Moth Cock -Twofer Tuesday (HAUSMO 18)

Wake 'n Bake with outer zone free jazz! Peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

Miles inferred that the wildest vibes have no name. Maybe a reference point or two, but too fucked up for categorization. These guys from Kent, Ohio are coming for your head and there isn't anything surreptitious about their tactics. At times, it resembles a vortex of free jazz and noise with a few other strains of experimental music thrown into the blender; unrelenting varied faces comprised of wretched sonic squalor discharged by clarinet and trumpet; electronic freak outs that sputter and bustle as fragments of unstable noise and damaged loops fissure and smolder - in my parlance, a blazing hash rocket. Previously I decided to take a break during the World Cup, as I am a fervent follower if futbol. However, I just have to tell you about the smash and grab, hyper-kinetic baked chaos from Moth Cock. Twofer Tuesday on Hausu Mountain is not total football by any means. Rather, it resembles the heavy metal, on the cusp of bedlam that resembles Die Schwarzgelben. Anyhow, back to business. For me, Two for Tuesday means to double the quantity. Better ensure the provisions are sufficient, because the outer zone vibes this duo cranks through a tripped out medicine machine dominate the room in the manner of dank indica haze. It may sound like a welter of confusion to the uninitiated, yet the glowing kinetic mass is continuously in a process of building and razing. This duo operates transiently, spewing their turbulent, stoney mix over the denizens, exulting in the deluge, and then moving expeditiously to the next endeavor. Nothing is out of reach, nor out of bounds. Clarinet and trumpet rage next to electronics that writhe uncontrollably. Loops begin to fracture and fray when the clarinet's breathy tones become enveloped in drone. Climbing a steep, jagged terrain comprised of textured electronics, the duo, undeterred, drive hard for the peak. The flipside is even more bonkers than its predecessor. Upon pressing play, the listener is immediately transported to a house of mirrors. Ephemeral loops along with clarinet and trumpet are spliced and splintered until ejected capriciously. What will happen next? Did you pack that extra bowl? Samples are strewn across damaged tape moves and spectral voices. The middle of the flip is for serious heads. Then they hit these high flying humid zones, emitting an infectious, lethargic vibe. Later fervent arpeggios that could be from an Atari 2600 are joined by cascading glitter.  

Limited to 100 copies, Twofer has snazzy orange shells with black and white imprint. Max Allison's artwork illustrates this trichome saturated trip accurately. Hausu's discography is ripe with heady nugs, particularly the Mugen series. Twofer Tuesday may be purchased directly from Hausu Mountain.

peace and love, friends :)

Half High - Calling Nina (Eiderdown 2014)

The menace is loose - disquiet abounds. peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

Light up before you enter this portal. Once within this ghastly, yet beautiful sonic atmosphere, it's difficult for the flowers to combust. I've experienced many states from the catalog of Eiderdown. However, nothing quite matches the visceral dread and spooked synths of Half High. Based in Sydney, Australia, they are among the founding members of Naked on The Vague. Calling Nina was recorded in a space that was once used by scientists to conduct research on the psychokinetic powers of Nina Kulagina. Following her death, it was determined that a poltergeist had taken possession of the area. Subsequent attempts to channel the presence resulted in twelve deaths. Just like Eiderdown suggests, Calling Nina may be an attempt to make contact with her spirit and collaborate with the inherent vibe of the space. When you press play, be prepared; these excerpts taken from live tracks swoop down from desolate, opaque portals suffusing the environment with dense spine-tingling apprehension. 

