Hey Starz,

 

Took a little longer than I anticipated, but the new Lost Kisses is online at www.silbermedia.com/lostkisses/lk5.html or on YouTube at www.youtube.com/v/oP8vhYj_xUA
I'll be getting the new XO ready soon as well.

 

Trying to clear a little inventory out as well & so we have a lot of discs at $7 & under at www.silbermedia.com/sale

 

There's a new interview with mwvm up at www.cosmosgaming.com/articles.php?id=79&articletype=feature

 

Just joined a couple social networks for Silber if any of you use them
Hi 5 - http://silbermedia.hi5.com
Orkut - http://www.orkut.com/Profile.aspx?uid=7323038900736811125

 

I have a personal goal of getting the Silber MySpace up to 10,000 friends by the end of the year if you can spread the word to like minded folks
www.myspace.com/silber

 

Below are some recent reviews...

 

hrt
Brian John Mitchell

 

ORIGAMI ARKTIKA: TROLLEBOTN
The seventh album in 15 years from this cult Norwegian septet (whose members are identified by the letter “A,” presumably for Arktika to distinguish them from other projects in the overall cultural collective known as Origami Republika, followed by a number) is a collection of ancient folk tales from the mythical titular land, which is also an area in Seljord, Telemark. To absorb and, thus imbue the ambience of the area into the material, the band recorded the album on Vesleøy, an island in the middle of the Seljord lake. As with most OA releases, there’s a loose, improvisational feel to the recording sessions, which were recorded outside as much as possible to capture the natural sounds of the area. Opener ‘Anne sit heime og tullar fe Baane’ relates the tale of Strong-Nils by Jørund Telnes. Nils’ mother Anne sings the song to her son, telling him of his father’s adventures fighting over in Denmark for the king. The band back this story with an ominous, stalking backing, reminiscent of The Doors and one of Morrison’s lengthy tales, such as “The End.”
“Fjellmannjenta” is the ribald tale of the farmer’s daughter going out for a few rounds on a Saturday night, dancing and flirting with the boy she fancies. The music here is tender, flowing…representing the playful innocence of the young maiden. “Frå Guro Heddelid” is another tale based on a Telnes cycle about a 14th century woman who lived in Seljord right before the plague broke out. The ethereal, improvisational backing reflects her state of mind as she sits and watches her children play, ruing the decision she made long ago to marry a rich man she didn’t love. Now, sadly, many years later, her husband and her true love are both gone and she sits alone beside the river near her home, contemplating how life could have been so much different. The final verse ends with the heartbreaking, symbolic couplet, “The green Linden tree was beautiful to watch/Now she stands all dried up by the Vallar River.”
Although the tracks are all sung in Norwegian, the events in the tales are summarised in English, so you can follow the stories even if you cannot understand the individual lyrics. Overall, “Trollebotn” is another fine outing from this experimental project, whose challenging but always rewarding work is a prime example of the intriguing New Scandinavian Folk scene, and this will definitely be a welcome addition to the collections of fans of similar bands, like Kemialliset Ystävät and Avarus from Finland, Kobi (whose Kai Mikelsen doubles as a current member of OA), or other members of the Origami Republik. Together, the individual artists offer some of the finest avant folk music of the day, and this is a good place for newcomers to jump in and explore what the project has to offer.
~ Jeff Penczak, Foxy Digitalis

 

To get to Trollebotn in Norway, the geographical location at least, is relatively easy for the prepared outdoorsman, but for the mythical and legendary place of Trollebotn, the land where Trolls and Giants reputedly lived, is a much more perilous journey. So much so that the locals who lived around the area of Trollebotn (apparently keeping ancient traditions longer than other parts of Norway) have kept alive countless tails of myth and folklore. Not wanting this aged spoken word and folk tradition to be lost in the deep seas of modernity, Origami Republika, a global movement of artists, musicians, writers, film makers (et al) set about recording their own versions of these archaic and colorful tales (via their musical offshoot, Origami Arktika) with a sound as cosmopolitan as their members. With styles ranging from folk to industrial, from post rock to drone, Origami Arktika recorded Trollebotn in a remote island in the heart of Norway and the results are heard explicitly throughout.
Take ‘Anne Sit Hieme’ for instance, the first track on the album and a measure of just how talented a group Origami Arktika really is; blending psychedelic post rock sentiments and traditional Norwegian folk roots with ease.
‘Fjellmannjenta’, while steeped lyrically in Nordic folklore, produces a very global feel in its sound no doubt due to the use of a plethora of world music instruments at work in unison. Origami Arktika show off with precision the cosmopolitan and liberated make up of their group and their musical structures.
What helps to make this recording unique is, as previously mentioned, the fact that Origami Arktika recorded it on a remote island, Vesleoy to be precise, and not just on the island but outside, in the wilderness, allowing the field recordings of wind and most prominently with the track ‘Guro Heddelid’ the water surrounding the island, reputedly inhabited by an ancient sea serpent, The Seljordsorm, to feature. A combination of both geographical poignancy and diagetic sound that when mixed with the haunting and subtle folk sound of the band and the vocals of Rune Flaten, make for an as-damn-near-perfect-as-one-could-hope-for neo-folk composition.
‘Min Piepe’ too makes prominent use of the recorded ambience surrounding the island, with the faint yet hallmark beat of a tribal drum becoming ever more important in our marginal hearing until it at last dominates the audible space, mixing smoothly and successfully with Flaten’s calm and traditional vocal talents capturing the dark ages feel of the music with every note elegantly produced.
For a deeply powerful and spiritual track look to ‘Som Lindi Baerer Lauv’, with its gentle brush of the cymbal and slow and repetitive ancestral drum beat, the composition acts almost as a musical gateway, a fey gate crossing from the material aspect of Trollebotn to the mythical one sung about in the folklore adaptations heard here.
Those able to translate the lyrics within this release or are native Norwegian speakers will surely be able to appreciate this compilation of old Norse tales in a way I can only enviously dream of, but despair not fellow linguistic philistines as the free folk sounds here alone are enough to help you on your peaceful journey to Trollebotn even if the captain’s tales are incomprehensible; truly a brilliant piece of musical, cultural and anthropological history and one of Origami Arktika’s most unique releases.
~ Michael Byrne, Left Hip

