And this will be a short one, as Nick Bensen is an internet Man of Mystery.
First off, everything wants to suggest "Nick Benson" (which might have actually been more fruitful). Looks like his home label (Free City Media) has closed up its cyber-presence. Not even any full-size album-cover images. Finding any other examples of music online was an exercise in frustration, so here's the one that we definitely know of:
O yeah, this is with the aptly-named "Too Many Guitars" - unless that's just an apt description of what he's on about. Either way, pretty outrageous & overblown... but I can dig it!
Looks like that track was originally copyrighted 2005, which might be a clue.
I did find some record reviews and an interview. Not an interview of Nick Bensen (no way), but an interview by Nick Bensen - of our very own The Dunlavy aka Scott Grimm.
I might have to pick up his 2 CD's just to put something on YouTube or Soundcloud or something... this is terrible! You can preview a little bit of a few tracks there at CDbaby.
Resuming the series of single-track artist profiles from the awesome For Lee Jackson in Space benefit comp (2012)...
We're up to #8, some Beatlesque folk-pop from Øyvind Holm!
Once again the name throws me off, making me think of others from the Scandinavian periphery: Øystein Aarseth (Euronymous of Mayhem), maybe Ólafur Arnalds, and even a little bit of Eyvind Kang (#8, 2007).
Holm is indeed Norwegian, working out of Trondheimfjord, pretty consistently since the late '90s, usually with some kind of steady band. From what I have gathered, the earliest of these groups was Dipsomaniacs (1997-2003). I certainly don't associate Norway with heavy drinking... Hahaha! Yes I do.
Couldn't find anything from their first two records - Bumble-bee Eyes (1997) and Reverb No Hollowness (1998). But here are some live stuff from a 2009 reunion show.
"Nothing Is For Keeps" from Braid of Knees (1999)
Kind of a classic pyschededelic drone-pop thing there - the sort of stuff I'm generally predisposed towards... if not exactly my bread & butter. Pretty similar on "Bring Flowers to the Courthouse" from Stethoscopic Notion (2001). Then along came The Tremolo of Her Mind... The Strings of Her Soul (2002).
I'm liking these album titles!
"Read My Mind (And Tell Me)" from Praying Winter (2003)
"Emily Barratt's Dead" from Complicated View (2006)
The ship? Probably doesn't matter... What's the over/under for my using some combination of: jangle, drone, psych, pop, '60s? I'll shoot for the under, but it's difficult - what with "Tiger Rider" from Baby Warfare (2008).
"Hate Waiting in Line" from Ghost, She Said (2009)
Deleted Waveform Gatherings have released as recently as 2011's Pretty Escape, with the more elegaic "Another One of Those." Albums available (along with free .MP3's) from Rainbow Quartz Records.
Then you have Øyvind Holm solo, which seems to be only two records. Last Judgement (2001) appears lost to the mists of time.
"Salt-Mutated Summer Breeze" from The Vanishing Act (2005)
And then another one a few years later. He's still diggin' that Vox Phaser too... The only other tune I found was "Sunday Church Bells Chime."
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...
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.
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!
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.
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).
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...
Hey, that track is pretty droney and abstract. Not at all what I was expecting - with the Photon name and album titles like Alone on the Moon and songs like "OuterSpace," I was thinkin' really Space Rock. How did this all begin?
"Easy Pop Art Research Commercial Music" from single (1995)
Early, maybe earliest, single from the band - compare & contrast. (Hint: the older stuff is the garage rock.)
All Young in the Soul by The Photon Band (1998)
So, the first full-length edging out of the garage towards some kind of drone-noise-pop. If you don't have time for the whole album embedding, there's a YouTube for "2:37 AM."
"Genius" from Oh the Sweet, Sweet Changes (2000)
That's kind of a scorcher, after the :30-second ambient intro. They try out some mellow Abbey Roadesque blooze on "Disillusion."
"OuterSpace" from It's A Lonely Planet (2002)
Seems like a turn towards a more folk-pop direction, along with "If It's A Beautiful Day." This band covered a lot of varied territory, huh?
