Tuesday, May 31, 2011

The Sonic Prayer

It's been way too long since I've posted anything new about Earthless (#3, 2008). I just hadn't seen anything else since way back when... But all of a sudden - two things!

First, Earthless has a track on a new 2011 3-way split 12", and someone has put up a video already.



"Woman with the Devil Eye" from Earthless/Danava/Lecherous Gaze split (2011)

Still not sure about Earthless songs with vocals, or less than 8 minutes long... despite those both being awesome songs. According to Discogs, "Side B is a closed groove track of a motor revving." Here's Danava's track: "The Illusion Crawls."


Sonic Prayer
Also, I just found their 2005 debut album on vinyl over the weekend, and so I bought it. Looks like it's not the original pressing, but I've literally never seen a physical copy. Each side is one long tune, so here are the two 2-parter videos!



"Flower Travelin' Man" [part 1] from Sonic Prayer (2005)



"Flower Travelin' Man" [part 2] from Sonic Prayer (2005)



"Lost in the Cold Sun" [part 1] from Sonic Prayer (2005)



"Lost in the Cold Sun" [part 2] from Sonic Prayer (2005)


What? You wanted like actual work from me? I guess I could point out that, although this album was called Sonic Prayer, the actual song "Sonic Prayer" wouldn't be released until the next full-length.


"Sonic Prayer" [edit] from Rhythms from a Cosmic Sky (2007)

Yeah, that is a 15-minute edit of a 21:12-minute song. Further complicating matters, there was also a limited 10" single in 2005 named Sonic Prayer Jam - with b&w cover art somewhat similar to the debut album's, and probably essentially a different version of the non-title track, released on Rhythms. Awright?!


Sonic Prayer Jam

Monday, May 30, 2011

Early through Everything...
Astral Headspace, Vol. 5

Management is now maintaining download links at this Comp Index, and in the COMPS section to the right of the blog.


Number five. We've reached critical mass with free internet promo mp3's floating around, to the point that I might run off 2 or 3 of these free comps really quick. My first draft for this one was four-plus hours long, and I didn't just keep the 'best' stuff. Volume 6 is underway...

Don't forget to check out Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3, and/or especially last year's round-up Vol. 4.


Early through Everything
[Cover image from open-source Flickr project Glitchbot]


Early through Everything... Astral Headspace, Vol. 5 (click to download) consists of 28 tunes from every corner of the spherical, infinite musical universe. Everyone knows the best music comes from the corners of infinite spheres! Around 2½ hours, there's too much to inventory it all. We've got some psychedelia (both electronic and guitar-based), mid-'60s avant-weirdness, goth-pop, neo-Zeuhl, Kraut-drone, hauntological prog-folk, black ambient from New Mexico, a live jam between Grails and Silver Apples, uhh... that kind of thing.

Song titles, where linked, will take you to someplace you can listen - videos (some are pretty rad), streaming, or whatever. Hopefully you've got the Megaupload thing down, but if not.


Early through Everything... Astral Headspace, Vol. 5 (2011)




1. "Almost Grew My Hair" - Grails (#19, 2010) [live]
- O man, Grails... Excellent new album from Temporary Residence, and I think I got the mp3 from Stereogum.


2. "Tone Cloak" - Woodsman
- These guys were great at the Austin Psych Fest! Mp3 from Altered Zones. Woodsman's side of a tour split-cassette with Tjutjuna - here's the other side. New album available from Lefse Records.


3. "Journey to the Starglow Restaurant" [edit] - Space Debris (#7, 2008)
- Active Krautrock jamband from actual Germany. Several mp3's available at the band's website. The two 2011 archive releases are now on-sale domestically (U.S.) at All That Is Heavy. It's a toss-up whether it's cheaper to just import yourself from Euro-zone.


4. "Tiny Circle" - Wolf People
- I keep circling around this band, including songs on comps, seeing if they'll stick. Maybe this is it now! This song popped up on a bunch of other people's podcast mixes, and I didn't want to be left out. Albums and .mp3's available from Jagjaguwar.




5. "The Condition of Nothing" - White Hills (#5, 2010) [live]
- I need to continue my 2010 Top 10 posts. Caught White Hills in Houston and then at the Austin Psych Fest. Loud and fun, just like this tune. Mp3 and soon the new album H-p1 available at Thrill Jockey.


