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Hey kidz,
So I heard a report on the news that the average american only has two friends & ten years ago the average was three. Play it positive, we're getting less dependent on other humans.
Dan Cohoon did an interview with Alastair Galbraith for Amplitude Equals One Over Frequency Squared. Here's the link http://frequencysquared.blogspot.com/2006/06/alastair-galbraith-interview.html
Black Happy Day's In the Garden of Ghostflowers just got in from the plant. It'll be in stores August 29th, but we're shipping direct orders now.
There's a new Twelve track available for free download at www.myspace.com/twelvemusic
Vlor is now on MySpace www.myspace.com/vlormusic
Below are a ton of recent reviews.
hrt
Brian John Mitchell
VLOR: A FIRE IS MEANT FOR BURNING
Vlor is what I like to call an odd project. I can't really define them by genre, but if I had to I would describe them atmospheric rock noise. This isn't something you are going to bang your head to. "A Fire is Meant For Burning" is something you might put on to chill yourself out or right before you go to bed. For the most part VLOR is without percussion save for a few noise oriented clangs. There is a generous use of keyboards, although they never carry the melody. The keyboards are used more for an ambiance effect adding to the atmosphere of the recording. There is only one track ("Suncatcher") with vocals and guitars via a clean channel dominate this CD being VLOR's instrument of choice.
What is astounding, to me, about VLOR is that each song has a colour to it. They are truly atmospheric in the best way. I mean, this truly epitomizes why most of us listen to music--to escape. In a way, this "A Fire is Meant For Burning" could be a soundtrack to something, it all depends on the listener. My biggest complaint would have to be how easily you can zone this stuff out though. Especially towards the end of the CD I can easily ignore the music if I want to. Perhaps this could be considered a strength but I really think music should be enthralling at all time, not when it wants to be.
All in all "A Fire is Meant For Burning" is a humble down-to-earth CD. I really do like it, although like most things that come through here it isn't revolutionary or earth shattering for that matter. Please check these guys out if you are even slightly interested in rock or noise. Overall, a fairly solid release.
~ Liseth, Lunar Hypnosis
Vlor is what I like to call an odd project. I can't really define them by genre, but if I had to I would describe them atmospheric rock noise. This isn't something you are going to bang your head to. "A Fire is Meant For Burning" is something you might put on to chill yourself out or right before you go to bed. For the most part VLOR is without percussion save for a few noise oriented clangs. There is a generous use of keyboards, although they never carry the melody. The keyboards are used more for an ambiance effect adding to the atmosphere of the recording. There is only one track ("Suncatcher") with vocals and guitars via a clean channel dominate this CD being VLOR's instrument of choice.
What is astounding, to me, about VLOR is that each song has a colour to it. They are truly atmospheric in the best way. I mean, this truly epitomizes why most of us listen to music--to escape. In a way, this "A Fire is Meant For Burning" could be a soundtrack to something, it all depends on the listener. My biggest complaint would have to be how easily you can zone this stuff out though. Especially towards the end of the CD I can easily ignore the music if I want to. Perhaps this could be considered a strength but I really think music should be enthralling at all time, not when it wants to be.
All in all "A Fire is Meant For Burning" is a humble down-to-earth CD. I really do like it, although like most things that come through here it isn't revolutionary or earth shattering for that matter. Please check these guys out if you are even slightly interested in rock or noise. Overall, a fairly solid release.
~ Liseth, Lunar Hypnosis
ALAN SPARHAWK: SOLO GUITAR
If Low offers pop grace with the darker slices tucked in behind the harmonies and slipped in the lyrics, then this solo album by ALAN SPARHAWK is its conjugate. On the surface torn, ragged, thrashed, icy and harsh, but as your ears stare at it, the cracks and gashes unveil more radiant patterns. Not as majestic as NEIL YOUNG’s soundtrack to “Dead Man", but not far off that territory. Some titles here beckon an oceanfaring documentary, but the overall sea change is not so far off “Secret Name” and “Songs for a Dead Pilot.” Here SPARHAWK has tossed in a lot more maneuvers than Shakey’s wake for Blake. Fog horn drone notes, ripcord string whammy, digi del digital lay de digits. There is even “Eruption by Eddie Van Halen” which makes it sounds like an upscale perfume, but I think that is meant to be an “emotional” cover; if not a whispered message for Eddie to release a solo album of his own, and try and be half as experimental, half as naked, half as honest. And with “How It Ends", a short warm sweep, you get the sense that ALAN still lives in hope, through solo winters and high LOW summers.
