Hey Kidz,

The latest in our free compilation series is available to download.
Over 2 hours of music & includes brand new material by Lycia &
Attrition & tons others. Just follow this link (
www.silbermedia.com/comps/halloween ) & please spread the word.

Track Listing:
1. Lycia - The Dreaming Body
2. Peter Aldrich featuring Jon Harman & David Williams - Dawn of the
Dead
3. Bryce Eiman - Itaint
4. Glissade - Flares
5. The Undermasks - Have You Seen the Ghost of John?
6. Planet Cock - Haunted House Song
7. Rachel Goldstar - Amsterdam
8. Miss Massive Snowflake - Magic at the Beach
9. The Wades - S�dhe
10. Robin Crutchfield - WitchingAndWalking
11. Attrition - what shall i sing?
12. Sorry Welcome - (Holy Is) The Lamb Who Was Slain
13. Arbus - I Was a Cyborg from Outer Space
14. Tara Vanflower - The Three Witches
15. Remora - A Few Notes from a Grave
16. Paolo Messere/Kiddycar - You Save Me From Understanding More
17. The Elysium Facade - Insanitarium
18. Promute - Rise Up
19. Lauri des Marais - Halloween Ball
20. The Zanzibar Snails - spectres gaping maw
21. Ocean City Defender - Low Tide
22. Cam Butler - Does Your River Run Deep
23. Not Them - Halloween
24. Gorgons - November Eve
25. Small Life Form - What's Your Real Name?
26. Drats!!! - Experiment
27. Mars Field - Fear is a Man's Best Friend
28. Thisquietarmy - As the Creatures Unravel from Within/Vampyr
29. Port City Music - Night Terrors
30. Electric Bird Noise - Moments Like Last Night Make Me Wanna
Believe in Ghost

Hey Kidz,

I hope all is well with all of you.  Busy here as always.  A lot of
reviews recently for you all to check out below.

Just got off a Remora tour, fun as always & for those of you in NC
there will be a Remora show Tuesday at The Nightlight in Chapel
Hill.  Also there will be a new Remora EP coming soon from an Italian
label.  It is as peculiar as "songs i sing".  It is called "Mecha" &
is computer driven music including remakes of Remora "hits"
like "Collapse," "Slip Sky," & "The One I've Been Waiting For."

Working hard on getting the new free to download compilation ready.
It's Halloween themed.  Close to thirty artists.  You'll get a
message next week when it's ready.

Thank you as always for your interest & support.

hrt
Brian John Mitchell

LYCIA: COLD
It's 10 degrees outside, it snowed like 3 feet last night, and my
friggin' hands are still cold from scrapping ice off of my car, thank
thee gods there's bands like Lycia. Lycia's `Cold' is probably the
most perfectly titled album ever, and also my favorite Lycia release
to date. Cold truly invokes the feelings of bitter coldness and can
easily conjure up images in ones head of seeing nothing but endless
miles of snow. Musically as you probably know Lycia's music lies in
the darkwave field of music, but as always darkwave music is hard to
describe. As far as Lycia is concerned they make very chilly,
despondent, ethereal music that relies heavily on synth with the
occasional use of guitar, bass, and percussion. Cold is just full of
atmosphere like you wouldn't believe (Try listening to this album in
your car on a very cold snowy night and you'll see what I'm talking
about). Vocally Mike VanPortfleet and Tara Vanflower stick to very
delicate whispered vocal styles that only add to this creepy wintry
atmosphere. With this release Lycia perfectly captures the feelings
of winter. All in all a fantastic release that always sees a lot of
attention during these months of the year. Fans of darkwave music or
those just looking for something dark, frosty, and disheartening
sounding should own this.
~ Joe Mlodic, Lunar Hypnosis

Cold is one of those impossible to achieve ambient classics, built
from Mike VanPortfleet's frightening vision of endless desperation
and loneliness, made all the more chilling by Tara Vanflower's
lingering, ghost-like voice, and David Galas' precision bass-work,
drum, and synth contributions.  With a landscape of endless snow and
ice, banshee-wailing winds, and a jolt of perpetual fear, Cold is a
walk into someone's unending nightmare.
Originally released in 1996 on Projekt Records, this haunting
soundtrack has set a standard for ambient music that proves that
created sounds can explore the depth and expanse of human emotion, in
this case, totally abject fear.  One of the more superior
tracks, "Baltica" is beyond description.  When Vanflower begins her
eerie vocals, the song takes on a new life and personifies the
album.  Cold, simply, has to be heard to be experienced and
appreciated.
Cold is largely for ambient fans, although many have professed a love
for this work.  Cold has even been used in film because it lends
itself so well to an atmospheric storyline.  I'm surprised that
VanPortfleet hasn't an established career in film soundtrack.
However, I do have an issue with this release, and that is the
absence of a detailed booklet.  The original digipak released by
Projekt was devoid of words, letting the music do the work.  In this
reissue, there should be some historical data, some written words on
the creation of this album.  I think that this work demands that kind
of immortalizing at this point, 11 years later.  I have hope that the
next time Cold is revisited, it gets the complete treatment is
deserves.
Timeless works are defined by their ability to be revisited over
time.  Lycia's Cold is absolutely one of these classics.
~ Matt Rowe, Music Tap

Lycia always has been one of my favourite b ands. Ever since I
discovered Lycia 's groundbreaking album Ionia their coldwave (or
whatever you might call it) is a league of their own. The mixture of
the icy and slow guitar of David Galas, the mesmerising voices of
Mike VanPortfleet and Tara Vanflower together with compelling drums
and synths manage to create an atmosphere like no one else. Cold
actually concerns a re-release since it is originally released
in '96. Now re-mastered it is available on Silber Records.
I fully understand why Silber Records decided to re-release this
album because Cold is one of the most highly respected albums our
American friends. With opening track Frozen they set the tone; cold,
dramatic and dreamy dark passages which seep you in the surreal world
of Lycia . It feels like opening the curtains and the entire world is
lost; covered under a deep blanket of the purest white snow. My
favourite track is Drifting, which also can be found on the Project
label sampler Beneath the Icy Flow; a beautiful slow passage where
the qualities of the threesome mentioned above are presented in a
perfect manner. All nine songs are superb and saw too it that the
album made its spins in my cd-player over and over��
If you are a fan of Lycia you might already have purchased Cold. If
not; buy it!
Cold is a must have for everyone who's a fan of atmospheric music.
Cold is more than just an ordinary album. It is a collection of
impressions and feelings bundled and presented in a sublime manner!
~ Gothtronic

