Monday, September 30, 2013

Xiphiidae - Quaking Myth (Zorn33)





I'm at the peak of kush mountain, and Quaking Myth is the dollop of kief that delivers us into the light.  peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :) 


 The initial revolutions of Quaking Myth encapsulate the qualities that I tend to seek in music - and really, that can be said of the entire record.  There is undeniably something special occurring in those nascent rotations, which finds the listener eager to immerse themselves.  Hazy, lo-fi wonders meander and multiply, quickly expanding throughout the head.  Xiphiidae is the project of Housecraft proprietor, Jeffry Astin.  Originally released by Housecraft in 2010, Quaking Myth receives the vinyl treatment from Aguirre Records.  The music is a lovely amalgamation of many different styles and influences.  Aguirre's description is right on: "...broad influences from modern and ethnic drone, tape music, music concrète, kosmische and lo-fi, among others."  The stunning artwork speaks to the music. 

  A sequence of ephemeral and variegated waves undulate, piercing the dome and refracting in myriad directions.  Shortly, vivid colors merge in the shifting autumn light.  Track 1 on Side A is a conduit to awareness.  Swollen passages of benevolent sound engulf the listener.  Patterns and shapes begin to pulsate merge, dissociate, and recede into the haze.  There is a wonderful progression throughout from the solemn to the more ascendant - this track is played on repeat in the house.  The flipside delves into the qualities that make this project great.  Instantly, one is catapult into a misty forest of garbled tapes, minimal and foreboding drone, and sinister rhythms.  The following track is imbued with hypnotic rhythms, field recordings and airy incantations.  Finally, a buoyant drone progressively expands; prodigious rays of aural energy abut robust and resonant sound - intense and lovely!  However, toward the end the sonic waves morph, becoming elongated and moving in a dreamy manner.

Top shelf vibes from Xiphiidae!  These won't be around for long.  I purchased my copy at Tomentosa.

peace and love, friends :)