Pink Side of the Moon

A lil' late on this moon biz, but I had to find the angle.



... via BoingBoing:



"Moonhead" by Pink Floyd (live in studio, 1969)

Per the YouTube poster:

A instrumental piece used for a tv-programme on the evening of the first moonlanding July 20, 1969. The programme was a used by the BBC in between the coverage of the actual moonlanding -and was called 'But what if it's made of green cheese'. The theme was the first verse and the coda, with various actors reading quotes and poetry about the moon over. The rest of the programme was information, discussions and sketches. Later in the show, Moonhead was performed uninterrupted.

Other quotes & links at the BoingBoing post!

Tyken's Drift Interstellar

Upcoming solo album from Steve Moore! Light Echoes on Cuneiform Records, early September.



Steve is of course the main synth guy for Astral favorite electro-space-prog duo Zombi (most recently #5, 2011). My choice for label pull-quote: "It takes you on an inner journey -- the kind that's probably best made the same way Moore made the music – as a solo endeavor."


Tyken's Rift by steve moore

Listen and/or download the preview track right there!

Star Trek reference? I was thinking maybe something from the "Tears in the Rain" speech, but that's the Tannhauser Gate... NerdLore tag added.



[Edit: postscript added 8/28...]

This track was on Stevemoore2600's Soundcloud a long time now, but I didn't notice until Ad Hoc just promoted it.


Steve Moore - Zen Spiders by Future Times

12" coming out sometime soon?

SubArachnoid Spacerock

Continuing with this recent series: next up is SubArachnoid Space. No, not the brain cavity... the Portland-via-SF psych-jam band - apparently inactive since last year, but still on Facebook.



The one appearing on the For Lee Jackson in Space comp (2012)! Much like Primordial Undermind, I'd heard of SubArachnoid and once again assumed they were some kind of electronic noise freak-out - rather than the actual jamming guitar psych-ambient project it was. (And I stick by my contention that's what those names evoke for me...)



Good overview with some album reviews ("Approved by the Post-Rock & Psychedelic Prog teams") over at Prog Archives... and a couple of free downloads from the Free Music Archive.



"Karoshi" from Delicated Membrane (1996)

Would seem that that the first few years were made up of semi-formless abstract explorations of the acid-rock jamming variety. Like whole albums made up of what other bands use for inter-song transitions, or extended intro's and coda's.



"Whispers of Momentum" from Either Or (1997)

I could definitely see myself going either way with this. They actually seem good at what they're doing, but it might end up a bit too improvisational. Probably worth a shot for me, though...



"Shut Inside" from Almost Invisible (1997)

This one's a live album of extended, unended jams... but maybe they all are? Seems to be the most popular one yet! If intrigued, follow up with: "Hidden Outside," "Floating Above The Skyline," "Below Any Border" and finally "Calm Fever."

That's almost the whole album. Not sure what "bonus song 9" means since there are only 6 tracks, but there it is.



"Will You Make My House A Carnival?" from Endless Renovation (1998)

Sounds a bit different than before - with the Floydian organ - but maybe I'm letting the new art style influence my hearing. Might also wanna check out "Square Wheels" for more. Just by the number of songs on YouTube, this one might be another fan favorite.



"Indy Maru" from A New and Exact Map (2000)

No-one ever accused SubArachnoid Space of being in a hurry to get anywhere, probably. Maybe I should start any serious exploration in the later phases?



song "D" from These Things Take Time (2000)

Time for another live album - again without interruption. SAS was certainly generous with their releases. Here's song "A".





Not too much anywhere from Also Rising (2003), supposedly their first move from full-on improv to more structure... Also the last album with band founder Mason Jones, owner of the Charnel Music label, releaser of the Walking Timebombs’ self-titled debut?

If that embed doesn't work, stream or download that song from archive.org.



"Ourobouros" from Red Veil (2005)

Approaching closer to the Now, the band continued on & probably relocated to Portland. Opening rocker "Honorable Mention" is available for stream or download at archive.org as well.



