DUO HANS KOCH – GAUDENZ BADRUTT – SOCIAL INSECTS (CD by Flexion Records) *
JONAS KOCHER AND GUESTS – DUOS 2011 (CD by Flexion Records) *
UNDER THE CARPET (CD by Ruptured) *
THE REMOTE VIEWERS – CITY OF NETS (CD by Remote Viewers)
CHIP SHOP MUSIC & TOSHIMARU NAKAMURA – PROTOCOL (CD by Mathka) *
WIRES UNDER TENSION – REPLICANT (CD by Western Vinyl) *
HIRSUTE PURSUIT – TIGHTEN THAT MUSCLE RING (CD by Cold Spring)
STEVEN SEVERIN – VAMPYR (CD by Cold Spring)
AMFJ – BAEN (CD, private?) *
THE ART OF THE MUSES (CD by Syrphe)
LE DIKTAT KIRDEC – MOURIR DE BONHEUR (CD by Syrphe)
ALUVIANA – TONICNA NEGIBNOST (CD by Syrphe)
MARC HURTADO WITH VOMIR – 2011 (CD by Tourette Records) *
GRUNT - SOMEONE IS WATCHING (CD by Force Measure)
MIND & FLESH – MARTYR GENERATION (CD by Force Measure)
KOJI ASANO – MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT (CD by Solstice) *
ICH BIN NINENTENO & MATS GUSTAFSSON (CD by Va Fongool) *
PGA – CORRECTIONS (CD by Va Fongool) *
COLD BLUE TWO (compilation CD by Cold Blue Music)
MONICA BROOKS & LAURA ALTMAN – AS IS (CDR by It’ll Be Awesome) *
NICHOLODEON – NO (CDR by Nicholodeon)
DELPHINE DORA & BRUNO DUPLANT & PAULO CHAGAS – ONION PETALS AS CANDLE LIGHT (CDR by Wild Silence) *
SPACE PROGRAM – AETHEREAL (CDR, private) *
PETER KNIGHT – ALLOTROPE (CDR by Listen/Hear) *
DEREK ROGERS – BORN INTO SYSTEMS (CDR by Kendra Steiner Editions) *
UNMOOR – NIGHT DRIVER (CDR by Kendra Steiner Editions) *
MATT KREFTING – SWEET DAYS OF DISCIPLINE (CDR by Kendra Steiner Editions) *
FOSSILS – 99 PROBLEMS (CDR by MJC) *
FOSSILS – SECRET PRINCESS (cassette by MJC)
MAMIFFER & LOCRIAN – BLESS THEM THAT CURSE YOU (cassette by Land Of Decay)
THE SUBTRACTION – THE ONE WHO INFESTS SHIPS (cassette by Land Of Decay)
KAPUSTIN YAR – TRITHEMIUS (cassette by Land Of Decay)
DUO HANS KOCH – GAUDENZ BADRUTT – SOCIAL INSECTS (CD by Flexion Records)
JONAS KOCHER AND GUESTS – DUOS 2011 (CD by Flexion Records)
Two new releases by Jonas Kocher’s Flexion label, and those releases can be had for the exchange of money, other CDs, books, bottle of wine, postcards etc. The first of these is not by Kocher himself but by two friends, the duo of one Hans Koch on bass clarinet and Gaudenz Badrutt on electronics – whatever that may consist of these days (laptop, stomp boxes, synths, electrical connections) cooking up some radical improvised music. Not radical in the sense of things being very loud or very soft, but in the sense of approaches to the bass clarinet and the use of electronics. It sounds all very improvised, with many short sounds of all kind on both of these instruments, sometimes even dropping below the threshold of hearing, and sometimes all of a sudden they make long form, sustaining gestures of gliding scales. Crackles, drones, perhaps a synth of some kind, it makes up a fascinating ride for the entire fifty-four minutes in twelve tracks, ranging somewhere from mere thirty-six seconds to just over ten minutes. Best enjoyed, I thought, when played as one piece, rather than a selection of twelve pieces. Koch/Badrutt don’t play easy pieces of music, far from actually, and intense listening is required, but once you get deeper into this some true beauty unfolds. Strangely wonderful difficult music.
