microphones in the trees

Friday, August 13, 2010

stag hare

"...In Utah there are such large flat expanses surrounded by these mountains. I have spent a lot of time riding in a car watching out the windows as these landscapes roll past. I think everything I love to create is in these landscapes, texture, story, time, vast slow changes......natural shapes, so this has influenced my music a good amount. But there are a lot of other lands that have influenced my music a lot as well. Living in Arcata was a huge influence on me and my music. I found a great sense of peace when I was there which I don't come across many other places or very often. The mossy redwood forests and the ocean, these are huge influences on my music, but there is no ocean in Utah. There is the Great Salt Lake though, and it is a really magical place. There is an island on the lake where you can watch the sun set into the flat water. It's like a strange paradise." garrick biggs (stag hare)

holy person, holy wind

Thursday, August 12, 2010

donato epiro

"‘Supercontinent’ is Donato Epiro’s freshest hypnotic adventure, and a glimpse into some future tropical world where lysergic acid rain waters the neon foliage. Animatronic apes and mechanical birds flock around Donato as he expertly fashions his sonic hieroglyphs, while sibilant rhythms and humid chants pour freely into the deviant ceremony from all sides. Join the intoxicating celebration, and play this tape whenever you need a little break from the continent you’re currently standing upon. Limited edition of 111 pro-dubbed & imprinted c30 tapes w/ double-sided jcard and insert." stunned records

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

the goner

 the goner ~ bitemarks ep (dying for bad music 2010)

"This is a re-release of the orphaned Bitemarks EP by The Goner from Sweden. Five different pieces showing the band’s mastery from crafting simple acoustic folk songs to the construction of walls of sound. Psychedelic folk tales from the dark age, mystic and natural without being retro-visionary or overdramatic. The center piece of this EP, "Lost Summer", starts with a shimmering organ drone chord and shifts into a moving tribal theme. The theme of traveling is picked up again in Oakmulgee Creek which leads to the end of this wonderful EP. The Goner leave you alone with a peaceful field recording of lonely bird calls." dying for bad music

Monday, August 09, 2010

lower dens

"Swarming guitar fuzz, bass waves, insistent drum throbs and Jana Hunter's redolent, charred voice are the core components of Baltimore's Lower Dens. Hunter, sometimes known for intimate, ghost-heavy weird-fi, now writes and plays with a group that might get filed under new wave, or drone pop, or post-punk. With due deference to her solo work, we're very glad..." gnomosong

foto: old chum

jana hunter meets electrelane (two cocks!)

Friday, August 06, 2010

beggin' your pardon miss joan

"Edges will be the first widely available release by Beggin' Your Pardon Miss Joan, and is a collection of several old songs from previous highly limited releases on Centre of the Wood, Dead Pilot and Reverb Worship, plus 5 new tracks. The project is from the minds of Lex and Vanessa Panayi, Lex some of you may recognise as he also plays under the name of Guanaco±, who earlier this year had the Sky Burials LP released on BR. On this 9 track cd there are moments comparable to some of the material on the aforementioned LP, but at times it has a more singer-songwriter sound with more vocals, as well as merging autumnal psychedelic vocal excursions and traditional folk guitar meanderings. A really gorgeous collection of songs." blackest rainbow

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Mark Borthwick

"Dazed & Confused: Music is a big touchstone in your work. You’ve collaborated with musicians and make your own music. How does making music and making art linked with each other?
Mark Borthwick: It all comes together pretty much as one. Initially it was just a sweet pastime that you do at home. Cooking is one of my favourite things and my wife would say, “You should do it in a gallery!” I was invited to the art fair in Cologne and I lived in the space every day and people would drop by and say hi, and I would cook dinners. I brought my guitar along and didn’t intend to start performing but I did.
Me and my friend, Hisham (Baroocha from Black Dice) started making music as Usun. We haven’t released anything yet. We played this summer with The Boredoms and we may release something this year. I don’t think I’ve ever pursued something as a professional career, I like the amateur side. Not only has it become one thing but I think it’s become a bit like my photography – very communal and collaborative. It is about bringing people together. By creating these communal evenings where we’re cooking and playing music, it’s on a very small scale which is just how I like it. Because then it’s just like doing it at home."
free to download here