I think the previous album Alone on the Moon (2001) was acoustic.
"Stratosphere" from Get Down Here in the Stratosphere (2007)
Official video by band leader-turned-Art History Ph.D.
Doctoral YouTube!
"Ka-Blammo" (2008) from Back Down to Earth (2008)
Good title for a rock-out. How do some bands like this seem to get more productive later on? Releasing albums like those early 7"s... Found another video-style video for "Where Did the Love Go?"
"Tilt with a Wasp" from 2011 video release (????)
Elephant 6-ish dad.Indie? Here are a few songs live in December 2011, in Kutztown!
Gradually moving through the artists/tracks from the Lee Jackson in Space benefit compilation (2012).
Song #4 is by Stone Breath - also maybe known as Breathe Stone, Crow Tongue, Black Happy Day, The Spectral Light & Moonshine Firefly Snakeoil Jamboree, etc...
The Astral Research department indicates they're from Maryland (and/or Pennsylvania), active since circa 1995 timeframe. I definitely get the sense of a loose collective that works together, then takes a break, then reunites again. I believe these are: an interview, a Facebook page and a MySpace link, respectively.
Songs of Moonlight and Rain (1997) by Stone Breath
Appears to be the first ever release on the Camera Obscura label (CAM 001CD). Sounds like some mellow, ancient psych-folk - back to the roots, the deep gnarled physical roots in the earth. Someone(s) thought enough of these tunes to put them up special: "Perched Upon the Temple Bell, the Butterfly Sleeps" and "Willowisp."
"The Rainbow Gilded Leaves of Autumn" from A Silver Thread to Weave the Seasons (1998)
"Wasp-Sting, Thorn, and Arrowhead" from The Silver Skein Unwound (2003)
More string pluckings and haunting vocals. I get the impression that the available videos are from their 'bigger' albums, and that they have tons of smaller-run releases that you'd have to dig for. Couple o' more from here: "Bless the Lily, Bless the Rose" and the "Last Lost Love Song."
I'm assuming that explains the gap from 2003-2011, despite featured releases such as comeback album The Shepherdess and the Bone-White Bird (with The Forest Beggars, 2009), the Knotwork rarities collection (2008), plus a few CDr's here & there.
"Scorpion Tears" from The Ætheric Lamp (2011)
Dark Holler Arts calls it "expansive Middle Eastern influenced sounds ... Intricate and driving - half composed and half improvised - tense and intense - beautiful and terrifying." Also contains "The Coming Fires" if'n yer so inclined.
"In the Garden of Ghostflowers" from Twist of Thorn (2012)
That cassette (also with "Blood Winter") is one of two so far for 2012.
The other is The Night Birds Psalm ...and Other Songs We Sung Beneath the Silver Web, which "is the third chapter in Stone Breath’s silver thread (following 1998’s A Silver Thread to Weave the Seasons and 2001’s The Silver Skein Unwound)." I found this 5/5 review - from the same website that did the interview linked way up there. Full circle!
Continuing with a new series of posts investigating various artists on the recent For Lee Jackson in Space (2012) compilation.
The third track is the LJ Mix of "Jaded Jean", brought to us by yet another band that I'd otherwise never heard of: Tadpoles! (This time the exclamation point is for exclaiming, not a part of the band name proper...)
From what I can tell, the band was from Hoboken and was active throughout most of the '90s. They put out a few albums, ending up on Camera Obscura as well, even releasing a Best Of collection - check out their Bandcamp.
"Snapper" from Superwhip cassette (1992)
Okay, for some reason I was expecting something noisier. Maybe it was some of the album covers, or "tadpoles" reminded me of Toadies, or maybe just the '90s... But this is straight-up Paisley-shoegaze-alt.POP!
!!!!! I feel privileged to bring you a rare 1988 video "Black Angel" from the super-rare cassette Limousines, Sardines, Dinosaurs.
Track #2 comes from Primordial Undermind, a band/artist that I have actually heard OF... but have never heard before (that I know OF).
Based on Wiki-info, [t]he[y] seem(s) pretty nomadic - including a stint in Austin, with membership including Tom Carter (ca. 2000-2003). Current base of operations might even be Vienna, Austria.