Badrutt is also one of the guests of Jonas Kocher on his CD ‘Duos 2011’, and he’s the only one to do a regular duo with Kocher. Here too Badrutt plays electronics, and Kocher accordion. In 2011 he invited seven musicians to his house, which he regularly plays with but never on a regular basis. here we have Hans Koch (bass clarinet) and Patricia Bosshard (violin) in one piece (so, erm, technically a trio), Christian Wolfarth (cymbals), Urs Leimgruber (soprano saxophone), Christopher Schiller (spinet) and Christian Müller (contrabass clarinet). Improvisation is of course the central point in these six pieces, and it seems also to me that they set out to play in such a way that we don’t recognize any of their instruments – or not very likely at least. Here too we have some carefully played music, which requires some intense concentration too. Take for instance the sine wave like sounds that grow in intensity in the piece with Urs Leimgruber, but it seems to be an interest that runs out through this disc. Long form sounds and smaller bits of playing (for instance in the duet with Christoph Schiller) make up more intense music. After all of this I surely needed something entirely different, I must admit, feeling even a bit exhausted after that much concentration. (FdW)
Address: http://www.flexionrecords.net
UNDER THE CARPET (CD by Ruptured)
A truly international trio here with from Switzerland Paed Conca (electric bass and clarinet), from France Stephane Rives (laptop) and from Lebanon Fadi Tabbel (electric guitar and ipad). They are all based in Beirut, and formed this group in 2011. All three have a background in improvised music, in whatever form this may appear, but when melted together here it sounds actually much less improvised than we would expect. It’s hard to tell if the idea here is to cross barriers between improvisation and rock music, but also using various hybrid forms of electronics, but if that is the intention of this group, then I should think they succeeded well in that. It’s a bit of everything and it works quite well. From the technoid beats of ‘Sizes Performance And Capacity’ to the more subdued moments of the first part of ‘Twinkle Twinkle’ with its distorted guitar pushed to the background, and the field recordings in the second part thereof. Sometimes Under The Carpet uses a full-on rhythm, but sometimes it is as loose as one should expect from a group of improvisers, and then, as easily, followed by an introspective piece of solo guitar music. Maybe with sixty-four minutes the album is not exactly of rock like lengths, but that’s perhaps the only thing I have against it. I think the album could have been even more stronger when it would have been cut down down to forty-five minutes, weed out the weaker brothers here, such as the drone of the three parts of ‘Footnote In Your History’, which may fir well on this CD but think of this as a exciting LP and you would have to let go of these pieces. The sheer variation and the fine imagination which went into creating this music made one hell of a fine release. (FdW)
Address: http://www.rupturedonline.com
THE REMOTE VIEWERS – CITY OF NETS (CD by Remote Viewers)
A new statement by The Remote Viewers, who stole my heart some ago with their ‘Nerve Cure’ album. ‘City of Nets’ is latest effort of this sextet. Again with John Edwards (double bass, cello, drum programming), Caroline Kraabel (baritone sax), Sue Lynch (tenor sax), Rosa Lynch-Northover (keyboards, percussion), Adrian Northover (soprano, sopranino, alto saxes) and David Petts (tenor sax, noise generator). And again they prove themselves to be masters of understatement in 10 well-defined complex compositions. Pieces are divided into rhythm-based pieces, with – no wonder – a role for percussion, all down to earth pieces. Where the other half consists of pieces that are far more atonal and with the beat stripped. Like the extensive ‘The Wiring Party’ that is near to sound-oriented improvisation, or ‘Strange Welcome’ with a spooky mellotron-like tone on the forefront. Everything is composed by David Petts. Fine arrangements as well .Very pronounced playing and musical form. A crystal clear recording that makes it possible to register and enjoy every detail. (DM)
Address: http://www.theremoteviewers.com
CHIP SHOP MUSIC & TOSHIMARU NAKAMURA – PROTOCOL (CD by Mathka)
Following their ‘You Can Shop Around But You Won’t Find Any Cheaper’ CD, reviewed in Vital Weekly 746, I didn’t hear again from Chip Shop Music, a quartet of improvisers from Ireland. Here Eric Carlsson (percussion), Martin Kuchen (saxophones), David Lacey (drums, electronics) and Paul Vogel (electronics) team up with Toshimaru Nakamaru (no input mixing board), with whom they play on October 22 and 23 2009 in Dublin. I am not sure if these recordings were in any way edited, or if this is perhaps ‘it’. One twenty seven minute piece and one twenty four minute piece – both then being the entire concert. Like before it’s not easy to make out what everyone is doing, since it’s all densely layered with heavy use of electronic sounds, feedback/sine wave like, endless on it’s sustain, producing some of the more radical music. The saxophone does it’s best not to diversify in producing anything else, and the percussion is reduced to mere electro-acoustic background bumps and thumps. It’s perhaps less relaxing than what I thought of their previous release, which was perhaps a bit too ‘easy going’ for my taste, while this one has surely more bite altogether. Here we encounter a lot of tension between the players who play some intense music, demanding nothing less than your full attention. An excellent electro-acoustic trip for a quintet of radical players. (FdW)
