Tashi Dorji - Guitar Improvisations (HWY002)

one toke and Tashi on repeat -the medicine for your soul. peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

When Tomentosa speaks about music, it is usually wise to heed his advice.  Whether he is talking about Exo tapes, Cube, the Sea Donkeys, Tabernacle tapes etc..., Tomentosa's advice rarely goes awry.  A few months ago he recommended a tape from an incipient label, Headway Recordings, by Tashi Dorji.  The beautiful artwork, along with the recommendation, had me hooked.  Tashi Dorji is a Bhutanese guitarist, now residing in Asheville ,NC. And Guitar Improvisations, the first full-length cassette on Headway, exhibits Tashi's adept playing.  The tape is comprised of works that reflect on avant garde jazz, eastern ragas, and Fahey-style folk/Americana.  Tashi's first release is so good, that one can only hope for more.

One conspicuous quality of this tape is the intimate nature of the improvisations.  Tashi's playing feels proximate, almost like he's sitting adjacently.  It is apparent on the first track, as Tashi's frenetic, but controlled style makes the oppressive heat easier to tolerate. Periodically, warm passages with a beautiful melody appear.  The third track is one of many highlights here, as Tashi plays something that could have come from the catalog of Sir Richard Bishop.  The next track is more like a lo-fi raga - another notable track. Side B features three tracks.  Tashi's skilled use of space, and the tone of the strings is notable on the second track.  The last track is magnificent and sounds differently relative to the other tracks -  soft patterns, frenzied playing and lots of interesting elements to this track.

 If you like guitar, then I highly recommend purchasing this wonderful album full of spiritual and cerebral sounds.  Tomentosa has already restocked this multiple times.  $5 is the only thing separating you from the enlightening sounds of Tashi Dorji.  One can purchase this either directly from Headway or through Tomentosa.

peace to you, friends :) 

Bear Bones, Lay Low - El Telonero (KO76)

Ernesto, this bud's for you!  peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

It is a celebratory time in many respects.  First, KRAAK recently announced that they will receive continued funding, which will allow them to fulfill their mission!  Next, around the same time as the funding decision, the latest Bear Bones, Lay Low lp, El Telonero, was released on this venerable label.  This lp is so good that lately it has pushed other luminaries, such as Robbie Basho and Sandy Bull, to the side.  This lp is full of catchy melodies and rhythms that, in some instances, will make you want to dance.  Given those words, it's high time (pardon the pun) for pre-listening rituals.    

One of the most anticipated lp's this year delivers in style!  Strap your feet to the hovercraft, and prepare for the bountiful psychedelic spectacles that fill both sides of wax.  This is a side of Bear Bones, Lay Low that I have yet to hear.  El Telonero is more song-oriented, playful and lighter - while still retaining some heavy zoners - compared to the past tapes and lps.  Upon dropping the needle, 'Hazy Frog' confirms this.  The next track, 'A Fourth Ring', is an absolute zoner - heavy psych vibes here.  'Bien Gracias' follows, and it is full of catchy melodies.  'Persona' is the kief for your high flying bowl; a funk/fusion masterpiece.  One of the best tracks of the year.  'Dunas / Goofin'' closes out the first side in style.  The track has a transition in the middle where eastern-tinged synth fills the sanctuary with glowing sounds.  The flip continues serving up the good vibes with 'Lavande Apaisante'.  The cool rhythm and loop that starts out the track is joined by really nice synth.  The synth is perfectly placed behind the loop and other layers are added. - another standout track.  'Genesis 6: 1-17' jumps the rail with its tropical rhythms and acid guitar.  'Drive Sucks' and 'Ganesha en Interiores', respectively, close out the second side.  The latter is heavy psych drift.  A great way to end the album.

