If you like a certain type of garage-drone-psych rock that I will sometimes post about, get yerself ready...
This one's from Mexico!
"Sky is Hell Black" from Sky Is Hell Black (2013)
That's the title track from the new LP from Guadalajara's Has A Shadow. Order it on ltd-ed clear vinyl "with Hell Black Haze." And/or follow them on Facebook.
What else we got here?
"Drive" from Sky Is Hell Black (2013)
I was expecting clips from the film Drive, but I've never seen that one.
"May Never" from Sky Is Hell Black (2013)
Same YT user, different movie. Plus here's a live version of that same tune.
Hey, look, it's Moon Duo! Whom everyone enjoyed at Austin Psych Fest earlier that same year & at Rudyard's that exact same month (#1 and #7 Live Shows, 2012).
I gotta move on with these Top 10 from 2012. I was floored by how much I dug this record. Some light drone-folk, some blistering guitar shredding, some pared-down tunes, some full-band... But all of it worked so well, and somehow fit together as an actual album.
Although a 3xLP vinyl retrospective of 6OA rarities did make it to #10 of 2009.
"Waswasa" from Ascent (2012)
If I don't go looking for full-album streaming, then it doesn't exist. You can get that opening rocker free on In vveirdo veritas (2012), volume 9 of our blog MP3 collections. Would it have been so inappropriate to name my own MP3 comp in the yearly top 10? So... "Waswasa" rocks out with a fury that Ben Chasney & friends don't really maintain or replicate elsewhere on this disc.
"One Thousand Birds" from Ascent (2012)
More full-bodied take on an 11-year-old freak-folk-fest. This also happened with "Close to the Sky," updated as a slow-burn jam with Comets on Fire, compared to the original version (from 2003). I didn't listen to his stuff back then, so that's pretty rad.
"Solar Ascent" from Ascent (2012)
I like that one quite a bit - kinda reminds me of Six Organs' probable influence on Barn Owl. Slow, stately, mystical, desert/space folk-drone. Last couple live (and full Glasgow show)... Show opener was this tune, I guess that's how he does it.
"Even If You Knew" from Ascent (2012)
Slowly growing epic. Also for what it's worth, I detect a hint of Jandek (#3 Live, 2009) in the recipe. Notsomuch in the cosmos-shattering ax-ploration parts, but in parts.
Haven't found the final smoke-out "Visions (from Io)." But in looking, I learned about a 2012 Three-Lobed Records RSD exclusive called Eight Trails, One Path - which includes the narcotic drone-out of "Stranded on Io." So there's some bonus 6OA from last year!
THE CULT OF DOM KELLER call upon our brothers and sisters to help us fund the promotion of our new album & tour.
Deadline is FEBRUARY 18TH, target is £2,500 (USD $4,000), minimum is £1, and available # of each reward is limited.
Apparently, there's a full album (?) coming out in March (??)... and CODK is playing this year's Austin Psych Fest (again). I'm hoping for a Houston show. I kinda get the impression they're not simply rolling in dough - thus the Kickstarter!!
"Secret sound 5 (shake the ghosts from my head)" from Secret Sounds EP (2012)
So, with this mission statement in mind, we have put together a collection of rewards exclusive to Kickstarter, to thank your for your unerring support.
This is true. Many of the donation rewards are very intriguing: "Neil CODK will draw a cartoon of you" (£10), "online game of chess with Jimmy CODK" (£10), "private garment-request snaps" (£15), "CODK dog-walking service" (£25, UK only)...
But I'm focusing in on one in particular:
Pledge of £20 of more
Kickstart only Exclusive RARE CD of unreleased tracks album + Download of the new album.
Estimated delivery: Apr 2013
Add £3 to ship outside the UK
"Heavy and Dead" [live] from Leicester, England (03/18/2012)
Please help The Cult of Dom Keller release an album, come the the USA, maybe play my hometown, and get me some rare CODK trax! By donating to their Kickstarter.