Cold is right, this reissue of Mike VanPortfleet's dark ambient music
project's third album, emits an icy chill into the atmosphere.
Endlessly dark walls and waves of synthetic gloom surround the
goulishly gothic whispered male vocals or Tara Vanflower's cooly
cooing singing, which makes things sound like a very sad Cocteau
Twins stirring the last embers of the bonfire as the night surrounds
them. Like dark soundtracks to ominous and terrifying mysteries.
~ George Parsons, Dream Magazine

Cold is the latest in a series of Lycia reissues offered by Raleigh,
North Carolina's Silber label. According to the press release that
accompanied this CD, Cold has apparently been the most well-received
album from this band...having already been embraced by Goth folks and
space music freaks. This album is dark and spacey...and the
instruments are drenched in reverb and other effects. The voices seem
to have been added at the end of the recording process...often
sounding more like background effects that traditional lead vocals.
Folks who found The Cocteau Twins too accessible and poppy will
probably find Lycia much more to their liking. Odd, moody, and
slightly surreal...Cold is a dark and peculiar album full of ambient
washes and cool tripped out guitars. Nine cuts here
including "Frozen," "Colder," "Drifting," and "Polaris."
~ Babysue

Silber continue their fascinating Lycia reissue series with the album
(originally recorded and released in the winter of 1996) that
Alternative Press hailed as "one of the Top 10 Goth-related albums of
all time." The trio of bassist David Galas, groupie-turned-band
member/vocalist, Tara Vanflower and leader Mike VanPortfleet (who
personally remastered this reissue with an incredibly crisp,
explosive atmosphere that completely envelops the listener in a wall
of sound), had recently relocated form the arid deserts of Arizona to
the frozen landscapes of northern Ohio, resulting in a more
expansive, more sound-oriented (as opposed to song-oriented) album.
This becomes immediately apparent on The Cure-like opener, `Frozen.'
Tara's disembodied vocals emulate a lost soul, "frozen" in the
wilderness, perhaps reaching out for the comfort of human contact and
bodily warmth. Both VanPortfleet and Galas' throbbing, stalking bass
favorably recall the detached ennui of The Cure's "suicide trilogy"
(`Faith,' `Seventeen Seconds' and `Pornography), with the latter
perhaps being the closest sonic comparison. In fact, apart from the
thermally descriptive aspect of the album's title, it may be no
accident that it is also the title of one of `Pornography''s most
jarring tracks.
`Bare,' as its title suggests, strips away some of Lycia's more
bombastic aspects for a more ethereal approach, settling comfortably
between the grandeur of Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance. Gonging
bells, forlorn, far off piano tinklings and Tara's nursery
rhymish "la la la's" float across `Baltica,' which has more of a
darkwave, noirish, European vibe, a la Clan of Xymox, with a touch of
Kate Bush's more theatrically aloof whispers hovering in the
background. `Colder' is more cinematic and expansive, as the trio
delve deeper in to the influence their arctic surroundings had upon
their psyches and bodies, moving from 100+ degree temperatures to
below-zero frost. The track's swaying aura also occasionally reminded
me of vintage Slowdive, particularly `Spanish Air.' Bells and
tambourines add a festive atmosphere to `Snowdrop,' perhaps
reflecting the band's experience of their first snow-covered
Christmas. Being a northeast coast US lad myself, I can't imagine a
Christmas, or at least a winter without a blanket of snow to frolic
in, let alone spending it in the blistering desert sun, and this
sense of wonder is beautifully captured by the track, which is
fittingly one of the album's more upbeat efforts. It expresses an
almost childlike wonder and fascination with the snow-covered
mountains, hills and backyards of their new neighborhood. The album's
main themes seem to be exploring the dichotomy of the desert heat vs.
the cold Midwest winters, as well as the anxiety flushed with
fascination of an entirely new physical environment which they have
translated into their music.
One final side note for fans who prefer, or whose schedule requires
them to do most of their listening in their vehicles: kudos to Silber
honcho Brian John Mitchell for making the extra effort of adding the
CD information to the disk, which displays the track titles on CD
players so equipped. An unfortunate aspect of the bleak artwork is
that the track titles are almost completely invisible, which is very
frustrating for reviewers and anal-retentive types like me who like
to know the name of the song they're listening to. So having it
scroll across the CD head unit is a technological advance that most
labels don't take the time (or expense) to provide their customers.
It may be a minor point, but it shows the dedication to his fans'
needs that Mitchell provides via his wonderfully eclectic label. So,
we highly recommend this personally remastered edition to fans of
Gothic, Darkwave, noirish, ambient soundscapists from 4AD-enizens,
Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, and Clan of Xymox to fans of The
Cure's "suicide trilogy" period, as well as former Lycia labelmates
at Projekt (Black Tape for A Blue Girl, Love Spirals Downward) and
the more commercial end of the Goth scene like Sisters of Mercy, The
Mission, Delerium, and Die Form.
~ Jeff Penczak, Terrascope Online