"Hunter Seeker" from Eight Bells (2008)

The only album currently up on SubArachnoid Bandcamp. This seems to be the most recent, and possibly last, record. Looks like the music-making has stopped, with just a vestigial internet presence still ongoing.

Sight & Sound & September

Not sure how / if this will work... But based on the Sight & Sound 2012 poll out recently (top 250 and database), I'm going to make a concerted effort to watch one movie per day for all of September. Here's the catch: I'm going to try to blog about each one by the next day!

The operative word here being "try."



Now, I'm not just going to watch S&S's top 30 Greatest Movies of All Time. I'll try to mix it up - maybe some of my personal faves, some obvious selections, and some unseen classics (3 filmmaker lists I've made). And hopefully, most will be something others might be interested in reading about...

For S&S month, I'm planning to mostly stick mostly to a theme of "quality" - probably need to put off music or schlock films for their own month(s)/series. Also, I don't want to buy a new DVD per day, so my existing library or available borrowing and streaming will come into play. (I do have Netflix!) I've got a pretty good but flexible outline already, but I'll take suggestions in comments here or over on Facebook.

Also: one film max per director. Some silent movies, some 21st century... Definitely some foreign, some USA... And shooting for movies I haven’t seen recently or enough times (or ever).



The Getaway trailer (1972)

Maybe some Peckinpah?



Strangers on a Train trailer (1951)

Maybe some (non-Vertigo) Hitchcock? We could follow along with BFI's "39 Steps to Hitchcock" series.



Fanny and Alexander trailer (1982)

But definitely some films from those guys I've already missed too much from - like Ingmar Bergman, Werner Herzog, Luis Buñuel, and others...



Fletch trailer (1985)

Also haven't seen Fletch in awhile!



Found at semi-random, this list seems promising. This Slant Magazine series is probably too much to process in time.

I'm not film critic... nor a music critic either, HA! So I'll probably try to present a video or trailer for some flavor, a few interesting links, and whatever I can come up with on one day's notice (with another movie to watch). Should be interesting, hopefully - any other ideas?

Edward's Lament - House of Low Culture (#10, 2003)

Craziness. I didn't even remember that I got Edward's Lament from spending an iTunes gift card received for Christmas 2009. And I actually made my own video from the 2001 debut album. Wow...



This one's the second House of Low Culture full-length. A little less guitar drone, and a little more field recordings (or something like that) - machine noise.



"On the Upswing" from Edward's Lament (2003)

This seems to be the go-to track off the album, which makes sense. Good entry point, pulls off the extended length, and one of two MP3's downloadable from the record label. Not much more to say...



"Off You Go" from Edward's Lament (2003)

O wait! I actually forgot that I made this video because there was so little out there from this record. (Nice save.) Cybernetic ambient droidwaves, right? Any guitars in that piece have been processed beyond their string tension horizon.

Like I said in the Top 10 list, I honestly cannot explain what about this album draws me back to it. The previous Submarine Immersion Techniques, Vol. 1 (2000) might be actually more 'likeable,' but I put this album on very regularly. And in a fairly wide range of situations - in the car, at work, on the computer, etc... It is a mystery.



"Edward's Lament" from Edward's Lament (2003)

Only a part of the song, which then gets mixed into "C.F.T. (New Circuitry and Continued Evolution)" by Isis (2000) at around the 3:30 point. Pretty cool! Have I already mentioned that Aaron Turner, singer-guitarist for Isis, is also the main dude behind side-project House of Low Culture? That's important.

I actually bought the HOLC debut when I saw Isis (#5 Live Show, 2009)...

You can stream the full version of "Lament" plus the final track ("Thank You, and Good Night!") over at Myspace. Weird, I just checked again, and there are 3 new shorter tracks showing up: "A Temporary Setback" and the 2 "Intrmssn" ones. So that's like everything but the 20-minute silence 'song!'



Looks like I've actually missed a number of Low Culture releases, so I might need to move on that - at some point...

At this point, HOLC Bandcamp only has the 21-minute "Ice Mole" from the more recent Mammifer split-LP (2010). But I thought you'd still like to know.