 

Will Norse folk Sweden your life, or hit Norway near the (Den)mark?
Hello readers, Pious Pete here. When I'm not devoting my life to the Church or painstakingly completing the Lindisfarne Gospels, there's nothing I enjoy more than listening to hot new jams on my iGod. Alas, I've hit a bit of a sticky patch of late. The simple joys of fermenting beer, upholding my vows and instantaneously absorbing fresh music by the sheer power of Christ are enlightening, it's true—but none of the local bands are rocking my robes at the moment. Saint Cuthbert and the Yellow-browed Warblers sold out to the man when they played Durham Cathedral; and don't even get me started on those bloody goths in Pilgrim's Way. What we need is a new wave. Something from across the sea. Some kind of ... invasion?
Excuse me a second, there's a lot of shouting outside my door. Sounds like it could be expositional.
Sørry, the bell didn't wørk. Right, this is an øfficially sanctiøned Viking raid. Hand øver everything valuable, there's a gøød lad.
Oh no, I didn't mean this kind of invasion! What a calamitous and strangely coincidental sequence of events ... Wait, is that supposed to be a Nordic accent?
Shut up, it wørked fine før Asterix. Wøw, yøu've gøt an iGød. That'll be a terrific upgrade frøm my øld Søny Thørkman.
Jesus. What aural horrors must that gigantic contraption contain? Tales of salt-ravaged sea crossings? Powerful ballads, swathed in the blood of hapless enemies? Songs of wine and banqueting in the majestic halls of your heathen gods?
Mm, yes, all øf thøse things. Plus stirring legends øf lust, deceit and hønøur. Here, have a listen tø søme Origami Arktika before I beat yøu tø death.
*Listening* ... hmm, this isn't exactly ...
What? Cøme øn, øut with it.
It's just not the conflagration of thunder and rage I was expecting. In fact, it's rather tranquil—shadows lengthening as the sun dips below the horizon, that sort of thing. There's a sense of community gathering, of huddled families gazing at the fire as the mundane activities of evening provide sporadic backdrops. I can see a man keeping rhythm, but the rest ... the rest is more subtle; indistinct shape and timbre, clanking barely in ear-shot. Perhaps the innocent collisions of pots and pans, perhaps a stray hobgoblin shuffling around the camp. There are fleeting feelings of indistinct danger, yes, but also of safety in numbers. Protection in song. Incantations, rolling through the night in a trance-like chant. Reverberations in the forest. A soothing drone of repetition, meandering sedately through an hour of folklore.
Silence! It's spine-chilling, bile-curdling mythøløgy from a blighted Scandinavian isle øf ice and snøw.
It's really not. Actually, it's rather gentle. Perhaps Rune Flaten is evoking vengeful spirits and deadly sea creatures in his native Norwegian, but the intimate tone he's using suggests matters far more personal—even spiritual. Mysticism blossoms from the quiet intensity, but for all I know he could be focusing extremely hard on singing about delightful kittens and knotting daisy chains in beards. Maybe that's it. You're all secret hippies, aren't you? Great big flower-loving hippies. Why don't you just settle down as farmers and integrate with the locals while you go all potty about trees?
Arrgghh, støp messing with my mind, nøbødy talks like that in real life!
That's because this entire scenario was just a conceit, silly.
***
... and, as this series of small walls shows, the Vikings did indeed settle down as farmers. They weren't hippies though, that was just a little bit of Time Team exaggeration.
What's really fascinating is this other collection of miniature, wall-like structures which we've used to piece together more of Pious Pete's thoughts about Trollebotn. We believe these low-level constructions, along with the shallow foundations of what may have been more walls, show that this monk felt the record wove a believable spell. Marks found on the stonework suggest he also found the illusionary sweep of a moorland wilderness capably recreated, alongside feelings of tribal union in rudimentary prayer.
Over here we can see fragments of pottery, strongly indicating that he thought over-repetition and a lack of changes in pace were in danger of shattering the private world. But he was probably mindful that what, on the surface, appears to be near-absolute minimalism, can reveal greater depth through exploration—uncovering myriad beats and soft vibrations.
We've applied the latest computer imaging techniques and the combined knowledge of several archaeological experts to compile an image which should demonstrate how the Lindisfarne monks regarded this album. As you can see, it's the phrase "strange and inviting, but at times a victim of its own impenetrable introspection," spelled out by a set of walls which can only be described as ... err ... less-than-large and in some kind of uniform pattern.
Cease this nønsense. I, Mighty Odin, find this review tø be disturbingly self-indulgent—and I'm a guy whø spends møst øf his time chatting with hyper-intelligent ravens.
Fair enough. Goodbye everyone!
~ Peter Parrish, Stylus

 

