microphones in the trees: March 2019

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

bear bones, lay low ~ atlantean encrypted message



UFO-cult is another funny evidence that we all live in a sophisticated virtual reality or better say a reality show. Well, think for yourself, what could be more fun for a galactic viewer than to watch naive people seriously ranting about their extraterrestrial travels, living spaceships from the Pleiades, star seeds and the Mayan calendars, messages of wisdom from Atlantis and Shambhala... Even more fun is the fact that this is all true to a degree, but the essence of the reality show lies in making homosapienses believe in half-truths and to make funny conclusions about cosmic order out of them! Changing their lives according to them and creating new, non-trivial scenarios. Thus, entertaining those who are directly related to this – the Sirians, the Atlanteans, Pleiadians, Zets, and all other 'celestials'.

Another big irony here is the fact, that creators of this show included in it an opportunity for humans to create similar shows and make fun of with each other. Well, just to make it even harder to get to the truth. Someone in another trip discovers the highest truth and all around are like 'have you seen enough of the X-Files?'. It's postmodern, and fun, and instructive! And if you start pushing it too hard, you're immediately off to secondary storylines and, as always, politicians, religious leaders and pop stars will get all prime time. Oh, and they know how to make top-rated shows. And if you have learned the whole essence and truth, it is better to encrypt it into some piece of music, or a movie, or a picture of some kind. Can be fun for others, and easier for you... You have nowhere to go off this spacecraft anyway.

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

kyle landstra ~ bloom lake



Migrating to the Pacific Northwest after years in Chicago brought new light to Kyle Landstra's crystalline sounds. Bloom Lake represents some of the first deeply devised sounds made by Landstra in his new environment, and while it's not a dramatic reaction to some conceptually new life, you can't help but hear some clouds clearing all the same. Recorded in real time, these two side-long pieces slowly braid strands of reflection and acceptance. Drifting but bright, "Love In A Mist" stirs with a kind of restrained excitement that comes at the beginning of promising times. The title track communicates a darker side of the same excitement, but in a way that again suggests understanding more than fear, growth more than foreboding ~ unifactor tapes

It's nice to see that some of the names that have been beloved in the wake of the cassette revival, like 7 or even 10 years ago, are still active. Kyle is a real magician when it comes to making music on vintage analog monsters. There is always a certain balance between his drone, ambient textures, and sequences in his music, and there is always some kind of pacifying frequency or some secret modulation which makes you immediately want to sit back, take a deep breath and close your eyes, just not thinking about anything... Trite maybe? Yes – and isn't that can be said about most of the music on this blog? That's definitely true, but at the same time, it's about many other things! All shades of feelings and impressions can be coded in the simplest vibrations of sine waves, what to speak of a rich synth sounds then! And when there's a very gifted practitioner behind them. Perhaps this album is just another reference point in that endless ocean of sound, plunging into which at some point you can completely forget that it can also be considered music, even recorded, also published, even on cassettes... Yet, even considering its transience this albums manages to create a portal that offers a view of the amazing dimensions of total serenity and bliss.