Friday, July 30, 2010

topaz rags

"West Coast ghost squad Topaz Rags stalk back into the deadlights, ...recorded in the heart of winter in a room with one blue light bulb, “The Crown Center” is pure nightprowler music: quaking bass, grime-jazz keys, dusty drums, witch choirs floating through the smog and into sleeping homes with the power lines cut. The sound of crime to come. The flip (“You Go On”) slips deeper into the psych-psycho psyche, a bleached-brain riff-rhythm grinding away endlessly while voices and electric piano stabs arc across the stereo field, raining ash. A grimmer twist on the Topaz formula, the dreamer’s dream turned dark." not not fun

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

on

"Something That Has Form And Something That Does Not is the third album from Sylvain Chauveau and Steven Hess under their On moniker, and continues their excavation of abstracted experimental sounds. As with the previous records, improvisations were recorded in a studio in Chicago and then handed to a guest musician to rework in whichever way they saw fit, and this time around the guest musician is none other than experimental pioneer Christian Fennesz. Christian’s association with the band goes way back – he performed with them in 2004 as a trio so it seemed almost inevitable that a collaboration would emerge at some point, but this treatment truly takes the notion of collaboration to another place entirely. When we close on the blissful near 20-minute ‘The Sound Of White’, echoes of Fennesz’s best work drifts through the crackle and pulse of Sylvain Chauveau’s prepared guitar and Hess’s distant percussion. These hypnotic patterns slowly rise and fall, giving the listener time to truly hear each subtle shift." type

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

second family band

"Humming and wheezing through 40+ minutes of electro-acoustic tension and release, with the usual mood swings from good vibes to hysteria, the Second Family Band is the still-raging avatar of our lonely local folkspirit....This cassette contains six choice excerpts from two sessions given near the end of summer, 2009. The first session was a huge family gathering at the newly installed Harvest Abbey in Madison. The second session was a beautiful performance by a trio of elders within St Mary's of the Oaks, a 154 year-old Marian altar built on a hilltop in the forest around Indian Lake. Loads of percussion, singing, plucking, pounding, tapping, dropping, alien choirs, bass grooves, naked ladies, strange fidelities, chanting, praying, drinking, strumming, smoking, ringing, clapping, bowing, pulsing, losing, forgetting, and finding everything in every type of mood from the sinister to the blissful. Yet, one local cynic described the music on this tape as sounding "too good for Second Family Band". Whatever the case may be, Brave Mysteries is proud to release this document of a momentary glance into the native spirit and biodynamic soundscape of central Wisconsin, in hopes to keep these gentle old family flames burning for yet another season." brave mysteries

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

big blood

"...dead songs is as sorrowful & joyful in its mirrored symmetry as the infinite life cycle itself, flowing on cleansing waves of inner release & spirit absorption… wailing fuzzed-up garage folk anthems mesh into twisted poetic acidfolk and drift to expansive melancholic meditations of boundless depth. two voices howl, swoon, alternate & join, lyrical layers peel away endlessly, tiny amps weep in pain, crude percussion booms thunderous, and ragged, beautiful hooks unfurl straight out of the void" time~lag

foto: old chum

la vampires & zola jesus

"...overflowing with damaged dub and desert ghost vocals, the ideal soundtrack for a summer spent melting in the heat on the porch" omg vynil

"La Vampires is the latest project from the equally prolific Amanda Brown, who doubles as an active member of Pocahaunted, & the seductive charm of nu-goth singer Zola Jesus. The duo have combined styles for some new haunted melodies, rumbles into motion with those familiarly smudged out, indecipherable vocals and evaporating drum machines but there's a heavy bass groove and some ghoulish melodic developments set to balance out any of the more noxiously no-fi elements" boomkat

foto: nequest

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

big blood

"Caleb Mulkerin & Colleen Kinsella (Cerberus Shoal, Fire on Fire) have slowly been filling the Big Blood book for a while now and this is definitely the year to kick it off big. This tape finds them in a different space than most of their previous releases, going toward strange short form clattering instrumental pieces and increasingly off-kilter acoustic grooves. The string bass chugs through while the trainwhistle melodies photograph the whole scene just to pump it back out of the scratchy guitar. Don't you fret though, the beautiful Big Blood vocal harmonies are all still there underneath the dust and as strong as ever. Wood block boogies in tribute to the Viking of Sixth Ave: Moondog. In a special edition of 25 in sewn pouches with three inserts (two by the artists), and a 16 page full-color book of artwork from Colleen with glow-in-the-dark silk-screened inside-and-out cloth covers and sewn spines. Only available direct from Cabin Floor." cabin floor esoterica

foto via old chum

Sunday, July 04, 2010

lost

anteayer vi el último capítulo de lost y aunque no pretendo revelar nada más allá de mi opinión, seguramente equivocada, si no has visto aún la serie mejor no sigas leyendo.

