Peaceful, serene, warm and endearing. I wonder if there's a farm where Thomas Morr harvests all the prettiest electronic music composers. Although Schnauss' album is actually released from City Centre Offices, Morr Music (you remember, that Lali Puna album you keep meaning to pick up) handles the worldwide distribution outside of the UK.

Every once in a while a record comes along that is so avant garde, sodifferent, so completely not like anything I've heard, that it almostdefies description. Starlight Mints almost do that. This music isobviously not aimed at radio, not aimed at any one test market, noteven classified by one genre that it's almost impossible to determinewho exactly would listen to it. I would recommend it to anyone wholikes the Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev (no brainer there - HellfireMarketing represents all three bands in different capacities), but doesit really sound like any of them? No, not really. In fact, if I wasgoing to describe this, the best I could come up with is Spiders FromMars-era Bowie fronting an art-rock guitar band with a small stringsection, occasionally intermingled with interesting noises for maximumconfusion and effect. Which is funny, since I read ther bio afterforming that opinion, and it name checks Bowie, as well. I mean, it's areally confusing listen. The music grabs you immediately, and it won'tlet go. But where some bands sound like they're confused by their ownmusic, not quite sure how to focus, harness, or direct it, StarlightMints aural confusion is completely MANUFACTURED. That's right:Starlight Mints WANT you to be confounded by this noise. And it isconfounding, but utterly listenable. I mean I CANNOT TAKE THIS CD OUTOF THE PLAYER, it calls to me so much. But I don't know why. Is thatstrange? Yes. But so be it. The only complaint I have is that as thealbum goes on, some songs use similar chord progressions or structuresand dynamics as earlier ones, so it almost sounds gimmicky compared toearlier tracks. But it is always fresh. The lyrics are equally as odd:"sir prize" features the line "Shaking hands with the cats in themirror." And I don't think he means "cats" in that "Hey, that guy's apretty hip cat" sense. He means cats. With four legs and tails. "sugarblaster" says "Follow me to the echo machine." Weird. Try it out, as itis the strangest release you'll hear all year. And that's a good thing,really.

 

samples:

• Submarine #3
• Sir Prize
• Valerie Flames

The signature sound of Tsyoshi Nakamaru's Tagomago project is astrangely clipped sample, looped against the beat as if the song andthe loop exist in two different pieces of music played simultaneously.This peculiar trait makes its appearance on nearly all of his albumsand gives his otherwise almost-innocuous techno-pop an edge that, atfirst, is difficult to place. A funky upright bass and a looped chunkof violins kicks off "On the Upper Level", the first tune on Tagomago'sseventh solo album, with the urgency implied by the album's title. Theenergetic pulse that drives the album's first half makes occasionalnods to mainstream drum n'bass or to lazily paced trip hop, though mosttracks keep to a slightly stuttering and repetitive groove which callsto mind the band whose magnus opus Nakamaru borrowed his moniker from.The latter half of the disc slides into drumless analogue synthesizerdrift, several tracks of low throb punctuated by sci-fi squeals andairy feedback. Previous Tagomago albums have featured lovelyinstrumental pop molded from looped sitars and other conspicuously"psychedelic" ingredients, but this latest CD draws mostly fromshimmering orchestral hits and instrumental flourishes (think: 1970stelevision themes). "ASAP" is a fine set of understated, upbeat tunesthat never gets too sweet, though it's closer in spirit to NobukazuTakemura and the Childisc crew than to Nakamaru's much strangerproject, the great Nerve Net Noise.

 

Tomahawkis Mike Patton's newest project on Ipecac, featuring Patton on vocals,Kevin Rutmanis (Melvins), John Stanier (ex-Helmet,) and Duane Denison(Jesus Lizard). It's Good Stuff. Stylistically, it reminds me of theother band-work Patton's done — specifically Faith No More — becausethe music does have a certain "rock" or "punk" vibe about it, mixedwith a certain eclecticness that keeps it from being just plain rock orpunk. There are no writing credits, lyrics or any extraneousinformation and all liner notes are kept to an absolute bare minimum(seven short lines, including the tracklisting.) The recording qualityis excellent and although the Patton's vocals are the center ofattention, the music does play it's part and balances out theforcefulness of the vocals. The music itself is part humor and partnoir (e.g. "POP 1" and it's screamed bridge of "This beat could win mea grammy!"). Patton's vocal abuses are a highlight of the record,especially the screams and nuances of infliction he does so well. Agreat release for fans of vocal gymnastics, and a pretty good album ingeneral.

