Aleph At Hallucinatory Mountain
Details
2009 May CD UK Coptic Cat NIFE004CD
European edition
In gatefold digipak
iTunes CA Coptic Cat
Track Listing
  1. Invocation Of Almost (8:49) [dsicd0054]
  2. Poppyskins (5:17)
  3. On Docetic Mountain (8:14)
  4. 26 April 2007 (5:13)
  5. Aleph Is The Butterfly Net (5:54)
  6. Not Because The Fox Barks (10:14)
  7. UrShadow (4:37)
  8. As Real As Rainbows (5:23)
Personnel
Alice Rousham
Henry Rousham
Matt Sweeney
Keith Wood
Sleeve Notes
Almost in the beginning was
ⲀⲚⲞⲔ ⲠⲈ

Current 93 as:

David Tibet: vocals, July and Gorgon guitar, mix
James Blackshaw: 12-string guitar, piano
William Breeze: electric viola, viola controlled sampler
Ossian Brown: synthesizers, treated organ, electronics
John Contreras: cello, synthesizers
Baby Dee: piano, Hammond organ
Andria Degens: vocals
Sasha Grey: vocals
Andrew Liles: electronics, guitars, mix
Alex Neilson: drums, percussion
Rickie Lee Jones: vocals
Alice Rousham: vocals
Henry Rousham: vocals
Steven Stapleton: electronics, mix
Matt Sweeney: electric guitar, vocals
Andrew WK: bass, piano, vocals, finger bells
Keith Wood: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, slide guitar, bass

All songs composed by Current 93. Produced and mixed by Andrew Liles, Steven Stapleton and David Tibet. Recorded at The Rooms with Rob Sands. Final recording and mixing at Metway Studios with Jake Rousham as engineer.
All English text and all artwork by David Tibet. All translations from the Coptic by David Tibet. David Tibet's art is represented by Isis Gallery. Design by David Tibet and Paul Jackson.
Thanks to: Geoff Cox-Dorée and Michael Lawrence for attending the mix, Marc Almond, David Bianchi, Michael Cashmore, Ben Chasny, Al Cisneros, Chris Connelly, Miss Kat Cormie, Enrico Croci, Attila Csihar, Giulio Di Mauro, Maja Elliot, Barbara and Stephen Emmel, Nick Evans, Eva and Michel Faber, Bill Fay, Mark and Roxy Fry, Sven Erik Fuzz-Kristiansen, Gary Held, Antony Hegarty, Joie Iacono, Nidge Ince, Melon Liles, Hugo Lundhaug, John Marchant, Carola Marruchi, Othon Mataragas, Annabel Mehran, Richard Moult, Stephen O'Malley, Fabrizio Palumbo, José Pacheco, David Pepe, Anita Plank, Colin Potter, Keith Richmond, Roasrio Rivero, Allison Schnackenberg, Vivian Slaughter, Tony Sylvester, Joel Thibodeau, Steffi Thiel, Ayşe Tuzlak, Todd Uzel, Cherie Lily W.K., Lauren Winton, Tod Wodicka, and Joolie Wood.

ⲞⲨⲚ̅ϨⲀϨ ⲄⲀⲢ ⲚⲎⲨ ϨⲘ̅ⲠⲀⲢⲀⲚ ⲈⲨϪⲰ Ⲙ̅ⲘⲞⲤ ϪⲈⲀⲚⲞⲔ ⲠⲈ ⲠⲈⲬ̅Ⲥ̅ Ⲛ̅ⲤⲈⲠⲖⲀⲚⲀ Ⲛ̅ϨⲀϨ


The Gospel of Matthew, XXIV:5

Profound thanks to Stephen Emmel for opening up the endless beauty and mystery of Coptic grammar to me.

Love and peace to you all, David Tibet
Hastings 20 II 2009

Booklet photo credits: Ossian Brown: photograph by Stephen Thrower with image post-production by Peter Christopherson and Ossian Brown . James Blackshaw: Sophie Cooper . William Breeze: Carl Abrahamsson . Andrew Liles: Andy Keetch . Alice and Henry Rousham: Jake Rousham . John Contreras: Chris Gonzalez . Andrew W.K.: Victoria Stevens . Sasha Grey: Ian Cinnamon . Steven Stapleton: David Tibet . Andria Degens: Maude Swift . Baby Dee: Stephen Freiheit . Keith Wood: Nicole Poppi . David Tibet: inside booklet by Andria Degens and back of booklet by Maude Swift . Alex Neilson: Alex Woodward . Rickie Lee Jones: Lee Cantelon . Matt Sweeney: Andrew W.K.. The framed image held by David is an original oil painting by Aleister Crowley and is from David's collection.
Notes
This page contains coptic characters which may not render correctly if a suitable font has not been installed locally.