 El Telonero was created between 2010 and 2012, and the distilled product represents some of the best tracks this year.  The feel-good soundtrack for the summer can be purchased at Mimaroglu, or directly from KRAAK.

peace to you, friends :)

Rambutan - Typhoon Shapes (Cae-sur-a 020)

Apparitions from the typhoon - time to contact the medicine man.  peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

2012 should be renamed the year of Rambutan.  When he's not busy illuminating minds with Burnt Hills and Century Plants, Eric Hardiman - thee main man at Tape Drift - creates otherworldly drones and sounds with his solo endeavor, Rambutan.  Hot on the heels of the highly impressive Tidal/Rambutan split on Aguirre, comes this lovely release, Typhoon Shapes, on Cae-sur-a.  On Typhoon Shapes, Rambutan guides us through a sonically rich and diverse landscape that, in the end, proves to be the medicine man.  As somebody that has listened to this project for the last three years, Typhoon Shapes is one of my favorites from Eric's celebrated discography.

Much like a healthy bong rip, time is of the essence.  And Eric comprehends this better than most, as 'Lightning Whelk', the first track on side A, is one of the prettiest songs of the year.  Its bucolic imagery, serenity and wistfulness produce some of the finest moments on tape this year.  In feeling - not instruments - it reminds me of the laptop experiments of O'Rourke and Fennesz - top notch.  Next, 'Under Observation' feels Orwellian, as a compendium of sound goes straight for your head.  Full of suspenseful sounds, its ominous tones remind me of clandestine surveillance and the ubiquitous cameras of the contemporary US security state.  At this point, guessing what would come next is like throwing darts in the darkness.  'More Than You Should Know' confirms this with a wonderful vocal montage.  The last track from side A, Vapor Columns, shines with the embryonic warmth of organ-like tones that mature into a glowing, fried mass - always growing in significance.  The two tracks that act as bookends are magnificent.

Side B is full of psych beauty, as the title track begins the last half of the journey.  Typhoon Shapes is a beautiful track that consists of a myriad of contrasting elements - a soft, rolling drone, scraped/aggressively struck strings and docile tones.  'Trading Time' hovers above pensively - lots of glowing tones in this track - a nice contrast to the preceding track.  All of this climaxes with the epic closer, 'The Future of the Inevitable'.   - the stuff of the psychedelic dreamer.

Songs for the shade garden.  Typhoon Shapes has a good thing going with my tape deck, and it's not going to end soon.  Also, the other tapes in Cae-sur-a's new batch - especially the April in the Orange cassette - are heavy hitters.  Over the next few weeks, more of these alluring works of art will appear on this blog.  Pro printed and in a hand-numbered edition of 100, Cory E. Card, proprietor of Cae-sur-a, is responsible for the artwork.  One can purchase Typhoon Shapes directly from Cae-sur-a, or through my brotha, Jackson, at Flipped Out.

peace to you, friends :)

Heather Leigh - Empire (KSE #210)

Heather Leigh's voice will lead you to the land of nugs.  Peace and love to my good friends at Humboldt Relief :)

She's back - and you better be prepared to rock!!  After the stunning Not Not Fun lp's, Jailhouse Rock and Devil If You Can Hear Me, Heather Leigh returns with Empire, on Kendra Steiner Editions label.  This is a one-track cd-r, but almost feels like two tracks.

 The first sixteen minutes produces a maelstrom of sound, as Leigh shreds wildly on the electrified steel guitar, only tempered by her bluesy, angelic voice.  The beginning sounds like sweet-leaf lovin' Thurston Moore going nuts at a live gig, and the overall sound is reminiscent of Bridget Hayden.  Leigh runs her soul through the steel guitar, producing passages of strident sonics and fraying tones.  At one point, it feels like she is channeling Hendrix' version of 'Star Spangled Banner'.  Every few minutes she introduces a transition, but the ferocity of sound does not abate.  The last six minutes - prior to a transition in sound and feel - are ecstasy.  Leigh's guitar screeches and squeals, while her majestic voice moves to the fore.  It's the best part of the track.  Rock and Roll for the high heat of summer.  

