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 :)

Lace Bows - Bows of Summer (ExoTape016)

summer purps bring the haze for daze!  peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

As variegated leaves flutter in the air and descend to the ground - their texture changing with the time - the vivid experimental sound collages of Lace Bows engulf the body, producing moments of elation as well as a yearning desire for the past.  Lace Bows is adept at combining disparate elements into a cohesive, breathing whole.  The act of integrating strands of ambient music, tape loops/tape music and field recordings is done perfectly.  If you enjoyed the SCKE// tape from last year, then you will find a lot to love here.  Bows of Summer, from Exo Tapes, is the frosty nug your head needs for waning days of summer.

Without hesitation, the first track unleashes prodigious layers of warm sound.  As the sonorous layers reverberate, the layers fray at the edges and metamorphose into rays of healing energy, which are tethered to solemn, sustained tones.  The second track sounds like festive beach music heard from afar.  Loops of serene sound are cloaked in musty haze.  Later, a section of strings becomes ensconced in hazy loops and begins to decompose.  Toward the end of the track, as the veil is lifted, funky,soulful vibes abound.  In the next track, shifting currents of light ambiance slowly expand.  With time, the sound becomes more cohesive and concentrated in the hazy atmosphere.  Almost three minutes in, the track achieves a wonderful balance with peaceful reverberations coalescing with field recordings - the moonlight glistening on the water.  'Christmas Sun' has a different feel, as sonic sparks are emitted from a crackling drone.  Shortly, cascading energy abuts ethereal strings.  Hazy, decomposing samples transform into a pulsating beam of warm, meandering sound in, 'Lakes in Moon'.  Soon, twinkling droplets of peaceful sound shimmer in the soft light, while a flute flutters in oscillations.  The last track, '40 Summers Left' is one of the most beautiful on the tape.  Clouds of haze subsume tender sonic energy and field recordings.        

Friends, this site was created to celebrate this type of music.  Exo is one of the best, and Bows of Summer  is the crystal-covered nug which will bring the good, deep vibe like few others.  Produced in an edition of 25 tapes, with artwork by Whatever™, it is sold out at the source and through Meditations.

.  However, always dependable Tomentosa may have a few of these eventually.  In the interim, dig the digital tracks - one of the best tapes of the year.

peace and love, friends :)