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 :)

Unicity - S/T (PURR041)

crystal covered slow burners precipitate sweet relief. peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

Infinite radiant stellar objects bring about astral reverie. Unicity's self-titled release on Constellation Tatsu is a synthesizer adventure through the cosmos. Layers of blissful, variegated synth coalesce to make the speakers breath. This particular release has a dreamlike quality; Sections segue adroitly, focusing the listener's mind on emerging sonic phenomena. Parts evolve subtly, which endow the music with an expansive and encompassing feel. Overall, Unicity's mindful approach makes for stellar compositions. As we accelerate into vastness, an entrancing synth loop and ethereal drone put the listener at ease; concurrently, signals echo to illuminate the starry mind. Shortly, we arrive in a dubious environment characterized by minimal drone and interstellar tones that warble. As awareness flowers, resplendent blinding ecstasy is absorbed by each pore. Distant synth registers as barely perceptible, while bleary drone proves disorienting. My favorite part of the tape occurs soon as copious new age vibrations circulate among tidal sounds. Swirling light colors are emitted from the speakers among plaintive synth. Embryonic pulses fill the air. Quietly emerging, other cosmic elements begin to shimmer - crystalline, pulsating, ringing. A solemn drone caught up in a celestial vortex is spewed into the infinite releasing warm, tranquil vibrations.

These dreamy jams should keep your head flying high! One of three excellent tapes from the Constellation Tatsu's spring batch, the S/T release from Winnipeg's cosmic explorer is available directly from Constellation Tatsu for $6. Why not give a little more at the margin? Pick up all three cassettes (Les Halles and X.Y.R.) for $13.

peace and love, friends :)