Pummeler / the North Sea - Pacacuti / In Your Teeth (TD51)

Krazy Kush for these Krazy soundz, courtesy of 420mag - thanks for sharing the good vibe.  peace to you, bro :)

In the realm of experimental music, the state of New York must be one of the most fertile environments.  It is a fecund plot of land, producing some of the tastiest nugs from the likes of Skell, House of Alchemy, Cae-sur-a, Tape Drift and many others.  For sure, something must be in the soil, because these crystal covered transmissions continue to orbit the head long after pressing the stop button.  Eric Hardiman - Rambutan, Burnt Hills, Century Plants - is the proprietor of Tape Drift, a venerable label with a glowing discography at which one would drool.  The most recent batch of Tape Drift contains a stellar tape from Pummeler and The North Sea - two beautifully contrasting sides of experimental art. These nugs have been harvested, dried, and they are now ready for your consumption.      

Hold on to your bong for dear life because Mikkel Dunkerley's Pummeler spews forth waves of molten noise destined for your quivering head.  This is the type of beauty where one scrapes the accumulated resin from the bowl and hopes to emerge intact on the other side.  As soon as one presses play, waves of harsh sound pierce your skin and buttress your body - there is no escape.  There are lots of twists and turns on this side.  Five to six minutes into the track, linearity ceases to exist, as elements whirl in the mix and underline the heavy mass of sound.  Waves of varying intensity vacillate.  Approximately ten minutes in, the tones become noticeably less strident, that is until the beast once again rages - dissonance in all of its beauty.  Periodically, elements are added and the intensity varies.  Near the end, the mass of opaque sound breaks up and the particles float into the void.

The North Sea is the moniker of Brad Rose, the main man at Foxy Digitalis.  One quick thought before moving onward - without Brad Rose, the honest bag would not exist.  The existence of this blog can be traced to Foxy Digitalis and all of the wonderful writers who have served as inspiration.  The flipside is a bit more nuanced, which is nice if you like splits with different characteristics.  Brad's side consists of tranquil outer space transmissions emanating from an arsenal of synths.  The flip commences with a myriad of metallic-like tones spewing forth and echoing in the head.  Certainly, the first few minutes conjure up feelings of fright.  However, soon the mood changes to something more mysterious as a transition of sorts occurs and the sound becomes more tranquil.  What will happen next?  For the next few minutes a beautiful stasis hovers over the track, until an amalgamation of fraying synth and tortuous tones appear in the mix - synth explorations for the space head.  Brad is a master craftsman of sound.  He has the ability to create alluring environments through the timely addition of sounds.  More than halfway through the track, one can sense the addition of placid tones, helping to regulate the frightening mix of sound.   Late in the track, the mix feels engulfed in something that sounds like feedback.  Once the turbulence abates, we accelerate by riding high on the crystalline synth, which emits blue tones of various frequencies.  Once you have docked, another spin in this vehicle sounds like a good idea.

Two nugs of great potency that, once coupled, create a hybrid strain which would make Ed Rosenthal green with envy.  Discriminate sold their stock quickly.  Good shiit like this doesn't hang around for too long.  Buy your copy directly from Tape Drift or through the excellent Flipped Out.  

Peace to you, bro :)
 

Köhn - Random Patterns (K071)

blaze new sonic pathways with Afghan Kush from fellow traveler, Strainbrain - peace to you, bro :)

Today, I have a real treat to present to all fellow travelers: Random Patterns from Köhn.  One of my favorite labels, Kraak, presents two sides of hypnotic improvisations played on an Armon p-200 electric organ, which are comprised of serene tones characterized by warm timbres and subtle shifting tempos that recall the early minimalism of Glass, Riley and Reich.  Side A is comprised of three edits culled from long improvisations, while the flipside contains unedited pieces - the music is live.