I was reading this Top 10 list over at BoingBoing, because I like reading things that agree with me... (GOAT #1!)
Pretty cool list, but I was intrigued by his description of Alexander Tucker - whose name think I'd heard, probably via Thrill Jockey Records:
This is the soundtrack to all those Heavy Metal and Epic Illustrated stories if those stories were really ancient myths. Acoustic metal through the language of folk, Tucker is a magician of song-story. His singing is reminiscent of Brian Eno, an Eno haunted by witch kings and desolate planets. Third Mouth is a quiet masterpiece.
So let's check it out - official video-style:
"Andromeon" from Third Mouth (2012)
Pretty cool - I listen to some music like that sometimes...
"The Glass Axe" from Third Mouth (2012)
That one's got even more views than the label-official video. On first listen, I think I like that one better too. As you might guess, he's a Modern English Folkie.
Two of my Top 10 of 2012 are already on-the-go for the New Year.
First off, a Ltd. Ed. of 300 LP+CD+MP3 from Tape Loop Orchestra (#10, 2012): In A Lonely Place. I found it here on Boomkat. Although a bit expensive, unlikely to last long... Looks real nice & real limited. Tiny Mix Tapes has a CD(?) (p)review(?) from last year, and here's one of the tracks:
Gnod (#8, 2012) has their new LP up for pre-order on Trensmat Records: GNOD Presents..Dwellings & Druss. Not sure if it's super-limited like the regular Trensmat 7"s or what. But might as well too early rather than too late.
The old previous free stuff from GNOD (#3, 2011) was taken down awhile back. But now there's new options for old-school rarities from these psyched-electro-drone-rock-party-noise-all-stars!
Per their INGNODWETRUST Tumblr: "Three of our early albums are now available to download for free from Bandcamp - Enjoy!"
And that includes the Science & Industry cassette (2010), not among the previous offerings:
I must admit, I was kind of fretting about not being able to find the most recent Collisions 03 split between Gnod and $hit & $hine. What would I do? Somehow my searches actually lead me over to iTunes... who have it up! (???) I was so excited, I just bought it straight up without checking on Amazon - which I normally prefer (for true MP3). Anyway, if you were stressed about this like me, check those links.
Those stories might contradict what I'm about to say... but I've been thinking about taking it easy in the new year, new music-wise. I feel like I might need to regroup, explore back a bit more, rather than trying to keep up, take some time to digest what I've been gathering around me. Sometimes there's just too much of everything...
I definitely wanted Barn Owl in the Top 10 last year. #11 Record of 2010... so close! This year's double-whammy of shamanistic drone-doom is too much to deny. Deep, mang.
Let's talk about the EP first. In addition to Astral Vol. 6, you can stream & download the title track over at Stereogum. Good preview tune and the shortest of the three...
"Void and Devotion" from Shadowland EP (2011)
That's the ultra-drone opening track, which lulls & hypnotizes - like a gauzy, vibrating crystal onion, hovering way up in the middle of the air.
"Infinite Reach" from Shadowland EP (2011)
The closing song has a swaying, sawing motion that often seems to teeter on the edge of a cliff. Will it fall? Has it already?
"Pale Star" from Lost in the Glare (2011)
The full-length's opener title seems like a callback to the previous LP Ancestral Star (2010) and its theme of an overnight in the desert. Well, I guess most Barn Owl tunes have some connection with deserts or skies or desert skies. But I haven't parsed out a coherent 'story' on last year's Lost in the Glare.
"The Darkest Night Since 1683" from Lost in the Glare (2011)
Maximum heaviosity. We're almost back to where we started, in Sunn-O))) territory kinda. So maybe I should just pack up and...
"Light Echoes" from Lost in the Glare (2011)
No, wait!! One more - for a few reasons. First, for the inexplicable use of the Bohemian Grove seal (other than the owl). Second, for the inexplicable coincidence of titles with Steve Moore's latest record. Wild.