 

samples:

• God Hates a Coward

Cavendish Sanguine is an ambient alias for one half of Fflint CentralRecordings, Barry Williams, who also records as Oleum and helpschanneling in productions from the mysterious Berkowitz, Lake &Dahmer. This is the sound of one man who went to mow Wotan's lawn. Myguess is that he used a big sharp scythe.
A looped deep dark voice underpinned by unintelligible high pitchedreversed chatterings comprises the door opener "Halzaphron". "Plague"seeps mournfully in flanged droning, like Eno in hell chased by thegong bashing ghosts of Plotkin and Null because they want their rareThrobbing Gristle bootleg tapes back. There are phantom organists andfiery rumbles a plenty here!
Cavendish Sanguine reveals another grey world flecked with reflectingmetallic mirrors where odd looking hermetic explorers summon tendrilledbeasts from tombs and set them looming in places where Coil's attackingSennapods left a trail of ectoplasmic spittle. On the penultimate"FerroCello" virtual hell breaks loose with strings attached, rising toa mutant crescendo of sonic cyber splurge. This track is all the moreimpressive when it's revealed that rather than heavily effect ladenbowed strings, it's actually all sourced from a short short wave radiotransmission minced through the digital grinder. These crusts o'vitriolwould be ideal soundtracks for some horror flick set in dripping dankcaverns where foul demons lurk.
The entire CD-R can also be heard online at a well known MP3 site which you can find via Fflint Central.

 

Hardly "Punk As Fuck" as the tongue-in-cheek title of the first trackoff their fourth album, the American Analog Set could actually be moreaccurately described as creating music in the vein of Neu!. 'Know ByHeart' unites the psychedelic jams of the Austin-based band's earliermaterial with a soothing pop sensibility. The warm sounds ofvibraphones and farfisa organs mesh with heavy bass lines and pungentpercussion on the tracks "Gone to Earth" and "Million Young," thelatter of which screams Stereolab circa "Revox" (if Laetitia's vocalshad been replaced by those of an American male with a honey-coatedvoice). Fortunately, the album is not overrun by kraut-rock musings.The balladry of "Slow Company" and the title track, plus the janglyrock of "The Only One" and "Aaron & Maria" allow for the band toexhibit not only their stylistic versatility, but their broadinstrumental capabilities as well. "The Postman", a sweetly rhythmic,yet melancholy tune about a mail carrier's crush on someone on hisroute is among the standout tracks. The American Analog Set fortunatelynever suffer from sounding overly self-conscious in their music, andretain a distinct sense of humor evident in both their song titles andlyrics. 'Know By Heart' is certainly a piece of ear candy, but at thesame time, it skillfully avoids falling into a saccharine trap.

 

samples:

• Punk as Fuck
• The Postman
• Million Young

Self-described as "a ghostly meditation on the aesthetics of late nighttrain travel", 'Overnight' is the third album by Chessie, a one-timesolo project of Stephen Gardner which has grown to a duo with theaddition of Ben Bailes. Perhaps it's the addition of a second set ofears that has reined in Gardner's tendency on previous releases to flitsomewhat disconcertingly between fragile ambience and restrainedaggression. The nine tracks on 'Overnight' flawlessly swirl and flowtogether, creating an engrossing and abstract sonic landscape ofabstract samples, ambient electronics, guitar, piano and more. Fans ofartists like Labradford and Stars Of The Lid will very likely find muchto appreciate here.