Throughout this long player,  Jürgen De Blonde, a.k.a Köhn, weaves an incandescent path through the labyrinthine structures of the head.  However, just as one thinks Köhn is heading for the frontal lobes, he moves tangentially, illuminating once barren areas with his placid tones.  The artwork embodies the music.  As patterns ostensibly emerge, they just as quickly dissipate and transform.  For the traveler that attempts to circumscribe these sounds, it will prove to be a futile endeavor - there is no structure, only cascading beauty to observe.  As Jürgen mentions in the insert, a random pattern is a paradox.  The word 'random' implies pure chance, while the term 'pattern' denotes structure.  These gorgeous improvisations are suitable for any occasion, yet I find it illuminating to eschew all external stimuli and allow Jürgen's warm tones to ensconce comfortably in the head.

Random Patterns is the one of the greenest nugs you could pluck from thee tree. Anybody that was fortunate to hear the lps from Bridget Hayden; Dolphins in the Future; Bear Bones, Lay Low; Hellvete; Ignatz; and others knows that the Kraak is full of the dankest nugs around.  I purchased this lp from Eclipse Records.  Random Patterns may also be purchased from Kraak.

Peace to you, bro :)

Rag Lore: Old Rag Light Lore Songs Volume 1 (PFST01)

As Jimmy once opined, "let me stand next to your fire".  Fire OG Kush, damn!  420mag spreading the nug luv - peace to you, bro :)

 The cassettes released from Poor Farm Editions Press - a new label that is associated with the awesome site, Broadcasts From Poor Farm - are exquisite.  To hold one of these treasures in your hand is to realize the labor and love expended in its production.  

A few months ago, I was hanging around the Cabin Floor site and noticed a video of Daniel Bachman that was posted by Broadcasts From Poor Farm.  Subsequently, I encountered a beautiful site full of Cabin Floor rips and others from the likes of L'animaux Tryst Field Recordings, Existential Cloth, Cloud Valley, Rotifer, and old private press lps.  A few weeks later, Poor Farm Editions Press appeared; the first batch contains three cassettes, each one 30 minutes in length, and issued in editions of 25.  

Old Rag Light Lore Songs Volume 1 refers to the top two images in this post.  Rag Lore, and I believe the label itself, is the work of Matthew Russell Boteilho.  The guitar is just an instrument, but it is the guide which brings it to life.  When Boteilho plays, the strings resonate with beauty.  On this initial release, Boteilho's tracks are composed of six string lapstyle recordings that are occasionally accompanied by bells and field recordings.  The songs are infused with  raga, blues and country among other styles. Throughout it all, his intimate relationship with the guitar results in heartfelt passages, reverberating strings, and at times entrancing drone of the strings. However, the music speaks for itself.  Scroll to the bottom for a preview.

First, these tapes are wonderful and I highly recommend purchasing them.  Subsequent to the top photos are two images of the other tapes.  The purchase buttons on Poor Farm still work, but they will be inoperative before long.  Next, check out this shiit: C30, chrome cassette, dubbed in real-time on a Tascam 202 MKIII; Letterpressed J-cards with abstract typography and decorations; Double sided, hand marbled J-cards transparency printed with varying medium format photography; Hand numbered edition; B&W side A/B cassette labels.  Also, Boteilho is responsible for the photography.  What to do next?  Maybe a little smoke, maybe a tall glass of whiskey, maybe just fuse with nature and allow Boteilho to guide you through the damp night.  

Peace to you, bro :)

Dzjenghis Khan - Prehistoric Rock - Live in San Francisco (WHO-02)

purple kush... oh yah!  thanks 420mag - peace to you, bro :)

Well, if you are looking for some hard rockin', stony psych with vibes of yesteryear, then Dzjenghis Khan is the nug of your dreams.  Listening to Prehistoric Rock - Live in S.F. is like emerging from a black box completely ripped, licking the remainder of whiskey from one's fingers and wondering what happened.  Of course, that is until the flipside presents the same bass-driven, heavy fuzzed rockers, and one is compelled to repeat the pre-listening rituals.

  Prehistoric Rock - Live in S.F was recorded at the Elbo Room in 2006, and the live element certainly makes the music glow.  More so, there are eight jams that comprise the tape. For the most part, it feels like one long jam played frenetically. Adding to the aura of this cassette, this tape features an early iteration of the band - Jesse Thompson on drums and vocals; Carson Binks on Bass; and Mark Abboud on guitar - playing a great collection of tracks that would not be included on subsequent releases.  For me, Jesse Thompson's vocals and his style take the music to the next level.