~ Thurston Hunger, KFJC
‘Solo Guitar’ is the first solo exploration by Low’s frontman Alan Sparhawk. I’d admit I was definitely thrown a bit of a curve ball with this one, especially with that acoustic guitar on the cover, expecting perhaps just instrumental acoustic guitar music, but I was a bit off in my early guess. Instead Alan’s debut album is a type of ambient guitar drone similar to Aarktica, Remora, and True Colour of Blood. I’m always impressed by artists like Alan that are able to create this thick flowing wall of sound just by using a guitar. As you listen to this recording it takes you along this stream of dark drones where ambient and melody meet and permit you to enter a comatose like universe where your unable to move and all you can do is drift away silently. Occasionally some actual heavy riffs do pop up (most notable in Eruption by Eddie Van Halen) to remind you that your still alive, but then just as the action kicks in it smoothes out and let’s you continue your journey uninterrupted. All things considered, Alan’s debut is an interesting release, but like most experimental music its not something you’ll be able to understand immediately.
~ Joe Mlodik, Lunar Hypnosis
~ Joe Mlodik, Lunar Hypnosis
My friends used to make fun of me whenever we started talking about the music of Low, because I would inevitably tell the same story over and over again. It was the story of the first time I saw them in concert, shortly after I had discovered their music. The show was at Omaha's Cog Factory, a sketchy little speakeasy-esque joint that was something of a mainstay in Omaha's alt/underground scene. Until it was shut down for various infractions several years ago, that is.
It was as nondescript and barren as you could get -- concrete floors, a small stage with (maybe) some old PA equipment, stark flourescent lighting, and thousands of posters covering the walls. Oh, and no temperature control to speak of. Which made the place absolutely frigid on that particular winter evening.
There were less than 25 people at the show, and about half of them left after the opening band (obviously, this took place before Low became "big" in certain circles). Those of us who stayed stood there, shivering and watching our breath while Low stood there on the small stage, heads bowed and slightly swaying while delivering one of the most amazing concerts I've ever seen.
There was something almost pure and intimate about that evening. The freezing venue, the simple yet overwhelming music (this was around the time they released the stark The Curtain Hits The Cast), the small crowd, the absolute silence between songs -- it all resulted in one of the most reverent shows I've experienced.
There were two definite highlights from that show. One was "If You Were Born Today", which, if you've heard it, you know is an exceedingly moving Christmas song. The other was a performance of "Do You Know How To Waltz?", the 14-minute drone piece from The Curtain Hits The Cast. I've never seen Low perform that song since, but that night, they stretched it well past 14 minutes, creating a wall of sound that left my friends and I absolutely floored. It's one of their finest achievements, a perfect example of Low's ability to control and transform even the simplest sounds into something vast and expansive.
Solo Guitar finds Alan Sparhawk delving into the same droney, atmospheric territory contained within "Do You Know How To Waltz?". Or at least, the first (and best) half of the album does. The bulk of this first half is taken up by two songs; "Sagrado Corazon De Jesu (Second Attempt)" and "How A Freighter Comes Into The Harbor", and together, they account for over 30 minutes of feedback-drenched tones, drones, and riffing. Which, if not your cup of tea, you might as well stop reading now.
"Sagrado...", which clocks in at just under 14 minutes, has a vaguely middle-eastern sound to it, as Sparhawk improvises and feels his way through various scales and riffs. At times, it comes a little close to "shred" territory, as if Sparhawk took some time to channel his secret Steve Vai fascination. His guitar shrieks and wails, as if he's not so much playing as ripping out the notes.
However, the song moves at a very deliberate, even solemn pace, with stretches of silence where one can imagine Sparhawk contemplating, even meditating about the flurry of notes he's about to unleash; meanwhile, in the distance, the amps hum and crackle with feedback and anticipation. And of course, massive drones slowly circle around and throughout, creating a hypnotic and foreboding air that ultimately puts even the most explosive of Sparhawk's six-string pyrotechnics in perspective.
"How A Freighter Comes Into The Harbor" is an even stronger track, mainly because it's much more subdued. The song begins with single notes and simple chords ringing out and quickly disappearing, like foghorns ringing out in middle of the night and quickly muffled by the mist. Piece by piece, Sparhawk begins slowly building the song, laying the elements of the tense, ringing drone that will ultimately serve as the song's foundation. It's fascinating to look past what Sparhawk is doing at times, and focus only on what's taking place in the background. You can practically hear the amps building up steam until the high, keening central drone finally emerges.