If you're one of the uninitiated, I'll admit it: there's really no
easy entrance into Cold, Lycia's fourth full-length (fifth, if you
count 1989's Wake). At first blush, it's overwrought and pretentious,
rife with any and every goth clich� you can think of, from Mike
VanPortfleet's sinister vocals to lyrics such as "All the aching
signs we miss/To live in purple scarlet bliss/And swim with jeweled
golden fish/And breathe the autumn air so crisp" ("Snowdrop") to
morose, shadowy atmospherics guaranteed to cause pale folks in long,
black robes to start swaying and swirling en masse.
The thing is, Lycia never attempt to deny any of this. They do
nothing to deny the clich�s inherent in their music. On the contrary,
they dive headlong into them with wild abandon, inhabiting them
fully, and never once shirking from the stylistic and aesthetic
ramifications. As such, the music certainly never transcends its
clich�s and tropes. Rather, the band's intensity and integrity
transforms those clich�s into something that feels wholly original,
lively, and perhaps most importantly, convincing.
Originally released in 1996, Cold is noteworthy for several reasons.
One, Cold marked the band's move towards a more atmospheric,
expansive sound. Two, its creation and release coincided with Mike
VanPortfleet's move from his native Arizona to the snowbound
wastelands of Ohio (hence the abundant winter imagery). Three, it was
essentially Lycia's "breakout" album, earning them fans outside their
original goth circles. And four, it marked Tara Vanflower's growing
role within the band, on both vocals and keys.
Even with a slight change in sonic direction, though, Cold is still
unmistakably Lycia. While the sound might move/drift in a more
ambient manner, the basic elements�VanPortfleet's skeletal whisper of
a voice, his brittle guitars, the ominous drum programming�remain the
same. Which, when it works, makes for pretty compelling stuff.
There are moments when Lycia gets a little too caught up in the mood
and the moment, and the music becomes a bit too pretentious for its
own good. However, that's always been the case with Lycia's music
going all the way back to Wake�and as I mentioned before, pretentious
really goes with the territory. But when Lycia hits their stride, all
of the pretense and bombast works entirely in their favor, and the
music feels more comprehensive and accomplished than portentous.
"Bare" is the album's standout track, and like much of the Vanflower-
laced tracks in the band's catalog, resembles a much darker, spookier
Cocteau Twins (think the Cocteaus attempting something along the
lines of Pornography).
If Victorialand was inspired by Antarctica's magical landscapes,
then "Bare" comes straight from the continent's long, sunless
winters, during which one's sanity is challenged by the nightbound
weeks as the aurora australis shimmers high overhead. VanPortfleet's
guitarwork is especially noteworthy here, capable of creating both
icy sheets of noise that seem to suck the very warmth from the air as
well as delicate, lofty notes that inject a little light and warmth
into the song's latter moments.
The band sounds nothing short of majestic on "Snowdrop", approaching
the hallowed territory of Dead Can Dance's earlier albums, back when
Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry were still exploring the mystical and
the arcane in their music. The song moves at a solemn, stately pace,
Vanflower's voice echoes between shimmering towers of icy synths, and
the entire song seems to be wrapped up in a winter wind so sharp and
cold, it takes the breath away.
Lycia's world can be a tough one to fully enter into, simply because
it's so easy and tempting to dismiss. However, once you set foot into
the band's dark, twilit realm and surrender, even just a bit, to
their whims and fancies, the effect is bracing and even thrilling�
much like the coldest and stiffest winter breeze you can imagine.
~ Jason Morehead, Opus

We wrote before about Lycia, of whom Silber Records are now releasing
five older CDs. Lycia was Mike van Portfleet (guitars, vocals, synth
and drum programs), David Galas (bass, synth, drumprograms, audio-
engineering) and Tara Vanflower on vocals. Of the planned re-issues,
apparently 'Cold' is the masterpiece, one of the top ten Goth albums
of all time, according to Alternative Press (maybe says something
about being alternative) and goth and me was never a good marriage.
Having said that and having played 'Cold', I must admit could
actually enjoy the music. It's absolutely nicely produced dark
popmusic, brought with a lot of pathos, heavy drums, dark minor
chords on the guitar and atmospheric synthesizers. Still, being an
old guy, I prefer the old Cure and Cocteau Twins records - I can even
admit having a Dead Can Dance record on my ipod - but I surely like
this as well. However the thought of hearing ten different goth
records in order to produce a top ten is of course a bridge too far.
~ Frans de Waard, Vital Weekly

Als recensent probeer ik platen altijd even de kans te geven. Voordat
ik mijn altijd weldoordachte mening (ahem) toevertrouw aan de wereld
speel ik een plaat meestal drie tot vier keer. Het is grappig om te
zien hoe sommige platen groeien in meerdere luisterbeurten. In eerste
instantie doet de muziek je weinig, maar met een paar keer luisteren
begin je een plaat meer te waarderen (en misschien ook wel te
begrijpen). Of niet natuurlijk. Andere platen blijven kleven. Als
stroop.
Lycia's Cold is typisch een plaat waar het woord "stroop" op van
toepassing is. De muziek blijft hangen en omhult je in een soort
zachte cocon. Het woord stroperig is ook van toepassing op de muziek
zelf. Of Lycia een grondlegger genoemd mag worden van het
genre "shoegazer" weet ik niet. Feit is wel dat de band al sinds 1988
bezig is en vaak van samenstelling heeft gewisseld, meerdere keren is
gestopt om daarna weer nieuw leven te zijn ingeblazen. Een tijd
hebben ze op Sam Rosenthal's label Projekt gezeten, in 2003 zijn ze
overgestapt op Silber Media die is begonnen hun platen opnieuw uit te
geven, gere-mastered door frontman Mike VanPortfleet. "Cold" stamt
dan ook origineel uit 1996.
Ik noemde dus al even de term shoegazer. Wie bekend is met het geluid
van bands op labels als Projekt of 4AD (denk Black Tape For A Blue
Girl of Cocteau Twins) weet ongeveer wel wat te verwachten. Noem het
shoegazer, noem het darkwave of ethereal. Het is rustige, om niet te
zeggen, lome, melancholische muziek, trage drums, wazige gitaar en
etherische zang wat allemaal verzuipt in galm. De nummers zijn stuk
voor stuk hypnotiserend en sterk en het album klinkt inderdaad koud.
Ik vind het moeilijk er toppers uit te kiezen, maar als het dan moet,
ik geniet heel erg van nummers als "Baltica" (waar ik invloeden van
Dead Can Dance in meen te herkennen) en "Drifting". Echt een plaat om
te spelen als je opgerold in een wollen trui in een stoel voor het
raam zit te genieten van sneeuwstorm in het vale ochtendlicht. Een
plaat om te beluisteren, te beluisteren en nog eens te beluisteren.
Songsoverruins
P.S. Ik ben altijd benieuwd geweest of je nu eigenlijk het verschil
kunt horen tussen het origineel en een geremasterde versie. Ik heb
toevallig het origineel en heb ze eens vergeleken op een goede
koptelefoon. D'r is inderdaad een verschil te horen, het geluid
klinkt wat voller en dieper (veel meer kan ik er als niet-audiofiel
ook niet over zeggen, ben ik bang).
~ IkEcht