Origami Arktika was founded in 1992, and ‘Trollebotn’ is their seventh album. Trollebotn, according to the release notes, is a place that is both mythical and geographic, existing in song and legend as well as in Norway. This album is filled with old folk songs and the like from the area, and was recorded in Trollebotn, on the southern most tip of an island.
Folk music has always been a part of my life growing up, and I love European and Scandinavian folk songs especially. However, Origami Arktika just didn’t really do it for me on this album. The music is decent, but nothing amazing or unique about it jumps out at me, and it is much too repetitious (though I understand that is part of the style they were trying to emulate). The vocals, while good, seem out of place, and nothing on this album has staying power. Though I give them a huge amount of credit for the kinds of research and lengths they went to to capture the feel of the actual Trollebotn, this album seems too much like a hodge-podge of songs, and really left me wanting a lot more than it gave. An interesting album nonetheless, but not one that stands out in my opinion.
~ Lunar Hypnosis

 

ANMELDELSE: En plate som både er tuftet på dype, lokale tradisjoner og hevet over både tid og sted. Origami Arktika har dratt til Telemark for å bli bedre kjent med gamle sagn og fortellinger, og spilt inn plate midt ute på Seljordsvannet. - ”Trollebotn” er minimalistisk, intim og trolldomsbindende hypnotisk mener en fornøyd Ballades anmelder med granbar i håret og kongler i lomma.
Trollebotn er et både mytisk og reelt landskap. Mytiske Trollebotn ligger på kanten av verden, over de store vannene der tussene og fjelltrollene regjerer. Geografisk ligger Trollebotn idyllisk til ved Seljordshei i Telemark. Her i hjertet av Norge, midt i landet og lukket for innflytelse utenfra, har det vært godt grunnlag for alskens legender og myter. Dette er et område med gode vekstvilkår for underjordiske vesener og overjordisk tro, det er hit Origami Arktika tar oss med på sin helt ferske plateutgivelse.
Origami Arktika er en del av det verdensomspennende kulturnettverket Origami. Arktika startet i 1992 med grunnlegger Tore Honore Bøe og Kai Mikalsen (Kobi) som sentrale medlemmer. ”Sondring” (1996) og ”Vardøgr” (2002) er to meget anbefalelsesverdige plater fra denne kanten, begge med røtter dypt nede i norsk folkemusikk, minimalisme, musique concrete og naturmystikk. Dette er alle elementer som føres videre på deres syvende plate.
”Trollebotn” er i første rekke verket til vokalist Rune Flaten, selv med røtter i Seljord. Han tok med seg en blandet krets fra storbyen, blant andre Bjarne Larsen (Salvatore), Kjell Rune Jensen (DEL) og nevnte Mikalsen, til Vesleøy ute i Seljordsvannet. Her blant tusser og sjørormer ble gamle sagn funnet frem igjen og tonesatt i omgivelser som helt tydelig har påvirket det musikalske resultatet.
Låtmaterialet er i stor grad bygget på gamle historier og sagn, ikke minst basert på dikteren Jørund Telnes (1845-92) fra Seljord. Telnes står blant annet bak syklusen om kjempekaren Sterke-Nils (han som løftet steinen som i dag står ved kirken i bygda). ”Sterkenils døyr” følger hans tre siste dager:
”Um ein er sterk aa stor, han endaa er som høy: Tidt fe ein liten Bjor ein kjempekar laut døy.”
Flaten synger også om ”Guro Heddelid”, en av de rikeste og fagreste kvinnene i Telemark - og akk så ulykkelig gift - og vuggesangen ”Anna sit heime og tullar fe Baane”, begge signert Jørund Telnes. De øvrige sporene er alle tradisjonelle og lokale folkeviser, stev, skjemte- eller drikkeviser. ”Trollebotn” er med andre solid forankret i Telemark; geografisk, historisk og poetisk. Teksten er alle skrevet og fremført på dialekt, i en noe arkaisk form, men i det informative innleggsheftet gis det korte, informative oppsummeringer om innhold og bakgrunn. Det styrker inntrykket av dette er et solid og helhetlig gjennomført prosjekt.
Men Origami Arktika har langt fra laget en tradisjonell folkemusikkplate. Trollebottens mytologiske plassering i ”ytterkanten” av verden kan med letthet overføres til musikken. Det er her platen løftes fra å være en lokalhistorisk kuriositet til å selv bevege seg inn i mytenes rike. Det er mystikken og overtroen i legendene og de gamle sagnene som snirkler seg fra bøkene og inn i instrumentene. Origami beveger seg ikke langs allerede utformede spor, men lager sine nye. De forsøker ikke å rocke opp folkemusikken, eller folke opp rocken, men heller å skape stemninger som kler innholdet uavhengig av genre.
Stilen er minimalistisk, intim og trolldomsbindende hypnotisk. Kompassnåla går i spinn, og jeg tenker både i retning av Tinariwens ørkenblues, Pink Floyds mest dempede øyeblikk på Pompeii og amerikansk post-rock av typen For Carnation. Det bør være unødvendig å legge til at den geografiske bindingen til Telemark dermed for lengst er oppløst, fjellheimen og det bunnløse vannet betraktes både ovenfra og innenfra. Jeg synes balansen mellom tekst og tone er bedre ivaretatt her enn nylige prosjekter som eksempelvis ”Grimen”.
Det eneste jeg ønsker å sette fingeren på er faktisk Rune Flatens litt for dominerende tilstedeværelse. Han slipper ikke helt taket i musikerne, som fint kunne fått større instrumentalt spillerom. Vi bringes hele tiden tilbake til historiefortelleren, da vi av og til heller burde fått lov til å forsvinne inn i tåkeheimen for å møte Fanteguten, Haugebonden og de andre skikkelsene som går igjen der inne. Men det sparer de vel til konsertene sine, tenker jeg.
”Trollebotn” griper stillferdig tak og fører deg med inn i skogen. Den hvisker lydløst i mørket, det bunnløse vannet ligger urørlig og venter, månen kaster et dunkelt skjær over landet og bare tussenes tasling kan høres rundt hytteveggen.
~ Bjørn Hammershaug, Mic