Which leaves me about 1 month to finish the last two Top 10's from last year, before I kinda have to come up with something for 2012.
Took me awhile to get this one out, after getting a heads-up from Ba Da Bing Records. I always feel like I need to be extra diligent when someone contacts me - as if I have some major ethical obligations on my silly blog. But here's some cool drone stuff...
That's from a different release, but I liked the art better.
Or you could delve into the full 18-minute piece... Natural Snow Buildings are a French duo who drone out at length & in a variety of ways. From what I can tell from the sample, this newest one Night Coercion into the Company of Witches (2012) brings in some Near East tranceations - whirling tones in ecstasy. Read a positive Tiny Mix Tapes review - you can buy the 3xLP ($17) or a 4xLP ($40) at the label store. The CD's also at Sound Exchange here in Houston, but I'll probably own that copy by weekend's... end.
"Beyond the Veil" from Beyond the Veil (2012)
That's another one out this year too.
"Our Man from Centauri" from The Centauri Agent (2010)
I'm seriously gonna have to move fast to close out last year's Top 10 before this year's is due. When it came to a certain kind of drone, there's a progression in my head. Originally I never cared too much for Sunn-O))), then I did like some Robedoor, and finally discovered Barn Owl. All these bands (& others like them) are pretty different, but this progression is in my head.
Sunn-O))) is more doomy & metal (and maybe I should try again), Robedoor (#11, 2011 and #15, 2010) is more ecstatic & noisy, and Barn Owl (#11, 2011 and #11, 2010) is Morricone & mescaline & the desert - with just a couple of guitars and a bit more. So let's dig deep into the earth and see what we find.
"Teonanacatl" from From Our Mouths A Perpetual Light (2008)
Here's the first Barn Owl that I heard, but I still don't own it - only have a couple of tunes from internet mixes. A little bit more folky, maybe? But I could wander the badlands, exploring various records and just getting lost. Check out a partial playlist.
"Walnut Tree" from Barn Owl CDr (2007)
Earlier in 2007, there had been a couple of self-released CDr's: a self-titled and Bridge To The Clouds. Let's see... I did not know about a Tom Carter split (2008)?! Might gonna have to track that down - nothing streaming that I could find.
Side "II" from Smoke Loom Ceremony cassette (2008)
Wait, we're already back through 2008? Okay... That's apparently only one of a few cassettes out that year. I'm imagining some epic opium den/rehearsal space jam-improv galore.
Side A of The Conjurer (2009)
Wait, wait, wait... I've never once talked about this album? It's fantastic! Like, I dunno, the best Earth album ever or something - and then more. First side is "Into the Red Horizon" and "Across the Deserts of Ash" (above). Here's Side B: "Procession of Golden Bones" and "Ancient of Days" (if you wanted just one song).
"Light from the Mesa" from Ancestral Star (2010)
As much as The Conjurer might have deserved a Top 10 ranking, Ancestral Star almost made it (#11, 2010).
Sometimes downloading those free live jams is the way to go. Barn Owl has got at least the 2nd part from Live on WFMU's Long Rally, Nov 19th, 2010: either from Archive.org or over at Free Music Archive! You can stream their first piece from the show page, or just click here.
"Light" [w/ Infinite Strings Ensemble] from The Headlands (2010)
I remember this coming out, but not why I never picked it up. Among others, per Important Records:
In 1981 Ellen Fullman began developing the “Long String Instrument,” an installation of dozens of wires fifty feet or more in length, tuned in Just Intonation and ‘bowed’ with rosin coated fingers. Fullman has developed a unique notation system to choreograph the performer’s movements, exploring sonic events that occur at specific nodal point locations along the string-length of the instrument. She has recorded extensively with this unusual instrument and has collaborated with such luminary figures as composer Pauline Oliveros, choreographer Deborah Hay, the Kronos Quartet, and Keiji Haino. http://www.ellenfullman.com/
The individuals of Barn Owl - Evan Caminiti and Jon Porras - have released quite a bit of solo material and with other combos. I might come back with an overview later, but don't bet on it!
