Chapels - But I Was Never Much Good (House of Alchemy 072)

House of Alchemy tapes make Bubba's trichomes shimmer with excitement. peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

One of my favorite things to do upon receiving a batch of House of Alchemy tapes is to go right for the gold - Chapels. Chapels is tantamount to a sweet trichome-covered nug in the bag that leaves a lovely fragrance wafting through the house. Throughout the duration of a recording, these tapes exhibit a propensity to envelop. Studying these sounds in the present moment is an enriching experience. In the realm of experimental tape labels, few compare to the venerable and prolific House of Alchemy. When I listen to Chapels, I often find myself thinking of another talented artist who permeates my head similarly, Josh Mason. That comparison may bewilder some.While their craft manifests differently, both are notable for providing a minimal and encompassing experience. Drilling down more deeply, it is about exploring sound, and sometimes its relationship with the environment. Chapels' discography explores myriad moods and vibrations, ranging from foreboding; ominous; dark; vibrant; voluminous; introspective; hopeful; austere - the human experience. Label proprietor, and Chapels main man, Adam Richards, utilizes a phalanx of instruments in his recordings, as well as on the latest release, But I was Never Much Good. Each side is comprised of obscured and hazy collages, which yield thick, sustained and opaque ambient vibrations.

Blotches of corroded keys surge and modulate. Loops hang tenuously on a blighted synapse - music for introspection. Shortly, abundant layers of modulating, hazy energy coalesce. Becoming more concentrated, the sound moves to the fore until the flickering energy is exhausted. Soon objects resonate, which culminates in a churning wall of noise. Side A ends with a poignant sample. As the flip gets going, scrambled field recordings and rolling minimal noise graduate into a stream of high pitched whirling noise. Swirling energetically in the silent night, blurred tangential signals float ominously through clouds. Ghastly utterances struggle to communicate in the murky hiss - lovely!

But I was Never Much Good may be purchased directly from House of Alchemy or through 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 :)

Parallives - Ex Nihilo Nihil Fit (ExoTape014)

Sweet sativa!  Soothing and hypnotic top shelf vibes from Lace Bows and Former Selves.  Friends, along with this wonderful tape, the most important thing that I can express is to keep Humboldt Relief in your heart and thoughts during these tough times.  Peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief - you are always in my heart and thoughts :)           

A collaboration as strong as Lace Bows and Former Selves does not emerge often.  Moreover, it is even less likely that the sonic results of a collaboration illuminate the best attributes of each artist in a manner that creates something singular.  Yet, this tape accomplishes the feat of bringing together two creative and talented musicians.  Lace Bows is a wonderful manipulator of sound, creating evocative sound collages which exist under a layer of haze.  The lovely paeans on Bows of Summer, engulfed in dense sonic bliss, resonate warmly.  It's one of the best tapes around, and a review is forthcoming.  There are few artists that operate in the realm in which Former Selves resides.  Calico Sunset is one of the most beautiful tapes released this year.  Therefore, the synergy sounds fantastic - hazy loops, soothing drones, solemn notes and moments of elation.  Ex Nihilo Nihil Fit, from Parallives on Exo Tapes, is hopefully the first of many tapes from this talented duo!

A nascent drone emerges from sonic flashes.  Passages of ethereal sound pervade the head with a sense of immediacy; tape hiss and loops are in the background. Subsequent to a section of opaque transmissions, the track proceeds to some of the most mellifluous stuff of the year.  Pastoral drones and sun imbued tones glisten in the morning light.  The corresponding energy from the beginning manifests once again, bringing awareness into the enveloping light of day.  On the flipside, a loop abuts an inchoate drone, radiant even at a distance.  An edifying drone resonates vividly.  Slowly, a section of emotionally resonant notes protrude lightly among samples and loops.  As the track appears to crest in a sea of samples and loops, there is a subtle shift to sounds of cascading water and copious layers of peaceful sound.  Shortly, the myriad sources of sound coalesce into a hazy sonic being that orbits the head - stunning!

With artwork by Whatever™, Ex Nihilo Nihil Fit is limited to 50 tapes.  Sold out at the source, secure one of the last remaining copies at Tomentosa.
      

peace and love, friends :)

Forming - Variations of the One Essence (Worn Habit no.04)

soothing, peaceful sounds make the trichomes glisten.  peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

Not too long ago, a friend posted samples of warm tape loops.  They were utterly gorgeous and released on a label of which I was unaware, Worn Habit.  Eventually, I became aware that Worn Habit is the sibling of the venerable House of Sun.  The thread running through this is Mike Pouw, who records as Knit Prism.  He just released a beautiful side of music for the Fadeaway 4-way split, which was reviewed here.  Whether it is via Knit Prism or through one of his labels, his unique take on ambient music is something which brings me great joy.  Thus, if you missed out on the Grant Evans' tape on House of Sun, you will likely enjoy Variations of the One Essence, from Forming on Worn Habit.  There is scant information on the artist, but don't get bogged down in that detail.  Rather, allow Variations of the One Essence to permeate your head with its gentle warmth.  In Variations of the One Essence tape loops of grainy, shifting samples are nestled under an umbrella of tranquility, yet exhibit unique characteristics in the splintered sunlight.

Side A commences with 'Eye Appeal - Valid Days', in which a disintegrating tape loop warbles in a sea of crackle and hiss. Subtly, it changes into another loop - the transformation of which is stunning - comprised of a modulating flash of energy that traverses a landscape of elongated wistful notes.  Just when one is drifting on autopilot, intoxicated by its radiating beauty, the loop tweaks your head with a deluge of grainy notes.  In 'Hill', a serene drone negotiates currents of hiss, joined by a series of soothing notes.

  The flip begins with the calming influence of 'Resident of', in which languid, soporific tones billow, slightly obscured by wisps of hiss.  The ethereal 'Perfect Stride' is composed of playful tones and ambient swells of sound that  fluctuate - my favorite track of the tape.  This uplifting passage of sound is followed by the gorgeous 'Chances Wonder'.  As the end is nigh, contemplative swells of sound quiver while gentle notes ascend - the essence of the breath.        

Variations of the One Essence may be purchased directly from Worn Habit.

peace and love, friends :)