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Aurora Borealis image from California by Steve

Look up

Music for gazing upwards brought to you by Meat Beat Manifesto & scott crow, +/-, Aurora Borealis, The Veldt, Not Waving & Romance, W.A.T., The Handover, Abul Mogard & Rafael Anton Irisarri, Mulatu Astatke, Paul St. Hilaire & René Löwe, Songs: Ohia, and Shellac.

Aurora Borealis image from California by Steve.

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Negativland, "No Business"

Sunday, 19 June 2005

Jonathan Dean

Music

With the recent RIAA bust of Mondo Kim's in NYC and the news of Apple'smove to Pentium D chips embedded with copyright-protection lockdownsystems, it's pretty clear that the recording industry and Hollywoodaren't planning on slowing down their draconian Gestapo tactics anytimesoon. That's why Negativland's new album No Business could not have arrived at a better time. No Businessis far more than an album: it's a multimedia essay and meditation onthe concepts of public domain, fair use, copyright law and theramifications of digital media filesharing on the music business as ithas existed for the past several decades.

GREEN MILK FROM THE PLANET ORANGE, "CITY CALLS REVOLUTION"

Sunday, 19 June 2005

Jonathan Dean

Music

This is the second Beta-Lactam Ring release for the Japanesepsychedelic rock group with possibly the worst band name in modernmusic (outside of emo atrocities like Alongside Magenta and A Month ofSomedays). It might be a good idea for the trio of dead k, T and A tochange their name to something a little more marketable, as the musicisn't bad, really.

Richard Ramirez & Skin Crime, "Pleasure, Commerce, & Disease"

Sunday, 19 June 2005

Lucas Schleicher

Music

Harsh noise can be fairly boring stuff, but when done properly, thekind of destruction it can unleash (especially live) is impressive,perhaps reaching that apocalyptic level so many reach for. Both RichardRamirez and Skin Crime are seasoned veterans but they've both foundtheir way to the Troniks/PACrec label for this effort in obliterationand, sadly, the results are a bit mixed.

MICE PARADE, "BEM-VINDA VONTADE"

Sunday, 19 June 2005

Administrator

Music

NYC multi-instrumentalist Adam Pierce's Obrigado Saudadewas one of my favorite discs of last year; a most splendid mixture ofpop, jazz and Brazilian-inspired musics crafted with catchy hooks,memorable melodies and cool beats of various time signatures. What waseven more impressive was that Pierce hadn't relied on many guests topull off this recording, yet the performances are totally tight fromstart to finish.

Nacht Plank, "Septs Vents"

Sunday, 19 June 2005

Administrator

Music

Everything on this record screams of biological energy; the music casts a shadow over the room the second it begins and, as it continues, strange flora begins to bloom from it left and right. Lee Norris' work in Metamatics has little to do with this more abstract moniker and it's of little surprise that the Lampse label has decided to make Septs Vents its inaugural release.

bearsuit, "cat spectacular"

Sunday, 19 June 2005

Administrator

Music

They wear silly costumes onstage, are unabashedly sweet and sugary,utilize an arsenal of childish instruments (recorders, xylophones,possibly a Flintstone Phone), and basically make any of their fuzz popforebears look like Mayhem.

Gruntsplatter, "Pest Maiden"

Sunday, 19 June 2005

Administrator

Music

Recorded way back in 1999, Gruntsplatter's Pest Maiden7" and cassette release may not have made much of an impact on thenoise-loving public (perhaps due the limited nature of its release),but it is a fine album deserving of attention. Thus, Troniks/PACrec hasmade the split-up release one monstrous album and Scott E. Candey hasremixed the material especially for the occasion.

Art of Fighting, "Second Storey"

Sunday, 19 June 2005

Administrator

Music

The first time I put on this CD I turned it off shortly after. Ibelieve I grumbled something along the lines of "Radiohead tributeband." Listening back to it over the last few days I realise I wassorely mistaken, Second Storeyis a lovely piece of work.

EARTH, "LIVING IN THE GLEAM OF AN UNSHEATHED SWORD"

Sunday, 19 June 2005

Administrator

Music

One of a recent clutch of new(er) releases by Earth, Living in the Gleam of an Unsheathed Swordcontains two live tracks, both recorded in 2002 as Dylan Carlson andAdrienne Davis reunited in for a series of live shows in the US andEurope. Earth's music has become something of an obsession for thosetuning into the current wave of imitators — Sunn O))), Black BonedAngel, Boris, etc. — but for those who were listening to Earth backduring early 1990s Sub Pop years, recordings like this seemanachronistic and retrograde.

Haino Keiji, "Black Blues"

Sunday, 12 June 2005

Andrew Culler

Music

Haino's own homage to the blues begs the question of whether he hasalways burdened himself with a bluesman's ax to grind. Starkprimitivism is ubiquitous, even as the artist introduces new strategyor restraint in a work. In recent years, Haino has taken classicalguitar through the black-on-black, slow-utterance machine that is hisstyle, and this year also marked his first solo electronic album,instruments pushed not to their own limits, but to Haino's redefinedlimits of his own art.