When an album of Ambient Music opens with the reverberant
sound of someone yanking the cork out of a wine bottle, one
knows that one is in for something special. Thus is the
beginning of the album "Stars End" (37'36") by Blow Up
Hollywood. Recorded live on the 14 November 2004 broadcast
of the STAR'S END radio program, Stars End is the somewhat
edited version of the on-air concert. Up until the evening of this
radio concert, Blow Up Hollywood existed as a rock band that
produced soulful and moody pop songs through the exploration
of texture and atmosphere. The opportunity to do an unstructured
ambient set on STAR'S END inspired the then present
members: Thad DeBrock (guitars, processing), Dave Eggar
(cello), Steve Messina (voice, guitar) and Daniel Mintseris
(keyboards), to expound upon material utilized previously in their
music as ornamentation. The result is a most coherent ambient
jam session - the emotional arc of which gently snakes through
the set, creating its own wondrous dreamscape as it goes. In
space, everything sounds better with digital reverb, and this
recording has plenty. Navigating through the clouds slowly and
with care, DeBrock's looped E-bow guitar tones and breathing
washes of warm chords are contrasted against Mintseris'
well-placed static glitches and subtle dream samples.
Resolving the tension is the embracing sound of Eggar's cello,
which flows ribbon-like among the stars and planets. The first
several moments of this session are multi-layered and lulling.
Following this drifting interlude, the mood transitions into
something akin to the unpredictably surreal scenarios conjured
up during deep sleep. Here Messina's sleepy acoustic guitar
picking, delirious if muted rantings and further wine bottle antics
elevate this work from one of mere unified improvisation to that
of nuanced connections... between musicians and listeners.

Tune in to STAR'S END for music by Blow Up Hollywood and
their most recent album "Stars End"

For more on Blow Up Hollywood, access:
http://www.blowuphollywood.com

For photos of Blow Up Hollywood live on STAR'S END, acccess
the STAR'S END Profile:
http://www.starsend.org/blowuphollywood.html

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STAR'S END broadcasts every Saturday night/Sunday morning
from 1am-6am (EDST) on:

88.5fm WXPN Philadelphia, PA
88.1fm WXPH Harrisburg, PA
90.5fm Worton/Baltimore, MD
104.9fm Allentown, PA

and live on the web...

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Chuck van Zyl
Host of STAR'S END Ambient Radio
http://www.starsend.org