6. "Smokey Jotus" - Jonas Reinhardt
- Really dig Jonas Reinhardt. Can't believe I missed the album last year. New one's out on Not Not Fun Records, with this mp3 courtesy of Altered Zones.


7. "Zero-Point Field" - Steve Moore (#23, 2010)
- The more synthesizer half of Zombi, this is another file from Altered Zones (AZ). As I mess around with some synth simulator apps, I'm learning the importance of sound design. The 12" single looks available at Rush Hour.


8. "Molecular Cloud (Starbirth)" - Plaens
- One of many like this from MABA Tapes' SoundCloud. I couldn't exactly figure it out, but you might be able to find Distro via their blog...




9. "Illegal Entry with Intent to Zuul" - Umberto (#34, 2010) [live show]
- From the Freeze! 7", where he takes a detour into '80 Action soundz with a Beverly Hills Cops + Ghostbusters theme. Mp3 again from Altered Zones (AZ), and EP again from Not Not Fun (NNF). Here's a YouTube for another track from this one.


10. "Low Ride on Moon Blvd" - White Rainbow (#2 Drone, 2009)
- One of the more tripped-out tunes on the last funked-up mixtape available at White Rainbow Pizza BandCamp... worth exploring.


11. "Druid's Leafy Nest" - Tony Conrad & Angus MacLise [see at end]
- Speaking of maximalism, here's an extended jam from two major names of the '60s. Especially regarding the Velvet Underground history. Altered Zones has recently started sharing music from the past more often.


12. "Caged in Stammheim" - Demdike Stare (#8, 2010)
- I'm a huge, huge fan. Mp3 from A.Z., of course. This tune kicks off Liberation through Healing (2010), stream it on SoundCloud - along with many other Modern Love sets.


13. "A Year and a Day" - Belbury Poly (co-#9, 2010)
- From the last full length, From an Ancient Star (2009), another cool one from Belbury. Mp3 from Altered Zones, album(s) from Ghost Box.




14. "Silk Rd" (live 11/22/2008) - Grails, with Silver Apples [studio]
- Such an important song in Grails history, performed with Simeon from Silver Apples - Nov. 22, 2008. Several Grails mp3's are floating around at Brooklyn Vegan.


15. "For Isabel" - The Alps (#4, 2010)
- From new LP Easy Action from Mexican Summer, with mp3 by Altered Zones (AZ).




16. "Temporary Famine Ship" - Indian Jewelry [live]
- Very cool experimental super-group from here in Houston. This one is from Free Gold! (2008), mp3 and record on We Are Free.


17. "Breathe the Fire" - The Soft Moon
- Gonna dip our collective toe into some more retro-popular styles. While checking out bands for Austin Psych Fest, I got samples from this A.Z. band blurb. Driving post-punk that woulda played well at Numbers.


18. "Mr Peterson" - Perfume Genius
- Got this from Pitchfork, who was in love with this song and artist. Good tune. The vocals, piano and general vibe, remind me quite a bit of Neil Young - specifically "After the Gold Rush."


19. "Just Enough" - Julian Lynch
- Another one that I keep digging what I hear, and keep compiling, but never make the leap. Lynch has a pretty unique aesthetic - kinda smeared and garbled, but melodic. Kinda noisy, without all the irritation. Also from Pitchfork.


20. "Night" - Zola Jesus [live]
- Dark and Souixsiesque, real good voice. The '80s just keep coming back, with varying quality of influences and results. Mp3 from Altered Zones' 2010 Albums mega-post, which I recommend checking out.




21. "Pelham Island Road" - Oneohtrix Point Never (#39, 2010)
- I wanted to like this album more, but this was one of my more favorite tracks on it. And I think I'll keep giving OPN a chance, since I usually like over half his albums quite a lot. Downloaded from this AZ cross-post of this Village Voice interview.


22. "Island Best" - Stellar OM Source
- In the same vein, but OM is a one-woman electro-drone artist! Downloaded from this AZ cross-post of this Foxy Digitalis interview. It also has the word 'island' in the title.


