microphones in the trees: 2009

Thursday, December 31, 2009

mortimer

"¡¡YA DISPONIBLE!! Calendario mortimer 2010 [doce paisajes]calendario de pared de 12x30cm en papel satinado. dibujos y diseño exclusivo de mortimer. incluye doce paisajes a color, edición limitada de 50 unidades firmadas y numeradas.

POR SÓLO 15€ (GASTOS DE ENVÍO GRATIS) ¡¡HAZ TU PEDIDO!! escribiendo un e-mail a mortimeriadas@mortimeriadas.com, si vives en Albacete también puedes comprar tu calendario a un precio SUPERESPECIAL en COMIKERS (avenida de españa, 3 – frente a la punta del parque)"

qué mejor manera de decirle hola al nuevo año que a través del calendario 2010 del bueno de morti, ¡¡¡dénse prisa que ya quedan poquitos!!! ojalá este año se cumplan aquellos deseos salidos del corazón. salud, paz y mucha luz a todos los arbóreos y arbóreas.

www.mortimeriadas.com

Sunday, December 27, 2009

vic chestnutt

me llama luis diciendo que se ha ido otro de los grandes, sobredosis de relajantes musculares el día de navidad. con la sombra de jack rose todavía presente nos vemos de nuevo ante el abismo del vacío. me he remontado al año 98, hace casi doce años de un disco "robado" de una de sus canciones, sad peter pan. no puedo decir gran cosa más allá de que la vida es terrible para algunos mientras otros la subestimamos movidos por la estupidez de las cosas insignificantes. y por si fuera poco y gracias al sistema sanitario estadounidense, la familia chestnutt no tiene dinero para pagar todo lo que se viene encima. pero como siempre pasa, ante el negro hay blanco, se llama kristin hersh y ha habilitado un espacio en su web con el fin de recaudar dinero para su familia. piensen en lo grande que debió ser dentro y fuera de la música el bueno de chestnutt para recibir atenciones así. descansa en paz superviviente.

sad peter pan

the brown bunny

Saturday, December 26, 2009

mike tamburo

"Friends, i am proud to announce the release of my new box set. The Tenth Gate And Other Revelations. It contains 6 discs of music, art and writings..This is the bulk of my work since my last box set collection. if you have seen any of my shows between January 2007 up until yesterday, i assure you that the music you heard is in this collection. Contains musical journeys on hammered dulcimer, guitar, crowned eternal, piano, vocals and electronics." mike tamburo

Friday, December 25, 2009

second family band

"Another incredible offering from the Second Family Band camp, documenting their huge collective burnouts. side A begins with a Murky laidback basement jam which quickly morphs into a psychedelic banjo romp, and ends with the incredible tropical sounding shamanic title track.
The flip sides drugged up guitar solo and loose percussion keeps the pace for another of the band’s sonic meditations, which all accumulates into the last track’s laid back Dub Vibes, perfectly suited for heaviest smokers soundtrack." bum tapes

Thursday, December 24, 2009

chris forsyth

"Dreams was recorded and mixed between 2007 and 2009, mostly in Brooklyn, but also in Glasgow, Kansas City, and Waldron Island, Washington, and features contributions from Forsyth's Peeesseye bandmates Jaime Fennelly (synth on one track) and Fritz Welch (drums and vocals on another) as well as the trumpet work of Nate Wooley and organ, saxophone, and snare drum overdubs by Phantom Limb & Bison's Shawn Edward Hansen. Four tracks of free-wheeling minimalist rock balladry and anarcho-improv surrealism with a fearless approach to beauty in a deeply psychedelic landscape." evolving ear

"It's enough to signal Forsyth's arrival as an erudite and farsighted guitar stylist, maping a path that's hip and scholarly in equal measure." the wire

"a stunning guitar record... irresistably narcotic." strangeglue

"fucking killer on every level" foxy digitalis

soft story: james blackshaw meets bird show

Saturday, December 19, 2009

caethua

"The Long Afternoon of Earth is made up of two short sets of songs, both different in style but connected by themes, family, place, escape and remembrance. The first set, No Man’s Land, is acoustic-based, with songs haunting in their hypnotic way, finding common ground between the rustic and spectral in the spell they cast. Hubbard’s surroundings play deeply within the realm of her thoughts, with lyrics both unvarnished and emotionally shading in the way they portray experience both real and imagined.