Subsequently, there is a transition in feel and tempo.  The last nine minutes produces something more akin to a Charalambides track, as Leigh's emotive voice washes over soft, solitary notes that echo.  While the first part of the track was incredible, the last nine minutes is preferable as one can clearly hear Leigh's voice move in tandem with the solemn notes.

Another reason this glows among the others:  Empire was recorded by Matt "MV" Valentine in Spectrasound.  Also, the beautiful artwork by Bob Bruno comes in a wide variety of papers and inks.  Limited to 123 copies, purchase your hand-numbered edition directly from Kendra Steiner Editions.  No soundcloud clip for this one, but trust me: this smokehound would never lead you awry.  

peace to you, friends :)

Grant Evans - Tactical Gamelan (HIV115)

Keep your head above the murk with Skywalker!  Peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

Tactical Gamelan, the first post Nova Scotian Arms release for Grant Evans on Hooker Vision, is equally ethereal, spiritual, heavy, foreboding and ominous.  Whether he creates majestic paeans in Quiet Evenings, with wife Rachel Evans (Motion Sickness of Time Travel), or beautiful tapestries of sound in Nova Scotian Arms, the ideas and execution make Grant's musical output analogous to top shelf nugs: very rare and thus highly valuable.  Some of his latest output including Cult Spectrum, NSA; Winds over Silmäterä, NSA; and Sacred Drift illustrates this nicely.  Where as side A's warmth shimmers like trichomes on your best bud, one is ensconced in hash oil and murky tones on the flip.  According to the description of the tape, Grant accomplishes this with tape loops and electronics.  

Blissful warmth slowly rises from the meandering noise.  Side A - more similar in sound to Winds over Silmäterä -  is the lighter of the two sides, and one of my favorite tracks this year.  Heavy tones appear sporadically, but they do not impede the ascent of the serene sound, which grows in intensity before turning introspective towards the end.  Side B by comparison is heavy and foreboding as murky tones attempt to communicate through the tape hiss and layers of sound - more like Cult Spectrum.  Even with these darker sounds, through all of the hiss, one can detect uplifting tones.  Sometimes they reside so deep in the mix as to be nearly undetectable, like a flickering candle.  Grant's wonderful ability at crafting sound is conspicuous on side B as murky tones become cohesive, growing louder, until ebullient, warm sounds appear from the deluge of suffocating tones.  The manner in which he juxtaposes these different elements is perfect.

Another glistening nug from the fecund Hooker Vision tree.  Tactical Gamelan - black cassette shells with designs, and awesome artwork - is nearing oop status.  Thus, secure your copy at Experimedia.

peace to you, friends :)  

Aphid Palisades - ii (ft022)

Fadeaway Tapes and indica - the dream combination! peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

Immediately after receiving this tape, I stared for some time at the artwork - designed by Lee Tindall.  I was mesmerized by the pastoral colors and imagery.  It reminded me of the Impressionism movement - one of my favorite periods of art.  However, the other side was completely different - warped colors representing a barren landscape. Behind the stunning artwork on ii,  the latest release from Aphid Palisades - Ryan Connolly and Lee Tindall - on Fadeaway Tapes, is a collection of alluring, poignant tracks.  The music on this c44 moves nicely from shorter tracks on side a, to pieces on the flip, which have more room to develop.  Regardless of their form, one cannot help but be astonished at the actualized beauty emitted by Ryan and Lee.

Admittedly, I have yet to hear i, which was recorded in 2010.  ii was recorded live to tape in the summer of 2011.  According to Discogs, the tracks are full sides of music.  However, I sensed pauses in the tape, and therefore will describe this music as individual tracks.  The first track is pure bliss.  Layers of ambient sound float gently and are joined by sharp synth notes.  In the middle of the track, a beautiful transition occurs where a Twells/Christensen wall of sound gently creeps into the mix, growing stronger until the track fades.  The second track is pure celestial drift, where elongated organ-like tones are nicely contrasted to sharper sounds - music to illuminate sparsely populated lands.  The fourth part to side A - the last track - is one of the warmest on the tape.  A buoyant mix of Hecker/Fennesz layers of sound produce feelings of tranquility.  Towards the end of the track, voices are adeptly added to the background of the mix - perfect!