23. "Enter the Host II" [edit] - William Fowler Collins (#8 Drone, 2009)
- Mp3 came from from Root Strata, not sure if they have the casette anymore (ed. of 100). But they give you digital options from that link. I went with Boomkat for price point, FLAC availability, and brand loyalty.


24. "V" - Soothsayer (vid for "IX")
- Another cassette!! I know absolutely nothing about this except what's on the Altered Zones post.


25. "Wizard Tree" - Mothers of Gut
- Same here... Well, except that the comments point to streaming at BandCamp (the other album: $1). Also, that Mothers of Gut is a terrible name.


26. "The Crash Palace of Records" - MV+EE (#8 Live Show, 2009)
- High-grade American guitar music, as usual. Mp3 from Altered Zones, and album from Three Lobed Recordings.




27. "DDB" - The Psychic Paramount [live]
- All I knew was that these guys had played out with Zombi and more recently Maserati & Steve Moore. Their music ended up being looser and louder than I'd expected. Yet another one from from A.Z., with link to the No Quarter record label.


28. "Servant Eye" - Ga'an
- not Zuul, but Zeuhl! Just try to guess where this came from... On the label that shall not be named.

HBSP-2X (a record label) is not buying homes in Beverly Hills.

"Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart" A CAPTCHA (IPA: /ˈkæptʃə/) is a type of challenge-response test used in computing to ensure that the response is not generated by a computer. The process involves one computer (a server) asking a user to complete a simple test which the computer is able to generate and grade. Because other computers are unable to solve the CAPTCHA, any user entering a correct solution is presumed to be human. A common type of CAPTCHA requires that the user type the letters or digits of a distorted image that appears on the screen. The term "CAPTCHA" was coined in 2000 by Luis von Ahn, Manuel Blum, Nicholas J. Hopper (all of Carnegie Mellon University), and John Langford (then of IBM). It is a contrived acronym for "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart", trademarked by Carnegie Mellon University. A CAPTCHA is sometimes described as a reverse Turing test, because it is administered by a machine and targeted to a human, in contrast to the standard Turing test that is typically administered by a human and targeted to a machine.


Angus MacLise
Angus MacLise, from Dreamweapon: The Art and Life of
Angus MacLise 1938-1979
exhibit, at Boo-Hooray (NYC)

The Price of Paradise

Happy Memorial Day!!



"Price of Paradise" and Three-Way Tie (For Last) (1985)

Only d. boon (and maybe Bob Dylan) could perfectly balance criticism of military adventurism and honor for the plight of the working soldier.

Lyrics:
How I remember the history I have seen
I was just a young boy, the horror I couldn't foresee
All the pain that comes with war
All the scars that never heal
Here in paradise the price is cheap
Young men die for greed.

Across the ocean in a land they call Vietnam
Young men dying is all it would cost
And we are told and proudly believe
They will die to keep us free
Here in America the price is cheap
Young men die for what?

My brother, the soldier, a hero who survived
Would tell the stories of men who died without dreams
And they fight for men twice their age
The smell of death and his life, it changed
The price of paradise is stained with blood
Young men die for what?

All pawns and puppets of flesh and bone
Will die for their leaders far from their homes
These are men who died very young
Afraid to see that their cause was unjust
Why couldn't they live for life?
Not die to survive...


Sunday, May 29, 2011

Professional Drones

Since we did the amateurs a few posts backs, I figured I could show you how the pro's handle it. Turns out that a lot of this, if not completely free, is "Name Your Price" - or at least cheap. Technically, you could take it all for free... but that would just be obnoxious.

**
When Maserati (#1, 2010) last came to town, they were selling a mysterious side-project cassette - by Brainworlds. It turned out that it was only the new touring guitarist, but then it turned out that I really liked it. Extended guitar drones with waves of effects and other sounds, real cool.



Brainworlds, Live at the Bemis / Omaha, NE (08/29/2008)

Looks like his ltd-ed tapes are available for download at BandCamp, or at least streaming. The newest is the one I picked up at the show: ••••• (2011). And the freest is Live @ Eyedrum (2010). Apparently, the last few of these have been released on CDr by Sonic Meditations. Around $5, which is a good deal if you want the physical copy or can't bother with lossless FLAC conversion (a good skill to develop).

Here's another live clip, from just last year.