Who Can You Trust? is a blazing hash-rocket that seeks to deliver the heaviest rips from thee finest nugs.  A salient facet of the label's aesthetic is to release live, raw recordings and obscure sessions.  Combined with the high quality of music and artwork, WCYT? occupies an elevated position in this realm of music.  This is the type of label where after buying one release, you desire to purchase the discography.  A great interview with the proprietor of the label is available on It's Psychedelic Baby.  Take this one to head and order directly from WCYT?

peace to you, bro :)

Eight Trails, One Path - V/A (TLR091)

thanks to homboldtrelief - peace to you, bro :)

UPDATE 05/15...THINK TOMENTOSA IS NOW OUT OF STOCK, BUT EXPERIMEDIA STILL HAS COPIES.

Before anything else is said, Eight Trails, One Path is a top shelf release and you should buy it immediately at Tomentosa.  Today is Friday, May 04.  By tonight or May 05 it will likely be gone, and in that case, one should buy the digital files from Three Lobed or examine discogs.  

Eight Trails, One Path is an homage to that which is possible with the guitar.  Each track on this Record Store Day compilation is a statement which proves that, in the proper hands, the guitar is a glorious instrument- the guide is the only thing constraining the guitar.  Eight musicians - Alvarius B; William Tyler; Danny Paul Grody; Six Organs of Admittance; Steve Gunn; David Daniell; and Sir Richard Bishop - provide adroit musicianship and songs that continue to bloom subsequent to initial listens.

Each trail is unique and fascinating - please read Grayson Currin's well-written essay.  In this space, I prefer to write about my favorite trail, the acoustic one blazed by William Tyler. While I listened to his contributions in the Silver Jews, I have not heard anything else.  There exists a special relationship between the guitar and William.  His energy flows through the reverberating strings, manifesting in sections that are at times playful and uplifting; other's are more tender and serious.  Easily one of my favorite tracks of the year!

Three Lobed will always have a special place in my heart - each release is special.  The energy and devotion expended in creating something like Eight Trails, One Path should result in effusive praise for this unique label.  Pressed on beautiful Dutch vinyl and manufactured by Record Industry, this lp is full of goodies: it is housed in a custom foldover, multicolored matchbook, letter-pressed by Dexterity Press; replete with new artwork by Casey Burns; and an essay about the compilation, composed by Grayson Currin.

This lp made me remember something important:  the best music is often that which one does not expect.  Buy this before it's too late.


Peace to you, bro :)

Venn Rain - Cymatic Cymbols (Sicsic027)

thanks to fellow seekers, weedblog and weedphotos, for the White Fire - peace to you, bro :)

UPDATE 5/8/12:  NOW AVAILABLE AT TOMENTOSA

A few weeks ago, Bear Bones, Lay Low told us about the Def sound.  He characterized the sound as being one which makes you feel compared to that which makes you think.  Ultimately, the sound of Venn Rain is Def; this is apparent throughout Cymatic Cymbols, the latest Venn Rain release on Sicsic.  Cymatics is the study of visible sound and vibration.  Different patterns are formed, depending on the frequency - the artwork appears to refer to this.

 For the one willing to focus on the sound, there is a rich reward in the form of ethereal tones - thick with definition - that rise and recede. The sound is special and gives one the feeling of peering down on oneself from above, being able to study behavior from a privileged position.  Compared to the Fadeaway and Goldtimers' releases, there is a new age feel to these sounds.  Admittedly, I am partial to the more serene sounding tracks.  Regardless, this tape keeps you elevated, vacillating between mellifluous drift and astral voyages that veer towards the unfathomable.