lo que más me ha chocado han sido los constantes mensajes que llegaban antes de ver la última temporada alertando de un final lejano a las expectativas, el denominador común de esos mensajes aludía a la peor elección posible, por parte de los guionistas, dentro de las múltiples salidas factibles. tras ver el final no entiendo la desilusión, de hecho no encuentro respuesta a la pregunta ¿qué otras opciones había?. pero bueno, debo dejar claro que por ejemplo el final de la segunda temporada de carnivale me valió como final de serie a pesar de la ensalada de interrogantes sin resolver.

antes de seguir también debería reconocer que en lost siempre he buscado paralelismos con la vida, con mi vida, con la necesidad de resolver, a través de una serie, muchas de las interrogantes que pululan dentro de mi cabeza. de ahí que me haya parecido una serie tremenda, definitivamente distinta, no sé si la mejor (pienso en a dos metros bajo tierra) y que le perdone todo como a una madre.

lost no pretende revelar el de dónde venimos o a dónde vamos. la felicidad es ir, no llegar. desengáñate rafa, eso no lo iba a resolver una serie de televisión, lo que sí ha hecho esta serie es darnos pistas del quiénes somos, o mejor dicho, del cómo estamos. y eso nos lo han dejado claro al principio y al final de cada capítulo a través de un telón negro, de la propia palabra "perdidos" y de una música inquietante, porque ante esas preguntas no cabe otra respuesta que la inquietud. el valor añadido de la serie, más allá de las subtramas, es demostrar que incluso la mentalidad más hermética, hablando de razonamientos científicos, puede aceptar que el conocimiento empírico, aun no siendo tangible, es igualmente referente. y la serie sí ha conseguido que esa evolución resultase tangible gracias a jack, el eje de la serie. porque lost parte de un posicionamiento de ciencia ficción pero es más una serie de personajes y en concreto de uno, jack, algo que ha quedado claro desde la primera escena del primer capítulo hasta la última, con un abrir y cerrar de ojos tremendamente explícito. jack es el viaje iniciático que todos recorremos, con mayor o menor suerte, desde que nacemos hasta que morimos. por lo tanto preguntarse ¿qué es la isla?, ¿qué significan los números?, ¿qué pasa con la iniciativa dharma? ¿y la estatua?, ¿y walt? etc... creo no tiene sentido alguno, la isla es un escenario, la isla y todo lo que la rodea es attrezzo. lo importante es la evolución de los personajes y ahí todas, o casi todas, las interrogantes se despejan. como mucho puedo aceptar que la isla es otro personaje más, un ente que, como tal, es y será siempre enigmático.

en cuanto al final en sí, también debería confesar que me he venido a pasar el día a las islas cíes, nada mejor que venirse solo al punto más alto de estas islas para hablar de la isla. estando aquí he recordado algo que me dijeron hace muuuuuchos años ante un ataque de ansiedad que sufrí tras un mal viaje, quería morir, deseaba morir y despertar, “rafa no quieras morir porque ya estás muerto”, esto dicho así suena a conversación de algún personaje chamánico de carlos castaneda y a que estoy como una regadera, lo asumo, pero es algo que me hizo pensar mucho. de hecho cuando hace tres años akron/family publicó love is simple no pude más que esbozar una mueca cómplice al oír por primera vez "don't be afraid, you're already dead". hablo de mueca porque hace tiempo que estoy convencido de que todos estamos muertos, que el cielo o el infierno son sólo estados mentales, que esta vida que vivimos no es otra cosa que un purgatorio, es aquí donde tenemos la oportunidad de redimirnos o condenarnos, pero las buenas noticias es que en este ahora las cosas sólo dependen de nosotros, que aquí no hay más humo negro que nuestro miedo, y que la resistencia a los campos electromagnéticos podemos trabajarla sabiendo que somos el imán de nuestras circunstancias, con nuestros temores sí, pero también con nuestros deseos. y que el sentido de la vida lo marca todo aquello que da vueltas en nuestra cabeza y corazón, el esfuerzo que empleamos en soltar los lastres que nos aprisionan y el esfuerzo también por satisfacer nuestros anhelos, porque esta vida en la que haces la compra, pagas impuestos, vives solo o en pareja, madrugas o no para ir a trabajar, escuchas o no a mountain man es sólo parte de un camino que hasta que físicamente desaparezcas no podrás saber a dónde lleva. de ahí que el final de lost a mi me colmase por completo.