Genre - Ambient & Guitar Drone
Official/Myspace - myspace.com/houseoflowculturemusic
Location - Los Angeles, CA

Review - Maelstrom.nu
Download - Insound, iTunes
Purchase - Neurot Recordings

I even surprised myself with this one. Not sure I'll be able to muster a whole post about it, or even explain why I keep gravitating back to this album. One of the tracks is 18+ minutes of like almost nothing - ironically (?) called "... And Now the Man You've All Been Waiting For!" Quotation marks, ellipsis, and exclamation point most definitely part of the title. I don't want to waste too much precious opinion, but this is the 2nd side project album from one of the guitarists for Isis (#3 of 2004, #3 of 2009, #5 Live Show of 2009). It's an odd mix of guitar drone, machine hum, and some unnameable mood-cluster - doomy, dreamy, desperate, forlorn, peaceful? I shall explore my feelings in more depth...

Spelunking & Cavedwelling

I was recently checking out the Sunrise Ocean Bender blog (pretty dang sweet) - and the first thing I found was Cavedweller.



Have a quote: "Coming from various locales over time in Texas, Cavedweller may seem like a small operation, but Michener and his rotating assists put everything about right where it needs to be to inflate his reverbery space in size to the point where you’re looking at his home-state from the other end of the microscope." They also linked to the LP4 "Crom" video!



O yeah! The Cavedweller Bandcamp contains the music. Some of the mellowest, folkiest "space" - but I haven't heard too much. And some detailed & technical liner notes for that one...



Live at the Carousel, Austin, TX, 2006

Video from official website. I've always considered that a pretty weird venue, what with the garish carney decor.

The Story So Far: Woods #7

Woods are a Brooklyn folk-psych-pop band of recent vintage. I haven't delved too far into their back catalogue... until now. Next Woods post should be the #7 of 2011 write-up, for Sun and Shade.



So I discovered Woods opening for Dungen (#4 Live Show, 2009) - by which I don't mean that they were unknowns and I signed them to a record contract. And much more recently they played a great set at this year's Austin Psych Fest.



"Kids Got Heart" from How To Survive In / In The Woods (2005)

I believe I have this album on back order from Rough Trade. One of those deals where they had it on their webstore, but not actually in stock. Ugh... I'm calling it 2005 (2xC20 cassette), but there seems to have been a 2006 CD release, and then the big one in 2007...

Visuals from Jean-Luc Godard's Charlotte et Véronique, ou Tous les garçons s'appellent Patrick (All the Boys Are Called Patrick, 1959). "Holes" is a good Woods tune. I would normally be turned off by "Make Time for Kitty" as an introduction, so maybe just skip it.



"Blood on the Sand" from Ram single (2006)

First 7"! Hip!! The background vocals are a little different than usual.



"Don't Pass on Me / Keep It On" from At Rear House (2007)

But overall, what am I gonna say? It doesn't sound like they went through various stylistic phases, or significant growth from crappy new act to later greatness. They seem to have always done kinda noisy, sorta lo-fi, catchy tuneful acoustic folky songs, with high-pitched and divisive vocals. I like it, but I'm comfortable with others not. Rear House is a real place, Woods' home studio. Couple more from here: the dirgier "Be Still" and the mellow "Ring Me to Sleep."

Kooky album cover, though...



"End to End" from Woods Family Creeps (2008)

Official video! Getting closer to the known universe... Someone made some YouTube found-film vids for "Creeps Collage" and "Howling on Howling" too. Album sounds a little more ghostly and disembodied.



"To Clean" from Songs of Shame (2009)

More official!! And here's where I enter the picture, or Woods enters my picture... I can support anything from Songs of Shame to nowadays as a good starting or continuing point for the Woods. Here's a cool video of "Rain On [live]" that I think I might have posted before. Big loose jam called "September with Pete!"



"The Dark" - B-side of "Sunlit" single (2009)

Someone did a video art project with this song. I couldn't find the A-side to see if it was significantly better - a mystery for later!