Here's some Austin Psych Fest alumni & related updates...
From what I've read on e-mail notices and the APF website, the band announcements for next year will begin in November, and tickets will go on sale "in early December 2012."
"I Can See" - live at Rudyard's, Houston, TX - 10/12/2012
Awhile back, we went and caught Moon Duo here at the friendly neighborhood pub. Unfortunately, we happened to miss local openers Hamamatsu Tom. So far, I'm digging the newest Moon Duo album Circles (2012). There's an official video for "Sleepwalker".
"Secret sound 5" from Secret Sounds (2012)
I mentioned the latest Cult of Dom Keller release right here. So they've made that new video for track #5. Aha, I just noticed that they'd recently put up one for for "secret sound no.6." So peep that one next!
"Eva Cherie" from PEEL IT (2012)
Houston's own Psych Fest regulars Indian Jewelry have a new one coming out on Reverberation Appreciation Society, the in-house label from the Austin Psych Fest people. Here's where I heard the news.
O yeah, and they're even offering that preview track as a free download!
Skip played drums for Jefferson Airplane on their debut album, and then got one of his songs on Surrealistic Pillow (1967) - without even appearing on it.
"Omaha" from Moby Grape (1967)
As many drummers do, Spence decided to be a guitarist... one of three in Moby Grape, a terrific late-'60s SF psych-pop rock band. He only wrote a couple of tunes on their debut, but one was the band's most famous song, "Omaha." His other song was "Indifference."
"Just like Gene Autry: A Foxtrot" from Wow/Grape Jam (1968)
Skip Spence contributed more to their next record. Some of his songs were more rockin', more dramatic, or more country... but none was as weird as "Gene Autry."
As explained on that YouTube:
"Just Like Gene Autry: A Foxtrot" is a 1920's-era sounding dance number complete with a cameo spoken introduction by Arthur Godfrey himself, who also happens to play ukelele and banjo on the number. As if this tune isn't odd enough, the original vinyl on Columbia mastered this one track at 78 rpm rather than the typical 33-1/3 rpm as the rest of the album is pressed at. An announcement precedes the track "reminding everyone to kindly get up and change your turntable to 78, thank you!" after which there is a lock-groove that stops the needle from playing any further until you pick it up and place it on the next track.
During the making of the album, Spence freaked out on acid and apparently chopped down a hotel door of another band member.
"Save me" indeed.
"War in Peace" from Oar (1969)
After Skip got out of the psych ward (not psychedelic), he took his ideas, bought a motorcycle with his record advance, drove down to Nashville, and recorded Oar all by himself. It's a harrowing but incredible minimalist doom-folk album. For some reason, "Little Hands" seems to pull the most attention, but pretty much the whole album's excellent.
"Grey/Afro" from Oar (1969)
The unprecendented final jam. And other than some re-issues and compilations, I kinda thought that's where it ended. But I happened to notice that Skip had actually participated in some later Moby Grape output down the years.
"Chinese Song" from 20 Granite Creek (1971)
So that's a Skip Spence song on a Grape album that Skip actually played on. Looks like he also played on 1978's Live Grape, where they included 1 total Spence tune (and it wasn't "Omaha" either).
It's too bad how things worked out for Skip, but he made some fine music during his burning-bright youth.
Okay, what else do we have here? How about...
Six Organs of Admittance (#10, 2009), back together with Comets on Fire. Which means a bit more rockin' out! But still plenty of psych-folk-drone guitar stylings as well.
Whoa. That's some riffs - like definitely more than usual. If I had to explain it in terms of the cover art, I would say the opening track is kicking up the dust behind bio-suitcase spaceman. Or is that the Earth after this tune has scorched it down?