The second set, Into The Dog-Dayed Night is also stark, but yet another spin on Clare Hubbard’s otherworldly songs. Piano, guitar, raw beats and almost industrial-type textures alchemically fuse for an altogether different mood – more theatrical, lamenting and spooked. Both sets come together here in the kind of purity and fortitude that underline Caethua’s true artistry. The Long Afternoon of Earth is as enigmatic and heartfelt a statement you’re likely to hear." preservation

Thursday, December 17, 2009

gnod

"Gnod unleash 2 stellar jams, the first "The Crystal Pagoda", insired by the film "The Invasion Of Thunderbolt Pagoda" which Angus Maclise provided a stunning soundtrack to, Gnod throw down a perpendicular astral jam full chants, hand percussion aligned with a solid bass loop. "Tony's First Disco" takes up side B with a tight, hypnotic lock groove drum and bass beat akin to Faust with Tony Conrad, layered with chants, synths and brass!" sonic meditations

Thursday, December 10, 2009

só para raros


  1. marconi notaro (& lula côrtes y zé ramalho) - ode a satwa
  2. urubamba - fugitivo en el altiplano
  3. luli & lucinha - yorimatã okê aruê
  4. o jardim das borboletas - marrom-carmim
  5. renato teixeira - marinheiro
  6. a barca do sol - a primeira batalha
  7. perfume azul do sol - nascimento
  8. lula côrtes y zé ramalho - beira mar
  9. rubinho e mauro assumpção - os olhos
  10. black zé - só para loucos
  11. spectrum - trilha antiga
  12. gilberto gil - cerebro electronico
  13. silvinha - voce já morreu e se esqueceu de deitar
  14. limonada - pies descalzos
  15. atacama - canto de la cuculí
  16. walter franco - patio do loucos
  17. alceu valença & geraldo azevedo - mister mistério
  18. flaviola e o bando do sol - desespero
  19. satwa - allegro piradissimo
foto: azzure window

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

vueling

01 old mountain hum ~ grizzly prospector
02 poppies ~ beggin' your pardon miss joan
03 oaks ~ silver summit
04 youcatcher ~ julianna barwick
05 the butcher ~ larkin grimm
06 billie holiday ~ warpaint
07 up the north fork ~ pelt*
08 allah ~ stag hare
09 red desert ~ wooden vail
10 all i want is calm ~ zelienople
11 heaven sold you back to earth ~ zola jesus
12 for rent ~ tickley feather
13 mothers taught ~ cursillistas
14 wiggle woggle ~ run dmt
15 sick with information ~ big blood
16 i could bring you jewels ~ josephine foster
17 sleeper ~ muffin
18 for parmalee ~ eyes like saucers
19 musik für alle ~ black to comm
20 save me a place (fleetwood mac cover) ~ lights
21 ruby, don't take your love to town ~ kenny rogers
22 don't give up ~ lake
23 lies ~ sin fang bous
24 untitled ~ apenino & arbore

foto: mundo mudo


Sunday, December 06, 2009

jack rose

un 4 de noviembre de 2004 vimos a jack rose tocar por primera vez junto a glenn jones, un par de años después lo volvimos a ver, esta vez con pelt. ana lo recordará igual que yo, en ese lugar reservado para los grandes con mayúsculas. me entero hace un minuto que ha muerto de un ataque al corazón a los 38 años. me he levantado de la silla y llevado las manos a la cabeza. he sentido que algo de mi también se ha muerto. en little kirby blues le rendía un pequeño homenaje es lo primero que he pensado, después he subido a ver el poster de ahí arriba, recuerdo que nos lo firmó tras esa primera actuación, estaba sentado en la barra del vade con un gorro con orejeras bebiendo bourbon y fumando un pitillo, quería hablar pero no podía, de nuevo el respeto convertido en esparadrapo en la boca, recuerdo que luis lo hacía mientras yo le preguntaba dos mil cosas mentalmente y pensaba si habría venido en carromato. al llegar a casa tenía que escribir una crítica que no cabía en una pantalla porque hay música que no se puede escribir, que no se puede llevar a palabras igual que una película no se puede esculpir, un libro bailar o un cuadro escribir. jack rose ha muerto y con él nos hemos muerto un poco todos los que hemos viajado de su mano a ese cielo en el que ahora podrá tocar con fahey, mississippi john hurt, john martyn, skip james y compañía. una vez más volvemos al sólo muere lo que se olvida y a jack rose es material y espiritualmente imposible olvidarlo. linden avenue stomp, tócala otra vez jack.