¿alguna conclusión? mmmmm la mía es sencilla; sé y confirmo que hay otra, o más vidas, por lo tanto en ésta seguiré cuestionando mis límites, el umbral de mis temores, seguiré disfrutando de las pequeñas o grandes cosas que me rodean y procuraré ir atando cabos sueltos. lo sé, lo sé, menuda conclusión de escotilla, perdón, de pacotilla. peeero, ¿y si fuera verdad?. uh.

Thursday, July 01, 2010

high wolf

"excellent french loop/keyboard/psychedelic exotica outfit that projects post-Vibracathedral Orchestra/Astral Social Club styled trance into the future on waves of spectral technicolour. Ascension feels more haunted than previous High Wolf releases, with deep strata of subtly obscured melodies wheeling beneath fuzz, shaker percussion and glorious vertical take-offs. Psychoactive electro-minimalism with a heavy devotional atmosphere. Hypnotic/melodic palm tree tronics sculpted into jangly rhythmic pop fogs" volcanic tongue

foto: ntmtk

meeting of the three seas, solar system is my god, ...siempre favoritos

Sunday, June 27, 2010

mike tamburo


"You must LISTEN. You must listen through the noise. You must listen through the chaos. If this song is yours then it is in your heart. You must play from your heart, listen from your heart. Then you will hear your music. It will play through you and you will not miss a note. What is going on outside does not matter. What matters is that you can be in this moment, that you can be truly with yourself and not out there. To be a great at anything, you must be able to listen. Beyond that, you must always find a pleasure in listening. You are not here to please this crowd. You are here to play through this chaos and please yourself and through this you shall attain an infinite awareness of the present. " SAYAS


somos un híbrido de universos y la música nos desdobla en el latente aquí*

fotola: árbore

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

mv & ee

"a collection of massively dosed studio recordings, Liberty Rose opens with beams of elegiac solo guitar before dropping into a classic slow-burning jag with puffs of echo/delay damaged vocals melting into hallucinatory afterimages while Erika slides quicksilver runs all the way down your spine. “Crow Jane Environs” has a deep desert feel that could almost be Mu if it wasn’t for Erika’s oracular vocals and Matt Valentine’s post-Takayanagi soloing. The stark, stripped down version of “Death Is My Friend” features a stunning/chilling vocal performance from Erika and Doc Dunn joins the duo for the last two tracks, with “Out In Space” as dazed and lonely as anything on Skip Spence’s Oar and “Streams” featuring clouds of lucid unison vocals that you could disappear inside. Dedicated to Dr Ragtime. Highly recommended." volcanic tongue

Friday, June 18, 2010

two-lane blacktop


Porque es la más auténtica road movie americana de todos los tiempos.
Porque es como una película para ver en el autocine dirigida por un autor francés de la Nouvelle Vague.
Porque lo único que puede entrometerse entre un chico y su obsesión por los coches es una chica, y Laurie Bird desarma perfectamente la unidad entre el Conductor, el Mecánico y su coche.
Porque Dennis Wilson lleva a cabo la mejor interpretación de un conductor jamás hecha.
Porque James Taylor parece un refugiado salido de una película de Robert Bresson.
Porque una vez un Dios llamado Warren Oates caminó sobre la Tierra.
Porque hay una prolongada controversia sobre quién lleva realmente las riendas en esta película. Hay diferentes posiciones. Algunos dicen que es el Chevy modelo ´55; otros, el Gto.
Porque tiene el final más puramente cinematográfico de la historia del cine.
Porque es como un western. Los tipos son como los viejos cowboys, listos para vencer al pistolero más rápido del pueblo. No hablan de viejos esplendores, más bien de viejos coches que tuvieron.
Porque Warren Oates tiene un suéter de cashimira diferente para cada ocasión. Y, por supuesto, un minibar en el maletero.


Porque al contrario de otras películas de la época, con una alienación preestablecida de la cultura de la droga y de quienes protestan contra la guerra, la película se ocupa de la alienación de todos los demás, como America Comes Alive, de Robert Frank.
Porque Warren Oates, como gto, pide una hamburguesa y un Alka Seltzer y dice cosas como “Todo está yendo muy rápido y no lo suficientemente rápido”.
Porque es la última película de los 60, aún siendo de 1971, y a la vez la primera de los 70. Ya saben, la época de las películas estilo “¿Cómo demonios pudieron hacer una película así en un estudio?/ Hollywood nunca haría eso hoy”.
Porque nunca sonaron mejor los motores en una película.
Porque estos dos jóvenes en su viaje a ningún lugar en realidad no saben hablar. El Conductor no conversa cuando está al volante, y el Mecánico no habla cuando está arreglando el coche. Así que se trata de una experiencia sobre todo visual, atmosférica. Verla correctamente implica ser absorbido por ella.
Y, lo más importante, porque Two-Lane Blacktop se mantiene fiel a sí misma hasta el final. Y eso es algo raro en el cine; una película completamente honesta.