Of course, the mellow space-outs come too. The restraint shown not to paint Saturn up in there...
"One Thousand Birds" from Ascent (2012)
That one's a self-cover of previous acoustic version from Dark Noontide (2002). I don't go back that far, though.
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.
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.
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...
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.
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.
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.
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!
Might have to check out what Cullman, AL, is all about. But for now, let's stick with the music. I don't think I've heard of a single one of these performers, and we're talking Space Music from the American Deep South. Should be an adventure...
Unus Mundus - raw psychedelic space jams from from Athens, GA. As with many of these groups, it took awhile to track down any leads - and some I never found anything. These guys have the Bandcamp (bio + 2 albums), Facebook (active), Soundcloud (with some free downloads), MySpace, and some Aural Innovations reviews.
"Babblepoint" from Echobeast EP (2005)
Echobeast - Atlantean psych-guitar jams (that's Atlanta, GA, mind). They've got Cosmic Jam Live from Dec 2011, and a homemade video for "Ballroom." First band I know to use The Internet Archive for their vids, but they also have the Echobeast EP (The Movie) available for download. Mainly I've found their MySpace page and a YouTube channel.
One Eyed Bishops - very possibly the only band ever to cover both the Velvet Underground and Uriah Heep - at the same show no less! Hailing from Columbus, NJ. Interesting historical official website. The Bishops folks also double up as the Hawkwind cover band Sloterdijk (Dutch name due to Holland origins).
The Maple Key - from Cullman, AL itself! This might also be them playing live, but I haven't been able to nail down too many details. Progressive metal, yeah?
Jellyfish - Kind doubt it's either the '90s band, or the Visual Kei group above... but maybe? If the Christian gothbangers & Indonesian boy-band are both playing, I will be there.
Nixon for Xmas - Literally no idea... That is, until I found this video while investigating Lysteria (below): "Jamming with Nixon," which is just generally a great name for a song.
"Star Harvesters" from Leaving the Earth Behind (2008)
Vessels of the Divine - they're "an ambient doom metal band from Cullman, Alabama. Our influences..." Then the cached preview text gets cut off!
Brother Cloud & The Scarecrow - more doom (folk) from Cullman! I really like that one, I think the most of any bands so far. And with tags like Neurosis, Tribes of Neurot, Steve von Till and Rwake, you can't go wrong. 2 more: "No Souls" and "Dig It on the Hill." (Those together seem like a single, if only conceptually...) We got Facebook and MySpace too.
Dreamwind - "electronic ambient band from Birmingham, Alabama." Mellow new-age drift... Stream & download samples from their official site.
"Holy Ground" - Directed & edited by Allen Welty-Green
This guy's name has come up quite a few places I've been looking around. Here's your portal into that strange world.
"Perelendra" by Hart Deer
Hart Deer / Dark Night of the Soul will be performing. After looking around a bit, I'm not sure what to think. I believe... that I might be missing something. I mean... I just don't... Anyway, here's his website.
Oasirubric - electronic-techno from Rocket City FurMeet 2012! (I will spare you the details.)
From this other poster and the con's Facebook, here are some more possible performers:
"Black Death" live at JC Arena, Cullman, AL (02/25/2012)
Bonejackal - instrumental psychedelic Sabbath-y space classic-rock, it would appear. I'm surprised we haven't seen more local bands with Bandcamp. And of course both Facebook and MySpace. They also have some live videos on YouTube.
"Giger's Locomotive" video (2006)
High Pink Clouds - really pretty cool ambient electronicals outta Louisiana or maybe Jackson, Mississippi. There's another video for a more recent song, "Indigo Noise" (2011). Lots more that I haven't explored on their YouTube channel.
Now I just have to verify that it's the famous Indonesian Jellyfish and the apocalyptic Revelation X of St. John of Patmos, make some travel reservations, and get my Space Rock (c)On!