Address: http://www.mathka.pl
WIRES UNDER TENSION – REPLICANT (CD by Western Vinyl)
Christopher Tignor has been inspired by Conlon Nancarrow and his compositions for the player piano. This device allowed Nancarrow to write pieces that were so complex that normal hands couldn’t play it. Tignor does something similar here, along with percussionist Theo Metz, using ‘custom built software, samples and seven live lopers’. Maybe I am wrongly under the impression that these days almost all music is too difficult to play live and that computer technology is so far now that we can create music that is never need any human involvement that requires a hands on approach. But maybe Tignor and Metz like the kind of music that has the notion of regular music, like a big orchestra playing all of this. Now my knowledge in that department is surely not enough to say any such thing, wether that is possible or not from this work. I think I need to judge this music by whatever it is, machine controlled or not. The overall mood is indeed orchestral on this record, which swift, rapid changes and full blown orchestral mood. Hard to say what it sounds like, in case you are looking for any such thing, this odd mixture of orchestral music, rock and techno inspiration. Too lively to be called ‘filmic’ I should think and perhaps it’s the same busy-ness that puts me off a bit, I must admit. Quite tiring is what I thought after a while. These machines make long days and many hours and I’m sure it’s all great, but for now, I rather take in one piece at a time. (FdW)
Address: http://www.westernvinyl.com
HIRSUTE PURSUIT – TIGHTEN THAT MUSCLE RING (CD by Cold Spring)
STEVEN SEVERIN – VAMPYR (CD by Cold Spring)
Two new albums from British label Cold Spring Records shows the stylish span of the label. First album reviewed here comes from US composer Harley Phoenix alias Hirsute Pursuit. Harley Phoenix has become a big name as the musical creator for the gay community, and you certainly have to be prepared for this one! His album titled “Tighten that muscle ring” combines ongoing rhythm textures with real samples of orgies of gay sex. Sleazy rhythms creates the background for dance floor anthems spiced with samples of deep resonate voices and explicit instructions from the artist himself for serving his sexual pleasure into musical orgies. Enjoy the music balancing between industrial and trip hop or consider this as a unique sonic art form widely praised by by the global gay community. Jumping straight to the next album we find ourselves in completely different sound spheres. Steven Severin was the brain behind 70’s goth legendary band Siouxsie & The Banshees. Since 1998 Steven Severin has composed a large number of soundtracks for films. His latest album released on Cold Spring is a new score to Carl Theodor Dreyer’s movie “Vampyr”. Expressively we find ourselves in very different spheres in comparison to the more upfront and provocative style of Hirsute Pursuit. The album titled “Vampyr” moves in spheres of introvert and trippy dark electronic soundscapes. The style is deep ambient based on subtle drones slowly moving along to create expressions of tranquility. Close the light and let yourself drift into this excellent album of deep listening. (NM)
Address: http://www.coldspring.co.uk
AMFJ – BAEN (CD, private?)
There is a letter along with the CD explaining that is already released in December 2011, so way too late for a review, but then it hasn’t been available ‘for sale until recently this year’, and would I make an exception. There is no proper website on the cover or the letter, so yes, I should believe it’s not easy to purchase the CD should you want to – but if you are on facebook check out the ‘website’ below. The only website mentioned leads to Jeskola Buzz, which is a windows only free software synth, which looks good, and should I know how to install Virtual PC on my Mac, I would surely want to test it. So all of the music was composed using this, plus there is a bit of vocals here and there. It must be the level of vagueness which this is presented with, but it’s hard to figure out what it is all about. There is a certain amount of ‘noise’ here, ‘hiss’ might be better, a certain amount of distortion, for instance in the drum sounds of ‘Mammon’, which has a strict repeating pattern reminding, along with the synth and singing of old school industrial music. Something similar happens in ‘Retoria’. Which is odd, since the package looks more like a singer songwriter sort of release. The CD has its quieter moments, the title track for instance, but throughout its hard to escape the notion of hearing something that is quite old school. In a way it’s quite diverse also, which made me think AMFJ hasn’t made up his mind right now as to which way he is heading with his music. I believe a new CD is imminent, so maybe we know more by then. Providing of course it’s available in time. (FdW)