 

PLUMERAI: WITHOUT NUMBER
With their early EP release in 2006, Boston-based Plumerai had driven up quite the excitement due to a unique blend of PJ Harvey Style vocals from the husky voiced Elizabeth Ezell and The Cure style shoegaze/ dark wave accompanying music from band Martin and James Newman and Todd Richards. A creation that promised more than the length of the EP could handle.
At long last Without Number is upon us, Plumerai’s latest release and thankfully still full of the charm, if not more so, of its predecessor, no doubt in part due to James Newman’s hand in recording the album and thus allowing the band’s idiosyncratic use of instruments such as the Guzheng and accordion not to be wavered for a more mainstream sound. Right from the offset with ‘Home Again’, Plumerai’s force as an alt-rock/ art-rock (hell call it what you will!) act is almost palpable, mainly due the band’s ability to strike a complete equilibrium between Ezell’s to die for voice and the band’s ability to muster up a brilliant and layered tune or two.
Following is ‘Illuminata’ a track that first marks Plumerai’s desire for using off kilter instruments within their compositions, case in point; the xylophone, which brings uniqueness to the track matched only by the constant synthesizer sound warbling in the background.
But it is with ‘Blues and Greens’ that the addition of instruments like the accordion provides the most overt feeling, giving Ezell’s vocals an almost jazzy, Parisian feeling with which to sway her vocals to the listener smoothly and effectively.
‘Avernal’, while still of the laid back and chilled out pace of the other tracks, provides more of a sense of exigency, the band working in unison so that you can almost feel the oncoming chorus via the tension in the drums and guitar work which slips easily into a haze of shoegazer like sound with even the accordion giving as good its gets by the end, keeping up with the speed and rhythm of the drums.
‘Sin El Lagarta’ while still using the now well documented plethora of unlikely instruments does so in the album’s most unusual way. A speedy, care free and anarchistic instrumental piece that merges sounds that could be roughly defined as folktronica and dark wave. A strange mix indeed but one that on first listen will have you wondering if it’s the same band and then eventually enjoying the refreshing break it creates in the album’s line up.
As mentioned previously with their EP release ‘Res Cogitans’, as long as Plumerai waned away from the temptation for a more mainstream sound (and thus a bigger fan base) then they would find great things with the album later in the year. And great things they have found indeed. A blend of styles and sound that is reminiscent of other acts but totally unique to the band in question also. A signature album that should hallmark a surge in popularity for the group as well as many new releases to come.
~ Michael Byrne, Left Hip

 

This Boston quartet has settled down to the permanent lineup of the Newman brothers, Martin and James on guitar and bass, respectively, Todd Richards on drums and ethereal chanteuse, Elizabeth Ezell on vocals, and their second release for Silber, following the “Res Cogitans” EP from 2006, is a charming, chiming collection of guitar-based post-rock, with fine nu-gaze trappings. Martin’s guitars soar anthemicly like 80’s faves, The Chameleons, taking on an almost violin-like sheen on “Illuminata,” while Ezell’s quivering, little girl vocals add a soft, yet inquisitive Bjork-like resonance to the offerings.
“Blues & Greens” is more playful, almost childlike in its immediacy, like a swaying lullabye with whispered, stream-of-conscious vocals from Ezell and the giddy aura is topped with a delirious oom-pah band conclusion, complete with accordion and carnival-like keyboards. The band get a little esoteric on tracks like “Avernal” and “Lavinia” and matters are further complicated by Ezell’s occasionally indecipherable lyrics, but Richards’ snappy drumming and the Newman’s intricately woven guitar lines keep things from deteriorating into boring, self-indulgence, although at over 8 minutes, the latter track could use a little belt tightening. But overall, this is another exciting project from the Silber stables to keep an eye on.
~ Jeff Penczak, Foxy Digitalis

 

MWVM: ROTATIONS
Rotations is British, Durham based guitarist Michael Walton's first album, and it's a thing of beauty for sure. Superficially just another set of post-Frippertronics Ambient drift, Rotations only occasionally gets bogged down in a New age mire, which is a rarity in this field. Walton is comfortable letting his infinitely layered drones clash timbrally and tonally, resulting in some tensely ambiguous passages. The bulk of the album is certainly pastoral, and the slide guitar embellishments strongly recall Eno's slightly sickly Apollo, but there's a caustic tang to Mwvm's sound that cuts through the dreaminess. Walton's work is ever static: as its various strata shift in and out of phase, new patterns emerge and new harmonic information is magically conjured.
~ The Wire

 