It's difficult to call the piece "beautiful", as strong and arresting as it may be, due to the strong sense of mourning and foreboding that manifests itself early on and never subsides. In keeping with the title's nautical theme, it plays out like a elegy for drowned sailors, or perhaps an attempt to convey the sense of despair and loss as the waters closed in over their heads. And that high, keening drone, as it becomes more layered and intense, sounds increasingly like the cries of ghosts and banshees from across a godforsaken black sea.
Once the dronework gets going, it's hard to imagine that Sparhawk has any control over it whatsoever. Notes and guitar strums occasionally ring out, as do miscellaneous reverberations, but they are either quickly silenced by the drones, or quickly possessed and subsumed by them. In the song's final moments, the drones attain critical mass, collapsing in on themselves (and Sparhawk's amps) like reefs tearing through a ship's hull. The result is a twisted, screaming mass of feedback along the lines of David Pearce and Richard Walker's finest moments.
"How the weather hits the freighter..." implies the worst sort of storms you encounter in the open water, with huge swells of sound slamming into the listener from all sides. Unfortunately, at just under two minutes, it never has time to develop into anything else. And thus begins the album's second half, which is considerably patchier. The last five songs are mere sketches, if even that. They either clock in under a minute, or just rumble along with no time to development any interesting sounds that may appear. Rather, they go nowhere -- but make a lot of godawful noise while doing it.
Case in point: "How The Engine Room Sounds", which, with Alan's rumbling guitar, crackling feedback, and wordless, noise-soaked screams (which somehow made it over here from a Black-Eyed Snakes record), probably does sound like an engine room. But that doesn't mean it's at all interesting to listen to.
Solo Guitar will probably not appeal to most folks who are Low fans. If you're a fan of songs such as "Over The Ocean", "Shame", "Dinosaur Act", "Canada", "California", "Starfire", etc., you'll probably find this stuff a little too out there for your sensibilities. Even longtime fans who pick this up as a matter of due course will probably find themselves put off by Solo Guitar's second, arguably weaker half.
But Low have always had an experimental side to them, and have never been afraid of playing with more obtuse, less accessible sounds on recordings such as The Curtain Hits The Cast, Songs For A Dead Pilot, and even Trust. If you're enamored with that particular side of Low, than there are certainly parts of Solo Guitar that you'll find fascinating and challenging, even if they leave your ears ringing afterwards.
Many folks enjoyed the more rock-oriented sound that Low played with on The Great Destroyer. But Low's earlier material, which found them dabbling in these darker, more drone-oriented moments, are what solidified that minimalist aesthetic of their's in the first place, and are what arguably made them into the band they are today.
Sparhawk's guitar explorations, as obtuse and patchy as they are from time to time, do contain hints of those earlier moments of beautiful, difficult sound (such as "Do You Know How To Waltz?") And if these more challenging sounds do manage to somehow find their way into Low's future recordings, where they are polished and refined by Low's minimalist aeshetic, than I certainly won't mind. I can't think of a band that I want to see doing 15-minute noise/drone excursions more than this particular Minnesota trio.
~ Jason Morehead, Opus
It was as nondescript and barren as you could get -- concrete floors, a small stage with (maybe) some old PA equipment, stark flourescent lighting, and thousands of posters covering the walls. Oh, and no temperature control to speak of. Which made the place absolutely frigid on that particular winter evening.
There were less than 25 people at the show, and about half of them left after the opening band (obviously, this took place before Low became "big" in certain circles). Those of us who stayed stood there, shivering and watching our breath while Low stood there on the small stage, heads bowed and slightly swaying while delivering one of the most amazing concerts I've ever seen.
There was something almost pure and intimate about that evening. The freezing venue, the simple yet overwhelming music (this was around the time they released the stark The Curtain Hits The Cast), the small crowd, the absolute silence between songs -- it all resulted in one of the most reverent shows I've experienced.
There were two definite highlights from that show. One was "If You Were Born Today", which, if you've heard it, you know is an exceedingly moving Christmas song. The other was a performance of "Do You Know How To Waltz?", the 14-minute drone piece from The Curtain Hits The Cast. I've never seen Low perform that song since, but that night, they stretched it well past 14 minutes, creating a wall of sound that left my friends and I absolutely floored. It's one of their finest achievements, a perfect example of Low's ability to control and transform even the simplest sounds into something vast and expansive.