Next came At Echo Lake, 2010's #6 Record...



Although last year's full-length was my #7, I did miss a couple of things. Apparently, there was a Kurt Vile Summer Tour split (with "Skull" and "Cold Blue") and the "Find Them Empty" single (which I might have bought & forgot). It will be on the upcoming record out later next month though!

NeW seBADoh

Haven't covered ol' Sebadoh too much here given what a once-upon-a-time favorite they were for me: list appearances at #7, 1993 and #8, 1987, plus some free live stuff.



And they've got a new EP out (well, a few weeks now)! According to the secret EP Bandcamp page:

$5 for download, "a taste of our upcoming 2013 album, but, NONE of these songs will be on that album..," "this is our first new material in 14 years ( wtf! )...," and it's got 2 of the classic line-up - Barlow & Loewenstein!

I would say that certainly sounds like Sebadoh! Definitely nice to hear they're back in action, and seems worth a sawbuck to me... Looks like they've been touring pretty regularly for a few years recently, even with Gaffney. Don't remember them ever coming through Texas though.



"On Fire" live at Rudyard's, Houston, TX (ca. ????)

Ha!! Not what I was talking about, but I didn't know about this one & that's just a few blocks from where I live (now).

Per another video's 2006 description from the same poster:

This is from the acoustic tour Sebadoh did a couple of years back. It was Jason lowenstein, Lou Barlow, and a boombox...

Sooo... around 2004 maybe? Looks like they did play Emo's Austin on 02/19/2011. I also live a short distance from the site of the original Emo's Houston, which no longer exists (now). I believe this 1994 show was the only time I saw them live... at the Abyss, on 10/5? Think so.



No, wait!! Lollapalooza 1993, at some dusty paved raceway. Saw Lou walking back to the 2nd stage area in time to miss Dinosaur J. He was wearing a t-shirt with a drawing of Bigfoot with big deer antlers, I said hello, but he seemed kinda in a hurry.

Good times!

Secret Sounds Release

New ltd-ed CDr from Austin Psych Fest 4 veterans, Cult of Dom Keller (#15, 2011) - act fast!



Per CODK Facebook, it's a "collection of unreleased cinematic soundscapes and live noises."

Buy here now!! £5 + S&H... 100 copies only.



Album teaser (2012)

Not sure if that's for this specific release. I don't see any streaming evidence or tracklist, so I'm just throwing that out for general purposes. Rock out.

Top 10 Records of 2003

Twenty-aught-003! Moving backwards through the 21st century years known as the Double-O's. (That's a thing, right?) Hopefully it won't take me like 2-plus years to cover these 10 excellent albums - as 2004's did.



There were a few contenders for this year that were a bit hard to eliminate - so I'll just mention them here. Obviously, Zombi's Twilight Sentinel EP. In the alt-indie-rock category, either Malkmus' Pig Lib or Super Furries' Phantom Power would have been legitimate inclusions (both had weaker albums make 2005's Top 10 in a weaker year).

My one chance for later-era hippity-hoppity street cred was from Speakerboxxx / The Love Below, but I just couldn't pull the trigger. On the local scene, and the final cut: Project Grimm's Huge Beings.

And there were some major archival releases as well – J-C Vannier's L’enfant assassin des mouches (1972), Zep's How the West Was Won (live 1972), and finally the Bottles' Let It Be... Naked (1970)... or something like that.

Links to individual album posts will be added over album titles. Okay, enough with the prologue - let's do this!!


#10 Edward's Lament - House of Low Culture


"On the Upswing" from Edward's Lament (2003)
"Edward's Lament" [partial, mixed to Isis] from Edward's Lament (2003)

Genre - Ambient & Guitar Drone
Official/Myspace - myspace.com/houseoflowculturemusic
Location - Los Angeles, CA

Review - Maelstrom.nu
Download - Insound, iTunes
Purchase - Neurot Recordings

I even surprised myself with this one. Not sure I'll be able to muster a whole post about it, or even explain why I keep gravitating back to this album. One of the tracks is 18+ minutes of like almost nothing - ironically (?) called "... And Now the Man You've All Been Waiting For!" Quotation marks, ellipsis, and exclamation point most definitely part of the title. I don't want to waste too much precious opinion, but this is the 2nd side project album from one of the guitarists for Isis (#3 of 2004, #3 of 2009, #5 Live Show of 2009). It's an odd mix of guitar drone, machine hum, and some unnameable mood-cluster - doomy, dreamy, desperate, forlorn, peaceful? I shall explore my feelings in more depth...