Michael Walton was destined to be on a label like Silber. Creating his ambient drone soundscapes through guitar manipulation and delay pedals (a la Remora) the County Durham inhabitant has found himself a growing popularity despite his isolationist mode of working and a sound that practically acts as a calling card for a label interested greatly in drone and experimental ambience (among other things).
So in the month that Sigor Ros release their latest album, fans of Walton, (alias MWVM) will find themselves gorged on post rock with the imminent release of his first full length; Rotations.
Hearing ‘Context . Where?’ for the first time you’d be forgiven in thinking that the sounds were produced by keyboards and even with this prior knowledge I still find myself doubting that the harmonious and peaceful sound was created entirely from guitar manipulation. Regardless of the technical aspect, the track establishes Walton’s prowess straight away, creating a sound that, from a solo artist, is remarkably structured, sounding more like an entire group had a part in its formation.
Uniquely and refreshingly, Walton also shows change in direction from track to track with ‘Fireside’ being an altogether more pensive piece that uses effectively the low drone of a singular note repeated throughout the composition as with ‘It’s Easy to be Miserable’ in which Walton changes the emotive feeling again, this time allowing the sound to conjure more of an ominous tone with distant industrious noises and sounds that replicate themselves while the rumbling bass increases in volume at slow but slightly disquieting speed.
It’s not all doom and gloom however, as previously mentioned ‘Context. Where?’ opens the album on a lighter note and there are others too within the mix, Walton providing a balanced ambient work that neglects neither one emotion nor the other.
‘Celestial Motions’ for instance, with its waves of guitar echo, warped to unrecognizable sound from such an instrument, creates an atmosphere that is less definable than previous tracks, creating a sort of spiritual air about itself with hypnotic loops and resonating repetitions of sound combing to compose a well woven soundscape.
As well documented in previous reviews of drone artists it is perhaps not the mastery of the instruments used in question, but what effect the music has upon the listener. And while most if not all ambient/drone artists may sail down similar musical outcomes, the subtleties in difference from one artist to the next is just as intriguing as the sounds they create themselves. With the track ‘Oratory Clout’ for example, the isolation of Walton when recording the album is captured precisely via its minimalist opening of a solitary sound which is repeated for some time, allowing ever so slightly the faintest hint of more “identifiable” guitar work to be layered over the top.
With post rock on such a wave of popularity at the minute it would be a shame for a project such as Walton’s MWVM to go overlooked, if not for its achievement as a solo project then simply for being a slice of great ambient music in general.
~ Michael Byrne, Left Hip

 

Post-rock ambient has its place; it’s called "background." Post-rock tends to be far too weird for the casual listener, but if you’re one of the select few that dig droned-out minimalism à la Brian Eno/Robert Fripp and Fear Falls Burning, you’re one of the special ones that can hear the intricate and subtle musicality in the genre affectionally known as "shoe-gazer."
Rotations is the first full-length album by U.K. multi-instrumentalist Michael Walter working under the moniker mwvm. It's an hour-long, ten-track journey through the post-rock sonicsphere: An opus of single-note volume swells, synthed-out effects loops, and weird, digital delay texturing. No melody, no drums, no apparent structure and no lyrics--an aesthetic bitch-slap to the verse-chorus-verse blueprint of pop-rock. It's abstract and unapologetic as hell.
The ten-minute opening track "Context. Where?" introduces the recorded-in-a-cathedral vibe that fans of Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible will find familiar. Lots of echoey organ washes and gothic harmonic layering, from which the rest of the album flows like a stream from a snowcapped mountain. By track four, "Negative Pole," the cathedral vibe has transformed into more of an abducted-by-aliens texture, with lots of low-end digital droning and Doppler-effect organ weaving in and out.
The album peaks in the twelve-minute track "Oratory Clout;" the low alien-mothership synth hums like a swarm of digital cicadas, until giving way to a clean David Gilmour-style guitar vamp, which, if you hadn’t noticed already, exposes Walter’s undeniable Meddle-era Pink Floyd influence. The sound of random drops of water in the closer "Never Constant" marks where the sonic mountain stream ends; if you’ve never heard a leaky faucet on psychedelics, it pretty much sounds like this. Though Rotations isn’t anything experienced shoe-gazers haven’t heard before, it’s still a solid full-length debut effort. But if you’re not a shoe-gazer, forget about it.
~ Wayne Chinsang, Tastes Like Chicken

 

Only a year and a half after their debut release, mwvm (aka Michael Walton) has already entered and settled into a much colder territory. Taking a step forward, Rotations moves its ten tracks on a single flowing journey through shivering layers of guitar and fx coatings. While it may share elements with post rock, isolationism and ambient musics, this is definitely of itself. Heightening this cold atmosphere, the bleached out Saturn's rings-style artwork is the perfect visual accompaniment to the excursion.
The majority of the tracks here favor the abstract over the relaxing guitar-gone-ambient style of his peers. This album stands out as a panacea to the remaining dependence on rock that even the far left of post-rock still retains. It's only the opening "Context. Where?" where memory-tugging melodies and brushstrokes of pedal steel like playing come to the fore. The rise and lull of notes, and their progressive coming together, sees guitar lines floating in alternating layers like varicoloured liquids that won’t mix.
Circling itself, "Oratory Clout" adds field recordings and dim electronics to layers of ringing, shivers running alongside and through the notes. There are dark movements across the record, whistling metallic glides and recurring vibrations of satellite paths. The lost horn call sounds of "Negative Pole" are trapped in the air, cold basilica echoes running through Rotations. This records perfect moment though appears on the drowsily titled "Sleepy Crayfish," avoiding guitar glories it goes instead for subtle currents. Gorgeously (and surprisingly, for such a frozen release) capturing a warm underwater world without resorting to anything other than lush emissions of sound, this is mwvm inspiring the rest of the crowd to keep in the gentlest possible way.
~ Scott McKeating, Brainwashed

 