 

samples:

• Lineside
• Daylight
• S to U

Following a successful US tour, Knoxville, Tennessee's Superdrag wentoff for Japan, one of those countries where people are capable of beingutterly more popular than they are here. Like Sweden. And while theywere there, they released this, a tour EP of new songs, old songs, anda few cover songs. The intention was to release it on their label's(Arena Rock Recording Co.) website so fans could order it. That tookawhile, due to dissatisfaction with the initial release. New mixing wasdone, the release was delayed, and now a limited number are availableon the website. And what do we have? Kind of a mixed bag, which you'dhave to expect from Superdrag. The new songs, like "Baby Goes ToEleven" and "Take Your Spectre Away" are good, but you get the feelingthat Superdrag is getting more emotional with age. Where is theballs-out shrikeing rock we've heard before. And I'm not really fond of"bass guy" Sam Power's lead vocals on stu. I've grown accustomed toJohn Davis' wail, thank you, so give me more of it. And two tracks,"Bloody Hell" and "Liquor," first on their independent release "TheFabulous 8-track Sound of Superdrag," are missing the power of thoseearly recordings. In fact, "Liquor" is even missing the first verse!The only thing that made this release worthwhile for me was the covers.Any chance to hear Superdrag cover The Replacements ("Bastards ofYoung," no less), and I'm there. But then, just to keep thosecomparisons ever-present, they cover the Kinks classic "You Really GotMe." Now here's the band that Superdrag most reminds people of, and forgood reason. At their best, Superdrag are just as hook-laden, just asrawking, and just as cohesive musically. "Greetings From Tennessee" isnot Superdrag at their best: it's for the diehard fan only. And forthose last two songs, it's worth it. Can't wait for LP4 in Spring 2002.

 

samples:

• Baby Goes To Eleven
• Bastards of Young
• You Really Got Me

Ven Voisey, a Californian composer with a most dubious name (do youthink he was born with "v"s for initials? My bet's on "not likely"),has been quietly self-publishing some of the most stunning anddisarmingly unpretentious DIY computer music in America with little tono fanfare? so far. To correct that, here's a bunch of fanfare for hisnew 17-minute piece. "Things Collapse?" begins with a patiently growingcloud of soft hiss. A masterful moment occurs in which the hissmetamorphoses suddenly into a blurry acoustic guitar (in theelectronically-enhanced hands of Voisey, it takes on a lovelycello-like quality) and is finally overtaken by churning white noiseand room sound. But to simply describe the linear events of the pieceis to miss the assured, seemingly effortless meaningfulness somehowimbued into each sound element, a quality which involves the listenerright away and commands attention for the duration. I could comparev.v. to vaguely similar composers (Roel Meelkop and the THU20 folksspring to mind), but comparisons are a cop-out, so I won't bother.Certainly this EP is a fine piece of electronic music which I highlyrecommend tracking down.

 

samples:

• www.throat.org

Single Unit is a single man, Are Mokkelbost, and he is entirelyresponsible for the music and visuals of "Family of Forces". Theartwork features very curious black/white drawings of abstract shapesand human/animal characters framed in Macintosh styled screens. Andmuch like the music, it's difficult to make heads or tails of it all.The 16 oddly titled tracks, most less than 2 minutes apiece, arecleverly laid out in a grid on the back, each with it's own progressbar giving you a relative idea of how long the track is and how faralong you are into the near 33 minutes total that make up the disc.Mokkelbost's musical mission seems to include that of mergingmetal/hardcore with electronica, believe it or not. Appropriatedsnippets of guitar/bass/drum onslaughts are painstakingly re-assembledalongside electronic and organ-like melodies into new songs. ImagineSlayer playing carnival music, then having Kid 606 remix it, and you'llget a rough idea. It's mostly noisy and schizophrenic, but alsorefined, making for a confusingly natural fusion of playful andmenacing sounds and moods. Fun!

 

samples:

• Tremelo Confidence
• 5th Cumming
• Joy

As has become expected for Robot's CD reissue series of rare, out ofprint, and previously vinyl-only or cassette-only albums by DavidJackman (the only constant member of Organum), "Pulp" comes with nomore information than the song titles and the names of the artistsinvolved. Gone is the artwork that might have accompanied the originalreleases. Nowhere in this package do we find any information that wouldhint that "Pulp" is in fact a reissue (I happen to recognize the namesof the tracks). No further information is provided to tell the newlistener background about the recordings. The disc is also only 33minutes long. But I'll stop complaining because the music is quitegood, if not particularly surprising (does it need to be? Probablynot). Though the CD includes all of the music from the "Pulp", "Raze"and "Wrack" EPs and one otherwise unreleased piece, one might haveremoved the spaces between the tracks and called this a single piece ofmusic; there is not much change from track to track. The cyclicalscraping metal and piercing, high-pitched bowed cymbals (I'm guessing,but that's what it sounds like) are aggressive and unrelentingly noisy,more typical of New Blockaders' work than Organum's. The palpablepresence of actual humans manipulating actual metal objects brings"Pulp" a step closer to improvised instrumental music, and a step awayfrom Merzbow-like human-free screech? it's not a huge step, but it's animportant one which separates it from the derth of noise albums one canchoose from these days. It's really quite nice, if metallic shriek isyour thing; it happens to be mine, sometimes.

