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Hey kidz,
Most of what's been going on this week has been a bit behind the scenes, but it will come to fruition soon enough. Meanwhile there was Remora interview about equipment on Gearwire ( http://www.gearwire.com/remora-guitarsandeffects.html ) & there are a couple recent reviews below....
hrt
Brian John Mitchell
REMORA: SONGS I SING
Between songs Brian John Mitchell AKA Remora has been known to sing acepella songs and tell small stories. These have now been recorded and released as “Songs I Sing”. Full of atmosphere the pieces include a rendition of Job 39, Covers of the Stooges, Coil and Rollerball (the disc is released on North Pole Records which is run by Rollerball member Shane De Leon) and some slow and moving songs that creep under the skin. Musical highlights include the five minute version of “We Will Fall” (Stooges), and the cover of “Heartworms” (Coil), but it is the short original pieces that shine, a new collection of folk recordings for the Terrascope generation. Mention to for the beautiful letter pressed cover that adds to the package.
~ Simon Lewis, Terrascope Rumbles
Between songs Brian John Mitchell AKA Remora has been known to sing acepella songs and tell small stories. These have now been recorded and released as “Songs I Sing”. Full of atmosphere the pieces include a rendition of Job 39, Covers of the Stooges, Coil and Rollerball (the disc is released on North Pole Records which is run by Rollerball member Shane De Leon) and some slow and moving songs that creep under the skin. Musical highlights include the five minute version of “We Will Fall” (Stooges), and the cover of “Heartworms” (Coil), but it is the short original pieces that shine, a new collection of folk recordings for the Terrascope generation. Mention to for the beautiful letter pressed cover that adds to the package.
~ Simon Lewis, Terrascope Rumbles
SILBER ON SILBER
Songs by Silber artists as interpreted by other artists, some of whom have Silber releases of their own and some who don’t. It’s a generally low-key, laid-back collection, tending toward the melancholic sound—sometimes fragile, sometimes more intense—that has always been this label’s specialty. The two discs take us through many moods, from gorgeously forlorn to fuzzy and rough around the edges to texturally thick and noisy, even throwing in a few subtle electrobeats. There are a ton of others, too. CD1/Track 9 is a messy blast-rocker in the style of someone like Dinosaur Jr, and it’s different from everything else here. Remora (head Silber-man Brian John Mitchell’s project) is heavily represented, with ten covers of Remora songs including one by Mitchell himself under his Vlor moniker. You may know contributors such as Vlor, Marc Gartman, Jessica Bailiff, Plumerai, Rivulets, and Miss Massive Snowflake, but do yourself a favor and check out the artists you may not know, as there is one pleasant surprise after another on this release. If you know and love this label like I do, you’ll probably know what I mean when I say this release is Very Silber and very good.
~ Max Level, KFJC
Songs by Silber artists as interpreted by other artists, some of whom have Silber releases of their own and some who don’t. It’s a generally low-key, laid-back collection, tending toward the melancholic sound—sometimes fragile, sometimes more intense—that has always been this label’s specialty. The two discs take us through many moods, from gorgeously forlorn to fuzzy and rough around the edges to texturally thick and noisy, even throwing in a few subtle electrobeats. There are a ton of others, too. CD1/Track 9 is a messy blast-rocker in the style of someone like Dinosaur Jr, and it’s different from everything else here. Remora (head Silber-man Brian John Mitchell’s project) is heavily represented, with ten covers of Remora songs including one by Mitchell himself under his Vlor moniker. You may know contributors such as Vlor, Marc Gartman, Jessica Bailiff, Plumerai, Rivulets, and Miss Massive Snowflake, but do yourself a favor and check out the artists you may not know, as there is one pleasant surprise after another on this release. If you know and love this label like I do, you’ll probably know what I mean when I say this release is Very Silber and very good.
~ Max Level, KFJC
ALAN SPARHAWK: SOLO GUITAR
So, I missed yesterday due to getting a job, and although I've been planning this all day it feels like I'm going to miss it again, but I finally downloaded something the estimable Robert P. Inverarity smuggled to me under cover of night, and I'm listening to it and I'm sufficiently blown away I feel I should have today's entry cover not just a track, not just two tracks to cover yesterday, but a whole album. Alan Sparhawk's first solo album, in fact, the rather blandly named Solo Guitar.
It is far further 'out' than anything Low's done to date, and unsurprisingly appears on Silber rather than Sub Pop. My sole direct experience with Silber to date was label head Brian John Mitchell's (rather fantastic) album as Small Life Form, but that prepared me for something very un-songlike, at least as 'song' is traditionally conceived, and Solo Guitar is very much up that alley. Very far up that alley. Despite what the title might evoke, Sparhawk's album doesn't sound any sparser than, say, Still's turntable-only Remains, although it gives you much more of a story than that release.