click

Friday, December 04, 2009

tunnels with sequin trails

"Sequin Trails is the project of Oregon artist, musician, and mystic Janina Angel Bath. On this gorgeous self-release with Tunnels, wrapped in a gold fabric bag adorned with a stitched line of sequins; the imagery and the song titles reveal much about what you can expect from the music, infused with mysticism, folk psychedelia, and magic. Beautiful washes of sound will hypnotize you, taking you on a journey with Ms. Bath. Schooled in piano, Native American flute, and Indian classical vocal music; Janina (flutes, keyboards, vocals, percussion and bells) and Nick Bindeman (guitars, percussion, effects, viola, bells) create a lovely soundtrack for meditation, with the pleasant instrumentation and chant-like vocals." lombard


foto: rebeca horn


Wednesday, December 02, 2009

my estrogeneration

"First ever not not fun vinyl compilation finds the spotlight landing fairly on the fairer sex, and the glare is glorious. 11 diverse femme musical energies corralled across 12 inches of black vinyl, all exclusive contributions, and the breadth of zones and interzones traversed is a beautiful thing to hear. Carry on my wayward non-sons. LPs in jackets with artwork by Pocahaunted bassist/scholar Diva Dompe, plus a full-color double-sided insert. Edition of 500. This year's Estrogeneration includes: Zola Jesus, Tickley Feather, Pocahaunted (vintage unused track from Gold Miner's Daughters sessions), Inca Ore, Topaz Rags, HNY, Talk Normal, Islaja (featuring Samara Lubelski and Blevin Blectum), L.A. Vampires, U.S. Girls & Valet" nnf

Monday, November 30, 2009

sylvester anfang

"How high can the Tree of Wisdom grow? If Sylvester Anfang II is the muse of civilization, then Wisdom will incarnate in a small stump. It makes this psychedelic bunch a modern salvation army.What Sylvester Anfang II has in common with half brother Silvester Anfang is that it is symbolically loaded with the sins of the people of Maldegem and that is has been sent to the big city to meet Azazel. Unless members wear the shirt of sheer evilness, they function as the brotherhood of reconciliation. These shaved goats produce their rituals exclusively on first takes. Every rehearsal is a recording session that wears the seductive dust of free folk music, the spiritual enrichment of acid rock and the razorblade-rawness of protopunk." luchtrat

Friday, November 27, 2009

antique brothers & the family band

"A new hour-long Antique Brothers jam is enough to get excited about, but when sibling shredders Ged & Cy Gengras include The Family Band it’s a full-fledged Happening to be attended at all costs. Along with the Gengras bros. on ‘Digger Gold’, Caitlin C. Mitchell, Jake White, Jeremy Kelley, and Seth Kasselman of Warm Climate join together in cracking open the smelling salts for all seven of our chakras.. Getting out of hand and family reunions go quite hand-in-hand, so listen as these partiers’ charms and spells transform the occasion into group sonic alchemy. Noise melts into grooves like lead smelts into gold and we all go home richer, baby.." stunned records

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

women & children

"our sister company IndoorMusic is honored to be part of the re-release of Women & Children's self titled album. The group first formed in Paris but currently reside in the U.S...They are a magical group and I always think of their music as a psychedelic lullaby. It is currently up on iTunes with two unreleased bonus tracks" trickety

reedición de women & children y dos canciones de regalo: night of the rake y north-south pagans. redescubriendo la preciosa day four...o el espíritu de nico y moe tucker en bear feet. gracias jonathan

