microphones in the trees: March 2015

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

filomeluna






patrón del zorrito: fiona dalton







nuestra filomeluna montañas (la mar) escribe aquí y en luzzzalig, hace fotolas y música y ahora mismo, o tal vez desde siempre, también bordados, animalescos de cuento, monederos, pendientes y manualidades de vuelco al corazón. no soy ni mucho menos mínimamente entendida en el mundo de los bordados, pero como diría un moucho, hay madera...los colorudos, los motivos, esos bonecos comestibles que cuando los tienes de pequeña no los sueltas jamás, ese lobo aullando montañas, las reminiscencias mexicanas...soy fan me lo compraría todo. hasta los hilos. puedes ver y comprar más de la filo aquí, aquí y aquí.


Friday, March 20, 2015

plastic moonrise


~ mediumistic restructuring of experience
purposive not dreamlike
existing simultaneously in all places and times
sequences, successions, sounds, silence ~

"coming! friday march 20th 2015 for the Vernal Equinox Celebrations... how did we get here?. cassette/zine the second. more secrets to tell, throw up the sash window and let them in...and like dandelion seeds, blow them out and share them with the world again ~ they will set you free!" catherine norris/plastic moonrise

"beautiful concrete poems, lullabies and sonic acrostics for all you children of Alice out there. I love how it's all whispered like a secret, like only you are meant to hear it." toys and techniques


 ~ spoken word, diary of unconscious echoes, experimental casio, garden path gestures, stream of consciousnes ~


Wednesday, March 18, 2015

hala strana



"from 2003 to 2010 Steven R. Smith recorded under the name Hala Strana. using an assortment of instruments (some handmade, like his hurdy gurdy and spike fiddle) Smith recreated and re-imaged traditional Eastern European folk music, making the songs his own. this has really got it all ~ from his crumbling guitar to the dancing fiddle, stove-pipe percussion and the occasional tape warble. there hasn't been anything quite like this since. at times the songs are intensely cinematic, at others beautifully chaotic. these songs are are here to transport you. 


the box includes five tapes with all the recorded Hala Strana output, including 'Compendium' a previously digital-only collection of outtakes, compilation and EP tracks. limited to 50 copies tied in twine and laid on a bed of wood shavings in a chipboard box with pasted-on full color art, a twelve page booklet of notes, two handwritten and numbered inserts on handmade paper, two vintage Eastern European postage stamps and a risograph print."

out of stock ~ download* (thanks to vacuumworld for the rip)
* new mp3 w/ titles & labels

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

kambang adzan / augenmusik



~ kambang adzan is the first time release of some beautiful and eerie field recordings from Bandung, Indonesia ~

"this recording was made while living in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia, around 1997 or 1998. using a Sony DAT recorder and stereo microphone I had sought out the highest place where I lived to record one of the many thunderstorms that happen during monsoon season. I ended up recording on a rooftop where there were several caged and unhappy house-cats pleading with me (they can be heard on the recording) to let them out. I hit record and a few hours later, returned to collect my equipment.  by happy coincidence I had also recorded the many Adzans, or call to prayers, from the nearby mosques." kambang adzan


augenmusik ~ augenmusik (eiderdown, 205)

"Augenmusik is comprised of Samara Lubelski (Tower Recordings, Thurston Moore Band) and Werner Nötzel and Thilo Kuhn from Stuttgart's sweet freak collective Metabolismus. together these three will take you on a night train of sliding electric violin and gurgling analog electronics. amazing material from three sensitive musicians, a complete mental zone to soundtrack the shapes on the inside of your eyeballs. plucking tones and drones out of the air like so many ripe fruits, Augenmusik presents an audio feast of the highest form. time stops as the violin and electronics melt together and slide across your synapses like a knife through warm butter. dig in..." eiderdown

 Samara Lubelski : amplified violin & effects
Thilo Kuhn : thyllotronics
Werner Nötzel: tapes & modulations


listen ~ buy 

se acumulan cintas favoritas pero también reseñas... Komodo Haunts, Former Selves, Kara-Lis Coverdale, Babexo, Opaline, Pines, Adderall Canyonly, Paa Annandalii, Ondness, Sarah Louise, Seth Kasselman... así que para reducirla nada mejor que una pequeña mención a la nueva hornada de Eiderdown. Augenmusik es una colaboración de ensueño entre Samara Lubelski y dos miembros de Metabolismus (mmm 'sprießwärtsdrall'): el violín de Samara revoloteando en primer plano, de fondo la atmósfera asfixiante de Thilo y Werner manipulando cintas sobre un colchón de teclados analógicos.