Ægis
White Rainbow (#2 Drone, 2009) has been dumping output almost monthly at BandCamp. Something like this is what I'd always thought of as meaty, beaty, big and bouncy from him:


White Rainbow - Pulses
by itsalldark


I decided to pull down the most recent album: From Now On Let's: The Mixtape (2011). Wow! Someone wants to get taken to the party... As with any one-man hippie noisemaker act, I'm used to some programmed - or at least looped - rhythms. But like something tasteful, a sampled hand-drum pattern and/or throbbing synth-bass. But this just sounds like the squeegiest parts of Cameo (or Chromeo), chopped and crunked into a disco-globe jambox. With some White Rainbow lopes thrown in here and there.

But y'know, by either "Thug Subs Go Poppin" or "Flip On The Boogie Scrips," I was kinda digging it. Still, if you're not looking for the bug-out party-jams, I'd go with something without the "maximalist" tag. Or a cover that looks like Master P's worst nightmare. Wait... that's all of them. Well, you can stream anything before you buy it or whatever.



"Part 3" from Boring Guitar Music (2010)

P.S. I love the liner notes for Ægis (Oct 2010), cover pictured above:
43 MINUTE JOURNEY INTO SOUND
MODERN TEMPLES / ANCIENT RUINS
GRECO-ROMAN
/MANDALAY BAY-CORE
FANTASY SITE-SPECIFIC AUDIO INSTALLATION
LUXOR LIGHT BEAM

Animism
I didn't have a clear plan for another pro, kind of thought about Maps & Diagrams, but realized I don't know anything about them. (They just showed up as related videos to something else...) Then I noticed that Expo '70 (#29, 2010) had also set up shop at the old BandCamp. Problem solved.



"Transending Energy from Light" from Sunglasses 7" (2009)

Six albums at about $5 apiece is just about perfect. I can't really vouch for any of the specific records at this time, but as always they're stream-able. And Expo '70 have proven fairly consistent for me. I remember looking for Animism (2007) at one point, when I eventually found Black Ohms (2008) instead.

C'mon, Expo '70 is surely reason enough to figure out the FLAC>WAV>mp3 conversion, amirite?
(Also available on straight 320 mp3 too...)

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Ramases & Selket

The "R" of The A-to-Zed of Erol Alkan: Ramases & Selket, apparently "a guy who fixed boilers in Blackburn." Who suffered from temporal lobe epilepsy... or maybe came up with a squirrelly promotional gimmick. I mean, had a Philip K. Dickensian vision of iconic reincarnation. He was a Pharaoh reborn!


Qrazy One
Witness... the evolution, of Ramases!!



"Mind's Eye" - B-side, by Ramases & Selket (1968)

This is the song on Erol Alkan's BBC list. Very authentic, evocative of ancient Egypt, to wake the Pharoahs. Selket was the missus.



"Crazy One" - A-side, by Ramases & Selket (1968)

The cover of this single, along with the "Crazy" title, and the actual song itself, lines up pretty well. Ahhh, the sixties.



"Screw You" - A-side, as Ram and Sel (1970)

This is so totally bent! I'm really not grokking the Apache beat, and the single-entendre, and... everything.


Space Hymns
Here is some musico-biographical info about Ramases. He appears to have been a loon. The debut full-length album was enabled by the people in 10cc.



"And the Whole World" from Space Hymns (1971)

With the expanded palette of an entire LP, Ramases seems to have gotten serious. Like, real serious. Mystical prophecies of the brotherhood of man type stuff. I'm not expert enough to pass judgment between the outrageous novelties and the mind-expanding conceptual-psych-folk-pop... Only you can decide.



"Golden Landing / Long Long Time" from Glass Top Coffins (1975)

With the twin assists of the Royal Philharmonic and London Symphony Orchestras, the 2nd record seems like the come-down of a broken savant. "Long Long Time" shows the distinct thumbprint of The Beatles, in multiple ways.

As a reminder, the "A to Zed" show with Erol is well worth getting, here at Archive.org. Seriously good.


Space Hymns fold-out cover

Thursday, May 26, 2011

The Self-Titled Debut Album

I've seen Queens of the Stone Age (QOTSA) a number of times, and twice in New Orleans. Hell, I've seen Mondo Generator in New Orleans...