Address: http://facebook.com/amfjmusic
THE ART OF THE MUSES (CD by Syrphe)
LE DIKTAT KIRDEC – MOURIR DE BONHEUR (CD by Syrphe)
ALUVIANA – TONICNA NEGIBNOST (CD by Syrphe)
Syrphe is a an experimental label based in Belgium specialized in avantgarde music of the African and Asian territories. Three new albums of the label has seen the light of the day. First album is a compilation titled “Art of the muses”. The aim of the album is to introduce the listener to female avant-garde and experimental artists from the Eastern Asian scene. The CD has been packed in a beautiful and stylish cardboard-sleeve. Expressively the album, first of all focus on non-rhythmic expressions spanning from electroacoustic to found sounds resulting in works of ambient. Favorite moments of the album is the subtle piece titled “Snake-rope sublation” from the artist Kismett, combining screeching noises and pulses with beautiful sheets of electronic ambience. Also the bizarre piece titled “Shadow of iron” from Vavabond is a truly astonishing work of field recordings. Many of the tracks uses acoustic instrumental expressions from the eastern culture giving a quite unique sound experience. Highly recommended for the adventurous listener or for listeners, interested in experiencing how electronic music and sound art sounds like according to the muses of the Far East. Next album is the collaboration between two interesting electronic music artists: One being C-drik alias Kirdec and the other being Le Diktat. In opposition to the aforementioned compilation present album titled “Mourir de Bonheur” focus on rhythmic structures from dark hop to utterly unique dubstep. The beats move slowly alongside atmospheres of strange electronic soundscapes and noises sometimes added processed voices and concrete samples. Last album comes from the Slovenian dark ambient composer Aluviana. On present album titled “Tonicna negibnost”, Aluviana creates experimental dark ambient based on electronic equipment combined with acoustic instruments such as harmonica and vocals having been re-processed and transformed into abstract expressions. Musically both abstract and noisy meanwhile utterly beautiful atmospheres based on atmospheric drones and electronic soundscapes. Awesome! (NM)
Address: http://www.syrphe.com
MARC HURTADO WITH VOMIR – 2011 (CD by Tourette Records)
Marc Hurtado is well known from Etant Donnés et al. Those great ‘commentators’ of the 1980s, Vomir on the other hand is the current epochs non-commentator par excellence … put these together and suddenly the WALLs of Vomir get written on.I suppose it might work – like drawing in chalk a Donald Duck or a Mickey Mouse on an Ad Reinhardt. But not some pretentious prospectus of some ‘new age’ shouting nonsense, unless its very clever irony. The skill of the draftsmanship reduces the black canvas to a trivial ground, which I suppose would be OK in Vomir’s terms, as I’ve said his work is not worth listening to, but neither is this, this is not because its been done before and when it was it was pathetic, Vomir’s work on the other hand is not worth listening to as its worth-less, whereas the 80s was the time of ‘loadsa money’, high capitalism and prostitution of and in art, and no one cared, not even Sir Bob, as we now know, and it made zero difference. So in the end Vomir wins? I think so. (jliat)
Address: http://www.touretterecords.com/index.html
GRUNT - SOMEONE IS WATCHING (CD by Force Measure)
MIND & FLESH – MARTYR GENERATION (CD by Force Measure)
In the previous century before the last, banks often had Greek facades with Doric, Ionic or Corinthian columns whilst churches tended to have gothic arches and spires. Newspapers which were broadsheet and considered of more intellectual standing than their red top counterparts use Roman lettering, western civilization with all its laws and regulations, its authority and standing originated in the Greco-Roman civilization so the new technologies of the industrial revolution used these images to both form a link to this past and engender therefore the idea of a continuity that could be trusted despite the revolution of the industrial revolution. Obviously this is no longer the case, Modernity with its truth is beauty / beauty is truth critiqued this, banks became like offices, like hospitals, like schools, glass, steel and concrete slabs. Later this itself was critiqued in