If you consider the recent slew of releases from the likes of Gareth Hardwick, Adam W. Flynn and Chris Herbert and add the work of MWVM to the equation, the UK finally seems to be gathering an ambient scene together that could rival that of the US. British ambient sounds have, for far too long, lived in the shadows of acts like Eluvium, Stars of the Lid and other artists within the Kranky collective.
"Rotations" is the debut full-length from MWVM, a project bearing the name of Durham based guitar experimentalist Michael Walton. Recording ten movements in a self-induced, solitary environment, Walton's music comes across like cavernous, monolithic noise, powerful yet inherently graceful. Timeless melodies wash across degraded industrial ambiance, pointing towards influences such as Labradford's seminal "Prazision" LP and Wolfgang Voigt's grand, lulling passages under his GAS moniker.
Tracks like "Context Where?" use a maze of guitar manipulations and sound imperfections. Progressing organically, the subtle chord shifts represent the sounds of a slow-motion orchestra, evolving sounds move through emotions of sorrow, optimism, hope and contemplation.
Beyond the intrusion of rhythm and percussion and all the better for it, Walton builds gargantuan waves of wall rattling sound, like Alexander Tucker's loop experiments only without the hypnotic vocals. Amidst this beatless bliss of knot-like textures and slow arpeggios, the listener will gradually succumb to each passage's gravity. The underlying aggression and bubbling tension ensuring the paths chosen by Walton are never predictable.
A number of tracks ("Negative Pole", "It's Easy to Be Miserable", "Celestial Motion") are shrouded in transparent industrial haze. The layers of drones and swell of guitar effects create the swirling, dark fog of a distant ghostly planet. "Celestial Motion", as the title may suggest, develops from such darker terrains, accumulating sounds that resemble waves of Gregorian chanting.
Outwith such cold and sterile climates, MWVM also constructs warm ambient/drone pieces, from the hopeful, angelic strains of "Never Constant" to the Marsen Jules-like "Sleepy Crayfish". But it is the epic "Oratory Clout" that truly defines Walton's style. Like an extreme winter blizzard, the 12 minute long "...Clout" at first evokes images of vast, ice-covered tundra's.
These cold and infecting sentiments soon begin to subside with the introduction of an optimistic guitar chord progression. Combining with filters of sound and field recordings of buried voices, mwvm creates an impression of a weather-beaten traveler battling, in his journey, against the extreme elements. The guitar purposefully plays against the violent force of the evolving arctic haze.
It may be subtle and require a degree of endurance from the listener, but ultimately "Rotations" rewards such patience. mwvm has created a body of work that is beautiful, strange and haunting.
~ Michael Henaghan, AngryApe

 

Drone/ambient project mwvm has got a vibe that channels Stars of the Lid much of the time: It’s warm and slowly shifting, and it gives the impression that the music delivered is more a result of careful arrangement and composition than many other drone acts'.
At its best, the sound of Rotations has got an effective organic facet to it. It’s no surprise that these moments also coincide with the record’s strongest compositions. When mwvm goes for the shimmering and melodic, it does its best work. Some of the tracks on Rotations follow more of a lugubrious, near-dark ambient route. These are also done very well, but the result is more of a barely moving plod than an epic journey. Indeed, the music reaches its most effective, thick and wondrous goal when the drones are allowed to hang in the air and reverberate.
mwvm will appeal to fans of Stars of the Lid and Eluvium, although this project is not yet up to the level of those other two giants’ best work. It still is a recommended album for fans of those bands and of the melodic drone genre.
~ Roberto Martinelli, Maelstrom

 

You know the drill here: shimmery, soft-focus ambient prettiness built from loops of processed guitar and bathed in swaths of static. Rotations is an undeniably enjoyable listen, but it doesn’t really offer anything new to my ears. mwvm has neither the imagination of Fennesz or Keith Fullerton Whitman nor the sense of majesty and melody of Stars of the Lid or Tim Hecker. And yet there’s nothing particularly wrong with this release; it’s an adequate, meditative album, sufficiently pretty and fairly unexciting. You could do a lot worse than listening to this, but for the genre, you could do a whole lot better.
~ Jona Gerlach, Slugmag

 

LYCIA: COLD
Longtime pioneers of ethereal goth/darkwave and a favorite of Silber since before the label even started, the remastered Cold is essential, solitude headphone listening for the corresponding climate. "Bare," "Colder," and "December" and every other track have well-placed electronic drums, gothy male/female vocals that float around and guitars out of the darkest Cocteau Twins songs. As far as this type of music goes, it's as fresh and moody as it was when first released a decade ago.
~ Kenyon Hopkins, Advanced Copy

 

The third re-mastered album to be released by Silber, Cold saw the Arizona based group (made up of Mike Vanportfleet, Tara Vanflower and David Galas) move from their arid and humid abode to the snowy and chilly state of Ohio, thus creating an album that discovered new landscapes and surroundings via its mix of darkwave and ambience respectively. Cold isn’t just the name of an album here, it’s a statement of the feelings the album produces.
‘Frozen’ for example, the first track on the album, emits a shimmering flourish of wintry darkwave guitars and ethereal vocals, that with pace and emotion, set the scene for the music to come and lure you tenderly into continuing your journey into the album. ‘Frozen’ flows effortlessly into ‘Bare’ with a slow yet apparent drum beat precluding the first appearance of Vanflower’s haunting voice that duets perfectly with Vanportfleet’s and adds a palpable dimension of emotion and distinction to the track.
‘Baltica’ meanwhile adds a classically gothic element with nursery rhyme style rhythm to the music as well as an opener that encompasses Vanflower “la-la-ing” to add to the surreal and dreamlike quality of the track, making way for her whispered vocals to take centre stage in one of the stand out songs on the album.
‘Colder’, an instrumental movement, also ranks highly within the pedigree of tracks that accumulates this album, with a minimalist and isolating, almost drone like beginning, until the darkwave, slowed down a notch or two, kicks in, creating an affecting and sombre picture that blankets the whole album in terms of imagery and theme.
On its release, Alternative Press ranked Cold one of the most important goth albums of all time, and with this re-mastering you can easily tell, or more appropriately hear why they were right. However rather than the album merely speaking volumes of itself it goes on to give evidence of just how important, creative and influential lycia were, and while their fan base may have shrunk after their split, their sway over goth, darkwave and ambient is truly eternal.
~ Michael Byrne, Left Hip