The voyage begins with "Nada Brahma", where resonating, shimmering tones combine with darker ones.  In the middle, buoyant synth is layered over the loop.  After many listens, this is an excellent manner in which to commence the tape.  "Singing Sands" takes one to the next level.  There is no turbulence in this area, just ethereal, uplifting tones that remind me of Adam Wiltzie's project, the Dead Texan.  One can imagine the peaceful frequencies communicating with sand, manifesting in angelic forms.  Side A comes to an end with a minimal track, "Psychophonic I". The beginning is glowing with beauty and the sound is very minimal in places.  The feeling here is one of stasis, of being at ease.  In the middle of the track, beautiful lambent tones are added to the mix - a nice contrast.  Music for peaceful drift.  My favorite track, "Form Waves", opens the flipside.  Blissful and serene synth is present throughout.  The track moves along at a pace in which the listener can calmly absorb the sounds.  In the middle of the track - just like the first track - a person utters a few lines regarding the relationship between sound, form and shape.  Just as one thinks they have reached the zenith, another portal appears, and one continues to ascend.  Cymatic Cymbols ends with "Psychophonic II", which has a heavier sound than the first iteration.  Relative to the first iteration, it begins more aggressively as thick, blue tones echo with searing synth interspersed.  This is the kind of track where one should leave their emotional baggage at the door.  A wonderful experience can be attained by allowing Venn Rain to permeate your focused mind.  Ominous tones abound until the tape unexpectedly ends. 

The artwork by Marko Martini matches the music perfectly.  If you desire an intimate aural experience, then I highly recommend purchasing directly from my bros at Sicsic - there are only a handful of copies left as of May 3, 2012.  Also, for those interested in Cymatics, drift over to this page: http://www.cymaticsource.com/

Peace to you, bro :)

  

Cannibal Movie - Avorio 12" (Sound of Cobra Records/ Avorio Dischi)

On this trip, a little Asian Fantasy will do the trick, courtesy of fellow travelers, Ganja Gourmet

Cloaked in ominous clouds and a sense of inevitability, the moon, of late, has sent shudders down my spine.  This type of environment is appropriate for many different forms of music.  Sometimes a little Dave Bixby or Ben Chasny will do the trick; maybe some heavy psych riffage from Comets on Fire; other times, the senses can be elevated by the minimalism of Robert Turman.

The other night I decided to give my spine the shake that it desperately required.   It was time to harvest one of the finest nugs from thee tree: Avorio, from Cannibal Movie, recently re-issued on vinyl by Sound of Cobra Records and Avorio Dischi.  The mysterious and beautiful artwork is just one pillar of this excellent release.  Cannibal films, initially popular during the 1970’s and 80’s, are a subset of exploitation films made by Italian filmmakers.  According to a few sources, these movies are generally gory graphically and depict cannibalism along with acts of violence by primitive denizens, deep in the Asian and South American rainforests.  While the music refers to the films, I am not going to infer the robustness of the connection.

 Cannibal Movie is the organ and drums duo comprised of Donato Epiro and Gaspare Sammartano.  The sound can be characterized as a type of psychedelia, infused with organ and hypnotic, tribal drums. These late night, ritualistic, rocking zoners will make you make you thrash uninhibitedly one moment, and then contemplate the unknown in the next – the approaching second, shrouded in an organ treated with heavy effects and opaque.   Only a few seconds into “Teste Mozzate” and already one can feel the buzz within the music: An organ that echoes into the night, treated with heavy effects and bursts of tribal percussion, pierced with intermittent cymbal crashes.  “Fame” spins through your head with hypnotic drumming and glowing, fried tones emanating from the organ - as the chords bellow into the night, they seem fray into the mysterious air.  The organ sounds distorted and drums unrelenting, until a really nice transition occurs nearly midway through.  “Mangiati Vivi!” has a much different feel from the previous tracks – feels like being present at a ritual.  The flip starts off with, “Django”.  Donato’s work with the organ on this track is sublime.  The drumming –some of the best from the album - combines with an eerie tones and other notes – it has that feel of walking alone in the dark.  Several times during the track, Donato’s organ hangs heavy in the air, producing a hazy effect inculcated with mysticism. “Schiave Bianche” closes out the flipside properly, with its relatively tranquil, calming effect and shades of Sun Araw.

Cheers to Sound of Cobra and Avorio Dischi; and to more music from this project in the near future!  Once you have caught your breath, buy this limited lp directly from the band or through Experimedia. 

Peace to you, bro :)