Solo Guitar finds Alan Sparhawk delving into the same droney, atmospheric territory contained within "Do You Know How To Waltz?". Or at least, the first (and best) half of the album does. The bulk of this first half is taken up by two songs; "Sagrado Corazon De Jesu (Second Attempt)" and "How A Freighter Comes Into The Harbor", and together, they account for over 30 minutes of feedback-drenched tones, drones, and riffing. Which, if not your cup of tea, you might as well stop reading now.
"Sagrado...", which clocks in at just under 14 minutes, has a vaguely middle-eastern sound to it, as Sparhawk improvises and feels his way through various scales and riffs. At times, it comes a little close to "shred" territory, as if Sparhawk took some time to channel his secret Steve Vai fascination. His guitar shrieks and wails, as if he's not so much playing as ripping out the notes.
However, the song moves at a very deliberate, even solemn pace, with stretches of silence where one can imagine Sparhawk contemplating, even meditating about the flurry of notes he's about to unleash; meanwhile, in the distance, the amps hum and crackle with feedback and anticipation. And of course, massive drones slowly circle around and throughout, creating a hypnotic and foreboding air that ultimately puts even the most explosive of Sparhawk's six-string pyrotechnics in perspective.
"How A Freighter Comes Into The Harbor" is an even stronger track, mainly because it's much more subdued. The song begins with single notes and simple chords ringing out and quickly disappearing, like foghorns ringing out in middle of the night and quickly muffled by the mist. Piece by piece, Sparhawk begins slowly building the song, laying the elements of the tense, ringing drone that will ultimately serve as the song's foundation. It's fascinating to look past what Sparhawk is doing at times, and focus only on what's taking place in the background. You can practically hear the amps building up steam until the high, keening central drone finally emerges.
It's difficult to call the piece "beautiful", as strong and arresting as it may be, due to the strong sense of mourning and foreboding that manifests itself early on and never subsides. In keeping with the title's nautical theme, it plays out like a elegy for drowned sailors, or perhaps an attempt to convey the sense of despair and loss as the waters closed in over their heads. And that high, keening drone, as it becomes more layered and intense, sounds increasingly like the cries of ghosts and banshees from across a godforsaken black sea.
Once the dronework gets going, it's hard to imagine that Sparhawk has any control over it whatsoever. Notes and guitar strums occasionally ring out, as do miscellaneous reverberations, but they are either quickly silenced by the drones, or quickly possessed and subsumed by them. In the song's final moments, the drones attain critical mass, collapsing in on themselves (and Sparhawk's amps) like reefs tearing through a ship's hull. The result is a twisted, screaming mass of feedback along the lines of David Pearce and Richard Walker's finest moments.
"How the weather hits the freighter..." implies the worst sort of storms you encounter in the open water, with huge swells of sound slamming into the listener from all sides. Unfortunately, at just under two minutes, it never has time to develop into anything else. And thus begins the album's second half, which is considerably patchier. The last five songs are mere sketches, if even that. They either clock in under a minute, or just rumble along with no time to development any interesting sounds that may appear. Rather, they go nowhere -- but make a lot of godawful noise while doing it.
Case in point: "How The Engine Room Sounds", which, with Alan's rumbling guitar, crackling feedback, and wordless, noise-soaked screams (which somehow made it over here from a Black-Eyed Snakes record), probably does sound like an engine room. But that doesn't mean it's at all interesting to listen to.
Solo Guitar will probably not appeal to most folks who are Low fans. If you're a fan of songs such as "Over The Ocean", "Shame", "Dinosaur Act", "Canada", "California", "Starfire", etc., you'll probably find this stuff a little too out there for your sensibilities. Even longtime fans who pick this up as a matter of due course will probably find themselves put off by Solo Guitar's second, arguably weaker half.
But Low have always had an experimental side to them, and have never been afraid of playing with more obtuse, less accessible sounds on recordings such as The Curtain Hits The Cast, Songs For A Dead Pilot, and even Trust. If you're enamored with that particular side of Low, than there are certainly parts of Solo Guitar that you'll find fascinating and challenging, even if they leave your ears ringing afterwards.
Many folks enjoyed the more rock-oriented sound that Low played with on The Great Destroyer. But Low's earlier material, which found them dabbling in these darker, more drone-oriented moments, are what solidified that minimalist aesthetic of their's in the first place, and are what arguably made them into the band they are today.
Sparhawk's guitar explorations, as obtuse and patchy as they are from time to time, do contain hints of those earlier moments of beautiful, difficult sound (such as "Do You Know How To Waltz?") And if these more challenging sounds do manage to somehow find their way into Low's future recordings, where they are polished and refined by Low's minimalist aeshetic, than I certainly won't mind. I can't think of a band that I want to see doing 15-minute noise/drone excursions more than this particular Minnesota trio.
