CODES: - Drone Records

all his other releases, maybe a little more angular rhythmically
speaking, a bit more prog, even jangly almost at times. One of our
favorite elements of Gira's music is most definitely his lyrics. They have
a kind of universal quality, dealing with more existential themes, and
less of personal emotional type stuff, which is rare in the world of
song-writing. Akron Family are amazing as well and their unique
musical contributions have much to do with the unique sound of the
record. Stark and a bit abstract, stripped down, but still lush, and
of course haunting and beautiful. And just really fucking great.
Another great album in a long line of great albums. If you liked the
other Angels Of Light albums, you'll probably dig this one too. It's
certainly a development, and there are lots of subtle differences,
but it manages to maintain the eternal quality of all Gira's work.
Yeah, it's really beautiful, there are awesome brass parts too, the
lyrics rule, the textures are evocative, GREAT ALBUM! That's all we
need to say." [Aquarius]
"....Backing/contributing musicians include Akron/Family, Bill Rieflin
(Ministry, Swans, Robert Fripp, and currently drummer for both Robyn
Hitchcock and REM), Julia Kent (Antony and the Johnsons) Christoph
Hahn (longtime Angel and former Swan) and many, many more..."
[label info]
"The moment i played We Are Him my heart exploded with the feeling
'that voice!!!!!!' and it has done it to me every time i have ever heard it
since... now is the best Michael Gira has ever sounded and i cannot
without sounding insanely thrilled express how much this means to me.
We Are Him is touching, frightening, wonderfully different and whole."
[Jamie Stewart / Xiu Xiu]
* ART FLEURY - I Luoghi del Potere CD-Box (Die Schachtel
DS14, 2007) € 17.50
"Cardboard CDBox, 16-page booklet in English and Italian + poster.
'Art Fleury' was born in Brescia, Northern Italy, in the mid-seventies.
They were still in their teens when they had the opportunity to open the
concert of the group Area at the famous Parco Lambro Festival in Milan
(1976), in front of fifty thousands people. In the following years they
extensively toured and played with Henry Cow, and in 1980 they were
finally able to produce and release their first record, 'I luoghi del potere'
(The places of power), which they started recording in 1977.
Superficially (or intentionally) included in the 'Prog' genre, 'I luoghi del
potere' (originally conceived as the soundtrack of an imaginary movie),
is a very personal and radical experience, at times recalling Faust's
free-form kraut riffing, or the industrial sound collages of Nurse With
Wound. The music is articulated through an outstanding dynamic
juxtaposition of instrumental parts, with frequent structural and
harmonic fragmentations, and a diverse array of unusual sound
elements: from a sort of brass-band progression to radio frequencies,
from cacophonic intermezzos to expressionist tape-collage techniques.
Through this free flow of sounds, only apparently casual, the group
wanted to expose the alienation, the folly, the hopes and fears of their
times, through a creative act that pushed to the limits their expressive
means." [label info]
"...This album of theirs, the title of which means "The Places Of
Power", was apparently conceived as an imaginary soundtrack of sorts,
and it's indeed quite soundtracky, you could imagine this being the
score to a very arty, serious and suspenseful Italian film. It's a sonic
collage that effectively deploys skittering percussion and tape-splicing
studio fuckery, instrumental prog bombast and jazz improv freedom, the
proceedings often infused with moody textures of glitch and crackle,
visited by musical cues or voices set amidst radio static, as if sampled
from a random spin of the dial. This is very much in keeping with the
sounds of modern-day Die Schachtel acts like A and Christa Pfangen,
and their colleagues 3/4hadbeeneliminated. We're also reminded of AQ
faves Village Of Savoonga, and to several of Art Fleury's
contemporaries or near-contemporaries like Faust, This Heat, and
Nurse With Wound. You probably get the idea: recommended!
This cd comes packaged in a oversized cardboard box, inclosing
a booklet with liner notes along with a poster of the album's black &
white cover graphic of a clenched fist..." [Aquarius Records]
* ATAVIST / NADJA - 12012291920 / 1414101 CD (Invada Records
INV036, 2007) € 14.50
"12012291920 / 1414101 is the coming together of two distinct creative
forces in the form of ATAVIST (UK) and NADJA (Canada), and
represents an abstract detraction from both of the bands previous
works. The feel of the album is one of blissful escapism presented
through harmonious audio manipulation, intricate melody and polarizing
heaviness. This release sees Atavist / Nadja placing the listener into an
dreamlike environment throughout the albums two expansive tracks by
using an innovative array of layered sounds, abstract guitar work,
subsonic bass levels and delicate electronics to give a desolate, yet
warm full length album. 12012291920 / 1414101 is not a split album,
rather a collaborate effort between Atavist & Nadja with each artist
bringing their own components to the whole." [label info]
"...Teamed up with UK sludge doom quartet Atavist, this seems like
the ultimate doom drone matchup, and thus you might expect that
these two bands would bring out the heaviest and sludgiest in each
other, then in fact, the exact opposite is the case.
