spires that in the sunset rise / the iditarod

spires that in the sunset rise ~ mirror cave (perfect wave, 2014) 

‘Mirror Cave’ is a conceptual album in 8 movements based on Italo Calvino’s short story ‘Sword of the Sun’ interspersed with excerpts from Shinkichi Takahashi’s ‘After-Images: Zen Poems.’ In a face-off with the ego, Palomar (Kathleen Baird) observes, reacts, contemplates, struggles and finally transcends how the “sword” of the sun’s reflection on the ocean always appears to stop exactly at his very own eye. Taralie Peterson represents some other dimension of reality~”the sensation that you are here but could not be here in a world that could not be but is.”  

Recorded in spring of 2013, STITSR later connected with Providence based artist Erik Ruin on a colorful 28-page offset printed booklet to accompany the live recording that combines hand-drawn text, ink drawings and scratchboard elements in layered and unexpected ways." 

Kathleen Baird ~ flute, voice and Taralie Peterson ~ cello, voice

listen/buy the cassette book ~ listen/buy 

the iditarod ~ foxfur and rarebits (morc, 2014) 

"this album brings together oddments ~ compilation tracks, plus a previously unreleased live recording ~ and, although these songs were never meant to be together as an album, they do work as one. If you randomly pick two EP or compilation tracks or outtakes of The Iditarod,and  you put them together, they strangely make sense." morc 

order the 12'' vinyl ~  listen/buy

hay discos que siempre se acogen con los brazos abiertos, nombres especiales de los que ya nunca esperarías que volvieran a dar señales de vida. y de repente las sorpresas y las casualidades hacen que coincidan The Iditarod y Spires That in the Sunset Rise, para mí siempre tan parecidos, casi en el mismo día. aunque la canciones de The Iditarod en realidad no son nuevas, de ahora, (hay una inédita en directo y muchas que ya habían aparecido en recopilatorios), sigue siendo un regalo reencontrarse con su paraíso folk, con la voz de Carin Wagner, dulce hasta derretirse, el cello y el banjo de Sharron Kraus y el glockenspiel y la guitarra de Jeffrey Alexander. 'where the cold winds blow' es demasiado bonita y me recuerda a 'the turin horse'. 'mirror cave' de Spires That in The Sunset Rise es la plenitud. me gusta casi más que sus dos últimos lps y conecta de alguna forma con la música que escucho últimamente. inclasificable en épocas y lugares, tiene una flautilla muy 'libray music' que lo inunda todo, un aura a cabaret y a cosas antiguas que me encanta. y la voz inabarcable de Kathleen Baird, otra gran dama del folk favorita desde los inicios del blog y a la que siempre recordaremos con especial cariño por ser la autora de 'calm in trees'. 'la sensación de que estás aquí pero podrías no estar en un mundo que podría no ser, pero es." ya sólo faltaría un nuevo disco de Davenport y otro de Black Forest/Black Sea...

kemialliset ystävät

kemialliset ystävät - harmaa laguuni (secret eye 2008)

"Kemialliset Ystävät (based in Tampere, Finland) is the drunken bird's dream, the mouldy instrument, the song of half past four am joy, people bathing in fairy's pee and releasing the enchanting sound and the tantalising sound. They have been active movers in the Finnish underground for over a decade now, slowly building their own castle of sound. Someone wrote that is was like "landscapes glimpsed from a train: marching band melodies scored for duck calls and bells, huge fields of teleporting percussion, accordion-led music box refrains and heartbreaking almost-songs carried on tides of wordless vocals". With members coming and going, the music of Kemialliset Ystävät is always moving to new and unknown territories.