pero mi debilidad son las grabaciones de campo de Kambang Adzan, que no pueden ser más evocadoras y la vez más tristes...lluvia, tormentas grabadas en una azotea durante la temporada del monzón, numerosos cánticos indonesios apenas audibles, que son llamadas a la oración (adzan) desde las mezquitas a lo largo del día. de fondo, 'maullidos de gatitos enjaulados, infelices'. junto a 'cambodian field recordings' de Stephen Molyneux, los field recordings más 'aquí, ahora' del mundo.

 

Friday, March 13, 2015

river of god



va • river of god [luzzzalig/calm in trees, marzo 2015]

lo prometido es deuda, compilado de chicas!

:: por la ponita de los 4 vientos y filomena montañas :: 

01 heraaminen pitka lau nau | silmäterä (princess of egypt) soundtrack [2013]
02  sailing away jennifer castle | pink city [no quarter / idée fixe, 2014]
03 down the roadmary mccaslin | way out west [philo, 1973]
04  isn't it good to be lost in the woods
pefkin | inner circle outer circle morc, 2014]
05 colorado bluealela diane | about farewell [rusted blue, 2013]
06 seven moonssunhiilow | invisible totem [om ha sva ha ksha ma la va ra yam, 2015]
07 imperial smoke town (20131125) ichiko aoba | ライブアルバム「0%」 [speedstar records, 2014]
08 head & heart vashti bunyan | johnny boy would love this  [hole in the rain music ltd., 2011]
09 parade of the blood red sorrows jane weaver | la rose de fer... [disposable music, 2013]
10 el desierto lhasa de sela | la llorona [atlantic, 1997]
11 children linda perhacs | the soul of all natural things [asthmatic kitty records, 2014]
12 carter's blues kathy & carol | kathy & carol [elektra, 1965]
13 beasts in the garden spires that in the sunset rise | beasts in the garden |
[alt.vinyl, 2015]
14 coucou josette dayde et le quintette du hot club de france  [1940]
15 hole in the bucket collie ryan | takin' your turn 'round... [rainbow recording, 1973]
16 run run se fue pa'l norte violeta parra | las últimas composiciones [rca victor, 1966]
17 mattachin delia derbyshire | bbc radiophonic music [bbc records, 2002]
18 air recording ylangylang | am i being overdramatic? [inyrdisk, 2014]
19 rotolock daphne oram | oramics [paradigm discs, 2007‎]
20 take me away emma tricca | relic [bird records ‎,2014]
21 the vigilante judee sill | heart food [asylum records, 1973]
22 i wish i knew how it would feel to be free nina simone | the very best [music brokers, 2006]
23 pantomimeclara rockmore | the art of the theremin [delos, 1987]
24 opening ess
ie jain  | to love [self-released, 2015]
25 as i went out one morning mira billotte | i'm not there [columbia, 2007]



26 wave crashed on rocks meg baird | meet the philly elite [(k-raa-k)³, 2009]
27 i'm your puppet
dionne warwick | walk on by: definitive collection [arista, 1999‎]
28 om supremealice coltrane | eternity [warner, 1975]
29 night swimmer beth jeans houghton | golden 7'' [static caravan, 2009]
30 midnight blues liz green
| o, devotion! [play it again sam, 2011]
31 she rises like the dolphinkate wolf | safe at anchor [kaleidoscope records, 1979]
32 jugar a la vida amparo ochoa | el cancionero popular [discos pueblo, 1975]
33 to b without a hitch bridget st. john | ask me no questions [dandelion records, 1969]