 Foreboding reverberations and mellow synth are concurrently crystalline and eerie. Cavernous vibrations abound. Something lurks in the copious recesses that dot the shrouded labyrinth. Sputtering and churning, sonic bile is spewed from the icy speakers - one cannot escape the palpable unease. Downcast synths hover and metallic, paranormal vibrations leave a lustrous streak. Electronics pensively ruminate in disturbed air that trembles portentously. Ravaged, disembodied voices skitter on the precipice. On the flipside ethereal drone and buoyant energy devolve into baleful emanations. Ominous pulses are slowly depleted of
vigor, yet, in a torpor, the terror and fright still loom large. Beams of radiant electronics are refracted effervescently. The flipside becomes progressively more sinister and taciturnly unrelenting. Halfway through it reaches what appears to be stasis. Yet, the chill from the speakers suggests otherwise. Deleterious and ashen, wayward oscillations and voices suddenly abate to the influence of mournful synth.  

I'm spooked and can't stop listening!! These folks from Sydney are first-rate sound sculptures. Five minutes into side A, the blinds on my window literally rolled up unprompted - that hasn't occurred in many years. Eiderdown tapes light up my head like few others. Just like Gonzalez & Steenkiste and Ecstatic Cosmic Union before them, Half High grabs the listener's attention by filling the room with their aura. Instead of golden, meditative drones or cosmic exploration, this time around a sinister, ghastly presence hovers. Max Clotfelter's artwork, a staple of these beautiful tapes, does a nice job of matching the vibe. Released in a limited edition of 100 cassettes, Calling Nina may be purchased directly from Eiderdown.   

peace and love, friends :)

Death Rattle - Death Rattle (House of Alchemy 076)

Brutalizer's crystals go up in smoke in the place where bedlam dwells. peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

My good buddy from Buffalo ruminates, almost venerably, about the frigid blanket that each winter envelops the denizens of this fine city; the frost covered peaks of homes fighting what seems like interminable bleakness; the icy labyrinthine streets, corridors on which pallid light from above reflects somberly. A tape which fits perfectly in House of Alchemy's discography, the terminal vibrations exuded on Death Rattle would melt the thick ice of desolate winter instantaneously. For some time this Buffalo duo, Jim Abramson and Pat Cain, have been lighting up minds with their highly charged end-game burners. Death Rattle create terror-laced and psychedelic-tinged improvisations. They shake the crystals from your glistening flower and then suffuse the room with an ominous haze; two guys that explore outer zones fervently, working their sound into a frenzy before exploding into infinite luminous particles. 

These guys strike sparks right from the start. Spacey electronics and frenzied drumming pummel one unsuspectingly. Cain works the saxophone hard, coaxing myriad variegated transmissions. The atmosphere could be characterized as lo-fi, sinister and cold. Abramson's presence over the drums is one of the memorable facets of this tape. Rolling disquiet generates a palpable chill as a devouring voice emits expansive terror. The visceral unease felt in the latter stage of track two on side A kept me on edge. Unstable electronics spiral downward; burned out vibrations buzz venomously abutting a depraved voice. A full blown maelstrom awaits on the flip. Cain's sax stretches for the sky among withering energy comprised of percussion and deranged utterances. The climax smolders brightly. Were you to ask about a recommendation, I would reply: Cain and Abramson imbue this cassette with primal intensity, awash in mystery, oddity, trepidation, wonder and ritual. Whether billowing a dense, dark apprehension or traversing the dreary, dank catacombs, Death Rattle does not abate until the last faint gargle. Are you lifted yet?

Death Rattle shakes with feral intensity perched atop House of Alchemy's crystal covered steeple. Produced in an edition of 100, Death Rattle may be purchased directly from House of Alchemy.

peace and love, friends :)

Knit Prism - Pace (ST17)

Jane Doe gets her kicks from Knit Prism. peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

Pace, from Knit Prism, is the result of a marriage made in experimental music heaven. The artwork - attributed to Scissor Tail Records head honcho, Dylan Aycock (Talk West) - immediately brings to mind something from the vaults of Worn Habit. While the art of Talk West and Knit Prism manifests differently, the place from which it blossoms is similar. At the cross section, both create music that embraces and magnifies the moment - opaque, hazy recordings with a gentle aura that illuminates the soul. More so, each artist is adept at using space in their recordings - The Hired Hand reissue on Scissor Tail is another touchstone. For those not familiar, Knit Prism is the long running project of Michael Pouw, thee man at Worn Habit and House of Sun. Pace was recorded at the same time as the Avant Archive release, Growing.