post-modernity and famously in architecture the idea of “Learning from Las Vegas”. Now any and every façade was employed in a joke mash up of historical styles of high and low art, kitsch and conservatism. The “industrial” of the revolution of post-modernity gave us call-centres and offices for financial dealers which looked like Egyptian tombs or a Casino, crashed UFOs.. etc. No longer were factories oil, dirt and steel constructions hiding behind terracotta facades of acanthus decorated neo-gothic but clean pre-fabricated blocks containing gleaming production lines “manned” by robots with a few “key workers” in clean work gear monitoring the production process. In all of this one might think that a critique would or should avoid the use of cliché- as cliché is the modern-high modern and even post modern feature of industrialization. Cliché taken to the extent of being hypercritical, no one wants to live in a machine, they prefer “homes”… cliché’s that might be just bearable as irony. But not it seems in Power Electronics or Industrial music. It’s vision is nothing like any of these realities but a romantic vista of Piranesi. Of even Dante. Is this OK. Well only if non of the depth of sound is taken in the slightest bit seriously, more like the “demo” button on some new offering from Yamaha or Roland. Pure pretense and nothing to do with anything ‘real’ a façade … (jliat)
Address: http://www.nuitetbrouillard.com/
KOJI ASANO – MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT (CD by Solstice)
The vast catalogue of Koji Asano had a lapse between 2006 and 2010, but he’s picking up speed again, with his second release for 2012. As you may know he creates a varied bunch of music, but perhaps somewhere the computer plays a big role, and that’s certainly the case on ‘Mileage Reimbursement’, which holds somewhere between a piece of classical music and computer music. You’ll be able to recognize the classical music, through brass instruments, timpani, and violins but it’s hard to say if this is something Asano plays himself, perhaps through the use of midi (say Garage band or some such), which he then feeds through some computer manipulation of some kind – mainly some sort of stretching the sounds a bit to extensively. Is it good? I am not sure, actually. There is something captivating about it for sure, that much is true. I just kept listening and listening for the entire sixty four minutes to hear if there would be any dramatic change over in the material, which perhaps I already knew wouldn’t happen – Asano’s past thirty seven releases don’t include such dramatic changes. This is more a curious work I thought that especially very good. It’s very consistent in it’s approach which is very good, but consistency alone doesn’t necessarily create a fine piece of music. (FdW)
Address: http://www.kojiasano.com
ICH BIN NINENTENO & MATS GUSTAFSSON (CD by Va Fongool)
PGA – CORRECTIONS (CD by Va Fongool)
A trio of Christian Skar Winther (electric guitar), Magmus Skavhaug Nergaard (electric bass( and Joakim Heibo Johansen (drums) team with baritone saxophone player Mats Olof Gustafsson on March 20th of this year to play a concert, and three pieces cut (my guess actually) ‘Start First’, ‘End’ and ‘Second’ by Lasse Marhaug. A hell of racket of free noise jazz music in twenty-eight minutes, cleansing all ears and all thought, I guess. ‘Second’ is the longest cut, but essentially there isn’t much difference between the three pieces, although here they drop down a bit without losing their aggressive playing. Slow here in this ‘Second’, with an almost reflective mood, if such a thing is possible at all, faster in ‘End’, which is almost like a punk song. A great disc of highly charged and intense music, which also holds some interesting variations in approach, which seem to me a rarity in this particular musical genre.
PGA is a duo of Jan Martin Gismervik on drums and Frederik Luhr Dietrichson on acoustic bass, with on two pieces guestplayers Henrik Munkeby Norstebo on trombone and Thorsten Lavik Larsen on trumpet (what’s with all those middle names I wondered when typing all of this). Together they have recorded nine tracks, recorded earlier this year. This is musically a totally different cup of tea, even when this is also totally improvised music. As you may have guessed from the instruments, this all remains in the world of acoustic playing, but with the help of some fine microphones, this sounds great. I am not sure how they play their instruments, as it seems that a wind instrument plays along on ‘Pretty Good Alternative’ (maybe they got their band from this?), but there is no indication of a guest player on this piece. The instruments are all scraped, plucked, hit, bend and while still sounding like an acoustic bass and drums, with rattling, sustaining qualities. Maybe it’s not one of the most surprising albums in this field, but it’s surely one that is made with a great ear for detail and an excellent control over the material they play. One hears these aren’t novices at work, but seasoned players of improvised music. (FdW)
Address: http://www.vafongool.no
COLD BLUE TWO (compilation CD by Cold Blue Music)