34 the white balloonmary lattimore and jeff zeigler | slant of light [thrill jockey, 2014]
35 cult of isis pauline anna strom | trans-millenia consort [ether ship records, 1982]
36 clearinggrouper | ruins [kranky/ yellow electric, 2014]
37 where you are marianne nowottny | for lee jackson in space [2012]
38 geometría del universocolleen | the weighing of the heart [second language, 2013]
39 yeh come t'be jeanne lee | conspiracy [earthform records, 1975]
40 mamacitacity annie shaw | bush cow milk [2010]
41 over. round, in a room. found.tara jane o'neil | where shine new lights [kranky, 2014]
42 bláklukkurnar
sigríður níelsdóttir | grandma lo-fi: the basement tapes [hornbuckle, 2014]
43 congregationitasca | unmoored by the wind [new images, 2014]
44 river of god linda perhacs | the soul of all natural things [asthmatic kitty records, 2014]
45 vague a l'ame tara king th. | hirondelle et beretta [moon glyph, 2013]
46 you are song angel olsen | half way home [bathetic records, 2012]
47 isn't it nice barbara dane | barbara dane & the chambers brothers [folkways records, 1966]
48 spartajennifer castle | pink city [no quarter / idée fixe, 2014]
49 ticket agent cora mae bryant | the last and lost blues survivors [dixiefrog, 2005]
50 solidao amália rodrigues | les amants du tage  [columbia, 1955]
51 la suicida liliana felipe | las horas de belén [fonarte latino, 1999]


52 meridian madalyn merkey | valley girl [new images, 2014]
53 with my eyes wide open i'm dreaming
virginia astley | from gardens.. [happy valley, 1983‎]
54 the owlsfélicia atkinson | the owls [wunderkammer 2012]
55 nightlight miaux | cassette van antwerpen [ultra eczema, 2014]
56 part I tropical rock
| suma love [perfect wave, 2015] 
57 säteetkuupuu | lumen tähden [time-lag, 2009]
58 kola (lighthouse version) amiina | the lighthouse project
[sound of  handshake, 2013]
59 jellyfish vashti bunyan | heartleap [fatcat, 2014]

60 fools rush inpeggy lee | gold collection [musicrama, 2002]
61 for the living rio en medio | peace sequence [womens work, 2013]
62 klias wetlandssophie cooper | our aquarius [wild silence, 2014]
63 volver a los 17 violeta parra | las últimas composiciones [rca victor, 1966]
64 why feel alonediane cluck | boneset [not on label, 2014]
66 yes yes kelly nesbitt | kell's bells [reverb worship, 2008]
67 slona/leto kot kot | kунь  [jozik, 2014]
68 return to fugueáine dwyer | music for church cleaners mie music, 2015]
69 it's gonna rain
collie ryan | indian harvest [rainbow recording, 1973]
70 drunken conclusionsemma tricca | relic [bird, 2014]
71 woman to woman tammy wynette | woman to woman [epic, 1974]
72 jai rama chandra alice coltrane | turiya sings [aquamarin, 1982]
73
me and my shadowpeggy lee | is that all there is / me and my shadow [capitol records, 1969]
74 III melanie velarde | some [temporary archives, 2013]
75 o superman (for massenet)laurie anderson | big science [nwarner, 1982]
76 punkte ursula bogner | recordings 1969-1988 [faitiche, 2008]
 


77 leopard ela orleans | tumult in the clouds  [clan destine, 2012]
78
keplana księżyc | księżyc [obuh, 1996]
79 summer's lease sarah angliss | down to the silver sea [gecophonic, 2013]
80 gossamer silk
pauline anna strom | trans-millenia consort ether ship, 1982‎]
81 song of the planetslinda perhacs | the soul of all natural things
[asthmatic kitty, 2014]
82 the visit marcey hamm | z [not on label, 1986]
83 meet you at midnight julianna barwick
| rosabi ep [dead oceans, 2014] 
84 shastasuzanne doucet | shasta: sacred mountain vol. 1 [only new age music, 2006]
85 song for hyperion inez lightfoot | three weaving at the well [biological radio, 2012]
86 elemental finding tara jane o'neil | where shine new lights [kranky, 2014]

87 capable of murderchristina carter | original darkness [kranky, 2008]
88 interlude isengrind | underflesh [was ist das?, 2014]
89 aye fond kyssbridget hayden | god damn, i hate the blues [(k-raa-k), 2011]
90
love letters ketty lester |  am gold 1962 [time life music, 1991]
91 leichtsarah davachi | august harp [important, 2014]
92 day colored celery aloonaluna | a house made of cloud and bone [digitalis limited, 2013]
93 ghost riders in the sky the space lady | greatest hists [night school, 2013]
94 taivutkuupuu | sisar [em, 2013]
95 the chord and the centre (imperial topaz remix)
msott | remixes [tabs out, 2013]
96 puellacaterina barbieri | ruota [not on label, 2014]
97 broken drum je suis le petit chevalier | dark morse [shelter press, 2013]
98 existencial angst white poppy | white poppy [not not fun, 2013]
99
princess with orange feetsuzanne ciani | lixiviation [finders keepers, 2012]
100 thank you blessings katarina | aspects [not on label, 2010]