Mostly because of the song titles. There are basically three stories on Solo Guitar, or two stories and one weird-ass cover/homage:
1 How the Weather Comes Over the Central Hillside (1:46)
2 Sagrado Corazón de Jesú (First Attempt) (1:12)
3 Sagrado Corazón de Jesú (Second Attempt) (13:26)
4 How a Freighter Comes into the Harbor (17:53)
5 How the Weather Hits the Freighter... (1:52)
6 ...in the Harbor (0:39)
7 How the Engine Room Sounds (2:49)
8 Eruption by Eddie Van Halen (2:36)
9 How It Ends (0:55)
The titles are at times almost terrifyingly literal, as in the end of "How a Freighter Comes into the Harbor" and "How the Engine Room Sounds." The record was recorded live, with just a guitar, some effects pedals and Alan, and everything on it was created in real time. I include the track times both because I tend to be curious and because here I think they tell a significant part of the story. Of course, when listened to instead of read I think all three elements of the tracklisting are actually facets of the same story (shades of Gene Wolfe's The Three Heads of Cerberus, one of my favourite books). It's highly suggestive that Alan would call a track "Sagrado Corazón de Jesú," of course, and I'm not exactly sure what that has to do with a nautical excursion (part of me wants to say 'disaster,' but "How It Ends" is enigmatic on that score) and Van Halen's finest finger-shredding guitar. But when you hear it, it makes sense.
I mean, I honestly have trouble writing about this stuff. I'm left with description: Sparhawk tends to get the two long tracks going by setting up layers of drones with his guitar and then occasionally bursting out all over them with a kind of violence that has never really been seen on a Low track. Even though he doesn't sing, it's unmistakably him; parts remind me of "Do You Know How to Waltz," yeah, but also "Laugh" and even a track like "(That's How You Sing) Amazing Grace." He's got a very distinctive guitar style, and even as he stretches it all over the place there's still the odd reminder. The shorter tracks feel like a humble but necessary frame for the excursions of the two main pieces, setting them off and giving context. The Van Halen cover doesn't sound much like the original to my ears, but I've only heard that once or twice and don't play guitar myself. The first and second attempts at "Sagrado Corazón de Jesú" actually sound that way; the first peters out after a brief stab at it, but the second starts the same way before building in power to an almost monstrous degree. And as good as the shorter pieces are, those two lengthy ones are just about the most devastating things Sparhawk has ever put his hand to.
No disrespect to his work with Low, obviously. And your mileage will very much vary, especially given how much you like drones, abstract music and/or atonality (at times). But Solo Guitar feels a bit like the external expression of what might have been going through Alan's head around the time of the post-Great Destroyer breakdown, sublimated through a tale of a freighter and some sort of religious iconography. Before listening I was a bit skeptical of his decision to stack the two lengthy songs together, but it makes perfect sense now - they are, in a real sense, the album and separating them would just be weird. The end of "How a Freighter Comes into the Harbor" is shrieking that sounds almost like a subway train stopping, which makes me think it's not coming in to the harbor peacefully. But it's also beautiful in a kind of excoriating way. Maybe that's the best way to put Solo Guitar, really. Alan often comes across as not really taking it easy on himself or anyone else, and while this may have been very fun to record, it's more fulfilling than fun to listen to. I'm ordering it from Silber as soon as I have some money from the job, in any case. I'm not the type to order everything by any band just because of who makes it (...with the possible exception of Readymade), so this isn't a case of "oh, Alan Sparhawk did it, I should get it." Solo Guitar is as powerful and fierce as Low has ever been, and I kind of hope Alan tries something like it again at some point; he has such pinpoint control over the emotional affect of his instrument that as the Stylus review points out, the record is reminiscent of a good short story.
~ Ian Mathers, You Can't Trust Violence Blog
So, I missed yesterday due to getting a job, and although I've been planning this all day it feels like I'm going to miss it again, but I finally downloaded something the estimable Robert P. Inverarity smuggled to me under cover of night, and I'm listening to it and I'm sufficiently blown away I feel I should have today's entry cover not just a track, not just two tracks to cover yesterday, but a whole album. Alan Sparhawk's first solo album, in fact, the rather blandly named Solo Guitar.
It is far further 'out' than anything Low's done to date, and unsurprisingly appears on Silber rather than Sub Pop. My sole direct experience with Silber to date was label head Brian John Mitchell's (rather fantastic) album as Small Life Form, but that prepared me for something very un-songlike, at least as 'song' is traditionally conceived, and Solo Guitar is very much up that alley. Very far up that alley. Despite what the title might evoke, Sparhawk's album doesn't sound any sparser than, say, Still's turntable-only Remains, although it gives you much more of a story than that release.