This morning I woke up after two days and nights of hard work/not enough sleep/no reviewing matters, afresh perhaps to start again. I looked at the pile of releases waiting and had to decide where to start. I started with this particular one, perhaps because it’s a compilation, but more importantly because I know Cold Blue not to deliver shocking content. I was thinking that to start afresh, I’d be more than happy to play some of Cold Blue west-coast minimalist music. This compilation is nothing but a showcase of the many talents this labels, as well as a few names I don’t recognize of hand. This is sweet, elegant minimal and modern classic music, which sometimes has more of an edge than other times, but which makes this an absolutely fine compilation. All fourteen of these pieces are quite good, with no weak brother around and none that particularly leaps out. It’s indeed the perfect kind of music to get up with, or to go to sleep with – as that’s what I did at the end of the day. Simply stuck this release on and play it again. Find here music by Daniel Lentz, Ingram Marshall, Philip Schroeder, Rick Cox, Chas Smith, John Luther Adams, Read Miller, Gavin Bryars (whose appearance pleasantly surprised me here), Michael Jon Fink, James Tenney, Larry Polansky, Peter Garland, David Roosenboom and Jim Fox. If none of these names mean anything and you have an open mind and a healthy interest in modern classical music, then I’d say here’s something to discover. For everybody else this introduction may not be necessary. (FdW)
Address: http://www.coldbluemusic.com
MONICA BROOKS & LAURA ALTMAN – AS IS (CDR by It’ll Be Awesome)
The accordion is well presented this week (see also the review of Jonas Kocher’s new CD elsewhere), and here in a duo of Monica Brooks on that instrument and Laura Altman on clarinet. They have been playing together since 2008, and sometimes have a trio going with Magda Mayas under the banner of Great Waitress, which released ‘Lucid’ last year (see Vital Weekly 792). As a duo this is their first release together. It says on the cover it was recorded at Fraser St Studios, but it sounds like it was recorded in a empty parking house, or some such cavernous place. There is no indication that there have been any sort of field recordings in play here, so it’s a bit of a mystery – until you read the extra information (duh) on the blurb, which says it was ‘inside a concrete room in an old brewery/department store turned artists studio surrounded by multiple construction sites in the centre of Sydney’ – ah that makes sense. This ‘extra’ quality gives the music something mysterious, like street artists playing all the ‘wrong’ music, a street artist shouldn’t play. Five lengthy pieces here of carefully played sustaining sounds, in which we recognize the clarinet best, and the accordion perhaps not as well. It’s all highly atmospheric music, not in the least place because of the surrounding in which this was recorded, and which certainly adds to my appreciation of the music. A mysterious, atmospheric release. (FdW)
Address: http://itllbeawesome.bandcamp.com
NICHOLODEON – NO (CDR by Nicholodeon)
One can probably say that every musical style and genre that has been occurred in the history of pop music, is still practiced somewhere on this planet. So is the case for progrock that we know from the 70s. Many Italian groups were operating in this field in those days. The Italian band Nicholodeon picks up this tradition. This band has following line up: Claudio Milano (vocals), Fabrizio Carriero (drums), Andrea Illuminati (keyboards, laptop) , Francesco Chiapperini (sax, clarinet) Luca Pissavini (electric bass), Lorenzo Sempio (electric guitar, guitar synth, effects). The band started around 2007 with Claudio Milano as the central force. I learned for the first time of Claudio through his work with Erna Franssens. Together they released ‘Adython’ for Den Records. Music centered around the impressive vocal improvisations by vocalist Milano. Let’s say this an avant garde work of art. So one did not expect to sing him also in a progrock-oriented band. But why not. But for sure a combination that is not often found around musicians. This makes Milano an unconventional and unpredictable talent. His compositions move between obligatory progrock moistures and more original and unexpected additions. Concerning the performance, singer Claudio Milano is no doubt the central figure. His wide ranging voice puts in most of the expression and drama to be found in this music. More then the instrumentalists do all together. This is a fantastic live recording offering some excellent performances of just about 30 minutes. (DM)
Address: http://www.myspace.com/nichelodeonband
DELPHINE DORA & BRUNO DUPLANT & PAULO CHAGAS – ONION PETALS AS CANDLE LIGHT (CDR by Wild Silence)
Wild Silence is the microlabel (as in CDR label) by one Delphine Dora, who is a French pianist, improviser and vocalist. Here she has a recording with Paulo Chagas on clarinet and Bruno Duplant on double bass, while Dora takes the credit for ‘outside and inside piano, objects’. The ten pieces on this release were recorded abut a year ago. I’m not sure about this release, I must say. I think I am dealing here with fairly traditional free improvisation music, of a rather melodic kind. The elements of jazz music never seem far away here. Jazzy bass, jazzy clarinet and occasionally jazz like piano. Perhaps it’s all more for somebody like Dolf Mulder, but strangely enough I was also captivated enough to keep on listening to this, perhaps wondering what would come next. It stayed all in a similar direction and surely was entertaining enough to play until the very end. I am not sure however if I would this easily again a second time soon, but who knows when I one day stumble over it again, I may do as well. (FdW)