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

valerio cosi


"Calamit/à es un proyecto multidisciplinar que tiene como objetivo investigar la cicatriz que dejó el desastre de Vajont. veinte artistas inmersos en la identidad de un valle sepultado bajo una montaña de agua, un lugar que cambió para siempre y desapareció junto a sus recuerdos. entre las fotografías, videos y collages del proyecto nos encontramos también con los sonidos evocadores de Valerio Cosi, que en 'sounds for vajont' recopila diez diapositivas emocionales, introspectivas." the breakfast jumpers



"From the moment I was asked to work on a few tracks for the multimedia Calamita/à project on the Vajont, I immediately started to figure out a “do nots” list, a number of things that I would not have wanted to do: take the saxophone, make something that sounded too similar to many other soundtracks or sound projects for documentaries on the theme and so on. I ended up with 10 sound miniatures. Two or three of these were conceived in 2013 (a year before) and I realised they were almost perfect for the project. All together these tracks somehow define a complete puzzle I can find myself in and which brings down all the walls of my ego and allows to completely sympathise with the heart of the Friulani. I dedicate this work to all of them." Valerio Cosi 


cuánta nostalgia al pensar en Valerio Cosi... imposible olvidar el impacto de 'immortal attitudes', de 'conference of the acquarians', de ese saxo estratosférico, diferente, que nos dejaba con la boca abierta allá por el 2006. por eso siempre lo relacionaré con los comienzos del blog. tantos años sin saber casi nada de él y por fin en el 2014 coinciden dos discos como dos soles, 'music for popol vuh' ('aguirre (in b major: stars sligning)'...mmm) y 'sounds for vajont', que son diez miniaturas dedicadas a las víctimas del desastre de la presa Vajont (Italia), el titanic de las presas, en el que una ola gigantesca proveniente del embalse arrasaba pueblos enteros mientras sus habitantes dormían. en 'sounds for Vajont' Valerio cambia el saxo por guitarras acústicas y un maravilloso omnichord, originalmente diseñado como sustituto electrónico para el arpa, que suena a gloria, a requiem...a Isam (hay conexiones fascinantes). mis tres interludios favoritos son precisamente en los que suena el omnichord: 'misty', 'guarire' (asoma una voz lejana que se mezcla con testimonios de la tragedia) y 'castrum de spengenberg'. por el medio, retransmisiones radiofónicas de la catástrofe, más interludios preciosos como 'longarone blues (1'38'' for Loren Connors)' (un silbido, una melodía, nostalgia infinita), 'mount toc raga' y un final de pelos de punta, ya sea por la música, ya sea por el título: 'slowly sinking'. aunque breve, muy emotivo y bonito.

Friday, March 06, 2015

sunhiilow


"Sunhiilow is telling stories about echoes and odd imaginations from the lost cultures, exploring landscapes of tribal pulse and mythic lullabies."

~ experimental, ambient, drone, sound collage, soundscape, tropical ~


van cayendo como meteoritos discos favoritos del año... qué más puedo pedir, casi al unísono 'forum' de Les Halles, 'era' de Oliwa y ahora 'invisible totem' de mi querida Valérie Magisson. cualquier cosa que pueda decir se queda pequeña. de las veces en que todo se resume en 'música que parece compuesta pensando en ti'. Sunhiilow siempre ha sido una de mis debilidades. no hay disco o canción que no haya incluído cada año en mis listas de favoritos, pero me alegra decir y celebrar que en 'invisible totem'  brilla como nunca lo había hecho. Valérie ha dado un paso más en su forma de dar inercia a las melodías, dejando que su sonido avance y se eleve por encima de lo que ya hizo en su split junto a Pine Smoke Lodge. nueve canciones-delicatessen que son una, entrelazadas a través de una temática inalterable: las civilizaciones perdidas. siempre con esos detalles que aparecen aquí y allá cual sutiles pinceladas de ambient minúsculo, cero grandilocuente, de new age tribal con una pizca muy muy ligera de eso que suelen llamar hipnagogia tropical.  

