Return of The Caretaker

I am happy about Leyland Kirby's (#3 Drone/Ambient, 2009) revisiting his neglected identity as The Caretaker (#1, Drone/Ambient 2005). The higher ranking should indicate my preference for the haunted ballroom stylings of the latter.



"Bedded Deep In Long Term Memory" from An Empty Bliss Beyond This World (2011)

Altered Zones had this video made out of a tune on the new release, An Empty Bliss Beyond This World (2011). Back to manipulating early-20th century 78 rpms!! (I must admit that the looping and stereo separation treatment on that are a bit aggressive...)



"Mental Caverns Without Sunshine (edit)" [full] from An Empty Bliss... (2011)

The whole tune isn't much longer than the video edit, and the theme appears to be vinyl surface noise-plus, evocative of a fireside crackle. I'll pick out a couple more examples, but all tracks are here now.



"Tiny Gradations of Loss" from An Empty Bliss... (2011)

This one's available as an .mp3 download from a previous AZ post.

The Caretaker's program has always dealt with aspects of memory, and according to Altered Zones, this album deals "more specifically with the ability of Alzheimer's patients' to recall memories of songs from their past... There's a profound sadness in comparing the degradation of a sound source and the degradation of the mind's abilities to recall them."



"Camaraderie At Arms Length" from An Empty Bliss... (2011)

You can purchase on vinyl in the US at Forced Exposure. You can also buy digital at his label site, including the long-awaited 2xCD bonus version of 2009's Sadly, The Future Is No Longer What It Was.



I'll keep an eye out for the discs, thanks!