This time they were playing their self-titled debut album all the way through, plus outtakes from that era and speciality hits. I would have preferred the psychedelic gem Rated R to the more stripped-down garage-psych of the first one, but that's a quibble. Between those two albums (and Kyuss), they kind of staked out what people still think of as "stoner rock."

Also, both of those records have recently been re-released in expanded editions. None of these videos feature the awesome, original, NSFW gatefold design. But let's take a peak anyway.



"Regular John" from Queens of the Stone Age (1998)

This is the first song. It rocks & rumbles with an arid majesty.



"Avon (live)" from 1st Queens show ever, 1997 (?!?!)

I don't typically trust the internet, but if so, a bootleg of the first show ever is sweet!



"If Only Everything" from Kyuss/QOTSA split EP (1997)

Pre-debut version of "If Only" (tv!) from the pre-debut split with pre-QOTSA stoner legends Kyuss. Kyuss shared significant membership with Queens, and I believe Nick O (bass) is touring with them again. The community is split about the best Kyuss record, but I've only ever heard Blues for the Red Sun[*] (1992), dating back to Indiana buddies. The other contenders are Welcome to Sky Valley[*] (1994) and ... And the Circus Leaves Town[*] (1995).

[*] Links to actual old Kyuss videos... Also, Kyuss Lives! (Bjork / Garcia / Oliveri) is coming to Houston - Thurs, Sept. 29, at Warehouse Live.



"Walking on the Sidewalks" from Queens of the Stone Age (1998)

The sidewalks of Porto Alegra, Brasil! Awesome tuneage, dude.



"Mexicola" from Queens of the Stone Age (1998)

Rawk!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Amateur Hour (Ambient) - No Cover

Various technologies have made it possible for both committed and involuntary amateurs to build up formidable bodies of work - much of it downloadable, all for free!! But I firmly believe that everyone needs a little amateurism in their musical lives.

Moth Traces EP
Glasslung is one of many solo electro-ambient projects using the internet as their private digital distribution system - for free. Go to his blog for the whole discography to download.


Drown Slow
by briansopher


I had started to post about this over a year ago, having found it on some Elder Scrolls forum. Then I kind of forgot about it, but he's just continued turning out the albums and EP's. I grabbed the most recent one, Great White Walls (March 2011), and it's better than I remembered! He calls it "ambient neoclassical droneshit," and it's kind of a midpoint between Leyland Kirby's synth tunes and his more environmental stuff as The Caretaker. I'd call it "cavernous sorrows in the spectral train station." Or something...

You can also listen to some tracks over at SoundCloud or on MySpace. Same dude previously did work as Fotled, with several releases here.


An Hollow Princess

Hunting&Gathering is from Romania - with several free releases to stream or download at BandCamp, with liner notes! These drones are more acoustic guitar-based, with some ambient noises. Pretty cool stuff from everything I've checked out so far. Might as well start with the original demo, Journey to Balmora (2010). Although I discovered the artist at a different, non-Elder Scrolls forum, this one was inspired by probably my single favorite video-game ever.
...enjoy these songs, which are all about or inspired by The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, a video game I furiously loved. This first demo is all about the first portion of the game, where you arrive in the small port town of Seyda Neen and proceed to explore its surroundings, the most notable of which are Seyda Neen itself and its lighthouse, the Samarys Ancestral Tomb (a nice little crypt...

Hilarious!!


Endlessly Drifting Remnants
And here's the one that prompted reviving the old "Some Free Ambients" draft. Recently posting a comment here, Mabatapes wants you to know about PLAENS. So why not?

Check out their SoundCloud page with about 5 long tracks of drifting synth space-drone, available for your downloading pleasure. Or to stream. If I had to pick a favorite title, it would be "Endlessly Drifting Remnants of Transmissions from an Extraterrestrial Headdress Ceremony," but the best music so far is probably this:


PLAENS - SPCZDPLC - SIDE A
by MABA Tapes


Most of the tracks sound fairly similar to me... good for background music while reading a sci-fi paperback or something. They have one album-length track up on BandCamp. Name your price, o' course.

(There is no known connection to Bethesda's series of open-world fantasy RPG's, which continues in November!!)


