Hey Kidz,

 

The newest issue of QRD ( www.silbermedia.com/qrd ) is up & includes interviews with Chris Olley (six by seven/twelve), Arnold Pander (Pander Brothers), Josh Howard (Dead@17), & Jamie Barnes as well as several articles & the return of i heart fx & job reviews.

 

There's a new album by Chris Olley's project Twelve ( www.silbermedia.com/twelve ).  You can order it on our catalog page ( www.silbermedia.com/catalog/abc-index.html ).  It's a combination of krautrock, minimalism, & Kraftwerkian beats.

 

Our new comic xo ( www.silbermedia.com/xo ) is now up online.  It's the first installment about a sociopath trying to find his heart.  We're hoping to keep it nearly monthly installments.

 

Vlor's ( www.silbermedia.com/vlor ) A Fire Is Meant For Burning & Alan Sparhawk's ( www.silbermedia.com/alansparhawk ) Solo Guitar are being shipped in from manufacturing & we'll be taking orders soon.

 

Below are some recent reviews of Lycia ( www.silbermedia.com/lycia ) & Goddakk ( www.silbermedia.com/goddakk ).

 

hrt
Brian John Mitchell

 

GODDAKK: MONUMENT TO A RUINED AGE
Goddakk is the solo workings of Martin Plumerai. A sultry, ambiance-fuelled project ranging from post-industrial moments to drone sequences, Goddakk’s Monument to a Ruined Age is an example of the kind of product we’ve come to know and love from the Silber record label.
Monument to a Ruined Age starts spellbindingly with “Opened”, comprising of looped sounds and toned down Progressive moments followed in similar pattern by “Kalifornia”. A track that marginally allows more expression from minimalist guitar use into the otherwise similar mix.
“One Hundred’s” faster beats provide a sly and suspicious sound; a tech-noir mood that would suit any “Dark Future” concept while of a similar stratum “Unfortunates” acts as the soundtrack for barren wasteland, a post-apocalyptic frontier of the future. Its repetitive, programmed guitar riffs underscored with whispered voices and noises solidify the concept behind the album’s name.
“I Crucify You” provides a sombre moment on the album and, through its use of classical instruments (electronically reproduced or otherwise), shows distinctly Plumerai’s ranging influences from film scores.
“Monument to a Ruined Age” is a perfect title for an album comprised of a dual emotion in sound. On the one hand lies a resonance crisp and dynamic in its dystopian qualities while the on the other is an adventurous and enlightening musical occurrence. Novices to the experimental genre that Goddakk belongs may find nothing of value here, but those already acolytes of drone and ambient fusion should happily embrace this album.
~ Michael Riley, Left Hip

 

Don’t be scared off by Goddakk’s gothy sounding name or the dark embryonic-like imagery of the packaging. You have nothing to fear. The music of Goddakk is entrancing and mesmerizing. All the sounds on the disc are created by Martin Newman mainly using looped sounds produced on a bass, along with some guitar, keys and vocals.
The music on the disc is eerily familiar. It took me a long time to place where I had heard music like this before. Newman’s self proclaimed love of the Cure threw me off the right track. His true allegiance is not with the Cure but with someone from much further south, New Zealand to be exact.
His true fellow sonic explorer would be Roy Montgomery. Both artists share a penchant for slowly building droney soundscapes. Newman & Montgomery use mostly a single instrument (Martin uses a bass) to build up dense subtly changing sound environments. On some tracks, like “Unfortunates,” Newman uses a keyboard that would not sound out of place on a Dadahmah or Dissolve record. On other tracks like “Human Beings” it feels like atmospherics of early Flying Saucer Attack.
Martin employs dense heavily altered vocals on some tracks, like the first track “Opened.” It is impossible to hear what is being said, but I don’t think that is really the point. The altered vocals give the song a claustrophobic, uneasy feel. At first the vocals bothered me, but after repeated listens they grew on me.
“Crucify You” is slightly different then the rest of the tracks. It is less dependent on bass loops to build up dense sonic soups. It is much more song orientated with what sounds like a simple bass & string like sounding arrangement. This track shows the broadness of Newman’s sonic pallette. “Yto Nobogo,” the final track, builds up from simple loops to become denser and denser, before it reaches its ultimate climax.
Overall I am quite impressed with Goddakk. Theses soundscapes are deceptively simple. Martin Newman achieves with this project a great deal of variety using simple means.
~ Dan Cohoon, Amplitude Equals One Over Frequency Squared

 

Goddakk was formed by Martin Newman (of the band Plumerai). The band is a solo project in which Newman experiments with sounds and electronics. The compositions on Monument to a Ruined Age are, for the most part, experimental electronic drone pieces with the main instrument being a Fender bass guitar. Although Martin plays bass, guitars, and keyboards, the majority of the instruments are mutated and drowned in effects to the point that they are no longer recognizable. The overall sound of this album is spooky and peculiar...it often sounds like the soundtrack to a really weird underground film. This is the kind of music that you either love or hate. We've always been fond of electronic manipulation...so we were naturally drawn to this. Monument is a strangely inviting spin that creates otherworldly moods in the mind of the listener.
~ Babysue

