound attention.
samples:
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The fourth Henri Pousseur CD in Sub Rosa’s Early Electronics series features two long works. Although his condensation of his own interpretation of the Faust legend has been heard infrequently, this is the premiere of "Crosses of Crossed Colors" and to me is the more intriguing and powerful of the two.
The three movements of "Crosses of Crossed Colors" employ two pianos as well as turntable and tape machine operators who all support highly-accoladed solo vocalist Joy Blackett. Pousseur, who believes in open works that allow for improvisation, uses Blackett in the call and response gospel style that was central to the development of jazz and blues. Blackett uses her powerful, incantatory voice primarily to recite variations of a speech given by 19th Century Native American leader Chief Seattle, which emphasizes the sanctity not only of all men, but also the very land on which they live. After each of Blackett’s statements, the other musicians answer with piano phrases; radio snippets of news programs, conversations, and popular music; and record excerpts of operatic notes and indigenous music. Blackett links Chief Seattle’s sentiments to the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th Century to stirring effect. Not only is Blackett’s performance moving, it’s also particularly relevant even today to the problems of racism faced in the aftermath of Katrina and to the ecological emergency the planet faces as its resources are obliterated at an astonishing rate. If anything, the persistence of these issues highlights how important they remain.
In contrast, any issues are handled obliquely in "Jeu de Miroirs de Votre Faust," which is basically a tape collage "diary" of a previous performance of Pousseur’s original composition, mixing its themes, lyrics, and even syllables into a non-linear, fragmented version of the original. The result is mostly enjoyable, though I must admit that I would have gotten more out of it were my French better. Still, its construction alone is fascinating enough to make the recording compelling.
Although both pieces have structural similarities, Blackett’s performance alone makes "Crosses of Crossed Colors" the highlight, and the opus might one day be considered one of Pousseur’s best works.
samples:
- Crosses of Crossed Colors, Part One
- Crosses of Crossed Colors, Part Three
- Jeu de Miroirs of Votre Faust
 
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There is not much here to make me sit up and pay attention. Layers of looped and heavily distorted screaming combined with swathes of feedback are the central components of the album. However there is little creativity or innovation. The tracklisting is on a small scrap of paper with a font that is very American Tapes-ish, again this aping of Wolf Eyes is pretty dull and frustrating to try and read. The painted CD-R equally makes me want to shake Hurley and ask him to please, please, please consider finding some more influences.
The opener, “Wild Spiral,” is a mediocre and inoffensive attempt at noise. Noise should be vibrant and all consuming, not easily ignorable and lifeless. The production is pretty poor. While I “get” that DIY noise with cheap equipment is hip and very much in this season, it still sounds piss weak. All of the pieces are thin and tinny sounding. There is no oomph to them. I know Hurley has the ability to make a thick wall of sound as I’ve experienced one of his other projects live and I enjoyed it immensely. Quetzolcoatl did not live up to my expectations at all. Only occasionally does the noise expand to become even remotely gripping, segments in “Lost Forest Vanishing to Nowhere” and “Dead at Sea/Lost Lights” piqued my interest. Apart from these brief moments The Eternal Electrical Flesh Storm is background noise, not the type of noise Hurley was aiming for I’m guessing.
The CD-R and cheap audio equipment culture has allowed some gems to make it out into the real world that would otherwise never be heard. On the flipside, it has also allowed thousands of average (and worse) music to get out further than they should. The Eternal Electrical Flesh Storm is a prime example of a lack of quality control, not enough artists take the time to work out an album or even an EP as much as they should.
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