MWVM: ROTATIONS
With icy blasts of condensation, Context. Where? has been charging
across the stereo field of my hifi for tha past few days. Michael
Walton has been here before under his mwvm moniker, drawing long
glissando drones from his customized guitar-based effects set-up.
Last year's debut self-titled EP opened a door to a more interesting
breed of guitar instrumental. Taking his lead from luminaries such as
Adam Wiltzie and Brian McBride (both collectively and individually),
Walton runs with these ideas and electrifies them. This particular
track has been available on the mwvm myspace page for a little bit,
but released from the myspace player it has been buffed and polished
until it shines.
Too often, so-called drone ambient artists ignore the grand romantic
sweep in favor of micro-dynamics, the random scratch of a radio dial,
the bluster of white noise feedback, but Walton steers a refreshingly
different course whereby distinct guitar resonances are built, layer
upon layer, frequency band upon frequency band creating distinct and
delicate melodies. Never once relying to clich� (of course completely
unlike this reviewer), his first full-length release, Rotations, is
set for release on September 25th by Silber Records.
This is music to be listened to and, as such, to categorize this as
ambient is dangerous. This album cannot be ignored and therefore
immediately breaks Eno's first law of ambient. Nevertheless, it
drifts with intent, at first lulling the listener then pummeling them
with sound. There have always been albums that have incited listeners
to play them loud. Here we have one that really does need it. To
listen to it quietly removes its sheer physicality.
Rather than the occasionally polite but floating drone of William
Basinski, mwvm slams into the target. You don't float with Rotations,
you drown in it, twisting and writhing. The immediacy of each melodic
and harmonic theme enveloping the listener within each track and the
album as a whole.
mwvm - Context. Where? MP3 from Rotations (Silber Records, 2007)
~ echo, D!M

style: shadowy minimal ambient
similar: other silber artists, NPR's Hearts of Space, 2001: a Space
Odyssey
rating: **** If you haven't yet experienced what a guitar can do
outside the conventional thinking box, rotations is a place to begin.
UK artist mwvm plays with guitars that produce otherworldly ambient
textures that you could swear are computer electronics and synth. The
UK artist has worked with guitar effects since the mid-90s and
finally releases this debut. Goody, there is much to explore here.
The coolest thing about rotations is that the tracks blend together
seamlessly. Mind expanding for sure.
~ Kenyon Hopkin, Advance Copy

Drone ambient is, unfortunately, appealing only to a very small
sliver of people.  The basic element of drone compositions is a
swelling and ebbing core of music that is wrapped by filaments of
other, smaller sounds.  This produces several elemental ideas that
replicate the outer darkness of space or an internal loneliness.
Whatever metaphor you choose, drone music can effectively provide a
center to be built around.
On Rotations, the ambient drone album from Silber's UK-based artist,
mwvm, better known as Michael Walton, there are 10 tracks of lengthy
(a good thing) pieces of guitar manipulations and repetitions
produced in an isolationist environment.  In so doing, the eeriness
and desolation of being alone reveals itself through the music.  This
can be a powerful thing if drunk in moments of self-introspection.
All of Rotations is intriguing if you pursue music in many forms,
drone ambient being one of them.  There are few artists producing
this type of melody and harmonics, much as there were few artists
dabbling in electronic manipulations back in the late `70s.  But
those that perfected the genre ruled it.
Michael Walton's mwvm is one of those pioneers, along with POD and
Fear Falls Burning (vidna obmana side project), that can evolve with
the music they produce in all of its industrialized, internalized,
and spacey madness.  Recommended for the adventurous.
~ Matt Rowe, Music Tap

`Rotations' is the debut album from County Durham UK, based musician
Michael Walton. Curiously I wonder what the name means, since I'm
assuming it's an abbreviation for four words with the first two being
Michael Walton, but the vm, perhaps only Michael could answer this
question.
That little mystery aside, Rotations is an album filled with sixty
one minutes of ambient guitar work, with absolutely no keyboards. I'm
really enjoying this record because it sounds a lot more melodic and
less drony than most artists in this genre. Also because most of the
songs share common traits with the calmest & dreamiest parts of post
rock bands like Godspeed You! Black Emperor or The Silver Mt. Zion.
Bands like Stars of the Lid, If Thousands, and Eluvium also seem to
come to mind as I listen to this charming record. The music is of
course very peaceful and leisurely paced, but even so at times the
music does get a little intense as displayed on `It's Easy To Be
Miserable' when a bit of harsh noise enters near the end. `Negative
Pole' is another example where there is a buzzing sort of noise
layered over the guitar drone, while the rest of the time spent on
this album is mostly a relaxing and beautiful sounding journey.
Michael Walton has given us a record that shares common
characteristics with ambient, post rock, and even some noisier
moments, but it all gels together nicely for one enjoyable experience
I suggest you check out.
~ Joe Mlodic, Lunar Hypnosis

Rotations features the kind of classy, odd ambient stuff that has
made the Silber label a household name among a small yet devoted
group of people around the globe. mwvm (none of the letters are
capitalized) is the solo project created by Michael Walton who
resides in County Durham in the United Kingdom. Walton's music
consists of all-instrumental electronics...slow, methodical, and
dreamy in nature. The guitar playing on this album is rather unusual
in that it is very hard to actually recognize the guitars. Much of
this music is so soft and subtle...that it is rather difficult to
describe. This is the sort of music that is best used to create odd,
surreal moods in your living environment. Tired of bopping around to
the latest catchy pop band? Or have you found yourself grinding your
teeth away once too often after too many loud blasts of harsh metal?
If so take a chill pill...put on Rotations...and allow yourself to
float away on a serene cloud of mental fluidity. Wonderful sounding
rich stuff...far too peculiar for the casual listener. Recommended.
~ Babysue