Glorious to Make Electricity
One more, real quickly. Alan Morse Davies is Welsh. This was in the earlier draft, but I don't remember too many details... I love the title It Is Glorious to Make Electricity for Socialism (2010) - downloadable and streaming at The Internet Archive. Lots of other, ongoing stuff stuff available listed here.

Discovered via Disquiet - great resource! Keep up at his blog (which I forgot to do). A little more info At Sea...

Cheers!

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Epitome

Blvt Avs Nord. French, Black Metal.

777 Sect(s)
I really loved Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue with the Stars, naming it my top non-Top 10 metal album of 2009. At first, I wasn't so sure about the What Once Was... Liber I EP, but eventually pegged it at #16 overall of 2010 (which is good).



"Epitome II" from 777 Sect(s) (2011)

And now, BAN are apparently starting another trilogy of records, named 777, to go along with the What Once Was... series. Some of the sections again seem harsher and rawer, but the 2nd part (they're all named "Epitome") is more atmostpheric - and awesome.



"Epitome IV" from 777 Sect(s) (2011)

Sounds good! The production straddles that fine line between clarity and insanity.



"Epitome I" from 777 Sect(s) (2011)

Relentless...

Monday, May 23, 2011

Space Debris Projekt

Two new historical collections this year from the mighty Space Debris (#7 - 2008, #8 - 2004, and #2 - 2005), one unreleased studio and one live!!

Archive 1: Starglow Restaurant
I heard Archive Volume One's 30-minute title track, "Journey to the Starglow Restaurant," on internet radio station Krautrock-World. And that's how I found out about these two releases... Since I don't have it yet (and haven't figured out the new video program), here's some Space Debris vids I haven't featured already.



"Dark Star" from Three (2006)

Not the Grateful Dead's "Dark Star", nor Crosby, Stills and Nash's, but yet another tune by that evocative name.



"Saurus" from Three (2006)

Several free promo mp3's, including those two tracks, are available from this page at the Debris website. Might have to order Three with the new ones - it's their only album with the original line-up that I don't have.


Archive 2: All Man
Archive Volume Two is live, and seems to be split about evenly between the Mk 1 and Mk 2 line-ups. As are the following videos...



"Mountain (live)" from Into the Sun (2007)



"Solarization (live)" from Live Ghosts (2010)


I have a good feeling about these new collections!

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Weird Remixes by Wired People


Just found some recent stuff on some of my people's SoundCloud channels.

First up! Steve Moore (half of Zombi) as Lovelock, remixing Voivod - like thrash metal?!?! Original version below the remix.


Voivod - Global Warning (Lovelock Remix)
by steve moore



"Global Warning" from Infini (2009)

I remember hearing about Voivod from my brother back in the '80s, and they were soooo extreme. It seems that they've changed styles during the intervening 25 years. Apparently this is the last album with founding band leader before his death. Check out Lovelock's Maybe Tonight, 1/2 of which is downloadable "Re-Edits." Do it!


Solitude is Bliss
Then there's the recent one by Time & Space Machine (half of Beyond the Wizards Sleeve), remixing Tame Impala. Then the original.


Tame Impala - Solitude Is Bliss - The Time & Space Machine Remix
by RichardNorris



"Solitude is Bliss" from InnerSpeaker (2010)

This one makes a little more sense. TTASM does the folky psych-pop thing, and it looks like Tame Impala does too. I believe I prefer the mega-remix, but still intend to check out that Tame Impala album.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

The Cult of Dom Keller

Dom Keller at APF4
We met a few of the guys in The Cult of Dom Keller at Austin Psych Fest, and also caught their set. They were some alright dudes, and the show was extremely cool. They were one of only 2 (I believe) UK acts at the festival. Personally invited by The Black Angels, they leapt at the chance to share a bill with Roky Erickson.

Not even touring, they just came over for the festival and psyched it up good. Kind of like Syd Barrett fronting Spacemen 3 - or a dronier, more British BJTM... on acid!!



"Into the Sky Volcano" from EP1 (2010)

I picked up the two EP's they were selling, cleverly titled EP1 and EP2 - and have been digging them. Since I couldn't find any promo mp3's to check them out beforehand, I'd looked on YouTube. They take their video collection seriously (esp. for YouTube material), so here are a few!


EP1
I think I give the slight edge to EP2, but definitely glad I picked up both. They seem like kind of a set, maybe chapters in a series, a full album between them, the yin & yang thing... Dunno.