Two nearly half hour tracks, each one meandering and blissful,
darkly tranquil and really really pretty. The first is a slowcore /
postrock drift, delicate guitar figures, looped over a slow shimmery
dronescape, the backdrop constantly shifting, the guitar line spidery
and minor key, repeating hypnotically above a constantly intensifying
backdrop of drones and rumblings. Eventually the background noise
overtakes the lonely guitar, but not in a sludgy bombastic way, more
like a muted churning swirl, lots of billowy low end guitar, and
drifting smoky ambience. Near the end, the guitars do thicken, and
suddenly the dreaminess is mired in some serious sludge, shot though
with distant keening psychguitar, but it doesn't last, and the sludge
softens quickly into more whispery whir.
The second track is a wide open expanse of billowy dark
ambience, lots of strange muted FX and pulsing krautrocky swirl. More
in line with Tangerine Dream and Popol Vuh than SUNNO)) or Earth.
Eventually building into a moaning majestic wall of sound, like
Sunroof! or Vibracathedral, but less skree and more rumble, huge
slabs of crumbling guitar, beneath glistening melodic fragments and
soft whirls of sound. Droney and dreamy, divine and doomy and
obviously essential." [Aquarius Records]
* AXOLOTL - Memory Theatre CD (Important Records
IMPREC120cd, 2007) € 14.50
Zusammenstellung von rarem Material der low-fi Droner der neueren
Generation, die massive Klangströme mit melancholischen Untertönen
verbinden, extra rauschig und mit Hang zu Übersteuerungen..
"Memory Theater is an absolutely essential collection of the best of
AXOLOTL’s out-of-print CDRs and vinyl only releases. KARL BAUER
spent quite a bit of time collaborating with Black Dice, Mouthus, Double
Leopards and various other acclaimed members of the noise
underground before heading off on his own as Axolotl. In the last couple
of years Axolotl have released numerous CD, CDR and vinyl releases,
many of which quickly went out of print and started demanding some
serious coin on eBay. Memory Theater collects the best of these out of
print releases into one convenient package designed by Karl Bauer.
Axolotl has collaborated with the likes of the Skaters, Magik Markers,
Yellow Swans, Inca Ore, Skygreen Leopards, Religious Knives, and
Mouthus. Axolotl has toured Europe and the United States and shared
the stage with the likes of Animal Collective, Black Dice, Boris,
Charlambides, Chris Corsano, Double Leopards, Excepter, Sightings,
the Skaters, Terrestrial Tones, Tomutonttu, and Yellow Swans." [label
info]
* AUBE - Ricochetentrance CD (Lunar L199904, 1999) € 13.00
Feiner AUBE-Release basierend auf Wasser-Sounds von 1999, last
copies back in stock !
"....Es handelt sich v.a. um gesampelte und geloopte Sounds von
Wasser-TROPFEN, die sich vielfach übereinander legen und oft sogar
ein quasi-rhythmisches Grundgerüst bilden, hinter dem es fließt und
droned.." [old Drone Rec.info]
"...With Ricochetentrance Nakajima returns to water as a sound source.
Much of his previous work has started slowly and evolved slowly; its
end destination has been to shock the listener with its force. While
Ricochetentrance is similar in the quiet and slow evolution, it is different
in that the destination of each track is not noise. Instead the five pieces
remain understated and chart slight trickles and light drips. The sounds
are textured, designed more for contemplation and relaxation. For the
most part my explorations of Ricochetentrance have been at night, lying
back with a portable CD player lying lightly on my chest plugged into it
with headphones. So on those occasions where I do make it all the way
through, I'm usually fairly relaxed, rather than already gone, taken in by
the absorbent sounds of fluid. Ricochetentrance is very much an
atmospheric recording, and I guess in the wrong frame of mind could
just sound like water. Though the strangest thing is that the one time I
tried to move about while listening to Ricochetentrance I felt distinctly
sea sick...coincidence" [Remote Induction]
* AUBE - Reworks NIMH Vol. 1 CD (Silentes minimal editions
sme0611, 2007) € 13.00
"Another must have volume of work by audio decomposition-genius and
sound-sculptor AUBE. Ethnic-electronic sound sources (as with "The
Missing Tapes" by NIMH) transfigured and remodeled into completely
new sonic lifeforms with state-of-the-art audio processing algorithms.
Residual fragments of the original sound-sources occasionally appear
in the mix like aquatic fauna swimming to the surface for a brief
second. A magnum opus in four movements. Intensely facinating work
by the unparalleled master of experimental sound design. AUBE is
peerless. A minimal mosaic of sound that takes the listener on a slowmotion
expedition into the very fabric of tone. A ocean of sound-grains