Mostly because of the song titles. There are basically three stories on Solo Guitar, or two stories and one weird-ass cover/homage:
1 How the Weather Comes Over the Central Hillside (1:46)
2 Sagrado Corazón de Jesú (First Attempt) (1:12)
3 Sagrado Corazón de Jesú (Second Attempt) (13:26)
4 How a Freighter Comes into the Harbor (17:53)
5 How the Weather Hits the Freighter... (1:52)
6 ...in the Harbor (0:39)
7 How the Engine Room Sounds (2:49)
8 Eruption by Eddie Van Halen (2:36)
9 How It Ends (0:55)
The titles are at times almost terrifyingly literal, as in the end of "How a Freighter Comes into the Harbor" and "How the Engine Room Sounds." The record was recorded live, with just a guitar, some effects pedals and Alan, and everything on it was created in real time. I include the track times both because I tend to be curious and because here I think they tell a significant part of the story. Of course, when listened to instead of read I think all three elements of the tracklisting are actually facets of the same story (shades of Gene Wolfe's The Three Heads of Cerberus, one of my favourite books). It's highly suggestive that Alan would call a track "Sagrado Corazón de Jesú," of course, and I'm not exactly sure what that has to do with a nautical excursion (part of me wants to say 'disaster,' but "How It Ends" is enigmatic on that score) and Van Halen's finest finger-shredding guitar. But when you hear it, it makes sense.
I mean, I honestly have trouble writing about this stuff. I'm left with description: Sparhawk tends to get the two long tracks going by setting up layers of drones with his guitar and then occasionally bursting out all over them with a kind of violence that has never really been seen on a Low track. Even though he doesn't sing, it's unmistakably him; parts remind me of "Do You Know How to Waltz," yeah, but also "Laugh" and even a track like "(That's How You Sing) Amazing Grace." He's got a very distinctive guitar style, and even as he stretches it all over the place there's still the odd reminder. The shorter tracks feel like a humble but necessary frame for the excursions of the two main pieces, setting them off and giving context. The Van Halen cover doesn't sound much like the original to my ears, but I've only heard that once or twice and don't play guitar myself. The first and second attempts at "Sagrado Corazón de Jesú" actually sound that way; the first peters out after a brief stab at it, but the second starts the same way before building in power to an almost monstrous degree. And as good as the shorter pieces are, those two lengthy ones are just about the most devastating things Sparhawk has ever put his hand to.
No disrespect to his work with Low, obviously. And your mileage will very much vary, especially given how much you like drones, abstract music and/or atonality (at times). But Solo Guitar feels a bit like the external expression of what might have been going through Alan's head around the time of the post-Great Destroyer breakdown, sublimated through a tale of a freighter and some sort of religious iconography. Before listening I was a bit skeptical of his decision to stack the two lengthy songs together, but it makes perfect sense now - they are, in a real sense, the album and separating them would just be weird. The end of "How a Freighter Comes into the Harbor" is shrieking that sounds almost like a subway train stopping, which makes me think it's not coming in to the harbor peacefully. But it's also beautiful in a kind of excoriating way. Maybe that's the best way to put Solo Guitar, really. Alan often comes across as not really taking it easy on himself or anyone else, and while this may have been very fun to record, it's more fulfilling than fun to listen to. I'm ordering it from Silber as soon as I have some money from the job, in any case. I'm not the type to order everything by any band just because of who makes it (...with the possible exception of Readymade), so this isn't a case of "oh, Alan Sparhawk did it, I should get it." Solo Guitar is as powerful and fierce as Low has ever been, and I kind of hope Alan tries something like it again at some point; he has such pinpoint control over the emotional affect of his instrument that as the Stylus review points out, the record is reminiscent of a good short story.
~ Ian Mathers, You Can't Trust Violence Blog
LOST KISSES
Writer / artist Brian John Mitchell plays out a bizarre narcissistic hate-fest in this story dealing with the death of an ex-girlfriend. There’s an extreme contrast between the overbearing self-importance he expresses in losing a woman who he hasn’t dated for years, and the blame that he assumes for a death that was certainly not his fault. The more uncomfortable moments deal with his treatment of cancer-related issues. He seems to dislike his ex-girlfriend’s widowed husband simply for running in a Race for the Cure marathon. In another awkward display, he ponders if keeping his ex away from the microwave may have saved her life, as if cancer was so easily prevented as the common cold.
It’s these strange thoughts that create an endearing yet revolting feeling while reading the tale. More often than not, the hand scrawled words of the character contrast greatly with the text printed below, developing new meaning as the two forms of communication merge. The art in this issue is more about the word balloon than the characters or their actions.