"Eyes" from EP2 (2011)



"Worlds" from EP2 (2011)


EP2
And I want the collection of non-EP's stuff, because most of it's just as cool...



"Armageddon Monk Chant" (live 2010)



"We left this world behind for a home in the sun"



"...and stars will fall..." (unreleased demo)

So feel free to explore, check them out, read this interview I literally just found, track down their albums and stuff. Y'know, like music?

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Deep Deep Deep, mang

New Grails is righteous!! It's called Deep Politics, and you should grab it now if you haven't already. Three-sided double-vinyl with an artistically etched 4th is superbad. But it's all about the music, yeah?

I like one of the YouTube commenters description of Grails as "ambiental deep psych oriental folk prog." With this one, they've added some Teo Macero cut-and-paste soundtrack-jazz - check this out!! I was a little worried by the mellowness of the Black Tar Prophecies, Vol. 4 EP (#19, 2010) - but this one brings it all and more.



And the videos... Here's a couple by Emil Amos (drummer), and a few others with more than just the album cover sitting there. Some videos might be *NSFW*, depending on where you work...



I Led Three Lives - Grails on Vimeo.


Named after the American [TV] drama series, "loosely based on the life of Herbert Philbrick, a Boston advertising executive who infiltrated the U.S. Communist Party on behalf of the FBI in the 1940s" (naturally).



"Deep Politics" from Deep Politics (2011)

Title track demands Shaolin imagery!!


GRAILS - Daughters of Bilitis on Vimeo.


Named after the "first lesbian rights organization in the United States... formed in San Francisco in 1955" (of course).



"Deep Snow" from Deep Politics (2011)

Early '60s avant-garde cinema from Stan Brakhage. Perfect!


Deep Politics
And here's a pretty cool clip, set to part of "Almost Grew My Hair" - a really, really great one!

GRAILS from Jason Norfleet on Vimeo.


He's also done a more recent one for Maserati.



"Almost Cut My Hair (live)" in Big Sur, CA - 2/20/2009

A way early, speedier version of the same track...

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Altered Up Again

Maybe I should just perma-link to Pitchfork's kinda-new sister site, Altered Zones. It's pretty informative and generous, if you like that kinda stuff. In this case, various types of electronics - krauty, Italo Disco, and library/ambient mix (respectively).

Recentness now!!

Music for the Tactile Dome
Jonas Reinhardt [link]

Jonas Reinhardt - Smokey Jotus from Not Not Fun on Vimeo.


Also grab this terrific previous track, "Eos, The Dawn," here. New album is apparently now out on Not Not Fun! Also, here's a previous post on them.


Crystal Mandala Field
Steve Moore [link]

Somebody put up the A-side of this 12", which is downloadable from the link.



And here's the B-side to complete the set. Purchase the vinyl at Juno... New Zombi LP is already out, and I'll be posting on it somewhat soon-ish. (I got the "canary yellow" vinyl!)


Sean Canty
Demdike Stare [link]

Demdike Stare - Violetta from The Wire Magazine on Vimeo.


Also check out a recent podcast (XLR8R #196, downloadable) - linked here. I've had a chance to listen to it, and it's a great free-mix as usual!!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Good Comp, Good Cause!!

It's nice that iTunes has their own superstar Songs for Japan benefit compilation, with proceeds going to the Japanese Red Cross.


But if you're reading this, I really think you should check out Benefit for the Recovery in Japan, proceeds to Civic Force! (First seen at Altered Zones...)

I'd started this post quite awhile ago, but comp's still up - and four-plus hours at $15, it's a complete steal. Quite the introduction to a a bunch of heavy-hitters (and some personal faves), and a wide range of weirdo genres: electronics, guitar, minimalism, drone, some noise, even a little "rock" music.

Something(s) along the lines of this...


