Richard Dawson's work under this pseudonym is not far from the classic '70s Kosmische drone groups, there are certainly elements of Tangerine Dream in the glittering pulses of Seal-Skin Satellite. However, there is a more modern sheen to the electronics; the precise and sharp sounds that make up the details of this one track album are a world away from Dawson’s influences. The modernity luckily does not mean that the music falls into the trap of being cold and machine-like. Throughout the half an hour or so that this CD lasts, the sounds produced by Dawson are more like an artist's impression of travelling through the solar system.
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Although not overly prolific in his output, Andrew Moon has added another installment to Utech Records' URSK series which fits in to the ethos that the project has established: a disc of dark, ominous drone with a slight edge of noise. Considering there have been contributions from such scene titans as Skullflower and Final, RST holds their own, and is idiosyncratic enough to stand out among the throngs of guitar drone projects.
Up until this CD, SoiSong have been a shadowy presence, marked by rare concerts in Asia, special editions limited to one copy and password-protected Web sites. This confoundingly designed and packaged EP is the first above ground broadcast from the duo and, musically, things are as shadowy as their real life and online presence. Like any good collaboration between established artists, it is this combination of the familiar and unfamiliar that gives SoiSong part of its appeal.
Lucas Schleicher reviewed one of the other Merzbow releases this month, the collaboration with Richard Pinhas, 
Ever since his breakthrough Endless Summer album, Christian Fennesz has been well regarded as an artist and composer in the world outside of the beard stroking listeners that labels like Touch and Mego cater to (myself included). On this album, it's not hard to see how this crossover happened: even with all of the odder and less decipherable digital elements, there is a core of melody that is beautiful and undeniable.
On his second full-length release, this young Greek composer continues refining his technique of meshing abrasive electronic noises, pure digital drones, and field recordings into small audio ethnographies that are more than happy to make jarring, unexpected transitions.
While the debut album from Loop stuck with a traditional use of psychedelia, by their second disc they had refined their own take on the subgenre. Rather than using just the traditional wah and tremolo guitar effects, they created their own direction in space rock via brittle guitars, abstract studio effects and more avant garde instrumentation. However, through all of this they still managed to make powerful, speaker damaging rock that demands to be played loudly, and Fade Out is perhaps their most fully realized work.
Criminally out of print for over a decade, Loop/Main leader Robert Hampson has finally spearheaded the reissues of the entire Loop backcatalogue, remastered and with the now requisite bonus tracks. The most obvious things these reissues show is just how much of a force Loop were, how they stood out from the era's so-called "shoegaze" bands, and how they laid a blueprint for New York's loudest bands today—moreso than numerous other citations.
Some CDs beg to be played over and over again. This is one of those times when the disc absolutely refuses to go back into its case and demands to go back in the player. Normally I cannot listen to an album more than once a day but Larkin Grimm's third album makes for a rare exception. It is perfectly performed and the recording itself is flawless, this is one of those rare albums that impresses from every conceivable angle.
This duo of the classically and modern compositionally inclined Simon James Phillips and The Necks' less formal but equally brilliant Chris Abrahams have created quite an intriguing collection of improvisations. Every piece is a piano duet and the album crosses a wide spread of styles and quality; moving from cold, modernist works to pieces with a bit more swing and heat to them, Pedal are inconsistent in ways that both help and hinder their music. While there are a couple of less than stellar moments on this self-titled album, they are more than counterbalanced by the mesmerising and evocative pieces that make up the bulk of the music.