Monday, June 14, 2010

moonwood


"70 mins. Limited edition of 25. Lino block printed and hand-stamped discs. Fuzz and feedback blend with free-jazz, post-rock, delicate acoustic guitar, mantra-like vocals and ethnic rhythms as acid-folk guitarist Moonwood (also of New Yaki and Babel) collaborates with friends, lovers and strangers. Guests include Andrew MacGregor (Gown/The Bark Haze/New Yaki), Stephen Wolf (Summer Amp/New Yaki/Partli Cloudi) and Ameen (Healthy Animal) plus others." jakob rehlinger


fotola: TIOM

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Thursday, June 10, 2010

the magic carpathians

the magic carpathians • acousmatic psychogeography [world flag records, 2010]

"The new Magic Carpathians album is finally out on our own World Flag Records. Somehow it means coming back to our roots, since the Magic Carpathians Project first album, "ethnocore" (1999), was self-released as well. "Acousmatic Psychogeography" is the outcome of almost fully improvised session we have recorded back in 2008 (I mentioned it here already I guess) - we've had immense pleasure to share the space with Eric Arn and Andrzej Widota. Without their creative contribution the outcome would be entirely different I guess and we think this album is our common effort. Staying for two days at the mountain lodge (where all the studio equipment has been provided by extremely skillful and entrepreneurial Piotr Pietrzak of NS Studio) and playing for almost 48 hours with just a few moments of short sleep definitely was one of the most beautiful ways to celebrate: in 2008 the Magic Carpathians Project hit the 10th anniversary and were really surprised to realize it. Ten years flashed like one short moment, the only thing that reminded us about time passing by was the memories of how many wonderful people we have met on the way and these are global connections for the most part." the magic carpathians


foto: hui+

Monday, June 07, 2010

keijo

"The Finnish free folk elder statesman Keijo Virtanen is back with another album in his vast discography. However, this work is titled "First Time". The album follows his recent output of his own very open approach to blues. But no W. Guthrie covers here, only Keijo's own pieces, with help from friends on two tracks. This is where free folk meets blues in the most beautiful and stunning way. Cardboard sleeve with photocopied collage pieces, hand-stamped cdrs. 100 copies." full of nothing

foto: vamitos

at night, at night, at night....

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

plankton wat

plankton wat • shadows cs [sloow tapes, 2010]

"Late-night brooding acoustic guitar arpeggios by Eternal Tapestry’s Dewey Mahood. Cosmic raga’s moonlit by deep earthmagic awareness, invoking the spirits of Jack Rose, Robbie Basho, Sandy Bull etc. 70 copies." sloow tapes

Thursday, May 27, 2010

bronze horse


"this is a self-released debut vinyl record made up of music for 4 and 6 steel-stringed guitars and one piece for piano. no vocals… but if you listen close… recorded in ohio, new mexico and montana between 2007-2009." time~lag

"When we first heard a preview of this album a few months back, everyone was floored. It came out of nowhere, the work of one Zachary Hay. The atmosphere was immediately striking. It spoke of empty rooms and secret lives, of the backroads of America, as eloquently as the first cd-r's from Ilyas Ahmed or Jandek’s acoustic recordings. Some of the music could be vaguely described as American Primitive but it was reflected through an odd, almost Corwood-style aesthetic. The solo piano piece is especially poignant, the perfectly simple technique of Vikki Jackman or Christina Carter put to the service of a lonely winter hymnal. Really, this is a magical record, with an atmosphere that would stop time. If you’re a fan of the real American Primitive, a tradition that includes Jandek, Charalambides, Matt Valentine, the Tommy Roundtree/Arian Sample axis and Loren Connors as much as Jack Rose and John Fahey, then this is the perfect postcard from oblivion...A classic out of nowhere underground side." volcanic tongue

discos perdidos, discos que aparecen de la nada y tienen algo especial, como trees, chants & hollers, boots, c.c., snake & remus, long goodbye o cualquier nota musical relacionada con jewelled antler. nº1 en directo pone los pelos de punta, e incluso me recuerda a valerie webb & paul labrecque