Contains a double-sided poster showing the pictures and/or names of the 386 subscribers to this release.

Cover of booklet and cover of album are swapped on the North American version
Related Items
Bandcamp
Reviews
Words like armageddon and visionary get tossed about around David Tibet (for good reason) but with this latest album, these words seem too small and meek. As hinted on Black Ships Ate the Sky and the split EP with Om, David Tibet has embraced a blistering rock aesthetic for his apocalyptic visions. Sounding as psychedelic as Of Ruine Or Some Blazing Starre or The Inmost Light trilogy, there is also a heaviness here not heard since the noisy tape loops of Current 93's embryonic period. Tibet sings of Aleph (an Adam-like character), murder, and destruction as a huge cast of musicians and vocalists create a backdrop worthy of his vision.

Tibet's mythology grows more and more esoteric with each album, a blend of his own internal imagery and biblical terror (stemming from his ongoing obsession with scripture and study of Coptic in order to get closer to the source). "Almost in the beginning was the murderer" states the child's voice at the beginning of the album. From here on in, everything explodes as one of the best line ups yet for Current 93 let rip. Alex Neilson's drumming sounds like thunderclaps at the end of the universe as layers and layers of guitars, feedback and distorted vocals tear through reality. During "On Docetic Mountain," fragments of the familiar folk strains haunt the works of Current 93 swim through the surging pulse, creating a thick and disorientating experience which brings to mind Thee Silver Mt. Zion at their most raucous. Bill Breeze's viola and John Contreras' cello sound almost regal amidst the grinding fuzz that the rest of the group are pouring out. Later on, the rock swamps everything; guitar solos that can only be described as shambolic, face melting blasts of white heat cut through a doom-laden riff on "Not Because the Fox Barks." There is a first time for everything in life and playing air guitar along to Current 93 is one of them.

With no particular focus beyond a general feeling and Tibet's vision(s), Aleph at Hallucinatory Mountain sticks out like a monolith in Current 93's canon. Fears that this album would be a disparate work breaking under the weight of Tibet's many collaborators were completely unfounded. Andrew W.K. and Sasha Grey may be famous for things quite different to Current 93 (as every single article or Internet discussion related to this album seems to dwell on) but they sound as home here as any Current 93 regular. Grey's detached vocals on "As Real As Rainbows" are a world away from her usual performances (researching for reviews can be a very tough job) and she provides a sober and melancholy ending for such a vivid and energetic album.

Aside from some of the electronics and effects dotted throughout Aleph at Hallucinatory Mountain and the knowledge that it is just out this week, it would be difficult to place this album in time. It could easily be one of those obscure gems that was on the Nurse With Wound list; in fact it sounds almost like the perfect lost treasure from rock's past. "26 April 2007" has a desert rock vibe but instead of the The Eagles and images of the great plains of America, the music instead conjures up visions of dusty vistas in northern Africa with wanderers trying to find their way back to Eden.

James Joyce once said: "It took me ten years to write Ulysses, and it should take you ten years to read it." While I am not going so far to say (yet) that this album is of the same magnitude as Ulysses the principle holds true here as Tibet and his colleagues have put two years of hard work into making this album the monument it is. Steven Stapleton and Andrew Liles have worked their wizardry in post-production to create the layers of sound that form the base of Aleph at Hallucinatory Mountain, the level of detail buried in the mix is astounding. With each listen there are further revelations, a warped David Tibet as backing vocalist here and a loop of noise there. I imagine that it will be some time before I have exhausted all of the album's secrets.

With an album as epic as this, it is virtually impossible to sum it up succinctly. It is awesome in that from the opening moments to the dying seconds, I am taken aback by the intensity and conviction. As a listener, Aleph at Hallucinatory Mountain drains and exhausts; that Tibet can pull so much emotion from his soul and still function is nothing short of astonishing.