Harmaa Laguuni feature performances from quite a few of our favorite Finnish noisemakers, including members of Avarus, Kiila and Es. Also - Tom & Christina Carter of Charalambides guest! All exclusive tracks, this was released for Kemialliset Ystävät's 2008 usa tour. Limited tour-only release...and not available in stores! Eat up. Fast." secret eye

download

nalle

nalle - live cdr (secret eye 2008)

"Nalle from Glasgow, Scotland are Hanna Tuulikki (vocals, kantele, flute), Aby Vulliamy (viola) & Chris Hladowski (bouzouki, clarinet) - they are also members of The One Ensemble. Beautiful improvisation, folky instrumentation, lovely floating vocals. We prepared this live cd-r to coincide with Nalle's first usa tour (March 2008), which was booked by Secret Eye. Numbered edition of 100."

download

spires that in the sunset rise

spires that in the sunset rise - curse the traced bird (secret eye 2008)

"The fourth album by Chicago avant rock trio Spires That in the Sunset Rise is the group's most musically direct and immediately accessible work yet. The album was recorded in Philadelphia in collaboration with the Philly acid folk veteran Greg Weeks at his own Hexham Head Studio; members of Weeks' band, Espers, contribute as well. Gone is the deliberately noisy "free folk" aesthetic, in favor of a more controlled blend of folk, psychedelia, and Sun City Girls-like world music explorations, like the dramatic "Equus Haar" which weaves influences that echo Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, and North Africa at the same time. Even at the album's most chaotic points, such as the dissonant interludes of oddly tuned harmonies and gamelan-like percussion that recur throughout the nearly ten-minute epic "Party Favors" there is a sense of restraint that was rarely a factor in earlier Spires That in the Sunset Rise releases. One song, "Java Pop", is so direct and tuneful (with backing vocals by Weeks and a hypnotic central riff) that it's easily the closest the group has ever come to a straightforward pop song. Those who liked singer/guitarist Kathleen Baird's more measured solo work (under her own name and as Traveling Bell) but found earlier Spires That in the Sunset Rise forbiddingly impenetrable will certainly find Curse the Traced Bird more to their liking. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide

es casi lo más bonito que han hecho nunca, tremendamente bonito. tengo mi primera favorita y es Pouring mind, un pastel rosa y suave que me recuerda a Pocahaunted. y Black earth, tan decadente, tan hipnótica, con esa voz casi monacal de Kathleen Baird. no sé qué más decir, sólo que como siempre me encanta

download

larkin grimm

larkin grimm - the last tree (secret eye, 2006)

"Larkin Grimm left her bedroom fantasies and took a next step into the world, rambling and with inspiration open, and with socialized musical interaction, from nature calls to haunting memories (personal experiences with relationships, or Appalachian ideas of traditions), as well as fantasies and hidden experiences, or direct interactions. Sometimes she becomes the voice of the woods, the shamanic survivor with her own freedom, than she becomes the traveller in quest, thinking of things that are lost, lonely heading forward, but meeting new surprises. There’s interesting guitar structured improvised playing, but also loose found sounds, and moody colouring. Each song is recorded on another location and mostly with different people. The most brilliant contribution is the 7 year old Sadie Underhill singing in a strange vibrato and with incredibly well done open timing -she also wrote the lyrics-. Larkin showed with this new release a richer world than before, which sipped real diary-like poetry into its musical context." Psychedelic Folk

Larkin sings and plays guitar, dulcimer, bells, chimes, wall, floor, bass, flute, pennywhistle, whistling, drum; John Grimm : fiddle, mandolin; Annelise Grimm : cowbell; Tom Van Busrick : drums; George Langford : guitar; Jacques Russell : barking; Teppei Ozawa : voice, guitar; Haley O'Connor : hammond organ; Sophia Dixon : drums; Kelly Cook : flute, drums; Lara Polangco : voice, banjo, tabla, tambourine, autoharp, cello, zither, chair, slaps, orgasm; Mother Nature : rainstorm, Sadie Underhill (age 7!): voice, lyrics; Haley & Kelly : pennywhistle

ya no sé cuántos discos bonitos he escuchado este año. y éste es bonito bonito... sobre todo si te gusta Josephine. porque suena a: Josephine Foster, Faun Fables, strange fruit, The Iditarod... mi canción preferida es No moonlight, preciosa. por no hablar de Rocky Top, con Lara Polangco acompañando y arropando con su voz, su banjo y su pandereta el silbido de Larkin.