#9 One Step More and You Die - Mono


"COM(?)" from One Step More and You Die (2003)
"Sabbath" from One Step More and You Die (2003)

Genre - Post-Rock
Official - monoishere.com/
Myspace - myspace.com/monojp
Location - Tokyo, Japan

Review - Stylus Magazine
Download - Amazon, iTunes
Purchase - Temporary Residence Ltd.

Another Top 10 regular: #5 of 2006, #4 of 2009, #7 Live of 2009, #10 Live of 2010. Their 2nd record, but the oldest I'll probably have once we move backwards beyond their 2001 debut, Under the Pipal Tree. Japanese post-rock in the cinematic GY!BE vein - if that means anything to ya: quiets & louds.


#8 The 3-Dimensional In-Popcycle Dream - The Pillbugs


"Heather (Whatever)" from The 3-Dimensional In-Popcycle Dream (2003)
"Red Light Summer" from The 3-D I-P Dream (2003)

Genre - Retro Psych-Pop
Official/Myspace - myspace.com/thepillbugs
Location - Toledo, OH

Review - Psyche Music
Download - Pillbugs Bandcamp, Amazon, iTunes
Purchase - Proverus

Repeat offenders all over again: #4, 2004 and #4, 2008. Many more groovy hits from the prodigious, beloved, late, lamented retro-pop ensemble. 1960s fetishism without all the laziness!


#7 HaHa Sound - Broadcast


"Colour Me In" from Haha Sound (2003)
"Pendulum" from Haha Sound (2003)

Genre - Hauntological Art-Pop
Official/Myspace - myspace.com/broadcastuk
Location - Birmingham, UK

Review - Treble Zine
Download - Amazon, iTunes
Purchase - Amazon

I was introduced to Broadcast super-late, with ... and The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age (#6 Drone/Ambient, 2009) - which I've enjoyed a lot. HaHa Sound is a terrific album of radiophonic experimental pop, with some folkish nods, and even a little Stereolabic krautiness. This will be the album to break the bank in terms of excellent external YouTube videos in the full post - Broadcast fans make the effort!


#6 Desert Sessions Vol. 9 (I See You Hearin' Me)
and Vol. 10 (I Heart Disco)


"Crawl Home" from I See You Hearin' Me (2003)
"Subcutaneous Phat" from I Heart Disco (2003)

Genre - Hangin' out & Messin' around...
Official - desertsessions.com/
Myspace - myspace.com/desertsessions
Location - Joshua Tree, Calif.

Review - Ultimate Guitar
Download - Amazon, iTunes
Purchase - Amazon

Boom! Queens of the Stone Age main dude Josh Homme wraps up his series of desert studio party-downs, with these last two EP's. Features significant QOTSA participation, including superman Dave Catching, plus PJ Harvey & Dean Ween. The end of not only the Sessions series, but the Nick Oliveri era of the Queens. Afterwards, all the records seem to begin slipping... Lotsa great stuff here though!



I think the top 5 of the list might be comparable to the lower half. An inexplicable ambient drone album, a retro-rock classic, some Deaner-infused heaviness, groundbreaking crossover electronica? Maybe so...


#5 It Still Moves - My Morning Jacket


"One Big Holiday" from It Still Moves (2003)
"Mahgeeta" from It Still Moves (2003)

Genre - Rock 'n' Roll
Official - mymorningjacket.com/
Myspace - myspace.com/mymorningjacket
Location - Louisville, KY

Review - Pop Matters
Download - Amazon, iTunes
Purchase - Amazon

At some point, I stopped believing in the power of rock 'n' roll... to produce any good new albums. I remember because that faith was restored, however tenously, when I got this album at a steep discount (maybe due to another record store chain biting the dust). MMJ at this point was still kinda-rootsy, American, southern R&R. And for all their subsequent maturation (#5, 2005), I still think this is what they did best.