foto via cradle to grave

barn owl

"The Conjurer is the latest offering by Bay Area duo Barn Owl. This new long player finds Evan Caminiti & Jon Porras finally (by way of an actual recording studio) documenting something that is a bit closer to their very heavy live sets, with expanded peaks of white light distortion and enormous valleys of bottom end. Each side opens with a brief funeral dirge to set the mood, a procession of bare-bones drum beats and bell-like guitar statements that bridge the gap to the wider open spaces of the almost side long 'Across The Desert Of Ash' and 'Ancient Of Days'. Apocalyptic westerns, mother nature fever dreams, it all seems to come to mind amid the evening guitar passages, incantations, flute tones, and finally, the solo piano that emerges lost among the electric mayhem to close the album. Considering the amount of terrain, The Conjurer is far from being scattered or rushed sounding. The record as a whole moves at a crafted even rhythm, slowly merging from one scene of violence to the next of almost silent recovery, then back up the mountain again. Edition of 500 LPs, half colored deep red, half black. Cover etching by Evan Caminiti." root strata

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

silver antlers / seven feathers rainwater

"...Seven Feathers Rainwater birthed into the fraternal "New Weird Utah" held down by mainstays Stag Hare, Silver Antlers, Navigator, Chaz Prymek, Hew Mun, etc... Seven Feathers Rainwater's murky drones, tripped out by Eastern influenced samples and ragas, are really some of the most straight up enjoyable moments in SLC's experimental hadj towards Mecca. Looped piano drones, scattered woodwinds, wordless vocals, acoustic guitars and dancey percussion. Silver Antlers reigns in and compresses some of the most exciting swelling guitar drones and soaring solos meets tribal meditations meets the Algerian Desert Desert blues of Terakaft at a Qawalli festival, and straddles a line between Western blues and the contemplative percussion and spiritualism of Eastern musical traditions. This split is a mystical journey in the vein of doomsday calendars, feathered serpents, far east shamanism and all the wonderful oddities of Salt Lake City." tome to the weathermachine

Monday, November 23, 2009

the great valley / prince rama of ayodhya

"Sonic-utopian synth mystics and pretend pop make-believers don't always sound so good side by side as Prince Rama of Ayodhya and The Great Valley do. Prince Rama's twelve-minute earth-shaker "Aeolian Divine" winds its way to eternity, from the floating island Atlantis, through some kind of cosmic dancehall, and into an infinite-space ecstatic-calm of heartbeat drums and swimming synth lines. Then the Great Valley descends with ukuleles and guitars down from space, through a tree in the forest, and into their underground home" spooky town artifacts

Sunday, November 22, 2009

grizzly prospector

"...I don't know much about Parker Yates, the man behind the grizz, but I do know there is something about his short, simple songs that grab me with a fragile, tangible grasp for the few minutes they are on. Recorded with a decided lo-fi approach, Grizzly Prospector wraps his short, sweet tunes, and his fragile yet assuringly confident voice in a thin sheen of tape hiss that sounds like an old 45 you saved from your Grandmothers estate sale. I suppose this is the aesthetic he is going for on Old Mountain Radio, tiny depression-era folk songs about love, mountain men, grizzly bears, and a kindly old narrator who introduces the album with an inexplicable cajun accent. Bookmarking each end of the album is a spoken word piece titled "Bare Hands/Bear Hands" that seems to begin and end the journey of loss, love, and discovery on this little disc that clocks in at just under 24 minutes. Stand out tracks include "Medley" and "True Love will Find You in the End" which include some of the best strummed guitars & voice I have heard all year..." tome to the weaher machine

quería escribir algo bonito sobre este disco pero sólo puedo dar las gracias. además se puede descargar gratis aquí. medley, child's prayer, true love will find you in the end... en repeat

Friday, November 20, 2009

stag hare

"...the sun shines warmly through the tops of trees that have just begun to flutter green. The forest’s magic unfolds. It is alive with sound. In this ever-unfolding present, life begins anew, free from the conditions of the past" naturalismo