~ Jason Morehead, Opus
LYCIA: THE BURNING CIRCLE AND THEN DUST
With atmospheres that rise to power and falter ever so calmly, The Burning Circle and Then Dust (apparently originally released in 1995) will be an album to remember: extremely melancholic, with an occasional glorious harmony that will make you feel like you are drowning in an ocean of cosmic understanding; a wall of sound that has such a great effect upon the listener as to bring tears to the eye.
In all seriousness, the often mystical audio of this album is surpassed only by its tendency to pass into an even more brooding section. The audio is severely saturated in reverberation and delay, which causes a thicker, smoother – but less clear – sound. This makes changes harder to pick out throughout the songs. A lot of the rhythms consist of both an acoustic strumming, and a distorted electric along with it. The rhythms are not particularly technical, and a lot of the music is pretty down-tempo. The rhythm guitars also become difficult to hear when the massive keyboard elements break into the mix. They encompass all aspects of the stereo – left, right, and center – and possibly may even be expanded beyond that.
Sometimes soft, sometimes gruff, the vocals are a great match to the music, bringing about their own unique impressions. They barely penetrate the sound – just enough to be heard, and nothing more, but it is so effective in being so inaudible! The mortal lines of the low-ranged vocalist add to the atmosphere with a touch of humanity. In a word, this album is simply spellbinding.
~ Roberto Martinell, Maelstrom
With atmospheres that rise to power and falter ever so calmly, The Burning Circle and Then Dust (apparently originally released in 1995) will be an album to remember: extremely melancholic, with an occasional glorious harmony that will make you feel like you are drowning in an ocean of cosmic understanding; a wall of sound that has such a great effect upon the listener as to bring tears to the eye.
In all seriousness, the often mystical audio of this album is surpassed only by its tendency to pass into an even more brooding section. The audio is severely saturated in reverberation and delay, which causes a thicker, smoother – but less clear – sound. This makes changes harder to pick out throughout the songs. A lot of the rhythms consist of both an acoustic strumming, and a distorted electric along with it. The rhythms are not particularly technical, and a lot of the music is pretty down-tempo. The rhythm guitars also become difficult to hear when the massive keyboard elements break into the mix. They encompass all aspects of the stereo – left, right, and center – and possibly may even be expanded beyond that.
Sometimes soft, sometimes gruff, the vocals are a great match to the music, bringing about their own unique impressions. They barely penetrate the sound – just enough to be heard, and nothing more, but it is so effective in being so inaudible! The mortal lines of the low-ranged vocalist add to the atmosphere with a touch of humanity. In a word, this album is simply spellbinding.
~ Roberto Martinell, Maelstrom
Lycia is now enjoying a bit of a comeback, as Silber Records decided to reissue their entire back catalogue. The question is whether there are enough Goth fans who will still appreciate Lycia's dark pop vision? When initially released just over a decade ago, to some this was one of Lycia's best works to date, while others ignored this album altogether. What's missing from the reissue are 8 tracks that were on the original double CD release. [Believe it or not, these are tracks the band had a say in editing out themselves.] As to the sound of the Arizona trio, they're a mixture of a more laid back, more hazy Cocteau Twins and a slowed down, nearly instrumental Lush. Tara Vanflower delivers a few vocal tracks. Due to her shear and soothing vocals, "Nimble" turns out to be a real stand-out. Honestly, I wish she were featured more. Mike VanPortfleet and David Galas on various bass, guitars, and synths shape an atmosphere full of fleeting echo-chambers, dark corners of limpid light and all around ghostly imagery. This isn't Goth music in its usual sense of the word. Sure, it's ominous but the sounds are not overtly crushing. Lycia's music is not overbearingly black. There are too many shades of grey that make it all the more interesting.
~ Tom Sekowski, Gaz-eta
~ Tom Sekowski, Gaz-eta
IF THOUSANDS - I HAVE NOTHING
If Thousands' I Have Nothing is a collection of experimental soundscapes and improvisational pieces. Although there are a few straightforward drone pieces like Providence and Eventide, there are also a number of tracks that go way beyond the norm of this genre, and the album is pleasantly devoid of incoherent noodling, showing that improvisation can indeed be put to good use. Push is a far cry from average experimental music, incorporating sounds that nod towards traditional Indian music and early country music. Cymbol incorporates windchime-like sounds into spacey ambient soundscaping. Walking Otis is a relaxing ambient piece with birdsong sound effects. Caterwaul is not the raucous noise the name suggests but an unusual mix of almost new-agey ambient relaxation music and a melodic guitar piece with a bluesy twang. Trout is an original mix of Middle Eastern style music and experimental sound effects. Crispin Glover is an excellent melodic keyboard and xylophone piece. Stella and Me is another example of ingenious eclecticism, comprising a bluegrass-influenced banjo melody and atmospheric synth or perhaps processed melodica. In a time when 'experimental' is just another cliche, used as shorthand for a kind of music that has ceased to be experimental as it's been done so many times before, If Thousands really can lay claim to the term. This album is a true experiment, combining various genres to create something that sounds fresh and new.
