microphones in the trees: cloud valley
Showing posts with label cloud valley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cloud valley. Show all posts

Monday, December 03, 2012

thoughts on air


"Old Frontiers is extremely thrilled to offer this explosive package of colours and sounds from Hamilton's own Thoughts on Air/Scott Johnson. Where to begin? How about with 100 minutes of blissful bedroom gems? The tracks range from fuzzed-outer space psychedelia to scuzzy love songs to prime examples of Scott's signature shimmery-sparkling guitar sound and everything in between.


In keeping with the concept of randomness, included is a twelve page art-book of pieces made by Scott & Sean on a colour photocopier using a technique of blending images by feeding the paper back through the machine: a unique process with fortuitous results." old frontiers

pensamientos al viento, qué gran nombre y qué bien refleja las pinceladas de ambient, drone y bedroom folk de Scott Johnson, una de esas personas que siempre son una garantía de belleza (bandicoot trail o su propio sello cloud valley), de los que miman cada detalle ~ formato (cassettes, 3'', 7''), diseño (un mini-libro de veinte páginas con fotografías hechas con una fotocopiadora de color y métodos inusuales) y por supuesto la música ~ sus canciones, loops de guitarras cristalinas y sintetizadores luminosos, fluidas y grooveantes, podrían esconderse sin que apenas lo notes en alguno de los pliegues de los discos de Mark McGuire, Black Eagle Child o Sparkling Wide Pressure, pero siempre rodeadas de un halo del todo inclasificable gracias al uso esporádico de la voz y a la variedad de estilos en la que todo parece ordenado de una manera distinta, ajeno a la música de su alrededor. sólo expresiones como 'para flotar en una nube' podrían definir canciones como 'slow on' (glow on remix), 'hop (with scotch)' (soleada y triste, me recuerda a Panda Bear y a Ducktails) y los primeros minutos de esa preciosidad llamada 'organ of youth/summer sizzle'.

sold out ~ listen ~ see ~ download part I & part II


Thursday, May 03, 2012

peat raamur


"Rotifer-founder David Toro's moniker Peat Raamur has been circulating material for the past couple of years via his own label alongside Housecraft and Cloud Valley. while Toro's discography may not be the most expansive, the project has managed to conjure and establish sounds that veil their own definition. while one could speculate that a guitar and/or keyboard is used, the coating of analog sewage renders the image so blurry that those instruments couldn't be confirmed.

Currants travels down a path where a bouncy melody is reduced to a gargle as it cycles back and forth, varying in speed and harmony. perhaps the title references the myriad of paths taken during these 33 minutes. Currants marks an instance of beautiful progression for Peat Raamur, dwelling within similarly cavernous surroundings, yet acquiring the ambition to enter new dimensions... not only does this little tape characterize and hone a new sound, but it also stirs anticipation for future releases." carter mullin (reedbeds)


Thursday, March 29, 2012

josh st. denis


"from icy cold sweater weather ambience to cozy warm peace blankets of folk induced acoustica rainbow laced with some lush verb. this is a re-issue of an edition of six that josh handed out at a show we played together two years ago. my absolute favourite workings of his, an absolute honour here to give it a second life." maggot valley

"Cloud Valley is/was/will always be one of the great tape labels. run by Scott Johnson of Thoughts on Air, the label put out efforts of artists across the experimental spectrum. seemingly though, this release by Josh St. Denis seemed to have slipped through the cracks and I haven’t seen it uploaded on a blog out there yet. Josh showcases both sides of the guitar coin with ominous drone tracks and fabulous solo acoustic reveries drifting upwards out of a vast canadian canyon. great album here. cheers to what Cloud Valley was and it’s now continuing venture as Maggot Valley." broadcasts from poor farm

foto via old chum
  sold out | download