 

I can’t seem to figure out what’s up with all the darkwave re-releases lately. Not that I’m complaining: Some of this stuff has been out of print and next to impossible to find for quite some time. But this particular release isn’t all that difficult to track down in its original form. Regardless, Lycia is far and away one of my favorite bands from the depressing darkwave genre, and there is a definite reason why this album is called Cold. From the opening drone of “Frozen” through the final dirge of “Later,” this album never actually allows you to breathe: you literally have the experience of drowning … slowly, but extremely welcome, nonetheless.
~ loveyoudead, Slugmag

 

Lycia don't pussyfoot around. While other bands seem to spend half their time hiding the eyeliner and crimping tongs, or denying they're goths three times before the bat squeaks, Mike VanPortfleet and Tara Vanflower are quite happy to do photoshoots dressed as zombie farmhands. So when the braaaains-craving pair release an album called Cold you know to opt for the pair of headphones with the fuzzy earmuff covers, because from chilly cavern to icicle-tipped peak it's going to be a frostbitten trip.
This is actually a reissued outing for the record; originally released in a glut of Lycian creativity which also saw them churn out a double album and the splendidly bleak A Day in the Stark Corner, all within a two year period. VanPortfleet has since been on a mountain expedition to relocate the snow-hole he buried the album in and dug it out for a spot of remastering (not that any audio-resuscitation was desperately needed). Meanwhile, the chaps at Silber Records have taken up the distribution cause (this is now the fifth in their Lycia series) and added an enigmatically misty-blurry new cover, perhaps to fool people into thinking they may need an eye exam. Such trickery is the devil's work.
The album finds our introspective twosome shying away from earlier forays with guitars and eerie four-track recordings, and instead harnessing sumptuous waves of droning electronics. These abundant layers are like a frozen waterfall, offering the beauty of a captured cascade—trapped forever in a single moment. Glorious, yes, but a barrier which keeps listeners at a distance, preventing the penetration of this picturesque wall. Inside are the outlines of perfectly preserved water sirens, their mouths open, eternally delivering a wailing harmony. Untouchable. Unknowable. Emotional depth remains tantalizingly out of reach, deflected by a beguiling surface sheen.
Yet to shatter these icy constructs would destroy the wintery spell. The trance-like state of yearning for what lies beneath. The search for an elusive flower beneath the permafrost. Both the inner core and outer expression serve a purpose, catching mind and ear respectively. Each wrapped within pounding, towering keys and the kind of snare reverb Andrew Eldritch would be proud of. If he viewed darkwave acts with anything other than a disdainful sense of loathing, that is.
All of this does, however, demand the right frame of mind—and even then some stretches of tundra do rather drag to the horizon. Especially "Polaris," which is pretty much seven minutes of the duo going "la laaa laa" to varying degrees. Such musical attrition may even batter down the defenses of an unprepared ear, rather like the actual spread of cold itself. Eventually you'll feel like a family of happy campers caught out by a deadly flurry. The gas stove has gone out, limbs have long since gone numb and the next gentle doze could invite the fatal fingers of the reaper. Just stay awake little Timmy ... just stay awake ... and you may glimpse the morning sun.
~ Peter Parrish, Stylus

 