Friday, May 21, 2010

mountain man

"Made the Harbor is the extraordinary new album by Mountain Man. The Bennington, Vermont based trio sing a cappella in mesmerising harmonies accompanied only occasionally by an acoustic guitar, producing what can easily be described as a breathtakingly beautiful album...Their music is nestled in the tradition of American folk, but shoots like diamond dust out of the nest into the high, wide atmosphere. Their songs are shaped by three searching voices, encompassing harmonies and a shared belief in and love of the world. Mountain Man are mutually moved to sing by their love for people, and for trees, birds and mountains, the ocean, the night, the moon, and being a woman. They all love the rambling, rumbling, rolling summer. Each member of the group writes for the band." bella union

tres voces a cappella, guitarra y mmmm mmmms, celebración y amor. cualquier cosa que pueda decir de molly, alexandra y amelia se quedaría corta. how'm i doin'!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

julian lynch

"The last time we wrote about Julian Lynch we ended up going on this weird mind journey about leathery old dudes playing shitty guitars in front of lakes. This time, Lynch turns down the brain-frying, sunburned solos and gets pastoral. He’s layering hypnotic guitar and soft drone loops in a way that makes us want to chill in a big sweater and watch a horse eat grass for like five hours at once. It’s like a mini-vacation in our headphones" the fader
hoy no existe un disco más bonito que mare, ni una canción tan perfecta como in new jersey, o travelers, o just enough...

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

dreamcolour


"If there is one group that has emerged from 2009 which best embodies the Future, in our mind it would be California’s Dreamcolour. We were hooked ever since first checking their righteous live actions, their early cdr & taped treats, and their uncontainable offerings of jazz and drone’s most mystical sides. ‘Inner Worship’ finds this intrepid tribe bloomed out to a 9-piece at times, shooting for nothing less than Sacredelica in the raw. Yes, an entirely new genre seems ripe for carving here after one gets wet with this hour long wave. Dreamcolour operates with such an impressively cohesive front that they take the meaning of “unity through sound” to the next fractal notch. The sweaty saxophone bop, orbital viola lines, and holy hollers of Side A impressively distill to a pinpoint of mass mind mantra on Side B. Like hearing all individual parts of an explosion reach their expressive boundaries and then implode into a singular, refined meditation. When these sun-risen modes of the Inner are visited here (and that’s quite often) don’t be surprised if you find yourself grabbing the nearest instrument at hand, becoming a temporary 10th member of Dreamcolour, and worshiping right along. Limited special edition of 100 pro-dubbed & imprinted c60 tapes with double-sided color art in vinyl album." -stunned


fotola: ƒenk

Friday, May 14, 2010

lester brown

"Toronto's own Lester Brown has created a brilliant ep titled "Islomania" that's built for the calm summer day. Lo-Fi pop jams combining tropical guitar riffs with the wave of the chill. A collaboration with Mickey Mickey Rourke called "Vision Quest" is currently in the works and is expected to be released by the end of next month. He also did a remix of Best Coast's "When I'm with you" ice cream dreams

"...although i've been making music for awhile I just started the Lester Brown project two months ago. i also have a collab song called "Wool Sweater" with my buddy Soft Slip" lester brown

american smokes, verano infinito

Thursday, May 13, 2010

mv & ee

"The always prolific Matt Valentine & Erika Elder are back at it with the debut 7-inch on Electric Temple Records, Sweetheart of the Nascar. Rising from the depths of the grass-roots, free-riding psychedelic underground, MV&EE provide the nighttime companion over two midnight-oil burning tracks to their recent masterwork for Thurston Moore’s Ecstatic Peace label, Barn Nova. The A-Side title-track, “Sweetheart of the Nascar” is perhaps one of the duo’s heaviest tracks to date, pushing the threshold of Rust Never Sleeps-era Neil Young into sludge metal meets Mark Hollis ambience. The b-side, “Crow Jane Variations” is a slow-burner featuring Erika Elder’s reverb-drenched echoes behind a wash of lap-steel guitar and minor-key rustic psychedelic vibes. The inventive technique is highlighted on “Sweetheart of the Nascar” with two drummers playing – one in the left channel, one in the right, spread across a gorgeous stereo-pan." electric temple

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

polypus sapiens

"Debut tape from Southern Russia Polypus Sapiens. One man from a rural city records lovely bedroom folkish psychedelia with the simplest means. Gentle and thoughtful 30+ minute work filled with pure bliss. Pro-dubbed tapes wrapped in A3 posters. 75 copies." full of nothing

el nuevo sello de Ivan & Anna (Love Cult): keijo, arabian horses, big drum in the sky religion, kheta hotem, y sleeper in the valley, flautas, didjeridoos, percusiones, warm shields in the sky y autumn, give me hope.