Ouch, this is going to be hard one. Behind MWVM is one Micheal Walton
from Durham, UK, and he started to play music in 1996 and adopted the
name MWVM in 2005. He plays a guitar and effect pedals. His music can
be classified as ambient music. When I played this CD I kept
thinking: Eno, Fripp, Fear Falls Burning, Hypnos, Stars Of The Lid.
Been there, done that, you know the drill. I could all to easily slag
this down as copycat # 2983, but actually I really like the music.
Nothing new under the ambient sun, but it's nice, it's entertaining,
it's atmospheric, it's beautiful. Music doesn't need to be per se new
and innovative in the Vital HQ, but it's nice if it is. If it isn't,
fine too, and we could simply enjoy the beauty of it and 'Rotations'
is certainly a beautiful album.
~ Frans de Waard, Vital Weekly

The field of electric guitar ambience -- feedback and tones played,
looped, treated, and more -- is now its own well-established
tradition, from the early experiments of Robert Fripp and Brian Eno
to any number of later drone artists. Michael Walton's formal debut
under the MWVM moniker is as a result familiar rather than something
strikingly new, but Rotations is nonetheless a lovely effort all
around, showing good skills in performing and arranging and signaling
a promising future. Notably, in an era of extremely clean home-
recording possibilities, Walton keeps the tape hiss in, much like
Dave Pearce, a partial sonic forebear, did with Flying Saucer
Attack. "Context. Where?," the excellent opener, captures that as
well as Walton's knack for meditative but triumphant arrangements --
if so many such compositions can feel like a warm sunrise, this feels
like an enveloping one. It makes further sense that the following
song would be called "Fireside," since again there's a sense of
embracing comfort in the high, slow swirl of tones -- there's little
overtly dark-as-such in Walton's work, no deep howling drones, but
instead a chilled contemplation that emphasizes serenity. "Celestial
Motion," with its back-and-forth collage touched with what sounds
like a heavenly choir of ghosts, might be the pinnacle of this part
of the album, while "Windows" plays up a piercing microsecond shriek
as the swells rise and fall without disrupting the mood. There's also
some dry humor at play -- a brief, moodier number is called "It's
Easy to Be Miserable."
~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

Drone and minimalist acts are not the easiest genres to listen to.
With slow, entrancing waves of sound that fade in and out as though
they had surpassed the flow of time itself, most drone is best
appreciated with headphones on and plenty of time to kill. mwvm's
debut album is no different, other than the fact that it seamlessly
blends the organic with the electronic. Whereas most drone and
ambient acts are quick to turn to computer generated sounds to
produce their music, mwvm's debut Rotations is made entirely with a
guitar and pedals. The result is a natural, flowing sound that at
times sounds electronically composed, and is an experience worth
diving into.
Rotations is particularly notable because every song on it sounds as
though it was composed with electronics. Michael Walton, the sole
musician behind this effort, is clearly experienced in the use of
delay pedals and various effects as he uses both to create layered
landscapes of sound that will pull the listener in and let them drift
among its various textures and melodies. Listening to many of the
songs on Rotations is similar to lying in the middle of a field and
letting the wind pass over you; it's calming and will put you at
peace.
Although some forms of drone focus on haunting sounds, mwvm is more
focused on melodic backdrops that repeat and slowly change. Walton
has created guitar sounds that often sound nothing like a guitar, and
could potentially fool some people into thinking otherwise. But make
no mistake, Rotations is an extremely minimalist album. This isn't an
album to drive to or listen to casually; it demands your full and
undivided attention.
Minimalist artists may not be everyone's style, but if you're able to
appreciate the genre or have an open mind then check out Rotations.
It seamlessly makes the organic sound electronic and provides ambient
backdrops that stimulate without becoming boring. Michael Walton has
showcased a unique way of playing the guitar that is both ambient and
entrancing, and hopefully people will take notice of that.
~ Chris Dahlberg, Cosmos Gaming

Michael Walton is a UK-based electronic musician that explores the
sonic capabilities of a manipulated electric guitar within the
constructs of the ten gorgeous instrumental tracks here. A seamlessly
sublime series of deeply cool ambient sound fields. Excellent,
subtle, nuanced and dreamily transportational drone-based works.
~ George Parsons, Dream Magazine

Durham resident, Michael Walton is mwvm (you're on your own figuring
what the "vm" stands for) and `Rotations' is his debut full length
release of minimalist guitarscapes in the classic tradition of
Remora, Aarktica, Windy & Carl and Stars of the Lid. The nebulous,
floating opener, `Context. Where?' immediately establishes a somewhat
confusing, sensory deprivation tank atmosphere as the listener
searches for terra firma, perhaps wondering: "Is that a keyboard�
guitar�synth�perhaps a violin�? Walton's work is all about harmonics�
drones� you won't find any "songs" here in the traditional
verse/chorus/verse structure. In fact, the beauty of the music is
that there is no structure to any of it, although I'm sure Walton may
argue that it's all carefully "constructed" in the Beefheartian
sense. You most certainly will feel warmth enveloping you as Walton's
guitars create a sense of returning to the womb, with the listener
perhaps subconsciously reliving the pre-birth period of floating in
amniotic fluid.
`Fireside' continues the soothing, relaxing atmosphere. Imagine
cuddling up beside it and letting its warmth overtake you, like
anesthesia slowly dissolving the mind into a state of waking
unconsciousness. But then there's an ominous, industrial metallic
sheen razorblading across `It's Easy To Be Miserable" that suggests
this track may not be the best track to listen to alone in the dark,
coming down from the previous evening's revelries! The lack of space
between tracks also invites the listener to experience `Rotations' as
a single track, with each of the ten titled segments representing a
slight mood swing� a variation on a central theme, whose meaning is
open to the individual interpretation of each listener. If I may
suggest several: a representation of the various stages of the
psychedelic experience, a transitional passage through different
levels of R.E.M. sleep, or perhaps a musical treatise on the fine
line between the conscious and unconscious worlds. As such, the album
can almost serve as a scientific experiment. I'd love to have a bunch
of wires attached to me and be loaded down into one of those sensory
deprivation tanks that William Hurt inhabited in `Altered States' and
have the album pumped in through headphones and then have the EEG/EKG
patterns my body emits under the influence of `Rotations' evaluated.
That's not to suggest by any means that you go home, drop a few
roofies and spread out on the couch and let `Rotations' do its thing.
But if you have been suffering from bouts of insomnia, the soothing,
ambient swashes of `Rotations' ethereal guitar strains is guaranteed
to lower your blood pressure a few notches.
From the ebb and flow of the title track and the backward phasing at
the beginning of `Oratory Clout' to the Tangerine Dream-like
soundtrack stylings of `Sleepy Crayfish,' `Rotations' does at times
sound like a hearing test, but for contemplative navel-gazing, I've
not heard a better soundtrack all year. Highly recommended to
snorecore enthusiasts, aerobic cybernauts and fans of Eno's ambient
period. I could also attest firsthand, that it'll take the sting and
aggravation out of a long, gruelling trek to work. Just roll up the
windows, crank this up, and enter a completely relaxed dimension
that's an instant cure for road rage. Just be sure to watch my rear
end, not hers!
~ Jeff Penczak, Terrascope Online