#4 Halve Maen - Double Leopards


"The Fatal Affront" from Halve Maen (2003)
"Viking Blood" from Halve Maen (2003)

Genre - Murk Ambient
Info - The History of Rock Music
Location - Brooklyn, NY

Review - Pitchfork
Download - later album from Insound & on iTunes
Purchase - used 2xLP's, used CD's

This here's one dank record. The spell of mystical undead shaman, chanted from the ocean's floor, the waves are slow & hypnotic, phosphor light burns aqueous like distant lanterns, tendrils of seaweed envelop from below, or some creature of the blind depths grasping for prey? As you approach the surface, you start to worry about the bends...


#3 Quebec & All Request Live - Ween


"Transdermal Celebration" from Quebec (2003)
"Mononucleosis" from All Request Live (2003)

Genre - Alt-Psych Prog Nightmare
Official - ween.com/
Myspace - myspace.com/ween
Location - New Hope, PA

Review - Dusted Magazine
Download - Amazon, iTunes
Purchase - Chocodog Merch

At this time, I was fairly disappointed in White Pepper (2000) - by Ween standards (#1, 1996 and #1 Repertoire, 2005). I've since grown to enjoy more of it, but in 2003 it had been 6 long years since The Mollusk. I remember a lot of people reacting very poorly to Quebec upon release. I loved it right away... but I've always liked the "brown"-er side of Ween, as well as their hazy-noodly prog excursions.

All Request Live is almost perfect for what it is - an internet-streamed live-in-the-studio all-request "show." Six tunes from The Pod (1991)?! All 5 chapters of "The Stallion" (mang)? All that + more!


#2 C6H8O6 - Linus Pauling Quartet


"Cole Porter" from C6H8O6 (2003)
"Hall of Mirrors" from C6H8O6 (2003)

Genre - Heavy-Duty Space-Psych
Official - worshipguitars.org/LP4/
Facebook - facebook.com/Linus-Pauling-Quartet/
Myspace - myspace.com/linuspaulingquartet
Location - Houston, TX

Review - Aural Innovations
Download - Other LP4 at Amazon & on iTunes
Purchase - Discogs Marketplace

We here at Astral Headspace love us some LP4 (#3 of 2007, #14 of 2010, #9 of 1995, #2 Repertoire from 2005, and a few Live Top 10 appearances). But this will be our first real dip into the Pinnacle Period of the band: ca. 1997-2004. Arguably their best record!! (let's argue...)


#1 Up In Flames - Manitoba


"I've Lived on a Dirt Road All My Life" from Up In Flames (2003)
"Jacknuggeted" from Up In Flames (2003)

Genre - Neo-Retro Electro-Indie-Pop
Official - caribou.fm/
Myspace - myspace.com/cariboumanitoba
Location - Dundas, Ontario

Review - Stylus Magazine
Download - Amazon, iTunes (w/ bonus)
Purchase - Amazon

To this day, I cannot figure out who we saw Manitoba open for on this tour (at Mary Jane's/Fat Cat), but that show probably marked a greater openness for me to certain modern electronic music(s). Videos projected over the band back then ended up on the Marino DVD/EP (2005), so I'll probably discuss those. But this is one of those albums you just have to hear - the whole thing is just so right, so good, so impressive.

After the ridiculous "Handsome Dick incident," the act was renamed Caribou and made some more good, different music (#4, 2007 and #44, 2010).

Bros with Jonas

Remember me talking about Zombi's tape label?



Well, they've got another new cassette. This time, instead of some random unknown Balkan retiree, it is Jonas Reinhardt (#9, 2011)... & Abyss of Fathomless Light... with Rusting Ciphers of a Forgotten Sky (2012)!