me gusta pensar que las canciones son universos que expresan el mundo de un modo reducido con pocos elementos. y según las elecciones que se hacen al componerlas, el mundo es mejor o peor. si hoy tuviera que elegir una sola canción que hiciera el mundo mejor un rato, no podría. sería 'invisible totem' de la pe a la pa. música celestial en su capacidad para contagiar tristeza, alegría e inspiración. 'dreamcatcher' ilumina: una noche de acampada, el cielo estrellado. me recuerda al catálogo de 'gift tapes' (J. Hanson), a .H. Takahashi, a Opaline. 'mandala power' es tan Of  The Dreams and Ambitions, tan maravillosamente Inspired School of  Astral Music. y 'seven moons', suave y soleada, francamente bonita. o 'invisible totem', la canción, que avanza imparable y magnética. 'andromeda sunrise' es la vida observada a través del telescopio de 'many moons', el universo de sounds of the down tal como lo vería Oliwa. 'invisible totem' es un todo. de cuando todo encaja, de cuando las notas suenan y fluyen como agua de río o como águilas sobrevolando el desierto. esa intangibilidad y delicadeza extrema tan características de Valerie Magisson. un disco cortito, poco más de veinte minutos, pero no pido más.

Tuesday, March 03, 2015

stephen molyneux



"this world traveler, professional gardener, poet, amateur ethnomusicologist, and No Kings co-founder has, at long last, collected his best song pieces (which move in and out of traditional American folk motifs) into a heart-shaking and catchy album. from murder ballad to chord organ interlude, themes of water and work, these atmospheric one-mic recordings of Stephen’s magnetic voice vibrating the floorboards of his Nashville home overflow with emotion and will have you hitting that rewind button over and over. the best." no kings

sold out ~ see ~ listen/buy


"recorded in 2014 in an old church turned into a studio in Nashville, "The shape of clouds to come" is a mesmerizing Ep full of sad tones announcing the colour of his folk songs. In only five tracks, accompanied by his friends on violin, organ, piano and drum, with his voice like a tightrope walker on a thread, the music of Stephen Molyneux arouses at the same time a deep sadness and a healing hope." la station radar

  Stephen Molyneux: vocals, electric guitar, piano 
Alice Buchanan: violin 
Lee Noble: pump organ, SK-1, piano 

cover photo by Stephen Molyneux, Surat Thani, Thailand, 2009.

buy 12 inch/tape ~ listen/buy

últimamente no dejan de aparecer nuevas y preciosas melodías de folk singers de toda la vida: 'by now' de Little Wings y '(something') de Mount Eerie. pero nadie como Matthew Himes (Shep and Me) y Stephen Molyneux (jardinero profesional, poeta, etnomusicólogo) me devuelven la fe en que todavía se pueden hacer discos cálidos, honestos y emotivos como 'aren't you ashamed?' de Cap'n jack. duendes que parecen venidos de otra época con voces atemporales, melancólicas y un sonido desnudo y acogedor. que saben hablarle al micro, alargar una sílaba, llenar de significado un silencio, susurrar una frase. todo en su sitio. donde toca y cuando toca. de estos dos discos de Stephen Molyneux me quedo con 'called to leave' precisamente por eso. la 'cara b', (seis canciones en trece minutos) es tan perfecta. canciones que hablan de 'fantasmas, minas de oro, personajes de leyenda y viajes infructuosos'. atrás quedan los días de Camboya pero no se echan de menos...porque melodías de la pradera como las de 'the sight' son tan bonitas que no puedo dejar de preguntarme si de verdad nos la merecemos. la magia estará, siempre, en la producción bajo mínimos, en el menos es más: un sólo micro, a veces un órgano y un violín, una guitarra. no puedo evitar pensar que el folk debería ser siempre así.

Sunday, March 01, 2015

radio people



"Fall on Mars was completed by Samuel Goldberg and Adam Miller in the Fall of 2014 in Cleveland, Ohio at his home studio. The title-track serves well as a reintroduction to the project since last year’s “Night Club” on Treasure. It begins as a slow release of scattery synthesizer bop that builds to spill out echoes of fluorescent pads and minimal sequences. From there, the tape continues to loosen up and casts off into rich zones of rhythms and field recordings. Like many Radio People releases, present are the blankets of neon sound and emotive progressions of organ and synthesizer. “Fall on Mars” points outwardly to the planets while remaining in the real and present of a Midwest autumn. The Mars One team will be reaching their destination in 2025, enjoy a preview to what fall on Mars could feel like." centre


listen ~ buy