"...as far as comparisons go here, Stag Hare stands strong along side Kranky artists Bird Show or White Rainbow..." forest gospel

~~~~ allah ~~~~

topaz rags

"Grey clouds stay grey. Low light situations birth low-lit moods. It's all bummer clockwork. West Coast lurk-jazz triad Topaz Rags return to vinyl with their debut long player, Capricorn Born Again, an eight-song comedown recorded/mixed from spring-to-fall of '09 via a complex 4-track/boombox assemblage method. Everything creaks and hisses, there's smoke in the air, players at the end of their ropes, lyrics washing over faded raga ballads, slinky electric piano bar depressions, shadow gauze cavern pop. The bell jar is half empty, obviously. Slow dive and sink in. Black vinyl LPs (mastered by Pete Swanson) in jackets designed by Amanda." not not fun

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

kuupuu

"although finlander jonna karanka has been slowly leaking out little kuupuu jewels for six years now, somehow it’s taken just that long to materialize her first ‘proper’ album. maybe it has something to do with the time she’s devoted to her beautiful artwork, or her time spent in a highly impressive string of other bands, included Hertta Lussu Assa (with Islaja and Lau Nau), Anaksimandros, Avarus, and many others… but, you know, i always figured kuupuu music didn’t have much to do with ‘time’ anyway. it’s music from another reality, to put it bluntly. a beautiful place no doubt, but somehow totally other. you could call this music a lot of things, all without really saying much… post-everything? pre-birth folk? bedtime acid-art? naive avant-garde loop witchcraft? maybe something like a thousand memories & vague images folded into each other and spooled out infinitely like a sloppy film loop…now play backwards in slow motion… surreal might just be an understatement… " time~lag

foto: roraadear

listen, the snow is falling...
 
(gracias toxinho)

twinsistermoon

"Twinsistermoon is Mehdi from Natural Snow Buildings, the male counterpart of this beloved French folk/drone duo who's gentle, otherworldly voice often has him confused with a little pixie lady that lives in some spectral forest glade with a battalion of fiercely protective woodland animals. This recording errs more towards tender, cracked & psychedelic pagan folk entwined with earthy samples/field recordings than any neo-drone or tonal affair, most probably the stuff folk who are into this mystical Gallic couple are most enamored with anyway. I cannot possibly do this album much justice in words, the sweet, woozy tracks are delicate, quietly meandering & personal affairs that demand your absolute full attention, the lo-fi recording technique used here gives the music such a rich & rustic personality i'm not surprised at the ever growing cult of fanatics their music. Comes with cracking 8" Sq. art booklet by Solange who casually chucks in some cello work on a track too! Plus there's a 40 minute unreleased bonus track!!" norman records

collage: liam crockard

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

keijo

"...for his second release Keijo has produced yet another interesting and lovely album. mesmerizing folk-blues jams and psyched-out atmospheric pieces. "Here They Come" has eight tracks beginning with a baroque sounding "Clear After Midnight" and ending with "At Night" with its lovely field recording of bird song. This album is a very worthy follow up to his "About Around" album. It has all manner of instrumentation and touches on blues and psychedelia with the addition of a few guests including Keijo's cat "Leila". reverb worship

being by! being by! being by!

Monday, November 16, 2009

mountainhood

"Somewhere in the realm of the Holy Modal Rounders, Tower Recordings, Diane Cluck & Daniel Johnston there is Mountainhood. Each cover is exquisitely handmade. So nice. This follows his sold out and sought after Time Lag & Ecstatic Yod releases. See the release page for a link to photos of each and every cover. Get it now before it hits the online auction realm" important
foto: hoy joy

Friday, November 13, 2009

gkfoes vjgoaf

"dang. gkfoes is back with another song set. they're heavier on the percussion and rhythm but he's still using all his mysterious pretty samples and weaving that lofi magic across an even larger sound palate this time around. spaced out psych-swag music you can blush to. edition of 100." ace of tapezzz

foto: árbore

winter fields through summer eyes wind moves the clouds, the trees, the waves; i move the wind


Monday, November 09, 2009

tom carter & robert horton

"Casual late night camfire jams by Robert Horton and Tom Carter, with laidback appearances by Natacha Robinson, Janet and Mary Carter. Baked guitars, boot and percussion. On special request there’s only 40 copies of this one." sloow tapes