SILBER SOUNDS OF CHRISTMAS
Allow me to be frank: I fucking hate Christmas.
Not to be a Scrooge about the whole holiday season but about the only thing I appreciate at this time of year is getting extra pay for working on Christmas Eve and since I won't be getting even this small titbit of noel merriment, my hatred of all things jolly in this season is fuelled considerably well.
If nothing else, I hate the onslaught of Christmas carols and songs, relentlessly played over and over and over again in shopping malls, doctors' surgeries, dentists' waiting rooms, on the radio, Hell they'd even play them in funeral parlours if they could get away with it. And what's with starting the damn things so early in December?
I'm sure I'm not alone with my animosity, and if this assumption is correct I have a wonderful Christmas surprise for you. For if you reach into Silber Records' long latex stocking this Christmas you may just find their second Christmas compilation. That's right folks, Silber Media, the people who bring you such groups as Kobi, Remora and Lycia have accumulated a plethora of musicians to strip bare, experiment and make anew all of the old Christmas time classics!
Ok so perhaps the compilation doesn't really do that much in the way of cover versions (though there are some gems dotted about) but fans of the label will appreciate that Silber's Sounds of Christmas II has a majority Drone theme to it, with ‘Remembrance', the opening track from Origami Tacet using violins to full brooding effect. This is followed by Immune's 'The Gleams Remained after the Blast', sounding like a lost track from Basil Kirchin's Worlds within Worlds projects.
It's not all doom and gloom however (it is Christmas after all) as Rachel Goldstar provides a more mellow, shoegazer sound with 'Christmas Day', a sound synonymous with the post punk/ grunge scene that the mainstream would have you believe had its last Christmas a long time ago.
Living in Photographs, as well as having a cool name, also provide a departure from Silber's usual Drone based sounds by adding an ambient electronica influence to their track 'Barabbas' and while still fitting to the ambient atmosphere of the compilation supply just enough variety to keep it all from going a little stale.
Those still waiting for Plumerai's new album can get some musical morphine in the shape of their one track contribution, 'Crucifixed', a track fused with a slightly more Darkwave feel than their previous outings and a style that fits them and the compilation comfortably.
'O Come, O Come Emmanuelle' by Remora is a supremely strong track, powering through a superfluity of weird noises that awakens you to a concept that Christmas is not always a time of good tidings. This followed by Sailor Winter's white noise polluted 'What Child is this?' and the unkind atmosphere is well and truly accomplished.
Slap on the second CD and you'll be welcomed by Bokor's ambient track, 'Secrets'. An interestingly conceptual name for a track on a Christmas themed album. I have a tendency to over examine things but with such a name on such an album and with the tranquil sound of the sea ever-present in this brooding ambient piece it is hard not to let such things rankle the psyche.
For a much more classical sound look no further then Duane Pitre and Pilotram's 'Piano Improvisation for Mr. Cage'. Exactly what it says in the title, this concise number by all accounts should stand out of place with the rest of Silber's Christmas content. On the contrary, it highlights just how diverse the label's talent and interests can be, showing a warmer, benevolent side rarely seen on Silber releases.
Mars Fields' following track also shows a less highlighted sound provided by Silber Media, with 'Jesus Christ' certainly belonging more to the American Neo Folk/ Country scene than to Drone or Ambient Noise, its off kilter sound having more akin with Black Happy Day (recently released on Silber) than some of the more established artists on the label such as Small Life Form or Remora.
My Ambient Nature Girl's track, however, brings the album straight back to Silber's roots, with 'Handel's Messiah Part 4' sounding like a cross between the melancholic euphoria of Sigur Ros drowned out by the strange beats and sounds of The Gasman on Planet Mu records, creating an altogether unique mixture of minimalist beats and warped notes with a tender, for lack of a better word, backdrop of sound.
And to top it off, my favourite of the entire collection and one that I'll be making my family's ears bleed to this Christmas; The Upside Down Stars version of 'Hark The Herald Angels Sing' a Drone/ Doom ladled piece that with its mixture of low vocal howls and repetitive distorted riffs should be played to maximum capacity on that day, the most sacred of days. Alas if only they played this sort of material in shopping malls.
It's hard to make a really good Christmas album, and in their way Silber have cheated slightly by including more than just reinventions of already existing Christmas material. But then as it was obviously their intention not to buy into the Christmas frivolity it's hardly a negative side. On the contrary this is perhaps the perfect Christmas album as the two CD collection encompasses all moods of the season and while some people wake up to nice presents and a loving family some will wake up to terminal illness and bereavement. It's nice to see an album cover those two extremes of moods via music. I envy those who live in the great open spaces of Canada and the Pacific North West, for if I did I would have the perfect album to drive to while viewing its halcyon winter landscape.
~ Michael Byrne, Left Hip

 

ELECTRIC BIRD NOISE: FRAGILE HEARTS...FRAGILE MINDS
Brian Mckenzie, Rev. Doc. Scromps and Trey McMantis are three individuals behind the underground act, Electric Bird Noise, known perhaps from the regular additions to several of Silber Media’s free download compilations.
Now with their full release, Fragile Hearts…Fragile Minds we get the opportunity to examine more deeply the creative soundscape these three individuals can produce when left to their own devices.
What will be most striking at the outset is Electric Bird Noises’ seemingly rebellious stroke of idiosyncrasies, having only one track in an album consisting of five at twenty six minutes. A strange thing to note you might think but with the electronic drone/ambience EBN produce and with their ties to Silber bands such as Remora, Small Life Form and Kobi (in terms of their sound) it does come as a surprise that while peers in the similar field produce lengthy passages, here we have four tracks in unison all spanning less then eleven minutes combined.
As refreshing as this may be (though a fan of the hallmark lengthy drone track, I too can find it a tad reparative at times) it’s possible that EBN have gone too far in the opposite direction.
Take the opening track for example, ‘Thank You for Helping Me Feel Human Again’. While producing a quirky and intriguing low-fi electronica sound, the track has ended before it really begins, leaving you wondering whether you’ve pressed the stop button accidentally.
‘We Share More Than My Father’s Last Name’, meanwhile, while slightly longer in duration, suffers a similar fate, although here a more prominent, cinematic resonance is produced, having a found-sound quality to it via the slow rhythmic beatings and shaking of various unknown-to-me items.
‘Fall of the World Trade Centre’, a track expertly placed within Silber’s end of the world compilation, is, however, when the release really picks up character and dimension, using a rumbling and foreboding noise to underlay a distorted piano piece, giving the composition a sense of impending doom, an audible precursor to an expected disaster (heightened with the name of the track no less)
Finally then to ‘Vestibule transitoire’ and to perhaps where the group’s efforts are truly captured. A track that uses its eerie ambient quality and haunting distant hums to engage your attention so completely, you’ll think the rest of the album was just a daydream and this is really where it begins.
While not a terrible release, Fragile Hearts…Fragile Minds does however leave you neither wanting or interested in hearing more of their work, this simply down to the fact of just how short a creation it is, a shame given that in a live setting both their music and mise-en-scene is reputedly both captivating and hypnotic, two powerful elements sadly lacking in this attempt.
To put it as concisely as EBN’s release: don’t bother but for the last two tracks as the rest will fly by without you even noticing anyway.
~ Michael Byrne, Left Hip

 

Comprised of eerie, haunting minimalism, this is one of the most original, non-conforming releases of the year. Electric Bird Noise, begun by Brian McKenzie a decade ago, reaches into the most distant forms of sound made by guitar, piano and percussion. The second half of fragile hearts is a 26-minute extremely ambient reverbed piece that the History or Discovery Channel should use for documentaries about the bottom of the ocean or the origin of the solar system.
~ Kenyon Hopkins, Advanced Copy