file under: grandes damas del folk.

entrevista a larkin grimm

the last tree (mp3)
little weeper (mp3)

kathleen baird

kathleen baird - lullaby for strangers (secret eye, 2006)

sé que hay un duende en Aldea F. que espera el nuevo disco de Spires that in the Sunset Rise con impaciencia, por eso nada como el delicioso Lullaby for Strangers de una Spire, Kathleen Baird, para ir abriendo boca. antes conocida como Traveling Bell, Kathleen es una debilidad desde 'Calm in Trees', canción mágica y especial donde las haya y que nunca me cansaré de escuchar y recomendar. su sonido es envolvente, su voz arrulla y parece venida de otro plano, sus canciones son hipnóticas y levemente orientadas hacia el cabaret 'como si de una Pierrot femenina' se tratara, como una especie de ángel que susurra viejas canciones de Nico al oído, como unos Faun Fables adormecidos y perezosos. nanas para extraños de la magnitud de With which these waters swarm, melodías festivas, cortas y hechas con cariño como en el caso de Bury Deeper, violas dulces y chelos tensos, cajitas de música y pianos sollozantes, historias que hablan de romper tejados, de tormentas que tranquilizan, de sentarse en la orilla y escuchar el sonido del mar en una caracola. dicen que Morning Song #1 suena como si Kathleen tocase el órgano en el claro de un bosque. a David F le recuerda a Rosemary's Baby, canción compuesta por Krzysztof Komeda y cantada por Mia Farrow para la película La Semilla del Diablo...a mí me vuelve loca, como Spires That in the Sunset Rise, como Traveling Bell y como Kathleen Baird.

Breaking the Roofs

Morning Song #2

Solving, dissolving forces (de Traveling Bell)

Let You Go (de Traveling Bell)

The artist revealed is Taralie Dawn #7 (de Tar Pet aka Taralie Dawn)

avarus

avarus - jättiläisrotta (secret eye/lal la lal, 2005)

a veces es necesario dejar pasar el tiempo y volver a ciertos discos una vez pasada la resaca. el paso del poquito tiempo no le ha restado ni una de sus virtudes a Jättiläisrotta. el disco más negro y tribal de Avarus, el más incómodo. y el más tremendo

"Jättiläisrotta (Secret Eye) cycles between rumbling free jazz, airy tribalism, and spaced-out Day of Niagara sessions. They manage also to slip the lovely underwater, near-folk strum-a-long "Ahoistava Haisemisen Loordi" into the mix. "Prinssihalonen" kicks up a chiming psychedelic vortex as powerful as anything Avarus has done to date. The strings are skyrockets and the boom-crash chugga-chugga drums are a treat. Throughout, think Sunburned Hand of the Man, perhaps the collective's best, kindred analogue." - Brandon Stosuy for Pitchfork

"Avarus have reached new heights on "Jättiläisrotta." This is fun music. It's about sitting down with friends with a few drinks and having a good time. Now if only every such encounter would produce such fantastic aural results. Avarus are definitely one-of-a-kind." - Brad Rose for Foxy Digitalis

"The wide-eyed forest dwellers of Avarus come from the pool of Finnish musicians that spawned the magnificent Kemialliset Ystävät. They play a brand of music on the outer extremes of the free-folk movement. A spirit of drugged-out frenzy drives this relentlessly changing music, resulting in songs that evolve like a species: not on an obvious linear path, but in fits and starts-obeying a strange logic inaccessible to the players themselves. Avarus conjures a gorgeous and frightening musical object, and they capture the feeling of mystery of music on acid." - Bryan Berge from Stylus Magazine

"Avarus will melt your mind and free your soul. Wander into their dark forest and join the tribe"

Amurin Hiuskolmio (mp3)

Ahdistava Haisemisen Loordi (mp3)

