the beatification of moths as symbols of those who have left us

Youngsbower - Relayer

VHF, 2004

Collaborative project between Matthew Bower (Skullflower, Sunroof! etc.) and Richard Youngs. Sound is the closest thing to the videogame electro-kraut seen on Sunroof!'s Cloudz, though much more shiny and polished. Some of the overtone guitar warp seen on Bliss shows up as well. Youngs' vocals are nowhere to be found which is great because for some reason his voice really gets on my nerves. What he instead brings is a shiny electro-acoustic flourish and looped & layered cascades upon cascades of banjo and other acoustic touches. The album is probably best summed up by the third (and best) track's name: "Iridescent Hoedown." Get on down.

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Our Love Will Destroy The World - Stillborn Plague Angels

Dekorder, 2009

Fried space metal and blackened void-scryings from Campbell Kneale's newer solo project. Really moving further and further into his version of darkside Matt Bower with this work. Negative bliss.

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Zaika - Live At The Church Of The Friendly Ghost

(no cover art found, sorry)

Yod Tapes, 2008

Zaika is the psychically intermingled duo of Tom Carter (Charalambides) and Marcia Bassett (Zaïmph, GHQ, Double Leopards, Hototogisu). What they make is the kind of perfect tuning-in psych droneout that you'd expect from each other's solo work. A really full sound of pedal-sustained feedback modes. Pure electricity.

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Birchville Cat Motel - Four Freckle Constellation

Conspiracy, 2008

One of Kneale's last albums under the BCM moniker until he changed to the (vastly more appropriate, imo) Our Love Will Destroy The World. Moves into more complex and thought-out compositional territory than the usual maximal/minimal layering technique. Not as shining-sword black metal as tracks like "Chi Vampire" or the pre-eponymous "Our Love Will Destroy The World" or releases like Bird Sister Blasphemy but there are some doom-drone moments reminiscent of his Black Boned Angel project. Everything is still soaked in that practiced satori assault of high pitched tones that break your mind and make you do things like hear the overtones in refrigerators and air conditioners as glorious zen musick. Distinct lack of those forward-carrying rock drums & riffs he sometimes uses too. One of his most composerly offerings for sure.

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Another Dimension Of Music

Master Musicians Of Bukkake - Totem Two

Important Records, 2010

The follow-up to their 2009 opus Totem One moves into deeper, darker territory. Less gamelan, less rocking out but far more focus on orchestration and intensity of drone ritual. Phenomenally powerful atmospheres and transformations, in "Bardo Chonyid/ Master Of All Visible Shapes" a super-heavy orchestra of percussion, massive horns made of bone, and doom-drone feedback announce the arrive of the thousand-headed god of gods, his light then cascading in shimmers of raga guitar upon a mountain-sized temple throne infested with jungle. "Perde Kadirma" is a ceremonial feast of ney, baglama, and heavy drums recorded in Turkey performed with an improvisational flourish I haven't really seen outside of peak Don Cherry/Trilok Gurtu work (see next post). "The Heresy of Origen" is a Biblical epic of organ, harmonium, and synth in a sort of Klaus Schulze/ old Tangerine Dream mode fit for scenes of massive exodus and tribulation. "Coincidental Oppositorium" continues the semi-orchestral vibes with a cinematic and emotional string + brass piece, themes for the miracles and mysteries found on the desert voyage. "The Crystal Reformation" psychs out in a kind of short Sunroof!/Skaters drone freakout. "Patmos" ends the album with a glorious full-band piece with vocal harmonies above an uplifting string orchestrale, in a sort of sacred upward movement similar to some of Popol Vuh's most sheerly beautiful moments. Kind of like the way sunnO))) ended Monoliths & Dimensions with the uplifting "Alice." I want to kind of go on parade saying these guys are now my favorite band, but they really gotta change their name before I can do that :P

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Tuluum Shimmering - Ascent To The Spirit House

Short but powerful tape of melted tropical-shaman-themed bliss & jam, from a UK-based former Housecraft/ Cloud Valley mainstay. Only heard two tapes of this guy but it is wickedly solid work, good as (and in the same general stylistic vein as) Sean McCann or Xiphiidae. Great sleeve art on all his stuff too. No info on label/year.

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Bear Bones, Lay Low - Vallée De Dith

(K-RAA-K)³, 2009

Been getting way into the Belgian sound recently; Silvester Anfang/ Sylvester Anfang II, Ignatz, this and the whole (K-RAA-K)³ nexus. Not to forget Dolphins Into The Future and the ilk too, but new new age synth stuff has been in the background to the rough & tumble psych rockers the last few days. Guys sure know how to jam for such a notoriously underwhelming country (from what I can tell the rumors are unsubstantiated and just a product of mainline Brit arrogance). Actually a few countries known for little great contemporary music, i.e. France, have demonstrated sublime underground acts recently (well maybe just Natural Snow Buildings). Nothing of course like the constant stream of material pouring out of the US and UK. And Belgium did have Front 242 (shuddup they count for me). Anyways who cares about port of origin, these are some solid psych-drone tunes with a kind of tack that's somewhere between really stoned Neu! tracks and Steven R. Smith. Some Sunroof!-style sunshine arpeggios here as well. A lovely mind-bender.

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Re-Ups, etc.

More fixed uploads, re-upped and tested, links updated in the original posts too. BJ Nilsen himself requested that I take his Invisible Cities down, as much as this kind of thing irritates me I have to oblige, as well Defeat disappeared off mediafire without any such request, so I deleted the post. Apologies but I would not enjoy this blog being shut down, not in the least.

Irr. App. (Ext.) - Dust Pincher Appliances
(apologies btw for the m4a, but I can't find a better rip and it would only fuck it up more to convert it to mp3)

Sean McCann - Lower Decks

p.s. No obvious/shameless plugs for your band here. I may be interested if it relates in some way to a music maker/technique/taste on display here, but I won't tolerate petty "Can you plz put up some of my Blablah kthx." Comment will be rejected, go advertise somewhere else.