Being a cassette tape, it's divided into two sides (or programs): "Program 1: Beneath the Liquid District of Amalgamation" and "Program 2: White Kingdom of the Five Year Plan." There definitely seems to be multiple sub-divisions of disruptive abstract noise within each, but I don't know what they might be called. I was going to open up the actual physical copy, but it's sewn up tight in a cool little canvas packet - so I think I'll just leave it there.

Here's some very recent live videos of the duo at Jon's abyss party in Los Angeles. I'm not claiming to understand what's going on there, though.


Ooooh, look what else I just found.


***NSFW**** "Auto Grift" Teaser for Foam Fangs 12" (2012)

Upcoming from 100% Silk... unexpectedly dancy! You can order digitally at Boomkat until the vinyl comes out later this month.

Or stream/download the title track from Dublab.

Current Woods Ongoing

We'll get to the #7 parade for last year's Woods real soon (previously #6 of 2010) - this one's about 2012!



Always something going on with these busy dudes, hopefully a return to tour Texas soon. And the next full-length actual record is coming out... okay, September 18th.



"Cali in a Cup" from Bend Beyond (2012)

First single! Pre-order 7"! Exclusive b-side!!

Live videos exist for the epic title track and "Is It Honest?" The most recent Woods recording from NYCtaper (05/05/2012) has all 3 of those tunes.

Wait, one more!


Woods - "Size Meets The Sound" by forcefieldpr

Just put up a couple days ago - it never ends. Interesting...


Okay. Also this year, already out:


"Wind Was the Wine" from Amps for Christ split-12" (2012)

Most of the Woods tracks at least seem super-short. I don't know Amps for Christ, but it sounds like an interesting project. Powerviolence pioneer?


Woods & Amps for Christ - From Oatmeal to Buttermilk by DIY Magazine

Collaboration tune for download... the rest of it's either one or the other.

The Search for Melodien

The mysterious, elusive Melodien appears on the For Lee Jackson in Space complilation. I'm going through it track-by-track (so far), checking out all these new artists I'd mostly never heard of.



This one took quite some digging. At first, I uncovered the George Sweet Melodien on YouTube, which was fairly promising. I finally discovered the better lead via Facebook: Harry Sumnall, Liverpool, Britain!



Nice little spacey Krautronics there - a bit different than any of the previous artists on the comp.

Unfortunately, FB shows an invalid SoundCloud link, but I wasn't beaten yet!


2CT-TC-CT by Melodienuk

Lotsa free downloads under MelodienUK, and he seems to update regularly. "2CT-TC-CT" was posted since the last time I updated this draft. Kind of a Moroder-entering-Mordor vibe there, or maybe Hawkman-attack-on-Mongo - this Sumnall guy is all over the place.


The Joke by Melodienuk

From late June 2012, brand new when I first laid down the foundations for this post. The non-grayed-out Down-Arrow buttons click for a download.


pfitzz by Melodienuk

This tune's from 4 months ago. Fairly decent consistency with a pretty broad pallette (of synthy stuff). Since most of them are available for download, I'd suggest exploring his entire SoundCloud page.

There's also a whole Medodien set (album?), from about 1 year ago. No real details on SoundCloud or elsewhere, but seems to go together (no d/l either).


Disco Chytilova by Melodienuk

And finally, the oldest thing on Melodien's current SoundCloud collection - over 2 years old. Věra Chytilová is the first lady of Czech New Wave cinema. Kinda reminds me of the Soviet band Zodiac, in that Eastern Bloc new-wave boogie style...

Disintegration Street

Also courtesy of Pitchfork, also on Temporary Residence Ltd, and also out September 4th...

A 10th-anniversary 9xLP, 5xCD, book + DVD boxset of William Basinski's The Disintegration Loops (2002, 2003)! Includes a couple of bonus unreleased live performances.

[Edit #1, 8/9: TRL homepage actually says 9/11, or whenever it's physically ready.]



Although I never actually bought the set, I used to listen to these back when Lala existed.