Live in Turku (mp3)

auto da fe

auto da fe - the spectre (secret eye, 2006)

las sorpresas agradables de Secret Eye son siempre bienvenidas, y ésta es una de ellas. Auto da Fe son Martin Kvisvic (Pyramids on Mars, Amps For Christ) y Tara Tavi (Amps For Christ, Soddamn Inssein, Aye Aye Captain, Blue Silk Sutures y ThunderSnail). dieciocho canciones grabadas entre el 2000 y el 2002, exóticas e inspiradas, como una plácida y ensoñadora ventisca por cuyos remolinos flotan Spires that in the Sunset Rise, Thai Elephant Orchestra, Black Ox Orchestar, las Malas Amistades, Linda Perhacs y docenas de miles de instrumentos ( yang qin, guzheng, tambur, bouzouki, tablas, wood marimba, balalaika, handmade electric zithers, Gothic harp, Chinese banjo, Tibetan temple cymbals, bells, traditional guitar, bass, trumpet, drums). en myspace dicen sentirse influidos por Asia , Europa del este, la música medieval, Oriente Medio, Appalacian folk, los fantasmas, las historias de fantasmas y la tecnología antediluviana. 'una mezcla de Naxi Chinese folk Orchestra, Polynesian, Tibetan, Gypsy y Anglo Saxonery'. música colorida y original, brillante por momentos (little alili, mao meow, the spectre, amanda blaine, neptune society ball...)

Bao Ba Cha

Dynasty of Drums

Past Times

the one ensemble of daniel padden

The One Ensemble of Daniel Padden - Live at Vpro Radio (Brainwashed, 2006)

"The album's air is thick with the sweat and steam of Eastern European traditional Gypsy music, heavy doses of Klezmer, touches of Flamenco, and Russian stylings. The cello and voluptuary viola build and capture the gorgeous driving windswept widescreen feel of these ineffably romantic genres. The One Ensemble of Daniel Padden may mine same territory as acts like A Hawk and a Hacksaw, Silver Mt. Zion, and Black Ox Orkestar, but this release packs in many more obvious moments of passion and merriment."

'Released in a limited edition of 500 letterpress sleeves, handmade by Michael Babcock of Interrobang Letterpress.'

(daniel padden y las notas de cello, de viola, de bouzouki y de guitarra más perfectas del mundo de los cellos las violas los bouzoukis y las guitarras)

Clown Flinging , Sleep Norway Sleep, Weevils, The Tumble Waltz

long live death

Long Live Death - Bound to the Wheel (Secret Eye, 2005)

"Long Live Death is a communal folk group based in Baltimore, RI who compose spooky, commie folk for gong, musical saw, cello, and vocals. Legend has it that one night in 2003 while touring with Will Oldham, the entire group stripped naked and danced in the aisles. Recently we here at Secret Eye were informed that the gong they play is named "Thunder Expressions" and it is only struck with a one-of-a-kind mallet who goes by the name of "Electric Destiny." They share members with popular rock'n'roll band, Oxes." secret eye

Bound to the Wheel

That Summer

Anna's Song

Strings of Time

Patience through all worlds (de "To Do More Than God... To Die")

the big huge

The Big Huge - A Woven Page of Silver Light (Secret Eye, 2005)

Wrapped in the Cloths of Heaven, North Country

The Big Huge - Crown Your Head With Flowers, Crown Your Heart With Joy (Secret Eye, 2005)

Harbor to a Hill, Willie o' Winsbury

Nick Drake y Nick Castro (Atop a secret mountain) Richard Buckner, Will Oldham y Nick Castro (A Fond Farewell)..pero sobre todo Alasdair Roberts y Appendix Out (Autumnal Hymn, Bonnie Boy,...) y la increíble Lows at The Highland Game.
The Big Huge son Michael Lambright, Jim Redd, Chris Freeland y Drew Nelson. Drew estaba en los atmosféricos Sonna. A Woven Page fue grabado por Micah Blue Smaldone en la casa de Creberous Shoal. Folk británico en Baltimore...

fotos: copyright depuis 1965

black forest, black sea, black forest, black sea...

