Summer Break

purps make the sun shine! peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

Honest Bag will return soon with reviews from labels such as Sanity Muffin, Dekorder, Cabin Floor Esoterica and others. If you sent me an email regarding a submission, I will be in touch within the next day or so. I hope the summer has been good to you, your family and friends. In the interim, here's a little infusion of soul.

peace and love, friends :)

Thanks for LoloYodel for the sweet vibe.

William Selman - Equatorial Night (HAUSMO 17)

deep in the bag this Monday morning on the mountain. peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

After experiencing Moth Cock's otherworldly rituals at the top of Hausu Mountain, I couldn't make it down in time. Stuck in a state of red-eyed reverie, I quickly setup shop and reached deep into the crystal-covered bag. It's frigid high on the mountain. Yet, I'm immune to the chill; that's because my bowl is burning brightly with the dank mod synth zones from William Selman. Oozing from the speakers in a sultry manner, there is something stealthy and mysterious about Equatorial Night's sweltering, heady rhythms and sprightly bass tones.

Constellations of paripatetic beats metamorphose around bulky pulses. The minutes fracture into seconds. Drifting before our eyes one fateful ellipse at a time, a stretch of lethargic, warm synth floats comfortably. Cavernous reverberations leave one shrouded in sonic mist. Near the end, the last few analog embers crackle once more and then burn out, leaving an ominous glow. Side B contains a more dubious character, which partly is attributed to the pressing tempo. Twisted vibrations and restive beats provide an apt complement to incipient, soothing synth. Moving at an enhanced pace, heady pulses dominate; meanwhile, sustained synth is barely perceptible. As the mood becomes a bit more serious, random energy bumbles and flares ephemerally.    

Limited to 150 copies in green shells with black and white imprints, Kelly Naim's artwork deftly illustrates the mystical vibe that permeates Equatorial Night. Pick up your copy directly from Hausu Mountain.   

peace and love, friends :)

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 :)

Softest - Music for Rain: Volume One (Inner Islands - 028)

Music for reflection - and some kush never hurts. peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

 After being near the abyss, a return to bliss is needed to keep this joint rolling. My head was feeling weary and I needed to recover. Thus, I decided to plunge my hand into the Inner Islands jar which sits on the top shelf. They always deliver me to a serene place where my soul becomes enlightened. The first of two Summer releases on Inner Islands, Softest is the new project of Braden J. McKenna. On Music for Rain: Volume One introspective, soothing music provides one with the space and aural light to meditate on the beauty of the moment. Guitar, synth, and field recordings create slowly morphing soundscapes.

As the first track commences, morning dew glistens softly in the faint, embryonic light. Soft nascent vibrations act like the first cup of coffee, slowly shaking off the slumber in the sun's vastness. The mood is light and airy throughout. Waves of soft colors coalesce begetting undulating tranquility. When you breathe with these sounds, the environment shimmers; the bark of the tree uneven, stale and damp; a sheet of heavenly light flashes hot across the saturated grass coating it in brilliance; and the seemingly immutable sweet scent of the Earth that permeates the nostrils like the first few conscious breaths of the day - sweetly flowing and music for anytime of the day. Ascendant energy rings faithfully in "Surface Dance." Shifting radiance and delicate sounds are interspersed with nature. Peaceful loops combine with gentle streams of rain and crystalline radiance in "Trying"; gentle sounds wallow and ripple in the final track. 

One may purchase Music for Rain: Volume One directly from Inner Islands.

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 :)

Josh Millrod - Seeking the Millenary Kingdom (SM 026)

special tape music on Trichome Tuesday. peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

This tape on Solid Melts is for the seeker in you. From the instant one presses play, the listener is plunged into the vast, sonorous world of Josh Millrod, part of Grasshopper. Much like his Grasshopper colleague, Jesse DeRosa, Millrod is the kind of artist one would desire to be behind the controls. The three tracks on tape bustle with fried, ascending synthesizers and enthralling trumpet sections. "Cutting Out Its Silhouette" and "So Many Untils" exhibit Millrod's ability to beguile the listener via adroit compositions. Meanwhile, the cathartic, probing fury of "Hypertrophy (or Atrophy)" produces a sizzling maelstrom as malevolent noise devours the seconds. Pulsating blotches ripple and fray; sputtering energy expands exponentially and strikes with blinding speed. Where to next, I suppose, is a suitable question. As the track progresses, it attains a psychedelic character, heaving and vacillating on edge. With each track, Millrod seems to augment his game, which becomes evident as the ritual energy of "Cutting Out Its Silhouette" oozes out of the speakers uneasily, grasping for the prize at the apex. Wailing, distended trumpet extends until its energy is exhausted, billowing beyond perception. The second half of the track is among my favorite sections on the tape. Millrod's nascent trumpet lines bloom slowly and ascend in a sea of hazy drone. Incipient, soothing vibrations proliferate among sprightly pulses. August waves unfurl as Millrod's trumpet howls in an exalted state. A fervent beam of energy writhes with vitality; undeterred and dominant, it regenerates in a slipstream. 

When I listen to this tape, the sonic possibilities seem infinite, such is the scope of the artist's ability. Seeking the Millenary Kingdom plays on repeat in the land of trichomes, serenading the heads from the crystal-covered top shelf. Produced in an edition of 100 pro-dubbed tapes, this is one not to miss. Highly recommended, one may purchase Seeking the Millenary Kingdom directly from Solid Melts.

peace and love, friends :)

Dura - Silver/Lawns (Cut#10)

start your week with these kind vibes. peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

When the sun is mostly enveloped by clouds, strokes of light escape the opacity. Vivid burnt orange and yellow streaks swirl within a murky formation. As the shrouded warmth breaks through subtly, tranquil energy contacts the bare skin. Then, all one can feel is light and unabated warmth. The soul of the solar system lighting the path that leads to kindness. Silver/Lawns resonates deeply with nature. Fused with the outdoors, this tape assumes a majestic quality. Dura's recent release on Warsaw's Wounded Knife puts the listener in a dreamy state for a little less than one hour. On Silver/Lawns, Dura uses layers of guitar and lustrous loops to make the speakers breath. Placid waves of guitar drone cascade and solitary strings glisten in the morning dew. Shimmering strings are worked into a dither, while kind american primitive guitar plays over top of ethereal drone. As the sustained sonic energy abates, the strings still smoldering, lovely patterns emerge.    

Wounded Knife produces tapes for tape lovers. This label based in Warsaw exerts tremendous effort to create a memorable audio-visual experience. I highly recommend Wounded Knife to readers of this blog. Limited to 50 copies, it is already sold out at the source. However, digital files may be obtained from the artist. Also, I am in the possession of two copies. If anybody would like the second copy, then send me an email. The first person to email me will receive the tape.

peace and love, friends :)