Address: http://www.outsiderland.com/wildsilence
SPACE PROGRAM – AETHEREAL (CDR, private)
It’s of course giving a bit of the mystery away with such a band name, but its inspired by a documentary movie about the Judica-Cordiglia brothers and is the musical project since 2009 of CR Hougaard from Denmark. He gets his inspiration from old film soundtracks and early electronic music ‘while also being firmly grounded in today’s noise and drone music’. He uses guitars, synthesizers and effect pedals altered by an old tape recorder. I hear more drone than noise and perhaps more old film soundtracks than early electronics, but it sounded quite nice. Six pieces here which range somewhere from just under five minutes to over fifteen minutes, which the longest, ‘Liftoff’ is an excellent drone like excursion of floating spaceships pass lonely planets at night, until they arrive on a collision course. There is nothing here that we haven’t heard before in terms of electronic mood music, in terms of dark ambient, drone and all such like, and maybe when it leans over towards noise, it’s not always my cup of tea, such as the last third of ‘Liftoff’, but a fake classical approach of ‘Tsiolkovsky’ is actually quite nice. Quite pleasant altogether. (FdW)
Address: http://spaceprogramsounds.bandcamp.com
PETER KNIGHT – ALLOTROPE (CDR by Listen/Hear)
Perhaps the name is too ordinary, but I don’t think I ever heard of Peter Knight before. He’s from Australia and plays the trumpet, prepared flugel horn, laptop electronics, pedals and amplifier. The blurb talks about a USB stick and a video, but none was found on this CDR version. Maybe the label just decided to ignore what we ask to send us: the original real thing, so that whatever is promised on the press blurb can be checked with the real thing? The music is quite nice. It works along the lines of improvisation I should think, but it expands beyond in what becomes an one-man orchestra. At the start of a piece we have an instrument, and then all the electronics set in an expand beyond that, while the original instrument starts playing small, yet different tunes. Sometimes he doesn’t play any melodies such as the opening of the third piece (no titles), which simply revolves around the sound of the mouthpiece. The computer treatments used here are actually quite nice, sweet and not angular or aggressive. It fits the music quite well, even when Knight’s playing is something different, i.e. not sweet or nice. A fine balance is reached between improvised music, electronic music, minimalism and even a bit of noisiness here and there. An excellent showcase I’d say of what this man can do. Get him over to play a concert, solo or let’s see what he can do with others. (FdW)
Address: http://www.listenhearcollective.com
DEREK ROGERS – BORN INTO SYSTEMS (CDR by Kendra Steiner Editions)
UNMOOR – NIGHT DRIVER (CDR by Kendra Steiner Editions)
MATT KREFTING – SWEET DAYS OF DISCIPLINE (CDR by Kendra Steiner Editions)
All three of these new releases on Kendra Steiner Editions don’t have particular much information on the cover. I learn for instance that the release by one Derek Rogers is dedication to one Lee Jackson, who was ‘extremely supportive yet critical’ of Rogers’ music, but there is no clue as to what Rogers plays here, which instrument. Nothing on the website either. Maybe it’s some sort of organ in the first piece, but then perhaps a guitar in the second. Improvised perhaps, which in the second piece is a bit of shamble. Some strings being strummed, some boxes connected, ending in a bit of noise and that’s it. In the first and third piece he plays that organ and is definitely much better. Quite subdued, at least for the better part of the pieces, just like the last piece, which is the most contemplative, mood-wise there is here. It’s all a bit so-so, I think. I can see why tributes have to be made, but some more solid background would be nice.
Unmoor is a duo of Andy Hendrix and Eva Kelly, whom I assume both play guitar and electronics, judging by the sound of their seven pieces. Here too, I think improvisation is their main game, and ‘atmospheric’ is their objective in playing such music. All seven tracks have a vaguely drone like character, and it’s indeed a bit atmospheric, and never ‘loud’, ‘vicious’ or ‘noisy’. But then: is it a great release? I am not too sure about that. I seem to like it for what it is, vague drone music of a rather lo-fi nature, a bit along the lines of music from New Zealand, circa a decade back. But perhaps it’s also too non-descript to stand out of anything. But perhaps that’s sometimes enough, I think. So they get the benefit of the doubt here.