MWVM is het alter-ego van de Engelse Michael Walton. Volgens de
bijgeleverde persinformatie is deze man al sinds 1996 aan het
rondrommelen met pedaaltjes. Na een aantal goed ontvangen demo's is
Rotations zijn debuutalbum op Silber Media. Muzikaal gezien zit MWVM
in de hoek van ambient. Het zou allemaal uit een gitaar moeten komen,
maar het klinkt alsof het ook keyboards of orgels zouden kunnen zijn.
Je raadt het al, dit is warme, veellagige ambient, die af en toe eens
wat kouder of donkerder klinkt (bijvoorbeeld track 3 "It's Easy To Be
Miserable"), maar echt dark ambient is het niet. Nee, bij mij roept
het hele andere associaties op. Het eerste nummer "Context. Where?"
doet me nog het meeste denken aan rustigere instrumentale stukken van
Sigur R�s(zo rond de tijd van ( )). Track 4 "Negative Pole" roept
weer heel sterke associaties op met nummers van het album "Autumn
Calls" van Tor Lundvall en Tony Wakeford. Ook Troum is een naam die
bij me opkomt, voornamelijk omdat ook zij veelal gitaarmanipulaties
doen, maar nee, Troum is vaak net een tikkeltje duisterder. De
persinformatie noemt dan weer Lycia.
Je leest het al, voldoende aanknopingspunten dus. Zij die houden van
ambient / gitaarmanipulaties / drones zullen dit wel op prijs kunnen
stellen. MWVM zet naar mijn mening geen uniek geluid neer, het sterke
gevoel van herkenning die sommige nummers bij me oproepen is tekenend
hiervoor. Als hij echt uit het huidige kader wil stappen, dan raad ik
hem aan er nog wat andere instrumentalisten bij te halen, dat zou
voor hele, hele interessante muziek kunnen maken. Ik prijs dit
misschien niet de hemel in, maar de artiest is wel bekwaam in wat hij
doet en de plaat luistert erg plezierig weg.
~ IkEcht


ELECTRIC BIRD NOISE: FRAGILE HEARTS...FRAGILE MINDS
Electric Bird Noise gives us five reasons not to judge a band by any
single composition you might happen to hear from them. That is to say
at least on `Fragile Hearts...Fragile Minds,' EBN gives us five
diverse and interesting songs.
EBN is essentially the creation of Brian McKenzie whom began
experimenting with loops & effects ten years ago, but over the course
of many live shows and now three albums he's developed and changed
the sound of the band. In his own words Brian calls his
music `cinematic instrumental guitar music,' which obviously isn't
going to fully answer the question as to what this band plays.
The first song is just� odd. It's some sort of weird electronic piece
with a catchy melody to it, but it's unfortunately only a minute in
length. Track two features a memorable repetitive guitar riff melody
with keyboards and effects layered over it and a brief vocal
performance at the beginning. Track three features a curiously spooky
sort of sounding lead synth melody with a backing drum track to it,
and adds some heavier electronics in the middle and at the end. This
is definitely the best this album has to offer. The fourth song
features a distorted piano with some sort of backing noise, but
honestly this is the albums lowest point. Finally we come to the last
song, which happens to be a staggering twenty six minute ambient post
rock like piece.
Collectively Fragile Hearts...Fragile Minds runs for just thirty
seven minutes, and therefore you should get an idea as to how short
the other songs on this album are. It's weird because the first four
or at least the first three seem like more could have been added to
them almost as if they were unfinished. All in all though, EBN gives
five very different compositions that are of varying quality, some
great (2 & 3), some good (1 & 5), and some just bad (4).
~ Joe Mlodic, Lunar Hypnosis

REMORA: SONGS I SING
Songs I Sing is a perfectly descriptive title for this collection, as
that's what's on it. Its genesis was the songs Remora (Brian John
Mitchell) would find himself singing a cappella on-stage, to fill
time while switching instruments or changing a guitar string. He took
these songs and recorded them, mostly in a house but also, in a
couple cases, in a hotel room and as a voicemail message. Strung all
together like this, they form a strange and alluring animal: a
demonstration of how disorienting yet comforting one voice singing
can be. Some resemble the quickly written, straight-from-the-head
songs of a child ("Half-Birthday", "Sores"), others reverent hymns
("We Will Fall", which structurally resembles a prayer but lyrically
more of a confessional letter). There's some element of folk
tradition in these too, no matter how humorously or jokingly it's
conveyed. (No surprise, then, when he sings "Motherless Child"). He
sings sometimes in a Townes Van Zandt-style troubadour's voice ("I
Called Your Mom"), sometimes the same way he sings Remora's usual
song-drones, sometimes demonic ("Heartworms"), and sometimes in a
wicked-fast, odd way (the shortest songs, generally). All in all,
this album comes off like a joke/experiment, but it's also hard to
shake, resembling as it does the ghosts of voices past, strung
together as one. Think of exorcisms, of spirits singing through
people, but also those goofy little ditties we all sing to our loved
ones, in the moment.
~ Dave Heaton, erasing clouds