Over two sides of tape, dusty processed ambient sounds loop, modulate, pulsate, and contort to the point of establishing a radiant haven for the listener. It is very easy to lose oneself in this music. Lumbering, resonant tones touch down on fields of hazy ambient noise, its energy diffuses over the denizens. An amalgamation of airy tones swirl torpidly in the distance. Tendrils of gentle sound grasp the listener, spiraling around its body. Electronic droplets permeate eerie passages. Through a welter of clouds, one can hear faint whistles, tones with soft edges and conspicuous crackle and hiss. Splintered sounds wrestle next to metallic noise, progressively becoming more intense. Meanwhile the latter part of the flipside contains some of the most menacing noise heard yet from this project. It certainly is a departure from the languid, dreamy state established heretofore. As the flip commences gentle currents, drone and tranquil guitar wrap one in a gauzy filament. Bleary sounds rise and fall with the breath. Concomitantly halcyon vibes and drone abut the trembling soul. Listening to these sounds is the best i've felt the entire day. Later on side B, one can barely perceive anything, save for the benevolent ambient sound that lifts one from their malaise. Even when the listener senses the sound as being distant, Knit Prism could never be more proximate. Toward the end, ominous noise temporarily dislocates the listener until they float back to earth in the slipstream. Admirers of Hototogisu; the Evans' Courtly Illusion Limited and Coyote-related projects; and Josh Mason should not spare a minute in procuring a copy directly.  

Pace has that top shelf vibe which makes Jane's trichomes sparkle like splintered sunlight. Released in a limited edition of 25 cassettes with a letterhead insert, only a few remain. Pace may be purchased directly from Scissor Tail. 

peace and love, friends :)

   

DSR lines - Venndiagram (SK009)

cosmic synth relief radiating from the Death Star.  peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

Venndiagram is a sonic spectacle that will dazzle the head - a tape full of zoners!  This is the type of music that can make toiling through the day worth it; because at night these sonic explorations glisten from elevated regions.  Just like the title, Venndiagram contains shimmering sonic objects that intersect, modulate, and dissociate - constantly forming new relationships.  In terms of tone, texture, and bringing ideas into the light there are few releases which rival the latest tape from DSR lines on Smeltkop.  DSR lines is the long-running project from Hare Akedod head, David Edren.

Right from the start, blissful layers of synth modulate and then billow; multifaceted sounds appear.  At the apex, they coalesce as a unit comprised of components, always shifting in the cosmic air - excellent track! Near the end, it drops a few levels, drifting lazily into the void.  Aural ellipses dance excitedly on the periphery of heaven, echoing with effervescent energy in the second track.  In the distance, formations of rich, vibrant color flare animatedly.  Side A finishes with a section of peaceful drift.  Tranquil azure waves undulate in the vibrant resonant light.  The flip provides the same entrancing trip.  The first track on side B captivates one immediately.  It contains mysterious, yet lucid streams of sonic energy.  Layers of synth vacillate and are coupled with mesmerizing rhythms.  The ritual-like vibes of the next track manifest as a tranquil drone radiates under a constellation of vibrant synth.        

Kudos to Smeltkop for releasing such a wonderful tape!  This is one of my favorite nugs in the bag - top shelf vibes!  Venndiagram is a tape to which I continually return.  The skill with which these tracks were composed make each listen a wonderful experience.  Which leads me to recommend giving this tape your undivided attention.  It works the other way, too; however, there is much beauty to be harvested from listening actively.  Venndiagram is extremely limited - 60 copies.  Red tapes with white print come in a clear case and are accompanied by a two color screen printed 3 panel J-card, designed by Mathieu Serruys.  The few remaining copies are available directly from Smeltkop.    

peace and love, friends :)