"dlp 1.3" from The Disintegration Loops IV (2003)

You can download that loop & also pre-order here.

According to the Pitchfork news item, the album will be inducted into the National September 11 Memorial & Museum later this year. If you haven't heard the story already, here's a Wikipedia summary:

Loops is based on Basinski's attempts to salvage earlier recordings made on magnetic tape, by transferring them into digital format; however, the tape had physically deteriorated to the point that, as it passed by the read/write head, the ferrite detached from the plastic backing and fell off. Basinski has said that he finished the project the morning of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, and sat on the roof of his apartment building in Brooklyn with friends listening to the project as the WTC towers collapsed.

I didn't realize that Basinski was born in Houston... Sorry that I don't remember a go-to article about all the info. Pitchfork linked to an earlier 9/11 article, but I'm sure there's lots of others.

[Edit #2, 8/9: my Lala post actually linked to this Stylus review - it's good.]



"dlp 4" [excerpt] from The Disintegration Loops III (2003)

Limited edition of 2,000 - apparently the only time the set will be released on vinyl, like ever. (We'll see...) Either way, seems well worth $225 to me!

But if you just wanted the standard CD's, they're $13 each over at Forced Exposure.

Mono New Cleo Tide

Not only the new Maserati - Temporary Residence Ltd. also has an upcoming release from Japanese cinematic post-rockers Mono (#4, 2009 and #5, 2006)!!



For My Parents comes out September 4th...


MONO - Dream Odyssey by Biz 3 Publicity

A couple of tracks have been released for preview. Apparently recorded with the Wordless Music Orchestra, who joined Mono for their live Holy Ground 3xLP/DVD (#27, 2010).



"Legend" from For My Parents (2012)

That's the "A Journey Through Iceland" official music video for the opening track, according to Pitchfork. Link also includes world tour info... 10-14 Houston, TX - Fitzgeralds! Top Live Shows: #7 of 2009 & #10 of 2010.

From the TRL record Pre-Order page, expect a 2xLP vinyl. And there's an album trailer video!!

After the last 3 studio albums, looks like Steve Albini did not not record / mix / engineer / produce this new one... Bummer.

Wide Latitudes

Quite a few interesting releases recently from the Latitudes series, bringers of Grails' Interpretations of Three Psychedelic Rock Songs from Around the World EP (2005). And also of 2010's Sky Burial drone EP by Nadja (co-#4 Drone/Ambient and #16 Metalloid, 2009).



First up, not sure how I missed this one from Pac-NW mystic collective Master Musicians of Bukkake (#11 of 2009, #37 of 2010)...



"Elogia De La Sombra" from Elogia De La Sombra (2010)

The title track charges up that good ol' motorik buzz. And there's also a more typically ersatz-Eastern A-side: "Tainted Phenomena."


Sylvester Anfang II - Jam 3 by Southern

From Belgium keeps coming Sylvester Anfang II (#9 Drone/Ambient of 2009, #22 Overall of 2010). I guess this one is self-titled (2012), and comprises five live jam rituals. Such as "Jam 1," "Jam 4," and finally "Jam 5."



And these last two groups were featured in my Aurora Borealis FB posts.


Grumbling Fur - Solar Nights & Rainwater by Southern

Grumbling Fur manifests here as a duo - with members from AEthenor (#7 of 2006, #16 of 2009, & #13 of 2011) and Guapo (#2, 2006) - to release the 3-song Alice (2012).

If further interested, there's an mp3-sample of "Wylderness Waiting" streamed over at Aquarius Records. More singing from Daniel O'Sullivan, as with Miracle (co-#5 of 2011, with Zombi's).

p.s. Someone finally posted Miracle's B-side cover of BÖC's "Veteran of the Psychic Wars!"


Haxan Cloak - The Men Parted The Sea To Devour The Water (excerpt) by Southern

The Haxan Cloak are still new on my radar, but I went ahead and ordered it anyway! That excerpt is from the single 27-minute track for this release.

Check out the whole thing! Someone also put up their entire 2011 self-titled full length - I'll have to check that out as well...