Black Forest, Black Sea - Black Forest, Black Sea (Asphalt Duchess, 2005)

publicado originalmente en Secret Eye y Last Visible Dog, otra oportunidad de redescubrir el primer disco de Jeffrey Alexander (The Iditarod) y Miriam Goldberg, gracias esta vez al semidesconocido Asphalt Duchess.

Folk, cámara...acción: destellos electrónicos, búhos, ríos, néctar, Charalambides, Fursaxa, Rachel's y grandes dosis de experimentación...un universo mágico y deslumbrante donde el cello de Miriam Goldberg y los suaves acordes de guitarra de Jeffrey Alexander lo son casi todo. Desde la ventana se ven los bosques nevados, se escucha el ruido húmedo del río arrastrando las hojas secas, y risas apagadas que parecen venir de la parte más alta de los árboles, allí donde, como aseguraba Via Nuon, las hojas bloquean el sol. Después de esto tomarían impulso, cogerían fuerza y nos regalarían los monumentales 'Radiant Simmetry' y 'Forcefields and Constellations'.

Sevastopol, Blackbird On Gray Sky, Banjo Song, Fish No Fish, I'm in love..., Tangent Universe, Radio Citta del Capo, Bologna, Morden Tower, Newcastle upon Tyne

(las tres primeras canciones son de Black Forest/Black Sea, las tres siguientes de Forcefields and Constellations y las dos últimas de Radiant Symmetry. Todas preciosas, pero Tangent Universe en especial, por la inesperada y aterciopelada voz de Miriam Goldberg, tan expresiva, tan personal..tan única)

spires that in the sunset rise

spires that in the sunset rise - four winds the walker (secret eye, 2005)

Spires that In The Sunset Rise, cuatro mujeres de Chicago : Kathleen Baird - Vocals, acoustic, electric and slide-guitar, drums, harmonium, Georgia Vallas - Vocals, mbira, bul bul tarang, zither, Turkish lap banjo, lap slide guitar, harmonium, Taralie Peterson - Vocals, cello, guitar, banjo, mbira, y Tracy Peterson - Percussion, bells, mbira, thumb piano, washboard, rattlers.

Four Winds the Walker es un disco impactante, de sonido barroco y teatral, que sugiere muchísimas imágenes. Me hacen pensar en Kim Gordon al frente de Free Kitten, desenchufadas y campestres, o Tara Burke en Fursaxa (Shining posee el mismo punto de locura que Neon Lights). O en la protagonista, última superviviente, de la Matanza de Texas...en esa huída a plena luz del día, rodeada de polvo y horror, color amarillo fuerte.

Destacan las personalidades de Kathleen Baird y Taralie Peterson, ambas con dos grupos paralelos, Travelling Bell y Tar Pet. Travelling Bell es la belleza en estado puro (Calm in Trees)

Little for a Lot, Shining, The May Ham

larkin grimm

larkin grimm "harpoon baptism" (secret eye, 2005)

"Larkin Grimm nacio en Memphis, Tennessee, y creció en Dahlonega, Georgia, en el seno de una familia de cantantes y violinistas. Antes de iniciar su carrera como solista fue miembro de Dirty Projectors. Actualmente reside en Providence, Rhode Island." la discoteca de babel

el disco empieza con un guiño al trovador del blues con el que ha girado recientemente: Guy Blakeslee aka Entrance (¿cómo sonaría 'Make me a pallet on your floor' con la voz de Larkin acompañando a Guy?). Dulce y espiritual, Harpoon Baptism' podría haber sido grabada en los bosques de Maryland, hogar de brujas y leyendas, sobre todo por esa risa malévola e inquietante al final. Larkin se despierta de su propia pesadilla para regalarnos la hermosísima y breve 'I Killed Someone'. Josephine Foster meets Tara Burke. Reverberaciones, hojas que crujen, silbidos, flautas, harpas y el influjo de la luna llena.

*download*