"Cassiopeia" by Grouper, from Benefit for the Recovery of Japan (2011)


Part One:

1. Fennesz: "Fearless"
2. Helado Negro: "Cabeza Bella"
3. Stephan Mathieu: "(Excerpt from) The Floating World"
4. School of Seven Bells: "Midnight Sun"
5. Lawrence English: "Hotaru"
6. Noveller: "Darkheart"
7. Zeena Parkins: "The Letter"


"Camptown Races" From the Great American Songbook (#8, 2008)

8. Tom Carter (of Charalambides): "Mended"
9. Akron/Family: "Deep Kazoo"
10. The Ex: "Cold Weather Is Back"
11. Shinji Masuko (of Boredoms/DMBQ): "Botsuon"
12. Oneohtrix Point Never (#39, 2010): "The Inside World"
13. Tokimonsta: "Sound Caves"
14. Joshua Abrams: "Jackdaws"
15. Keith Fullerton Whitman: "Anzac #3"


16. Ben Frost: "Snæugla"

17. David Daniell: "Shiho-hiru-tama"
18. Grouper: "Cassiopeia" [see above]
19. Tape: "Mirrors"


"Stained Glass Body" from Love Is A Stream (2010)

20. Jefre Cantu-Ledesma (of The Alps, #4 of 2010): "Moon in a Dewdrop"
21. D. Charles Speer: "Steel Infant"


"Night of the Archon" from West Winds (2010)

22. Evan Caminiti (of Barn Owl #11 of 2010): "Blue Veil"
23. Blackshaw, Wood, Wood & Tomlinson (James Blackshaw & Hush Arbors): "Are You Alright? (Chump Change)"
24. Nat Baldwin (of Dirty Projectors): "In the Hollows"
25. Chris Forsyth & Shawn Edward Hansen: "Dirty Pool Blues"


"All I Want Is Calm" from Give It Up (2009)

26. Zelienople: "Stone Faced About It"
27. Elm (Jon Porras of Barn Owl #11 of 2010): "Diamond Dust"
28. Lobisomem: "Kusha"
29. Stabbing Eastwood (Tunde Adebimpe & Ryan Sawyer): "Thundersnow Mountain"
30. Alan Licht & Greg Malcolm: "Natasha Utting Reporting"
31. Scott Tuma: "To: Hasty"
32. Rhys Chatham: "Prayer for the People of Fukushima"


"Guitar Trio (G3) Part 2 (Finale)" by Rhys Chatham


flag
Part Two:

33. Prefuse 73: "The Only Climactic Dissonant Hums"


"The Class of 73 Bells" from Preparations (2007)

34. Growing: "Untitled"
35. James Plotkin (of Khanate): "Broken '96"
36. Totem Test: "Pulse Prayer for Japan"
37. Marcus Schmickler (of Pluramon): "2.71828 Up"


38. Tim Hecker: "Hatred of Music (Double Gate Mix)"

39. Sylvain Chauveau: "Colours in Darkness"
40. Bear In Heaven: "The Days We Have"
41. Spires That In The Sunset Rise with Michael Zerang: "Collision Theory"
42. C. Spencer Yeh: "Solo Violin March 13th 2011"
43. Lau Nau: "Oi Kuolema"
44. Oren Ambarchi (#10, 2004): "Merely A Portmanteau"


45. Warm Ghost: "Uncut Diamond (Dripping Pollen Mix)"

46. Bradley & Geofrey (Atlas Sound + White Rainbow): "Mr. Stephen's Private Service"
47. Peter's House Music: "Half Step"
48. Leb Laze: "Da Plane Da Plane"
49. Matthewdavid: "Stop Laughing / Be Honest"


"The Silouettes" from Old Punch Card (2010)

50. Sam Prekop: "Lakes River"
51. Simon Scott: "Of You (Before 2082)"
52. Tetuzi Akiyama/Jon Mueller/Jim Schoenecker: "Untitled"
53. Shelley Burgon: "Let It Be New"
54. Giant Sand: "Recovery Mission"
55. William Tyler: "Tears and Saints"
56. Mountains: "Still Life"
57. Ben Vida: "Quadsweep +2 (snkglazz iii)"


Maria Chavez, last live set in Houston, TX

58. Maria Chavez: "Natural Disaster #2_2011"
59. Cleared: "Nova"
60. Neptune: "FIG IV"
61. Water Fai: "Tokitomori"
62. Parts & Labor: "Dokonimonai"


63. Jackie-O Motherfucker: "Blood of Life"

64. Greg Davis: "Sho Sai Myo Kichijo Dharani"

Mount Chureito
取得!!