 

Experimental soundscapes and a couple more song-like pieces. Poltergeist song circles ring and chant in a secret electric language. Lost souls whisper through warm circuitry. A pulse of flesh and blood runs in the same rhythm as it’s electronic semblance to emotion. A sullen moody afternoon filled with ancient dried bouquets, tattered remains of endless days stacked on end in attics, and trance inducing memories recorded in layers of dust.
~ George Parsons, Dream Magazine

 

LYCIA: THE BURNING CIRCLE AND THEN DUST
Lycia is a very peculiar group of musicians. The band's sound is similar to The Cocteau Twins...but much more dark and spooky. The band is a pet project of Brian John Mitchell (the mind behind the Silber label). Mitchell has taken on the task of releasing and reissuing the band's music in the United States. Originally a double album, The Burning Circle and Then Dust was shortened to fit on a single CD for the re-mastered reissue. The album marked a turning point for the band, as they began to focus their energies on more song-oriented music. This eighteen track album is a challenging and peculiar spin. Dark, ethereal tracks include "A Presence in the Woods," "The Return of Nothing," "Silence and Distance," and "Surrender."
~ Babysue

 

I never went for the gothy shit…. Well except maybe that two week period in middle school that I don’t like to talk about. Lycia gets past my prejudice against all things Goth or dark. While they do share the dark packaging and creepy vocals, Lycia is doing a lot more interesting things than the rest of their dark brethren & sisters. VanPortfleet, Galas & Vanflower build up dense atmospherics that hang in the air like fog on some forsaken moor.
The Burning Circle and the Dust was originally released in 1995 as a double disc on Projeckt Records. At that time, they added songs that were supposed to be a separate EP as the second disc. Now it has been remastered and edited back to its original length, as VanPortfleet wisely went with his original idea of the single disc.
Some of the vocals & drums sound a bit dated, not from the mid 90’s but from the late 80’s. The quality of the remastered record sounds great. I am probably not the best person to comment on this disc, I am not at all familiar with the artist or genre. I do find that this disc makes for some great late night listening.
~ Dan Cohoon, Amplitude Equals One Over Frequency Squared

 

It’s easy to be cynical with regards to re-releases. Sure, a lot of albums benefit from new and crisper audio quality, but in the back of your mind there’s always that question. Is this just a cop-out of a release?
Lycia’s The Burning Circle and Then Dust is in no way a cop out, in fact on your first listen you may just wash away those cynical thoughts about re-masters altogether.
Silber owe a debt of honour to Lycia, the goth dark-wave group from Arizona. In fact on the website they pretty much decree that their love of great music and the want to start a record label is indebted to the band. And who can blame them?
Lycia has the brooding energy and romantic swoon of a three hundred year old vampire and while sadly departed in 1999, band member’s solo work (particularly founders Tara VanFlower and Mike VanPortfleet) continue in the post punk experimental vein that Lycia began. With this in mind it’s no wonder Silber are excited to re-release their 1995 album.
The Burning Circle and Then Dust is truly an album that has to be listened to from start to finish, its whimsical guitars and haunting atmospheric vocals combined with an early art rock use of synths craft a wave of songs that flow effortlessly and captivate you in doing so.
“A Presence in the Woods” begins the immersion of the listener with a collaboration of voice and instrument to produce an abyss of textures that you’ll be tenderly charmed into. A few tracks later “Wandering Soul” dances elegantly along, bringing subtle folk elements into the dark wave mix, albeit tormented variations of folk, more akin to apocalyptic subgenres then what many would recognise as falling within the pure field itself.
It’s hard to find a stand out track on such a large scale album, with many great songs gently grabbing your undivided attention each and every time, but “On the Horizon” is arguably a paramount point due to is brilliantly lucid guitar riff that sways from early dream pop sounds to pure dark wave. This combined with ghostly synth notes conjures an instrumentally passive moment in the eighteen track album and one filled with consistency.
“Silence and Distance” should also be mentioned as should “Nine Hours Later”: both are powerful tracks, classic both in sound and mood.
Clearly The Burning Circle and Then Dust is as potent an album now as it was back in 1995. An album bubbling over with haunting song after haunting song while showing early experimentations with sound that would become fleshed out subgenres in later years.
Fans of Goth, Dark wave, Post-punk and Art Rock need look no further then the mastery that was Lycia.
~ Michael Riley, Left Hip

 