Friday, November 06, 2009

best coast

"Group Tightener is putting out Best Coast's new 7" featuring four sweet fuzzed out summer jams ideal for those of us still clinging to the last remnants of this lamented season.In an interview on Olive Music Bethany described this 7" as a little moodier: "The songs on there are a little slower paced, and the lyrics are definitely more angsty." As for her overall artistic vision, she just wants "everything to sound really sweet and poppy, but also really fuzzy and sort of dark. Like the sun coming out after an epic rain storm or something." Lovely." no conclusion

Thursday, November 05, 2009

soothsayer

"Soothsayer's debut, Neptune's Daughter, is a stark product of tensions, tensions that can be mapped through a sonic ether evocative of the deepest ocean depths and/or the far reaches of outerspace. The music can be both cavernous and claustrophobic, sometimes simultaneously. Soothsayer achieves this atmosphere by implementing, above all else, a mature restraint as well as Reverb, synth lines both brittle and crystalline, guitar oscillations and noises not attributable to given instruments. As a whole, the album conjures the act of untethering, pushing off into an expanding cathedral. Ed. of 50" moon glyph

foto: nyúlia

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

sideways hole

"The third installment of the ongoing series of live Rover recordings. All acoustic pieces played in the depths of a large concrete tunnel. Very spacious and relaxing. Three extended tracks featuring Stewart Adams on acoustic/slide guitar, Alex Gray (Dreamcolour/Deep Magic) on banjo, Sean McCann on viola and bowed banjo, and Dave McPeters on bowed upright bass and slide guitar. Limited to 48 copies." animal psi

foto: jeff luker

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

daughters of the sun

"The peaceful side of the word 'primordial' is not often mentioned when discussing music, but it does exist and if it didn't exist before, it will with the release of Daughters of the Sun's Ancient of the Ancients. Texturally, the two swathes of music splitting this album evoke an antediluvian pre-dawn, when wildness and stillness were on in the same. The Daughters begin and end Ancient with passages constructed with flutes, chimes and ostensible field recordings that tend to teem and effervesce around the throbbing tribal eruptions at the heart of the cassette. Ed. of 100." moon glyph

tal día como hoy nacía maicropons, chin chin!

ous mal

"Even if it wasn't for the song titles you'd still be able to tell this record was Finnish. Like all that country's finest musical exports, be they Hannu or Paavoharju, Ous Mal's recordings carry a certain grainy lo-fi charm, sounding like some gnarled old 78 you might find in an enchanted attic. Vinyl crackle, weird old field recordings and weathered instrumental sequences all come together to make beautiful collages on tracks like 'Meidän Piha', which comes laced with faded string samples, glockenspiel melodies, wispy voices and the tolling of bells from a distant church. The glistening ambience of 'Tähdet' persists with the magic-realist sense of wonderment, sounding a bit like a haunted version of The Avalanches as it makes way for the equally ethereal strains of 'Tumma'. By the time you arrive at closing track 'Ukkonen' (whose curious sonic profile seems to shift from a spectral sea chantey into a demonic ice cream van) you'll be totally hooked on this record's creaky, tuneful and endearingly decrepit constitution. Highly enjoyable Scandinavian lo-fi melodicism from the ascendant Under The Spire imprint, limited to a mere 100 copies. boomkat"

Monday, November 02, 2009

wooden veil

"...Inspired by the shared hauntedness of their respective homelands, they combine elements from forgotten and misremembered traditions to create a microcosmic world which only Wooden Veil inhabits, complete with its own symbols, clothing, food and shelters. Performances, installations and videos are characterized by an expansive wardrobe of ritual dress, and the creation of shrines, relics and talismans used to create music.
to understand:
Hold right hand, cupped near right ear; turn hand back and forth slightly with wrist. Bring left hand to opposite eye with the second finger pointing in the direction one is looking. With index and thumb of right hand, form an incomplete circle, space of one inch between tips; hold hand towards the earth, then move it in a curve across the heavens and back toward the horizon" dekorder

Sunday, November 01, 2009

tram

tram ~ heavy black frame (piao!, 1999)