~ Kim Harten, blissaquamarine
If Thousands' I Have Nothing is a collection of experimental soundscapes and improvisational pieces. Although there are a few straightforward drone pieces like Providence and Eventide, there are also a number of tracks that go way beyond the norm of this genre, and the album is pleasantly devoid of incoherent noodling, showing that improvisation can indeed be put to good use. Push is a far cry from average experimental music, incorporating sounds that nod towards traditional Indian music and early country music. Cymbol incorporates windchime-like sounds into spacey ambient soundscaping. Walking Otis is a relaxing ambient piece with birdsong sound effects. Caterwaul is not the raucous noise the name suggests but an unusual mix of almost new-agey ambient relaxation music and a melodic guitar piece with a bluesy twang. Trout is an original mix of Middle Eastern style music and experimental sound effects. Crispin Glover is an excellent melodic keyboard and xylophone piece. Stella and Me is another example of ingenious eclecticism, comprising a bluegrass-influenced banjo melody and atmospheric synth or perhaps processed melodica. In a time when 'experimental' is just another cliche, used as shorthand for a kind of music that has ceased to be experimental as it's been done so many times before, If Thousands really can lay claim to the term. This album is a true experiment, combining various genres to create something that sounds fresh and new.
~ Kim Harten, blissaquamarine
KOBI - DRONESYNDROME
Norwegian experimental collective Kobi have released their second album Dronesyndrome through Silber. This comprises a mixture of drones and improvisation made with real instruments and electronically processed sounds. I'm normally someone who shies away from improvisational and non-melodic music, but I find that if this kind of experimentation is made by genuinely talented and creative artists (as this is), is atmospheric enough to be absorbing and engaging (as this is) and has ideas that differ from the usual experimental/drone/improv cliches (as this does), then all these ingredients actually make for an interesting listen. If you're looking for melodic music, this is not the place to be looking (except for those rare occasions such as in The Evening Was Unusually Sultry and Heavy, where a guitar melody is concealed within a whirl of noise), but for a well crafted piece of aural art with interesting ideas, look no further.
~ Kim Harten, blissaquamarine
Norwegian experimental collective Kobi have released their second album Dronesyndrome through Silber. This comprises a mixture of drones and improvisation made with real instruments and electronically processed sounds. I'm normally someone who shies away from improvisational and non-melodic music, but I find that if this kind of experimentation is made by genuinely talented and creative artists (as this is), is atmospheric enough to be absorbing and engaging (as this is) and has ideas that differ from the usual experimental/drone/improv cliches (as this does), then all these ingredients actually make for an interesting listen. If you're looking for melodic music, this is not the place to be looking (except for those rare occasions such as in The Evening Was Unusually Sultry and Heavy, where a guitar melody is concealed within a whirl of noise), but for a well crafted piece of aural art with interesting ideas, look no further.
~ Kim Harten, blissaquamarine
ROLLERBALL - CATHOLIC PAWS/CATHOLIC PAUSE
Rollerball's 11th album (their 3rd for Silber) is entitled Catholic Paws/Catholic Pause, and is excellently packaged in an embossed/screen printed cardboard sleeve. The eclecticism expected of Rollerball is present here, from the arcane experimentalism of Quench, to the absolutely brilliant jazz-pop-rock of Erzulie, to the jazz-ambient of So This Is That?, to the demonic yowling and sinister sound manipulation of Mantis Segue, as well as a number of tracks that bridge the gap between song-based and experimental, such as the quirky and manically delivered lyrics of Sores, set to a combination of jazz and homemade experimental weirdness. Rollerball's more abstract and random moments are a bit too much for these ears, but at their best and most tuneful, they are truly great. Tracks like Erzulie, Tambien and End of Young Birds are especially fantastic and are a return to the greatness found on their Real Hair album.