Known for his guitar driven explorations into soundscapes and noise,
Remora (aka Brian John Mitchell) also adds vocals to many of his
songs, making for an interesting combination of music, sound and
voice. Songs I Sing is quite different for Brian, being a 13 track,
18 minute, vocal only work. The story is that Brian was touring with
Rollerball and because he could only bring one guitar out west with
him he would have to restring the instrument on stage whenever he
broke strings. So he would keep the audience occupied by improvising
songs during the restringing, which Shane of Rollerball liked so much
he wanted to release on his North Pole label.
Most of the songs are less than two minutes and several less than one
minute. Just fun little statements, and at times feeling like sing-
song spoken word. While this is absolutely not the disc to introduce
newcomers to Remora, it will appeal to those well familiar with
Brian's work. I think it was even easier for me to appreciate because
I've had the opportunity to see Brian perform live twice this summer.
(No, he didn't break any strings but we were treated to his songs
anyway.)
Of the 13 songs, three are covers. Coil's "Heartworms" is a standout.
I never heard the original but I love the double tracked voice
singing "there's too much blood in my alchohol". Brian does a good
job with The Stooges' "I Will Fall", which of any Stooges song is
probably the most amendable to the kind of vocal treatment Brian is
working with. Brian also cover's Rollerball's "Sores", and if you pop
the CD in your computer you'll find a video of the song (in AVI,
Quicktime and MPEG formats).
~ Jerry Kranitz, Aural Innovations

Brian John Mitchell si occupa della sua Silber Records da oltre dieci
anni. Da altrettanto tempo pubblica dischi a nome Remora. Affreschi
alienanti della disumanizzazione post industriale. "Songs I Sing" �
invece un'altra cosa. Una raccolta di una dozzina di canzoni cantate
a cappella con l'accompagnamento solo di un delay e di Jessica
Bailiff al mixer. L'idea di registrare queste canzoni bizzarre �
venuta a Shane De Leon dei Rollerball dopo aver sentito Brian
intonare alcune melodie a cappella mentre accordava le sue chitarre
durante alcuni tenuti assieme nel 2005. Tra le tredici canzoni
di "Songs I Sing" - che insieme non superano i sedici minuti di
durata � ci sono anche un tradizionale, "Motherless Child, una cover
degli Stooges, "We Will Fall", una dei Coil, "Heartworms", e una dei
Rollerball, "Sores", di cui il cd contiene anche un video.
~ ROBERTO MANDOLINI, Losing Today

ORIGAMI ARKTIKA: TROLLEBOTN
Every once in awhile an extremely interesting release comes along
that despite being absolutely intriguing to listen to, one realizes
it won't have universal appeal. Origami Arktika's latest album
Trollebotn is one such release. Mixing in traditional Norwegian folk
songs with ambient and haunting instrumentals, this is an extremely
atmospheric and absorbing release if given the chance. But as it is
entirely in Norwegian, that appeal is not as universal as one would
like.
Origami Arktika took quite a bit of time to record this album, as
they had retrieved the songs from those who still remembered them
(they were beginning to fade away into legend and folklore). Not only
that, but Trollebotn was recorded outside on a remote island near
where the original legends came from. The result of this is an
extremely unique and natural sounding album that mixes instrumentals
in with the sounds of nature that were surrounding the band. Each and
every song is extremely ambient, and often minimalist in nature. It
may be hard to get into for some, but this album is almost tribal in
its unique use of instrumental compositions.
What is going to severely limit this release for some listeners is
the fact that all of the vocals are in Norwegian. Because of this
many people are going to be unable to understand the lyrics, and as I
cannot speak Norwegian either I will not be analyzing them. However,
vocalist Rune Flaten does a great job singing on this album. Flaten's
voice has an almost otherworldly sound to it as he sings each folk
song in his native language.
Trollebotn isn't going to appeal to the mainstream because of how
different it is. But those with an open mind who don't bash something
just because it's unique will find an extremely compelling album that
is almost a key to Norway's past. Most may not be able to understand
the lyrics, but that doesn't keep Origami Arktika's latest
masterpiece from being a mysterious and entrancing release.
~ Chris Dahlberg, Cosmos Gaming

The music of the album is related with Trollebotn, a small area in
Telemark in Norway with a wide open landscape and with a lake and
mountains, a wild place associated with trolls and mountain giants.
It used to be a backwards area with remains of extremely old customs
and habits. In a time of further globalisation with fast
consumingcultivation and regulation of land and all that is on it,
this not only means that so much diversity in nature dies out ; the
same happens in the diversity of mankind and all its privately kept
and communal secrets, but also all the local variations of more
recognisable memories and life stories. I just read that every two
weeks another language dies out, and together with it all its
customs, myths but also specific wisdoms related with certain areas,
and learned in and for specific circumstances. But sometimes just
variations of what is generally known dies out as well. Origami
Arktika decided to sit down and try to preserve and relive all of
what is left in especially Rune Flaten's memory, because he had some
of his musical roots in this area. Some traditional folk songs from
Trollebotn and surrounding areas were suggested, and the group worked
on them and let them mould very organically into something they felt
most comfortable with. To succeed well in this, and with respect for
preservation, and also in order to get the right feelings, just in
case, not to be distracted from the true sense in them, they went for
the recording session to this secluded island and shut themselves of
from the rest of the world for a week, playing day and night. Eating,
drinking and diving for the sea-serpent (the local legend) while not
making music. Only a few extra musical additions were added later
near Oslo.
A first thing that is great about the concept is that there is
included great background info with each song, and for the Nordic
people, lyrics, something which adds depth to the songs. The music is
much improvised.
The first track, "Anne Sit Heime", a lullaby, is softly accompanied
by a repetitive pattern by the band, a result which works with a
humming to sleep trance effect (even when the band uses drums and
electric guitars). But also the next few tracks sound similar as if
an old lady sings them to her children, while the band accompanies
them with drums, bass, thumbpiano, percussion, rhythmically and with
the same kind of humming drone effect. At other times the band plays
more organically and technically free, and then it is as if the
natural elements of the area reveal itself, with similar sounds like
a wooden boat on water, iron or tin clancking to wood and so on, but
also with use of water sounds or a soft rhythmically thunder-like
bass drumming. The songs and also the stories behind them have very
much the desolateness of the area in them, where you cannot escape
from circumstances even when new things happen. In that way the band
captured this well and express all the sad ballads moodily with a new
contemporary sound.
~ Acid Folk Review