foto: tim jones

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

isengrind

"Debut vinyl release from Natural Snow Buildings' Solange Gularte's solo project, Isengrind. Modlitewnik continues Solange's fantasticly far out occult psych-folk-drone trip outs, 12 tracks across the length of this LP, considerably shorter pieces in comparison to her work with Mehdi in Natural Snow Buildings, Isengrind retains a certain amount of the sound of the duo, but it is a whole other beast, in many ways much stranger and darker, but still hauntingly beautiful with some fantastic blissed out vocal drones, dreamy guitars, and psyche soaked dark drone zones. Heavyweight vinyl, housed in a pro-printed full colour fold over sleeve with all 4 panels featuring stunning artwork by Solange, the inside of the cover is especially spectacular." blackest rainbow

foto: ƒenk

Monday, May 10, 2010

love cult

"One track reflecting how we sound live, minimum of guitar, maximum of positive energy, lots of singing. The other track is midnight double guitar meditation. 35 minutes of bliss." love cult

Sunday, May 09, 2010

ducktails

"If hypnagogic pop has been the sound of summer, then Ducktails have been the summery sound of summer. Landscapes is the third Ducktails release. Matthew Mondanile from New Jersey plays everything on Landscapes, guitars, synths, drum machines..., and adds occasional vocals to create these wonderful, sun-dappled landscapes. The end results betray influences ranging from 1970s German music (the synth melody of “Spring” hints at Kraftwerk’s “Neon Lights”, while “Landrunner” runs on Michael Rother-esque guitars) to surf pop (those hazy backing vocals recall the Beach Boys, while there is a big fuzzy surf guitar twang), but lo-fi (albeit much higher-fi than on Backyard). Even at its most languid, with Mondanile intoning like a stoned Thurston Moore with a duvet in his mouth on “Wishes”, it has a compelling charm: he has successfully created a sound world which sets him apart from his peers. With Autumn poised over the climactic toilet bowl, loosening its belt, I’d love to wrap myself in the thick, protective towelling of Ducktails for the next few months." mapsadaisical

foto: schommsen

Friday, May 07, 2010

wooden wand

"In preparation for his forthcoming Michael Gira-produced album for Young God, Wooden Wand returns after a lengthy (for him) absence with a limited-edition self released album of exclusive home-recorded songs. Most of these were written and recorded following the release of Wand’s last album of all-new material, Born Bad, and the ten songs here should appeal to fans of Wand’s more picaresque work, stylistically falling somewhere between the psychedelic prophesying of the classic Harem of The Sundrum & The Witness Figg lp and the bitter battle-raps and outlaw country bummer vibes of the aforementioned Born Bad lp. Each disc is hand numbered and mounted on a square of wood. Special limited edition of only 200 copies." tothtellsthetruth

pajaritos urbanos | urban birds


"The Project: Handing out harmonicas to people who are begging on the streets of Bogotá (Colombia), providing them with the means and knowledge to contribute some beauty.

The Idea: Changing the way of earning an income from begging for money to playing music. This is an advantage for both the person begging and the passer-by. The person playing will most likely gain more money than he did begging. More importantly though: he gains in self-respect. Self-respect and respect from the other because now, instead of just asking for money without returning anything, he's working for pay, contributing to society and trading mere survival for creation. The passer-by will get something in return for the money he gives and city-life becomes a little more sweet when there's a harmonious melody breaking through the smog." wouter buyst

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:)) croac!

Sunday, May 02, 2010

hoy joy

árbore ~ garambullo

con una semana de retraso, pero lo prometido es deuda

:: felicidades sisteriana de sisterianas ::

foto: hoy joy

Thursday, April 29, 2010

equinox, the peacekeeper

equinox, the peacekeeper | we could wake each other up
[self-released 2010]

"Equinox, the Peacekeeper is the moniker of Wouter Buyst, born in Belgium, often residing elsewhere. Travels in and outside the mind all had their effect on the music, containing a mixture of acoustic, electric, psychedelic, soothing and melancholic elements.