Dark and cold weather on the rocky coast, lightning strikes to light up the scene for a split second. Revealing a scene of ruin and desolation. Whispering witchy male vocals over abrasive/ethereal Cocteau Twinned smoke signals in the night. Cover the windows and days blend effortlessly into endless night, the lights are low and the feeling is numbed distance with deep pools of regret.
~ George Parsons, Dream Magazine

 

I was never a goth. Never could go for it; the pretension and the fashion aspect just didn't really make much sense. Plus, I never was cool enough to look like the ungrateful dead, as make-up just never was my style. But the music--some of it was impossible to resist, especially those that had elements of the esteemed 4AD label, or had a shoegazing/classical influence. Those artists, I couldn't resist.
Lycia was one of those bands I kind of liked, but never really explored. I had friends who raved about their music, and I could understand why. Their sound was heavily reminiscent of the Cocteau Twins, but made by people who knew they couldn't be the Cocteau Twins. When you know you're not the band you love, you'll break free from the trap of imitators. Friends raved about their double disc opus The Burning Circle and Then Dust, saying it was a massive undertaking that was downright brilliant and utterly beautiful. Personally, I thought it was top-heavy.
Apparently, after ten years, so too did Lycia mastermind Mike VanPortfleet. As part of his continuing reissue series with Silber Media, he cleaned up this 1995 release, pairing it down to one disc and remastering it. Don't worry; you really won't miss songs like "Facade Fades" and "August, Pt. 1 and 2." Instead, what you'll find is a concise, bold darkwave album that's packed with mood, atmosphere, and melancholy. Yes, there's a hint of 4AD style throughout, but it doesn't overwhelm the music. (After all, for a time, Projekt seemed likely to be the next 4AD.) At eighteen tracks and nearly eighty minutes, The Burning Circle and Then Dust is still a hefty record, but there are plenty of jewels to be found. From the beginning notes of "A Presence in the Woods," it's obvious that the next hour and seventeen minutes will be quite disturbing. But you shouldn't fear it; after all, songs like "Silence then Distance" and "Anywhere But Home" and "On the Horizon" are downright gorgeous. VanPortfleet sings with a haunting, detatched voice, which highlights the bright, shimmering sheets of guitar love and pulsing bass that fills out these dark, moody numbers.
The two highlights are the wistful, sad "Where Has All the Time Gone," a gorgeous, reflective number that reminds me of The Death Of Cool-era Kitchens of Distinction, and "Pray," which is a gorgeous Britpop-flavored track that, at the time, should have given Lush and Pale Saints some stiff competition.
The Burning Circle and Then Dust was a grand statement, and it's still a grand statement. If you like your music dark and heavy and sad and melodic, then this record is made for you.
~ Joseph Kyle, Mundane Sounds

 

Mike VanPortfleet has taken on an important task in that he has begun to remaster the standing catalogue that is the legacy of Lycia.  Lycia, as fans will know, is the serious audio equivalent of disparity, as bleak as the darkest corner can get.  In the vast world of music, the world of ambient tones is as expressive as it gets.  VanPortfleet’s Lycia projects have explored those tonalities as if they were the very flesh of emotion and therefore are made manifest by their very musical nature.  Some may question the reality of music here but those that do is likely not in tune with themselves, preferring only the manufactured strum of a guitar, the structured beat of a drum, or the pretty vocals of skilled singers to the barrage of fear that is inherent in Lycia’s tonal expressions.
Many of Lycia’s fans will have their favourites.  Mine is the band’s very visceral Cold album, a title that is soon to be accorded the same remastering respect that has already been visited upon Estrella and now, The Burning Circle and Then Dust.  This album, originally released by Projekt Records as a 2-album recording, has been restructured to an original core concept.  When originally released, the band consisting of Mike VanPorfleet, David Galas, and vocalist, Tara Vanflower, had recorded additional songs resultant of good vibes in the studio.  Those additional songs (10 in all) had been intended to be released separately but ultimately found their way into the collection of Burning Circle and Then Dust.  For this revisitation, VanPortfleet desired to restore the potency of the original vision.
For the unknowing, Lycia conjures ambient collections of majestically cascading music, that is minimal yet effectively shocking in their presentation.  With an unrelenting storm of tones and a barely discernable vocal, Lycia approximates the burgeoning of despair with all the subtlety of blows to the skull from the rounded curve of a ball-pean hammer.  Pioneers such as Tangerine Dream helped create the sounds of electronic atmosphere but Lycia advanced it to the next 3 stages and have yet been unmatched in the realities the music conveys – dread, fear, and underlying depravity.
The remaster of The Burning Circle and Then Dust and the removal of the additional songs go a long way in effectively communicating the music to the ears as well as maintaining the structure of the entire piece.  If you have heard Cold, an album that comes after Burning Circle, then you can appreciate the new core that makes up this re-release.  The flow is now undisturbed by tracks that slip out of the element of the original vision of the album therefore leaving a perfection that is a hint of the coming remastered Cold album.
~ Matt Rowe, Music Tap