 

Following a string of European dates, To Rococo Rot & I-Soundsupposedly got together and reworked some of their collaborationspreviously released on the full-lengther earlier this year, 'Music is aHungry Ghost'. This EP was intended for sale at North American shows,but a cancelled tour left the disc to linger around in limbo andunexpectedly make its way into stores. "Pantone" has been extended andexpanded, with a live bass guitar, less prominent abrasive noises, anda more natural melodic development that would please fans of their'Amateur View' album. "The Trance of Travel" on the other hand has beenever so slightly trimmed but has also added much-appreciated melodicand rhythmic elements. "Brett Zwei" has been lifted off 'Kölner Brett'and has been colored with acoustic guitar, bass guitar and variouskeyboard twitters but still remains exactly at three minutes. Twoadditional tracks appear, most likely recorded during the 'HungryGhost' sessions, but just too maximalistic to fit in to the album. "IWanted to Meet Him" perfectly describes my sad feeling when I learnedPisstank was in town last weekend. It's got beats that are ratherpunchier than those TRR's used to using. "Fishermen Dressed Like JosephBeuys" on the other hand is completely absent of drum machines andpleasantly glitches a simple acoustic guitar. Pleasant and refreshing,if 'Hungry Ghost' was a little too much, the EP should be just right.

 

samples:

• Pantone (red)
• Brett Zwei (plus)
• Fishermen Dressed Like Joseph Beuys

In the liner notes of "Bella Maniera" (Italian for the "BeautifulWay"), Japanese born composer Kim Koschka explains her Renaissance-eramanierist approach for this album. Simply put, it's ade-contextualization of disparate styles which are then juxtaposed innew ways. One listen and it's obvious that Koschka knows a thing or twoabout composing, from traditional to avant-garde, so the task is easilywithin her grasp. The seven tracks range from 6 to nearly 13 minutesand they busily mix and match all sorts of modern styles - drum 'nbass, ambient, dub, classical, hip hop, etc. - and sounds - piano,harpsichord, mellotron, organ, mini-moog, synclavier, synths, samples,spoken texts, etc. - that might not normally go together. The resultsare mixed, always coherent and dynamic, but sometimes a bit cheesywhile at other times quite brilliant.
The three with subtitles happen to be the most striking and make thedisc worth owning. "Allegro Vivace", 'drum 'n bass for grandorchestra', is just that, a clever explosion of d n' b rhythms lacedwith piano, horns and other orchestral instrumentation. "The TerminalBeach", 'permutazione for chamber ensemble', is of course based upon(and borrows lines from) the book of the same name by science fictionwriter J.G. Ballard. Here Koschka conjures up a dramatic amalgamationof beats, break downs, piano flurries, dancing bells and woodwinds invarying tempos. "Homage a Morton F.", 'ambiento con una frase forchamber orchestra', is obviously an homage to legendary NYC basedcomposer Morton Feldman. Slowly piecing together piano chords, strings,harpsichord strums and a slow jazzy rhythm, the highly cinematic trackis a fitting conclusion.

 

samples:

• Allegro Vivace
• Homage a Morton F
• The Terminal Beach

Stars of the Lid make the finest drone-rock around, and everyone knows it. I remember hearing them for the first time and turning to a friend and saying "Who needs drugs when you can listen to music like this?"

Upon experiencing them live and then hearing "Gravitational Pull vs. the Desire for an Aquatic Life" a few years ago, SotL redefined for me the aesthetic of 'ambient' music and just how beautiful it can be. Now Adam Wiltzie and Brian McBride (and others, including previous collaborator painter Jon McCafferty and film artist Luke Savisky) return with 124 more minutes of sleepy soliloquy.