John Kealy

18 May 2009
Aleph At Hallucinatory Mountain
Details
2009 May CD UK Coptic Cat NIFE004CD
North American edition
In gatefold digipak
Track Listing
  1. Invocation Of Almost (8:49) [dsicd0054]
  2. Poppyskins (5:17)
  3. On Docetic Mountain (8:14)
  4. 26 April 2007 (5:13)
  5. Aleph Is The Butterfly Net (5:54)
  6. Not Because The Fox Barks (10:14)
  7. UrShadow (4:37)
  8. As Real As Rainbows (5:23)
Personnel
Alice Rousham
Henry Rousham
Matt Sweeney
Keith Wood
Sleeve Notes
Almost in the beginning was
ⲀⲚⲞⲔ ⲠⲈ

Current 93 as:

David Tibet: vocals, July and Gorgon guitar, mix
James Blackshaw: 12-string guitar, piano
William Breeze: electric viola, viola controlled sampler
Ossian Brown: synthesizers, treated organ, electronics
John Contreras: cello, synthesizers
Baby Dee: piano, Hammond organ
Andria Degens: vocals
Sasha Grey: vocals
Andrew Liles: electronics, guitars, mix
Alex Neilson: drums, percussion
Rickie Lee Jones: vocals
Alice Rousham: vocals
Henry Rousham: vocals
Steven Stapleton: electronics, mix
Matt Sweeney: electric guitar, vocals
Andrew WK: bass, piano, vocals, finger bells
Keith Wood: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, slide guitar, bass

All songs composed by Current 93. Produced and mixed by Andrew Liles, Steven Stapleton and David Tibet. Recorded at The Rooms with Rob Sands. Final recording and mixing at Metway Studios with Jake Rousham as engineer.
All English text and all artwork by David Tibet. All translations from the Coptic by David Tibet. David Tibet's art is represented by Isis Gallery. Design by David Tibet and Paul Jackson.
Thanks to: Geoff Cox-Dorée and Michael Lawrence for attending the mix, Marc Almond, David Bianchi, Michael Cashmore, Ben Chasny, Al Cisneros, Chris Connelly, Miss Kat Cormie, Enrico Croci, Attila Csihar, Giulio Di Mauro, Maja Elliot, Barbara and Stephen Emmel, Nick Evans, Eva and Michel Faber, Bill Fay, Mark and Roxy Fry, Sven Erik Fuzz-Kristiansen, Gary Held, Antony Hegarty, Joie Iacono, Nidge Ince, Melon Liles, Hugo Lundhaug, John Marchant, Carola Marruchi, Othon Mataragas, Annabel Mehran, Richard Moult, Stephen O'Malley, Fabrizio Palumbo, José Pacheco, David Pepe, Anita Plank, Colin Potter, Keith Richmond, Roasrio Rivero, Allison Schnackenberg, Vivian Slaughter, Tony Sylvester, Joel Thibodeau, Steffi Thiel, Ayşe Tuzlak, Todd Uzel, Cherie Lily W.K., Lauren Winton, Tod Wodicka, and Joolie Wood.

ⲞⲨⲚ̅ϨⲀϨ ⲄⲀⲢ ⲚⲎⲨ ϨⲘ̅ⲠⲀⲢⲀⲚ ⲈⲨϪⲰ Ⲙ̅ⲘⲞⲤ ϪⲈⲀⲚⲞⲔ ⲠⲈ ⲠⲈⲬ̅Ⲥ̅ Ⲛ̅ⲤⲈⲠⲖⲀⲚⲀ Ⲛ̅ϨⲀϨ


The Gospel of Matthew, XXIV:5

Profound thanks to Stephen Emmel for opening up the endless beauty and mystery of Coptic grammar to me.

Love and peace to you all, David Tibet
Hastings 20 II 2009

Booklet photo credits: Ossian Brown: photograph by Stephen Thrower with image post-production by Peter Christopherson and Ossian Brown . James Blackshaw: Sophie Cooper . William Breeze: Carl Abrahamsson . Andrew Liles: Andy Keetch . Alice and Henry Rousham: Jake Rousham . John Contreras: Chris Gonzalez . Andrew W.K.: Victoria Stevens . Sasha Grey: Ian Cinnamon . Steven Stapleton: David Tibet . Andria Degens: Maude Swift . Baby Dee: Stephen Freiheit . Keith Wood: Nicole Poppi . David Tibet: inside booklet by Andria Degens and back of booklet by Maude Swift . Alex Neilson: Alex Woodward . Rickie Lee Jones: Lee Cantelon . Matt Sweeney: Andrew W.K.. The framed image held by David is an original oil painting by Aleister Crowley and is from David's collection.
Notes
This page contains coptic characters which may not render correctly if a suitable font has not been installed locally.