~ Kim Harten, blissaquamarine
Rollerball's 11th album (their 3rd for Silber) is entitled Catholic Paws/Catholic Pause, and is excellently packaged in an embossed/screen printed cardboard sleeve. The eclecticism expected of Rollerball is present here, from the arcane experimentalism of Quench, to the absolutely brilliant jazz-pop-rock of Erzulie, to the jazz-ambient of So This Is That?, to the demonic yowling and sinister sound manipulation of Mantis Segue, as well as a number of tracks that bridge the gap between song-based and experimental, such as the quirky and manically delivered lyrics of Sores, set to a combination of jazz and homemade experimental weirdness. Rollerball's more abstract and random moments are a bit too much for these ears, but at their best and most tuneful, they are truly great. Tracks like Erzulie, Tambien and End of Young Birds are especially fantastic and are a return to the greatness found on their Real Hair album.
~ Kim Harten, blissaquamarine
REMORA - ENAMORED
I'm not familiar with the early works of Remora, but they apparently dealt in sound/noise based material with more of an emphasis on atmospheric effect than melody. These days Remora have moved towards a song-based sound, incorporating their early experiences in sound manipulation into their songwriting. Their album Enamored is largely based around tracks which effectively combine lo-fi melancholic indiepop and atmospheric post-rock/spacerock soundscaping. There is also instrumental material here; tracks such as Sorry, Beams and Knockout combine melodic riffs with atmospheric swathes of sound, whilst True Glory is more pure noise based, and Arena bridges the gap between melody and chaotic noise. Champion takes a break from noise and effects, stripping everything down to sparse guitar and voice, to hark back to the sombre side of early 90s indiepop.
~ Kim Harten, blissaquamarine
I'm not familiar with the early works of Remora, but they apparently dealt in sound/noise based material with more of an emphasis on atmospheric effect than melody. These days Remora have moved towards a song-based sound, incorporating their early experiences in sound manipulation into their songwriting. Their album Enamored is largely based around tracks which effectively combine lo-fi melancholic indiepop and atmospheric post-rock/spacerock soundscaping. There is also instrumental material here; tracks such as Sorry, Beams and Knockout combine melodic riffs with atmospheric swathes of sound, whilst True Glory is more pure noise based, and Arena bridges the gap between melody and chaotic noise. Champion takes a break from noise and effects, stripping everything down to sparse guitar and voice, to hark back to the sombre side of early 90s indiepop.
~ Kim Harten, blissaquamarine
JAMIE BARNES - HONEY FROM THE RIBCAGE
Following Jamie Barnes' highly impressive debut album The Fallen Acrobat (reviewed in last issue's Silber article) comes the new one, Honey from the Ribcage, which is just as high-quality. Barnes makes bedroom pop, but with far more sophistication than is normally associated with that genre. Extremely well-written songs are accompanied by a whole host of adventurous instruments such as banjo, glockenspiel, ocarina, melodica, sitar, tablas and music box, alongside the more usual guitar. Part indiepop, part country, part atmospheric sound manipulation, part classic songwriting that transcends genre, and shot through with an engaging sense of melancholy and strong creativity, I recommend this album to all music lovers.
~ Kim Harten, blissaquamarine
Following Jamie Barnes' highly impressive debut album The Fallen Acrobat (reviewed in last issue's Silber article) comes the new one, Honey from the Ribcage, which is just as high-quality. Barnes makes bedroom pop, but with far more sophistication than is normally associated with that genre. Extremely well-written songs are accompanied by a whole host of adventurous instruments such as banjo, glockenspiel, ocarina, melodica, sitar, tablas and music box, alongside the more usual guitar. Part indiepop, part country, part atmospheric sound manipulation, part classic songwriting that transcends genre, and shot through with an engaging sense of melancholy and strong creativity, I recommend this album to all music lovers.