The past years Equinox, the Peacekeeper has been recording with a full band which resulted in the first official album “We Could Wake Each Other Up”. It’s available at gigs and at www.equinoxthepeacekeeper.be. Instruments such as guitar, bass guitar, drums, piano, cello, harmonica, melodica, singing saw, glockenspiel, mouth harp and samples are being used. The poetic, mysterious and moving lyrics, sung by Wouter, guest singer and choir are the most important elements in Equinox, the Peacekeeper’s music. In 2010 the album “We Could Wake Each Other Up” will get an official release with a releaseparty and a tour to be confirmed." el nejo

download | buy

toma las llaves, la sonrisa y las ganas
encendamos el coche y montemos carreteras
'if you don't mind, i'm going home'
:)

fotola: el nejo

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

best coast

Añadir imagen

our deal

'...I wish you would tell me how you really feel'

canción del año, de la vida, fleetwood mac meets neko case

"Here's a nice surprise for a Tuesday afternoon: a new song by Bethany Cosentino, a.k.a. lo-fi beach-popper Best Coast. "Our deal" from her forthcoming full-length debut. The tune is of considerably higher fidelity than what we're used to from Cosentino, and features a lovely country-ish melody"

Monday, April 26, 2010

michael yonkers


"Utilizing original photos and the exact layout and notes of the planned 1977 "Lovely Gold" release, a lost classic at last becomes available. As of late 2009, the legend of Michael Yonkers has taken its place among the great stories of underground rock and roll music. He’d been playing rock and roll for nearly forty years when “Microminiature Love” was finally issued in 2003 (Sire had taken a pass way back in 1968). A thousand noise-rock ears pricked up, as Yonkers, a reclusive Minneapolis dancer-musician with a handful of self-released records over the years, had seminally prefigured proto-punk/metal/noise through his own brand of amped up garage rock. Since the revelation, Michael has picked up where he left off, exploring blown-out frequencies with collaborators around the globe, and his work has claimed a seat next to immortals like The Fugs, Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth and even Jimi Hendrix.

What a lot of folks still don’t know is that Michael put aside his hand-built fuzz boxes and bellowing vocal style in the 1970s to record and self-release some truly curious albums of lilting loner-folk music, including “Grimwood”, “Goodby Sunball” and “Michael Lee Yonkers”. Of this holy trio of albums, only “Grimwood” has yet seen reissue. Throughout this time, Yonkers layered madrigal-like vocals, simple acoustic guitars, and used electricity in only the most subtle of ways - all to serve his sombre, mesmerizing songs.

This brings us to “Lovely Gold”. Planned as the fourth LP in his 70s trilogy, it was never released - a true crime, because it is an exotic work of homespun brilliance. Recorded in 1977 on a four-channel ‘tube type’ tape recorder that Michael built himself by combining parts of other machines, it is perhaps his most multi-faceted solo album. The trademark Yonkers chug appears (though more stripped-down and dreamlike) and even some spraying acidic guitar on the title track, but the sweeping choral voice arrangements on gorgeous hymns like “Will It Be” are entirely unique and indeed lovely creations. What’s more, while digging through his archives Michael located previously lost cuts intended for the album, including the harrowing, near- Krautrock glide of “Nevermore”." piccadilly records


no sé ustedes pero entre el sol, viento y carambolas se antoja un mucho de rock, o no?

fotola: **meagan

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

pothole skinny

"Pothole Skinny is a psych music project founded by Stephen Connolly. Other musical projects and/or collaborations include: Tower Recordings, P.G. Six, Emerald Tablets, Marianne Nowottny, Julia Vorontsova, and various improvisational collaborations. The Old Bergen Vault ep Series is a 9 ep collection of unreleased, rare and live recordings from the 'Hutton House' era of Pothole Skinny. Some tracks were originally released as a free podcast through iTunes. After discontinuing the podcast, more tracks were mastered, collected and packaged for a digital download release as a since discontinued 'pay your price' option through Bandcamp." perhaps transparent

Thursday, April 15, 2010

magic lantern

"It’s been a while since Magic Lantern shined its High Beams out into the world but life’s a maze of alternate paths (marriage, children, Portland Oregon, etc) and that’s just the way it goes/went. Fortunately for all lovers of heavy male psych brotherhoods the ML gang convened back in 2009 before parting ways temporarily to track their second full-length, Platoon, and here it is. As oughta be expected, it's a monstrous hot-rod cruise into screaming dual wah distortions powered by the poker faced Gavin/Chip rhythm section and splattered with jazzy freak-out organ and the occasional Stallones echo yelp. Featuring most of their live classics from the pre-hiatus era (“Dark Cicadas,” “Friendship,” etc) and tracked/mixed by Best Coast Bobb Bruno, this fills the hole in yr heart left by High Beams..." not not fun