The flipside presents tracks of longer duration.  The first track is ritualistic electronic music - a very nice contrast to side A.  Deep tones full of character echo in the sanctuary, while vacillating electronics morph, becoming progressively louder.  Track 2 is particularly moving, and it is one of my favorite tracks on tape.  The sound could be some type of futuristic funeral music.  Very powerful tones - processional, mournful, contemplative - dominate this track.  It kind of reminds me of meditation, when one attempts to peer down on themselves from a high perspective.  Ryan and Lee take a state of sound and develop it in a special way - elegiac music.  The last track is more minimal than those which precede it, as the glistening guitar notes fade into the beckoning night.

After hearing three-quarters of the January Fadeaway batch, this tape is an absolute keeper.  ii is stunningly beautiful in all respects.  Also, this tape deserves your full attention.  There are too many beautiful things happening here for one to relegate this to the background.  If you're looking for background music, then I suggest Flumina, from Fennesz & Sakamoto - nonetheless incredible music and highly recommended.  The samples from the new batch of Fadeaway Tapes sound ascendent.  When you buy the new batch, pick up a copy of Aphid Palisades ii directly from Fadeaway.

peace to you, friends :) 

      samples from the new batch!

Hakobune - Whispering in Their Presence (SUN013)

Here comes the sun.  Peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

This is a bittersweet review.  First the good news: this cassette by Hakobune has the potential to recalibrate your brainwaves through sonic awareness.  Unequivocally, Whispering in Their Presence is one of the nicest ambient tapes of the year.  This should sufficiently quench the thirst of those which seek warmth, contemplation, and depth in experimental sounds.

  The bad news is that Sunshine Ltd., a label of unparalleled beauty and the one which released Whispering in Their Presence, has recently announced that it will be on an indefinite hiatus.  If you are a reader of Zen Effects, Weed Temple or this blog, then you are likely aware of the effusive praise that regularly accompanies a Sunshine Ltd. release.  And if you are not willing to trust my account, then perhaps that of Matt Howe, proprietor of Discriminate Music, will suffice.  Matt referred to Sunshine Ltd. tapes as, "Some of the nicest, cleanest, and most well produced ambient tapes around."  From that statement, one may infer that these aural treasures represent an expression of sincerity.  For the past two years, Sunshine has released some of the finest ambient tapes including gems from David Andree, Smyth, Andy C. Jenkins, Phos Hilaron, Josh Mason.... you get the point.  Given that, allow this last ray of sunshine to nourish your soul.

Hakobune and Sunshine Ltd. are a match made in heaven, and this tape is the manifestation.  On this release, Hakobune uses guitars bathed in effects to create two long form pieces of music. The first track, 'Whispering in Their Presence', enchants the listener with glowing drones.  The music ascends to a great height, until it finds stasis, and then hovers gently.  This tape is made for headphones.  The music, intimate and enveloping, fills the head with enriching tones.  'Catenary' presents soft, elongated tones and hazy textures.  The undulations are pleasing to the soul - sounds ascend, come into focus, and move to the background, only to be reincarnated.  Being somewhat familiar with Hakobune, these tracks radiate beauty due to Takahiro's skill with the instrument and penchant for layering sounds.  No movement stays for too long.  Just when a sound reaches its zenith, other layers begin to produce aural depth. 

Music such as Whispering in Their Presence feels transcendental - it presents a profound listening experience through the emotional intensity of the soft, hazy sounds.  If you need some aural beauty, then invite Hakobune into your life.  Most people that enjoy this type of music will want to ride this wave to the horizon.  I remember the first time Sunshine Ltd. bathed my ears with its signature ambient warmth.  It was one of those ebullient experiences when you think, "I'm grateful to be able to span time with these people."  Buy this tape from Discriminate.

peace to you, friends :)