¿qué hago hablando de un disco de hace diez años? pues la inercia de ver esa foto de ahí arriba, acordarme de a kind of closure y de ahí a tram y todo lo que eso significó un buen día de hace diez años. tram es uno de esos grupos que nunca hicieron el ruido acorde a la explosión, pero eso lejos de molestar ayuda a no pervertir y sí mantener el recuerdo inmaculado. estos días estoy apático, inmerso en la melancolía inherente al otoño de los ocres, las bufandas y las caras pegadas en las ventanas con vaho, y ahí tram son doctores cum laude. esta semana me han preguntado multitud de veces cómo estaba y no sabía muy bien qué decir, ayer lo supe, estoy heavy black frame de arriba a abajo, es decir, de "nothing left to say" a "you can go now (if you want)". sumergido en la melancolía que arropa como las mantas que hacen las abuelas y las horas consumidas estudiando la arquitectura de las esquinas. según el diccionario la melancolía es una tristeza vaga, profunda, sosegada y permanente, nacida de causas físicas o morales, que hace que no encuentre quien la padece gusto ni diversión en nada. los sinónimos hablan de tristeza, aflicción, pena, pesadumbre, pesar, nostalgia, añoranza, etc... palabras todas que nunca podrían condensar lo que uno puede llegar a sentir cuando al escuchar determinada música percibe como todos sus pensamientos bajan los brazos presa del encantamiento y deciden tumbarse a ver pasar las nubes, las horas. la melancolía es sin duda la peor de las drogas, la que mayor adicción conlleva porque nadie, absolutamente nadie puede escapar de ella cuando te atrapa, hay algo masoquista sí, pero también toneladas de romanticismo brotando y desfilando desde el cuello hasta los brazos en un ejercicio de erizado funambulismo a cámara lenta. tram son enfermedad y remedio al mismo tiempo, un estado, el que en un día de sol te anima a dejar entreabierta la última hilera de la persiana para saber, a través de los rayos que se cuelan, que hay otro mundo ahí fuera que no quieres visitar.

download

foto: eva morell

Friday, October 30, 2009

magic castles

"Songs of the Forest", the Magic Castles' first release on the Moon Glyph imprint, is a study in delicate psychedelia. Throughout the album, the group harnesses sounds that harken to the mid-Sixties experimentalism. From beginning to end, it is a collection that houses surprises, such as the killer organ riff buried deep in "The Mole People" and the unexpected trombone in "Songs of the Forest" to name only a few. Recorded between the witching hour and three a.m. over the course of several months, this autumnal record is a revivalist showcase that straddles audacity and restraint with aplomb. Play it and float along." moon glyph

Thursday, October 29, 2009

hunter gracchus

"Hunter Gracchus are a free improvisation group based around the core of Syed Kamran Ali, Fiona Marshall and Jon Marshall (who runs Singing Knives). Percussion, wind instruments, melodica and bowed / plucked strings create a restrained and strange magic within acres of space." boa melody bar

foto: marie ek

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

book of shadows

"Medicinal plants, strange berries, thick pollen, and brown dirt. Hailing from Texas, the Book of Shadows live in the soil trodden on by Jandek and Charalambides, sprouting from those voices, those guitar sounds. This secretgarden will grow on you, it's roots will envelope you, it's beauty overwelm you. Alternating between composition and improvisation the guitars echo down like the rain, drones warm the ground, thorny notes scrape up against the fragile skin of Sharon Crutcher's voice. Water your minds, shine from behind your eyes." folkwaste

gnod

"This is the latest limited edition release by uk based Gnod and what a trip this is. The Thunderbolt Loop starts things off and is very hypnotic. Bass, different percussion, slowly overtakes your attention for the starting dominant loop. Roofless (edit) is 24 minutes and starts with some chimes and disturbances. Nice chime playing but be patient. At around 8 minutes the chimes go wild and the aliens make the cd player spit the cd out and it is over. Damn… ok... well, could not hear the last 16 minutes of that track but Off Somewhere in a Dingy is like a strange native American Indian chant freakout. Be careful with the peyote." aural innovations

silvester anfang meets second family band & no-neck blues band

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

partli cloudi

"Immigration problems plague these bedroom psych four trackers from leaving the house making spirit tape the medium for their blissful astral communication. Partli cloudi channel lustful demons and inner gods, focussing lower chakras to attract worshippers. Strange strings, odd percussion, smoky chanting, weird vibes. Looping delay pedals prove past, present and future no longer have meaning. No leaves were left unburned. Favorite things left unheard. 14 tracks. Limited edition of 25, with burnt wooden cloud sleeves." folkwaste