I can’t help but want to watch more as the Mitchell examines his own uncomfortable thoughts and feelings with brutal honesty. It’s not that this story is about the eye-opening journey of losing someone close to you. Rather, the tale is about the nagging thoughts in the back of your subconscious that may not play out politically correct, but they come from the same place that causes people to crack jokes at a funeral and mock someone from beyond the grave. These are healthy emotions, albeit undeveloped, which will hopefully only become healthier through expression. I praise the creator for being brutally honest even at the expense of his own creative security.
~ Nick Marino, Nasty Musings
Writer / artist Brian John Mitchell plays out a bizarre narcissistic hate-fest in this story dealing with the death of an ex-girlfriend. There’s an extreme contrast between the overbearing self-importance he expresses in losing a woman who he hasn’t dated for years, and the blame that he assumes for a death that was certainly not his fault. The more uncomfortable moments deal with his treatment of cancer-related issues. He seems to dislike his ex-girlfriend’s widowed husband simply for running in a Race for the Cure marathon. In another awkward display, he ponders if keeping his ex away from the microwave may have saved her life, as if cancer was so easily prevented as the common cold.
It’s these strange thoughts that create an endearing yet revolting feeling while reading the tale. More often than not, the hand scrawled words of the character contrast greatly with the text printed below, developing new meaning as the two forms of communication merge. The art in this issue is more about the word balloon than the characters or their actions.
I can’t help but want to watch more as the Mitchell examines his own uncomfortable thoughts and feelings with brutal honesty. It’s not that this story is about the eye-opening journey of losing someone close to you. Rather, the tale is about the nagging thoughts in the back of your subconscious that may not play out politically correct, but they come from the same place that causes people to crack jokes at a funeral and mock someone from beyond the grave. These are healthy emotions, albeit undeveloped, which will hopefully only become healthier through expression. I praise the creator for being brutally honest even at the expense of his own creative security.
~ Nick Marino, Nasty Musings
LK/XO/WORMS
With digital editions of his comics available for free on his website, writer (and sometimes artist) Brian John Mitchell is obviously more intent on telling his stories than making a profit. A few of them arrived in the mail a couple days ago, and they’re presented in an unexpected medium; black-and-white, laser-printed, two-inch square pamphlets with a two-staple binding. It makes an impression.
LOST KISSES #4 is my favorite of the bunch. Drawn by Brian himself, it depicts an inner monologue from a man who relates his inability to cope with the guilt from dealing with the recent cancer death of an ex-girlfriend. It’s an extremely poignant piece, even if it is told from the perspective of a very poorly drawn stick figure. As someone who has physically dealt with cancer, I can agree with Brian’s argument that running for the cure is the most ridiculous thing ever. XO #2 is the continuing story (and I don’t really mean continuing; you don’t actually have to have read the first one) of an extremely troubled and seemingly gentle man who deals with a dangerous confrontation in an ultra-violent manner. I was both entertained and disturbed at this vicious story, the artistry of which kept making me feel like I was sneaking a peek into the notebook of a demented high school kid. WORMS #1 was not for me. Or maybe I’m not for WORMS, which is a psychedelic telling of a government project, worms, a girl and her parents, guns, agents and a storm. I just couldn’t follow it or get into it at all, but at least I did give it a shot.
The stories are available at the related websites, and are at least worth a couple minutes to take a peek. I definitely recommend checking out LOST KISSES, and if you like it a lot, you can support his work by ordering a copy.
~ Squashua, Ain't It Cool News
With digital editions of his comics available for free on his website, writer (and sometimes artist) Brian John Mitchell is obviously more intent on telling his stories than making a profit. A few of them arrived in the mail a couple days ago, and they’re presented in an unexpected medium; black-and-white, laser-printed, two-inch square pamphlets with a two-staple binding. It makes an impression.
LOST KISSES #4 is my favorite of the bunch. Drawn by Brian himself, it depicts an inner monologue from a man who relates his inability to cope with the guilt from dealing with the recent cancer death of an ex-girlfriend. It’s an extremely poignant piece, even if it is told from the perspective of a very poorly drawn stick figure. As someone who has physically dealt with cancer, I can agree with Brian’s argument that running for the cure is the most ridiculous thing ever. XO #2 is the continuing story (and I don’t really mean continuing; you don’t actually have to have read the first one) of an extremely troubled and seemingly gentle man who deals with a dangerous confrontation in an ultra-violent manner. I was both entertained and disturbed at this vicious story, the artistry of which kept making me feel like I was sneaking a peek into the notebook of a demented high school kid. WORMS #1 was not for me. Or maybe I’m not for WORMS, which is a psychedelic telling of a government project, worms, a girl and her parents, guns, agents and a storm. I just couldn’t follow it or get into it at all, but at least I did give it a shot.
The stories are available at the related websites, and are at least worth a couple minutes to take a peek. I definitely recommend checking out LOST KISSES, and if you like it a lot, you can support his work by ordering a copy.
~ Squashua, Ain't It Cool News
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