PLUMERAI: WITHOUT NUMBER
Plumerai 'Without Number' kicks off with a sunshine summer dub vibe.
It's an intriguing listen this one. It's kind of straight up indie
pop with a hint of shoegaze from the use of effects. The female vocal
is very sexy. Even though there are many elements which are tried and
tested it somehow feels fresh. CD only on Silber.
~ Norman Records

Judging by the two tracks the band have available for streaming on My
Space the band have not diverted away from their ethereal, sometimes
Gothic tinted sound, that was apparent on their previous release Res
Cogitans. If you like The Sundays, The Cranes, Cocteau Twins and the
vocals of Beth Gibbons or Alison Shaw then Plumerai could be just for
you. Interesting and worth checking out.
~ Indie-Mp3.co.uk

After the magnificent 2006 EP, Res Cogitans, Plumerai could go
seemingly no higher with their spectrally intimate, drone drenched
rock sound. It was already ideal. An American version of Portishead �
yes, those progenitors of trip-hop on these soils � helmed by the
plaintively enigmatic vocalist, Elizabeth Ezell, the Boston area band
felt like something familiar, like flannel.
Only a lavish flannel. And one with a terribly garish floral pattern,
instead of stolid, masculine stripes.
This is 2007, a new year, and Without Number is the subsequent new
LP. Transferring many of the tracks from the Res Cogitans sessions,
the new effort feels like a natural extension of the same. Haunted at
its core; wickedly smart; a seamless quilt of warm bodied tales,
there are a scarce few missteps (except the Latin tinged "Sin El
Lagarto" � weird choice) and many more reasons to believe this is one
of the better bands of their pedigree. Plumerai plays slow building
("Avernal") Gothic infused ("Lavina") and familiarly anthemic songs
("Home Again") throughout their nine track showcase.
An act to attach devoted attention to, Plumerai comes from a place
where it is always the loveliest dim autumn afternoon.
~ Erick Mertz, Semiurban Cartography

Hey Starz,

I hope everyone is doing well.  Been real busy here gearing up these
new releases (check them out at www.silbermedia.com ).

In the new issue of Aural Innovations there's an interview with me
about Remora & Silber.  Read it at
http://www.aural-innovations.com/issues/issue37/bjm01.html

Our friend Patricia Russo has one of her stories read on Drabblecast,
check it out at http://tinyurl.com/2bmc7o

I've been thinking lately about offering Silber Releases for digital
download directly from us at a significantly higher bit-rate than
iTunes & at a slightly lower price.  What do you think?  Is it worth
the hassle?

hrt
Brian John Mitchell

Hey Kidz,

Those of you who haven't gone to the Silber front page (
www.silbermedia.com ) in the past few days may be in for a surprise.
We got a ton of new stuff getting ready to come out & you can get
your audio samples to see if you want to purchase them.

Street date September 25, 2007 - pre-orders shipping now.
Lycia: Cold
    A re-issue of Lycia's darkwave classic.
mwvm: rotations
    Debut album from England's unsung indie-ambient guitar
experimenter.

Street date October 16, 2007 - pre-orders shipping mid-September
Plumerai: Without Number
    Plumerai returns with their post pop music of sultry female vocals
& glistening guitars.
Origami Arktika: Trollebotn
    Folk songs of Norway with an apocalyptic edge.  Seriously, hard to
describe....

New Non-Silber Releases Available
Electric Bird Noise: Fragile Hearts...Fragile Minds
    Cinematic & layered guitar music for fans of space rock, post
rock, or darkwave.
Remora: songs i sing
    A capella EP from Remora including covers of the Stooges ("We Will
Fall") & Coil ("Heartworms") as well as classics from the Remora live
show "Chickadee" & "Half-Birthday".

hrt
Brian John Mitchell

Hey kidz,

I hope you all are well.  Things are kind of strange around here
lately, more money from digital downloads & less physical units.  I
don't like it because I have had people tell me that most of the
Silber releases loose a lot of their sonics with the current standard
compression ratio there & also I don't get in contact with the people
& community is what Silber is all about.  On the other hand I know it
is the future.

Speaking of downloading, there was a 40 minute long piece from a radio
session at WCSB that's a collaboration between Brian from Electric
Bird Noise & Brian from Remora (who are actually two separate
individuals).  It was recorded by Ryan Kuehn & you can download it for
free at
http://www.thursday-club.net/sound/Electric_Bird_Noise_and_Remora_on_WCSB_6-9-7.\
mp3


The re-issue of Cold arrived yesterday afternoon.  We should be
prepping it for sale & get it up on the site next week.

There are a lot of other new releases coming soon by Plumerai, Origami
Arktika, & Hotel, Hotel.  So it should be another big year at Silber,
though hopefully not driving me as insane as last year.

Remora is looking for a show in the Cleveland area on Thursday July 12
as well as something in Virginia off the I-95 corridor on Tuesday July
10 if any of you have any ideas, please write to silberspy@...

Thank you all for your time & support, it keeps us going.

hrt
Brian John Mitchell

Hey Kidz,

Maybe some of you already heard about it, but QRD issue 33 (The
Father's Day issue) is now online for your reading pleasure at
www.silbermedia.com/qrd   The interviews are with various artistic
dads about the balance between career & family.  The interviewees are:
Benjy Johnson (Benjomatic), Chris Olley (Six by Seven), Josh Howard
(Dead at 17), Patrick Ogl (Thanatos), Martin Bowes (Attrition), Sam
Rosenthal (Black Tape for a Blue Girl), William Amundson (Change in
Tymes (Nathan of Rivulets' father)), Aaron Molina (If Thousands),
D.A. Sebasstian (Kill Switch Klick), Alan Sparhawk (Low), Shane
Sauers (Miss Massive Snowflake), Rune Flaten (Origami Arktika), Tore
Boe (Origami Republika), Timothy Renner (Stone Breath), Mats
Gustafsson (The Broken Face), Chris Wade (The Wades), Nevada Hill
(The Zanzibar Snails), Wayne Barnes (Tom Dooley & the Lovelights
(Jamie Barnes's father)), Dan Sostrom (Tonevendor), Joe Kendrick
(WNCW), Jason Wallach (The Unquiet Void)

So spread the word & I hope you dig the issue.

hrt
Brian John Mitchell