And the gybe! side projects continue to grow in number. It's almost as though they're becoming more of a commune of musicians, a collective whose parts are ever-changing and ever-growing. This release features a lot of the same components and dynamics we've come to expect from gybe! and Silver Mt. Zion: field recordings, strings, chiming guitars, loud-soft variations, solid drumming.

Although this release came out first in 1999 through Origin in Sweden, it has only been picked up by Apollo (an R&S sub-label) earlier this year. Graham Lewis (Wire/Dome/He Said) and Andreas Karperyd (Omala) have teamed up again, but not as He Said Omala this time. While I have been a Wire fan for nearly two decades, the Graham Lewis material can always be hit or miss, yet when he's paired up with a good collaborator, the results can be incredible. Fortunately, the collection of ten songs deftly combines the strengths of the Karperyd's undeniably hypnotic electronics and the super sexy voice of Lewis.

LPD's frontman has delivered his solo release for 2001 rather late, butthe wait (if you consider it a wait as the volume of material from LPDand related projects exceeds everyone else) was worth it. 'Caste' is aone-track CD with a multitude of songs or 'movements'. The phasesevolve over the course of 18+ minutes from pulsating drum machine andvocal plays, creepy ambient horrorscapes, cut-up samples and distortednoises, familiar Ka-Spellian anthemic calliope music, and theoccasional playful keyboard ditty. Various points seem to either harkback to the more sound-based (as opposed to song-based) LPD or paytribute to Neu!, Residents, and the more experimental Pink Floyd era.Thankfully, there isn't a weak link in the chain: unlike many of thesolo Ka-Spel discs, this one is absent of the occurance of anerve-grating piece which goes on way too long. I haven't counted theamount of movements in the disc yet, but it's safe to say that ifthere's anything on here you're not getting into, just wait a coupleminutes and it'll all shift gears again.

 

samples:

• 3:00-4:00
• 30:30-31:30
• 49:30-18:30

Anita Lane first came to music circa the late '70s via the Nick Cave-led posse The Birthday Party and later as a founding member of his solo band The Bad Seeds. Since the mid-'80s she has recorded some singles and the solo album Dirty Pearl and has collaborated with Die Haut, Bad Seed Mick Harvey, Barry Adamson, Einstüzende Neubauten and Gudrun Gut. In particular, Harvey is her longtime musical guru and is once again responsible for production and much of the instrumentation for this 10 song album.

Part of the Elephant 6 collective (Neutral Milk Hotel, Olivia TremorControl, etc.), Beulah craft clever pop with intelligent lyrics thatbite and chew at the witty edges, all with less spacey dreamscapes thantheir brethren. After releasing two albums on as many labels, Beulahwere set to make their "major label debut" with this, their thirdrecord. Then the label, Capricorn, went away in the Unigram merger. AndBeulah were left out of the deal. Some former employees of Capricornformed Velocette Records — also the current home to Jack Logan, VicChesnutt, and Jucifer — and now they are releasing "The Coast Is NeverClear." And it's worth the wait. The album is different enough fromBeulah of "When Your Heartstrings Break" to be considered artisticgrowth, but enough of the same to please any Beulah fan. The productionseems a little smoother and clearer, and the mix more well-rounded, butthe songs contain that great full-fledged pop sound and the ironiclyrics you've always loved. On "A Good Man Is Easy To Kill," MilesKurosky's lyrics reach their finest hour, as he sings about the fearsof love and the beatification of the desired: "Give up give up yourlove/I promise it's not gonna kill ya" and "And when they cut out yourlung you said we could all breathe easy." The imagery is what'simportant, as anyone can sing songs about the trials and tribulationsof love. It takes the special ability to paint the picture for you soyou can see it for yourself to make the grade. There are a few minordisappointments. "Hello Resolven," though short, has all of the charmof a Beck b-side, which, given some of his a-sides, can't ever bepretty. And in some places it seems almost as though these songs wereintended for a major label debut by an indie artist: water down theirtrademark sound so that the average listener can stomach it. Overall,though, a strong release from these architects of fine pop music.

 

samples:

• Hello Resolven
• A Good Man Is Easy To Kill
• Gene Autry