Contains a double-sided poster showing the pictures and/or names of the 386 subscribers to this release.

Cover of booklet and cover of album are swapped on the European version
Aleph At Hallucinatory Mountain
Details
2009 May CD UK Coptic Cat NIFE004CD
Promotional copy
In jewel case
Track Listing
  1. Invocation Of Almost (9:10) [dsicd0054]
  2. Poppyskins (5:19)
  3. On Docetic Mountain (8:12)
  4. 26 April 2007 (5:13)
  5. Aleph Is The Butterfly Net (5:53)
  6. Not Because The Fox Barks (10:15)
  7. UrShadow (4:38)
  8. As Real As Rainbows (5:21)
Personnel
Alice Rousham
Henry Rousham
Matt Sweeney
Keith Wood
Sleeve Notes
Aleph At Hallucinatory Mountain

The new album by
Current 93

1 Invocation Of Almost
2 Poppyskins
3 On Docetic Mountain
4 26 April 2007
5 Aleph Is The Butterfly Net
6 Not Because The Fox Barks
7 UrShadow
8 As Real As Rainbows

On this album Current 93 are

David Tibet . James Blackshaw. William Breeze . Ossian Brown . John Contreras . Baby Dee . Andria Degens . Sasha Grey . Andrew Liles . Alex Neilson . Rickie Lee Jones . Alice Rousham . Henry Rousham . Steven Stapleton . Matt Sweeney . Andrew W.K. . Keith Wood

Produced and mixed by Andrew Liles, Steven Stapleton and David Tibet.
Artwork and text © David Tibet 2009. All music © David Tibet and Current 93.

This album is loaned for promotional use only and may not be sold. Coptic Cat, Southern Records and Revolver may reclaim it at any time. Support musicians: buy CDs - don't burn them, illegally download them or sell your promos, or otherwise you will go to HELL. Burn this CD and BURN!
Notes
This page contains coptic characters which may not render correctly if a suitable font has not been installed locally.

Start and end tracks contain spoken word intro and outro respectively warning about copying the CD which does not appear on the standard releases.
Aleph At Hallucinatory Mountain
Details
2009 July 2x12" UK Coptic Cat NIFE004
20 Signed and numbered copies in standard sleeves
Limited edition print
Track Listing
I
  1. Invocation Of Almost [dsicd0054]
  2. Poppyskins
  3. On Docetic Mountain
II
  1. 26 April 2007
  2. Aleph Is The Butterfly Net
  3. Not Because The Fox Barks
III
  1. UrShadow
  2. As Real As Rainbows
IV
  1. Adam At Docetic Mountain
Vinyl Etchings
I: "GOD THE CREATOR,"
II: "JESUS THE LAMB,"
III: "THE SHADOW OF THE DRAGON,"
IV: "AND THE SON OF MAN": IN MEMORIAM D.R. HOOKER
Personnel
Alice Rousham
Henry Rousham
Matt Sweeney
Keith Wood
Other Images
Aleph At Hallucinatory Mountain
Details
2009 September 2x12" UK Coptic Cat NIFE004V
150 Signed copies in gatefold sleeve
2009 September 2x12" UK Coptic Cat NIFE004V
2350 In gatefold sleeve
Track Listing
I
  1. Invocation Of Almost [dsicd0054]
  2. Poppyskins
  3. On Docetic Mountain
II
  1. 26 April 2007
  2. Aleph Is The Butterfly Net
  3. Not Because The Fox Barks
III
  1. UrShadow
  2. As Real As Rainbows
IV
  1. Adam At Docetic Mountain
Vinyl Etchings
I: "GOD THE CREATOR,"
II: "JESUS THE LAMB,"
III: "THE SHADOW OF THE DRAGON,"
IV: "AND THE SON OF MAN": IN MEMORIAM D.R. HOOKER
Personnel
Alice Rousham
Henry Rousham
Matt Sweeney
Keith Wood
Sleeve Notes
Almost in the beginning was
ⲀⲚⲞⲔ ⲠⲈ

Current 93 as:

David Tibet: vocals, July and Gorgon guitar, mix
James Blackshaw: 12-string guitar, piano
William Breeze: electric viola, viola controlled sampler
Ossian Brown: synthesizers, treated organ, electronics
John Contreras: cello, synthesizers
Baby Dee: piano, Hammond organ
Andria Degens: vocals
Sasha Grey: vocals
Andrew Liles: electronics, guitars, mix
Alex Neilson: drums, percussion
Rickie Lee Jones: vocals
Alice Rousham: vocals
Henry Rousham: vocals
Steven Stapleton: electronics, mix
Matt Sweeney: electric guitar, vocals
Andrew WK: bass, piano, vocals, finger bells
Keith Wood: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, slide guitar, bass

All songs composed by Current 93. Produced and mixed by Andrew Liles, Steven Stapleton and David Tibet. Recorded at The Rooms with Rob Sands. Final recording and mixing at Metway Studios with Jake Rousham as engineer.
All English text and all artwork by David Tibet. All translations from the Coptic by David Tibet. David Tibet's art is represented by Isis Gallery. Design by David Tibet and Paul Jackson.
Thanks to: Geoff Cox-Dorée and Michael Lawrence for attending the mix, Marc Almond, Peter Atanasoff, David Bianchi, Lee Cantelon, Michael Cashmore, Ben Chasny, Al Cisneros, Chris Connelly, Miss Kat Cormie, Enrico Croci, Attila Csihar, Giulio Di Mauro, Maja Elliot, Barbara and Stephen Emmel, Nick Evans, Eva and Michel Faber, Bill Fay, Mark and Roxy Fry, Sven Erik Fuzz-Kristiansen, Gary Held, Antony Hegarty, Joie Iacono, Nidge Ince, Johan Kugelberg, Melon Liles, Hugo Lundhaug, John Marchant, Carola Marruchi, Othon Mataragas, Annabel Mehran, Richard Moult, Stephen O'Malley, Fabrizio Palumbo, José Pacheco, Davide Pepe, Anita Plank, Keith Richmond, Roasrio Rivero, Allison Schnackenberg, Vivian Slaughter, Tony Sylvester, Joel Thibodeau, Steffi Thiel, Ayşe Tuzlak, Todd Uzel, Cherie Lily W.K., Lauren Winton, Tod Wodicka, and Joolie Wood.

ⲞⲨⲚ̅ϨⲀϨ ⲄⲀⲢ ⲚⲎⲨ ϨⲘ̅ⲠⲀⲢⲀⲚ ⲈⲨϪⲰ Ⲙ̅ⲘⲞⲤ ϪⲈⲀⲚⲞⲔ ⲠⲈ ⲠⲈⲬ̅Ⲥ̅ Ⲛ̅ⲤⲈⲠⲖⲀⲚⲀ Ⲛ̅ϨⲀϨ


The Gospel of Matthew, XXIV:5

Profound thanks to Stephen Emmel for opening up the endless beauty and mystery of Coptic grammar to me.

Love and peace to you all, David Tibet
Hastings 20 II 2009

Album sleeve photo credits: Ossian Brown: photograph by Stephen Thrower with image post-production by Peter Christopherson and Ossian Brown . James Blackshaw: Sophie Cooper . William Breeze: Carl Abrahamsson . Andrew Liles: Andy Keetch . Alice and Henry Rousham: Jake Rousham . John Contreras: Chris Gonzalez . Andrew W.K.: Victoria Stevens . Sasha Grey: Ian Cinnamon . Steven Stapleton: David Tibet . Andria Degens: Maude Swift . Baby Dee: Stephen Freiheit . Keith Wood: Nicole Poppi . David Tibet: album sleeve by Andria Degens and below by Maude Swift . Alex Neilson: Alex Woodward . Rickie Lee Jones: Lee Cantelon . Matt Sweeney: Andrew W.K.. The framed image held by David is an original oil painting by Aleister Crowley and is from David's collection.

From label to side IV

Adam At Docetic Mountain
This piece contains the complete primary text of Aleph At Hallucinatory Mountain and was recorded during the sessions for that album. Andrew Liles: electric guitars, tapes and electronics; Alex Nielson: drums and percussion; David Tibet: voices, masks and faces. Mixed by Andrew Liles and David Tibet.
Notes
This page contains coptic characters which may not render correctly if a suitable font has not been installed locally.

Contains a double-sided poster showing the pictures and/or names of the 386 subscribers to this release.

Contains lyric sheet.