Perhaps best known from this trio is Matt Krefting, whom I know best as a member of Idea Fire Company, but many others as Son Of Earth member. I don’t think, however, I heard his solo music before, so I am not sure if I should compare this with anything from his other musical endeavors. But perhaps ‘vague’ is a notion here, but then perhaps also in a more positive sense. With what seems to be a minimum of sound sources (loops of unidentified origins, guitars, effects) he creates eleven rather short pieces of music, somewhere between thirty-four seconds and six minutes. Here, like on the other two releases we find no doubt mood music, but of a more delicate, refined nature. A piece like ‘I Left’ is full of tension, shifting slowly around a few sparse notes. There is stuff from vinyl, such as the voices of ‘Panic Ports’ or the choir of ‘The Three’. In some ways I was reminded of Idea Fire Company/Pickle Factory (less the bass of the latter) but then these pieces are more sparsely orchestrated and shorter, but are of a similar excellent quality, but perhaps I am a tad bit biased here. (FdW)
Address: http://kendrasteinereditions.wordpress.com/
FOSSILS – 99 PROBLEMS (CDR by MJC)
FOSSILS – SECRET PRINCESS (cassette by MJC)
It’s a pity that Fossils, a duo of Daniel Farr and David Payne, here expanded with Michael Barrett, Matthew Boughner and Robbie Michalchuk have such low end covers for their releases. It’s hard to imagine someone picking this up, thinking: this looks like something I want to hear. That’s a pity since what they do is actually something people might want to hear, I should think. Here they have 99 tracks, which works best of course when shuffled around, throwing out these short tracks, of merely a few seconds up to three minutes, but also can be enjoyed quite well, when played in a more strict linear fashion. Fossils is a group of lo-fi improvisations, employing whatever sounds come to hand, and whatever and however method to transform those sounds. Especially they find all sorts of manners interesting that have a lo-fi quality to them, such as stomp boxes, dictaphones and cassettes. Merely out of time considerations I played this long release, over seventy five minutes, in a strict linear fashion, and as such it sounded very much like a lengthy improvisation which is perhaps too long, but it sure as it’s fine moments. The best thing is indeed to put this on shuffle and create an endless stream of endless lo-fi mechanics. Quite subdued overall, which was kind of surprising with this line-up.
In that respect the cassette of more Fossils material, recorded by the core duo, is a bit more noisy in approach. Much of this revolves around loops of sound material. Not all of it played the musicians themselves, as there is a lot of stuff around from either TV or radio, but also from old found cassettes and vinyl. Orchestral stuff, lots of spoken word and such like and played around in a fairly random manner. This cassette lasts about sixty minutes which I thought was a bit too long. They play their music quite consistently and there is a fixed idea – music with sounds from other media and electronics of our own – but here the execution lacks a bit, or rather the editing of the material. It’s not bad for some time, but not in it’s entire form. And I really think their overall presentation could be better. (FdW)
Address: http://fozzilz.bandcamp.com
MAMIFFER & LOCRIAN – BLESS THEM THAT CURSE YOU (cassette by Land Of Decay)
THE SUBTRACTION – THE ONE WHO INFESTS SHIPS (cassette by Land Of Decay)
KAPUSTIN YAR – TRITHEMIUS (cassette by Land Of Decay)
Last week we had Locrian’s LP with Christoph Heemann, this week we have three cassettes on Andre Foisy’s Land Of Decay label, and one of Locrian’s members. The first release is another example of their collaborative work, this time with a band called Mamiffer, which is a five piece band with piano, voice, tack piano, bass synth, tape samples, electric guitar, mellotron, auxiliary percussion and bass (and even a guest on horns in one piece). Recorded at Electrical Audio (and still only on cassette?). It must have been crowded in that studio with these eight people and all of their instruments. And how do two bands play together like that I wondered, without producing an endless cacophony of sound or, on the other hand, do stuff that is so controlled that nobody dares leaping out? That is not the case here, as the two bands together play some interesting mood music from the rockist agenda. Here we have piano tunes, guitar tunes, lots of atmospheric swelling of tones rising and sustaining, with an extended (over-used at times) amount of reverb, but it’s alright. This is the kind of music that can actually have this quite well. It’s dark, it’s heavy, and it’s moody. Long pieces of slow shifting sound material and while we may not always hear each instrument clear and as individual as we would, this is a fine release. Certainly of the kind people should release on vinyl or CD, I would think. So what happened?
The second tape is by The Subtraction, a duo of which I never heard which the likewise unknown Omar Gonzales on tapes and electronics and the well-known Jason Soliday on modular synth. Although quite single minded this music is on the border of drone and noise. It’s not entirely noise like enough to be fully and truly be noise, but it’s on the other hand also not just that atmospheric to be full on drone music. Especially if you crank up the volume, a whole world of nasty frequencies seem to open up and you feel the disconformt in this music. Which I pretty much like actually. This is the kind of music that fits perfectly on a cassette. It has the long form structure of an improvisation, the piercing sounds of a noise release, and the atmospherics of listening to an airplane flying low over at night. Excellent release.
I have no idea who is behind Kasputin Yar and the cover doesn’t shed much additional information., which is a pity. The music is recorded and produced rather in a lo-fi way, not because it’s low, but it’s perhaps all a bit muddy. I believe to detect a rhythm machine, banging out slow rhythms, lots of guitar sounds feeding through even more guitar effects, of which the reverb is the most dominant one. I tried to like this, but I couldn’t, I must say. I didn’t like the way the instruments sounded, how it was recorded, the gothic undercurrent of whispering voices, the extreme amount of sound effects used to cover up flaws in the musical abilities – no, I guess I was not cut for this. (FdW)
Address: http://landofdecay.bigcartel.com/
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