foto: catfat

Monday, October 26, 2009

gnod

"...a melting pot of free tribal drumming, Hawkwind swirl, Krautrock pulse and Sun Ra scrunge, Gnod are less of a band and more of a cosmic collective.. heavily percussive and bass led, covered in reverb and delayed guitars.. everything working in unison towards a climactic explosion, or shimmering off into the distance.." badacid

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

true love will find you in the end

01. wave crashed on rocks ~ meg baird
02. i wanted everything ~ kurt vile
03. free galaxy ~ angels in america
04. night swimmer ~ beth jeans houghton
05. bizarre moonlight ~ high wolf
06. stark wood #2 ~ the end springs & lex panayi
07. the tree told me ~ beggin' your pardon miss joan & siddhi
08. we always change ~ castlemusic
09. blackberry song ~ kurt vile
10. open melody ~ lucky dragons
11. nagg clef seatpoint ~ richard youngs & tirath singh nirmala
12. fall aside ~ hope sandoval
13. bowling green ~ alela diane & alina hardin
14. dog song ~ mountain man
15. my hopes and dreams ~ jj
16. fiest ~ beggin' your pardon miss joan
17. eleven days ~ pajaro sunrise
18. rain on ~ acoustic family creeps
19. new wife new life ~ truman peyote
20. memory ~ caboladies
21. rancher ~ julian lynch
22. forever ~ peter drake
23. all i do is dream of you ~ patience & prudence
24. in tall grass ~ tara jane o'neil
25. true love will find you in the end ~ daniel jonhnston

para renco y la abuelita pere

foto: árbore


Monday, October 19, 2009

siren

"...Under the Siren pseudonym, Bethany of Pocahaunted takes a step back from the duo spirit jams to ride upon a beam of melancholy that is spiraling slowly into silence. “Living Light” relies on a simple palette consisting of Bethany’s lovely voice, a guitar, and plenty of reverb for twenty glorious minutes. Both tracks are like a looped descent into the spirit world tapped by Pocahaunted but approached with much more trepidation and a lot less volume..." foxy digitalis

sun araw

"Sun Araw’s Cameron Stallones & filmmaker Matthew Lessner are longtime Stunned brothers that go back with us before the music, the tours, the films, the label, you name it. As tireless globetrotters, both have spent the last year beaming their respective good messages far and wide to the delight of audio aficionados & visual art subversives alike. Marking a Second phase in all our geosynchronous friendships, ‘In Orbit’ finds these dudes collaborating on ascendant planes of high mind where outer Los Angeles and Inner Space bisect. Deep dubby howlin, Farfisa organ hang-gliding, gooey tempos, and trademark shimmering ‘Sun Araw-guitar licks are the hybridized fruits harvested here. Along with your candy, flip this tape as needed. Happy to say, there’s no limit to the number of orbits it can (and will) make through your stereo and ours. Special edition of 222 pro-dubbed & imprinted c30s with jcard design by Cameron." stunned

Saturday, October 17, 2009

bob theil

no sé muy bien porqué, pero hoy cuando ya estaba anocheciendo en casa renosaba bob theil y sentí una necesidad incontenible de dejarle pasear por el bosque.
el favorito sello catalán, guerssen, reeditó en un ya lejano 2006 500 copias que volaron de su maravilloso "so far" en una preciosa edición que incluía el ep "another flight" con temas inéditos . todo un rare earth de los que cada vez me cuesta más escribir y que aunque editado en 1982, en realidad todo el álbum lo compuso en los setenta, es fácil sentir ese looser pyschedelic-folk . sin palabras para lady.

Friday, October 16, 2009

beggin' your pardon miss joan

"...In the time after I first picked up the guitar but before I decided to ’share’ what evolved I committed these tracks to tape, as sketches and left them behind. I returned to these sketches over the weekend and have added, fiddled and tidied, amongst bloodied dawn’s, crisp riverside walks and intense paranoia…They are more than sketches now, methinks, so I am letting them leave the nest. I hope you dig them. If the songs stir you enough to want them on disc let me know I will see if I can pull something together. All of the songs were recorded in early 2008 so are an early representation of Beggin' Your pardon Miss Joan in it’s infancy (except for Black & White which is a demo I recorded earlier this year)
On another note we have also started putting ideas down for a full length Beggin' Your Pardon Miss Joan record. It feels like the right time!
Keep well,
Lex ±"

foto: smarsham