The comp track is mostly almost missing audio for quite awhile, and then kicks up a slight ruckus. But I found some more stuff laying around the internet. Check out this 1999 interview for one thing...
"Ten Toes, One Soul" from Thin Shells of Revolution (2003)
I believe this to be one of those early-'00s records that Tom Carter played on. MP3 download of a different song over at Emperor Jones Records. Lotta sounds going on there! [Must investigate why EJ mp3's are hosted at latinobuggerveildotcom...]
It's a bit odd that I really can't find any of the earlier music from the '90s anywhere to include here. They do have a SoundCloud, which mostly streams a few more recent live recordings.
"Blinding Stars" from Loss of Affect (2006)
See, the intro there had me thinking more of Tom Carter - but according to September Gurls, no. This band definitely 'jams out' more than my earlier basal impressions would indicate. I thought they were pure noise, maybe harsh dissonant electronics - rather than extended guitar/band psychedelic freak-outs.
Wasn't expecting the free-jazzoid elements neither. A different tune from this one is up on the Free Music Archive.
"Non Servium (Undermind)" from Hall of Mirrors (2005)
This comilation also looks pretty sweet! Once called "the Reign in Blood of modern space / psych rock compilations" (admittedly by the label itself), it features: Kinski, Circle, ST 37, Farflung, Acid Mothers Temple, Abunai!, Bardo Pond, and some random number of others. No apparent relation to the Kraftwerk tune, though.
Recorded live in December 2008 in front of a live studio audience ... soaring cello ... proto-Japanese psych-rock textures ... interwoven with electronics... [T]he astral moon-scrape ... what an unholy matrimony between Einstruzende Neubauten and Guru Guru ... heady collision of Amon Duul II (circa Phallus Dei) with classic Austin TX-style garage-psych like ST37... In all [] of its consciousness-elevating glory ... blows the doors off of most acid/experimental/free-rock acts rattling on the cellar door today.
And so, one track from the last album made available at the label site.
I'd already promoted this great benefit comp, but now I'm going to dig deeper - starting with band / track #1...
Abunai! submitted "Time of the Funk-Lords (Flash Forward)" to the For Lee Jackson in Space album.
They were active from 1996-2002, and apparently reunite from time to time to bring the psychedelic space rock. I'd never even heard of them, although they were on Camera Obscura. Maybe because... Massachusetts?
"77 Gaza Strip" from Universal Mind Decoder (1997)
Hey, I like that kinda thing. According to the album cover, that was the 6th release overall from the Camera Obscura label. A quick comparison shows that 4 of the first 6 Obscura albums' artists are on this complilation: Stone Breath, Azusa Plane, Green Pajamas, and Abunai!
"Learning to Ask" from The Mystic River Sound (1999)
Quite different from the space rock of that first tune, but another thing I also like: pretty, not-quite-sunny, but not-too-heavy psych-pop. O, maybe that's because "[i]nstead of taking on the identity of another band, Abunai! take on the identities of a dozen different bands, each with a different style" (per All Music Guide).
I've never seen that movie used for the video... any good?
"Motorcycle Boots" & "Rolling of the Stones" from Round-Wound (2000)
Yeah, that's the jammin' I've learned to expect of Abunai!, over the course of writing this blog post. This album also has the original studio version of their less-hippyish "(Flash Forward)" compilation edition [live 2010].
I'm not sure that instrumental version is actually the original. Also, AMG says that this album was originally packaged in one of those guitar-strings plastic bags, and the cover art does look like the labels that come with those. Niiice...
"Two Brothers" from Two Brothers (2003)
Video description says "[i]nfluences: Spacemen 3, Hawkwind, UK trad folk & 60s folk-rock, Amon Düül II, Fairport Convention, The Byrds, Can, Funkadelic, Syd Barrett, Galaxie 500, good skunk" - hey, those are some of my influences too! Whenever a band name has an exlamation point in it, I always end up subconsciously wanting to add exclamation points to their song names and album titles as well. How about you?