~ Kim Harten, blissaquamarine
TARA VANFLOWER - MY LITTLE FIRE-FILLED HEART
Tara Vanflower is best known for her work with darkwave band Lycia (of which more in a moment), but is also a solo artist in her own right. Her second solo album My Little Fire Filled Heart, is out now on Silber. Don't be misled by its pink flowery cover, this music is as far away from twee as you can get. The brief introductory track Ligertily consists of atmospheric echoey vocals played backwards, but this ethereal mood is soon replaced by a dark, sinister brand of experimentation which subsequently pervades the rest of the album. Yaya has a mix of spoken and sung vocals, the sung part largely sticking to one note, over the top of some menacing experimental noise. Rabbit features an almost syrupy vocal style and playful la-la-las, masking the dark lyrical content. The instrumental backing to this song is simply minimal percussion with an industrial feel. Naked King features punchy percussion and shouty vocals alongside random guitar noodling. In Silverback, a strange, sensual poem is read over a backdrop of metallic clanging and ghostly murmuring. The Girl From The Green Dimension is a melodic song of great beauty, in which Tara sings duet with herself. Again the instrumentation is not music in any conventional sense of the word, but a combination of single-note droning and the metallic sound of wind chimes. A Rusted Nail Through The Wrist features some electronic percussion that is strongly experimental whilst still retaining a sense of rhythm. Heavy rain, rumbling thunder and the tinkling sound of a music box provide the backdrop to Wren, a song that is in fact melodic but unconventionally so, thus giving the illusion of atonality. Finally there is Tigerlily, which as the name suggests is Ligertily played forwards. A highly artistic, creative album, though one that would probably be hard to stomach by anyone unaccustomed to music this unconventional.
~ Kim Harten, blissaquamarine
Tara Vanflower is best known for her work with darkwave band Lycia (of which more in a moment), but is also a solo artist in her own right. Her second solo album My Little Fire Filled Heart, is out now on Silber. Don't be misled by its pink flowery cover, this music is as far away from twee as you can get. The brief introductory track Ligertily consists of atmospheric echoey vocals played backwards, but this ethereal mood is soon replaced by a dark, sinister brand of experimentation which subsequently pervades the rest of the album. Yaya has a mix of spoken and sung vocals, the sung part largely sticking to one note, over the top of some menacing experimental noise. Rabbit features an almost syrupy vocal style and playful la-la-las, masking the dark lyrical content. The instrumental backing to this song is simply minimal percussion with an industrial feel. Naked King features punchy percussion and shouty vocals alongside random guitar noodling. In Silverback, a strange, sensual poem is read over a backdrop of metallic clanging and ghostly murmuring. The Girl From The Green Dimension is a melodic song of great beauty, in which Tara sings duet with herself. Again the instrumentation is not music in any conventional sense of the word, but a combination of single-note droning and the metallic sound of wind chimes. A Rusted Nail Through The Wrist features some electronic percussion that is strongly experimental whilst still retaining a sense of rhythm. Heavy rain, rumbling thunder and the tinkling sound of a music box provide the backdrop to Wren, a song that is in fact melodic but unconventionally so, thus giving the illusion of atonality. Finally there is Tigerlily, which as the name suggests is Ligertily played forwards. A highly artistic, creative album, though one that would probably be hard to stomach by anyone unaccustomed to music this unconventional.
~ Kim Harten, blissaquamarine
LYCIA: ESTRELLA
As well as releasing solo albums by Lycia's Mike VanPortfleet and Tara Vanflower, Silber have also put out Lycia's final unfinished album Empty Space, and are now reissuing all five of Lycia's previous studio albums. A remastered version of Estrella is out now on Silber, accompanied by the artwork the band had originally intended for the album. This album combines the darkness of gothic music, the grandiosity of orchestral-oriented progressive rock (there is no real orchestra on here, but it just has that feel about it with its lushly textured and extravagant atmosphere), the ethereal nature of dreampop, and ambient washes of sound. All this is added to with a variety of vocal styles from both band members, from sombre murmurings to impassioned wails. The vocals are used to express words and to provide wordless vocalisations, using the voice like another instrument. The sound here is more musical, less overtly experimental than Tara and Mike's solo material, but is still loaded with creativity. Whether Lycia opt for an elegant atmospheric sound or one that's more menacing, the music is always engaging.
~ Kim Harten, blissaquamarine
As well as releasing solo albums by Lycia's Mike VanPortfleet and Tara Vanflower, Silber have also put out Lycia's final unfinished album Empty Space, and are now reissuing all five of Lycia's previous studio albums. A remastered version of Estrella is out now on Silber, accompanied by the artwork the band had originally intended for the album. This album combines the darkness of gothic music, the grandiosity of orchestral-oriented progressive rock (there is no real orchestra on here, but it just has that feel about it with its lushly textured and extravagant atmosphere), the ethereal nature of dreampop, and ambient washes of sound. All this is added to with a variety of vocal styles from both band members, from sombre murmurings to impassioned wails. The vocals are used to express words and to provide wordless vocalisations, using the voice like another instrument. The sound here is more musical, less overtly experimental than Tara and Mike's solo material, but is still loaded with creativity. Whether Lycia opt for an elegant atmospheric sound or one that's more menacing, the music is always engaging.
~ Kim Harten, blissaquamarine
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