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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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The Notwist, "Neon Golden"

Sunday, 10 March 2002

Staff

Music

In the four years since their last album, 'Shrink,' the members of this German group have kept active with numerous other projects, including two astonishing albums from Lali Puna; two incredible full-lengthers and a remix disc from Tied and Tickled Trio; plus notable LP, EP and remix releases from Console; and various appearances on others albums. 'Shrink' was probably such a phenomenal pop/post-rock electronic jazzy breakthrough that I may have been expecting something similar. 'Neon Golden' has far exceeded my expectations, however.

Kilowatthours, "The Bright Side"

Sunday, 10 March 2002

Carter Adams

Music

After releasing a somewhat mediocre debut album, Louisville'sKilowatthours took some timeoff, underwent a change in their line-up, reconsidered their direction,and then went intoTrevor Kampmann's (aka hollAnd) studio to record "The Bright Side." Theresult is a maturesophomore release that is as full and as sophisticated as any albumI've ever heard.

MOUNT VERNON ARTS LAB, "THE SEANCE AT HOBS LANE"

Sunday, 10 March 2002

Graeme Rowland

Music

Two contagiously enthusiastic men in goggles and lab coats coaxing somefun if fairly light rhythmic noises from a table of gadgets is thepossibly erroneous memory I carry of witnessing Mount Vernon Arts Labin a London pub a few years back. Since then they've explored slightlystranger performance spaces such as a nuclear bunker, a boat and aderelict building. This CD sees mainman Drew Mulholland plough a moreesoteric furrow, into which he drops psychogeopraphic seeds that growfrom pale saplings wincing in the light into a dark forest of tanglednoise monorhythms.

XINLISUPREME, "TOMORROW NEVER COMES"

Sunday, 10 March 2002

Graeme Rowland

Music

Imagine an alternate universe in which all the so-called 'shoegazer'bands didn't just water down the all pervasive influence of My BloodyValentine but upped the noise crescendos to the next level. Japaneseduo Xinlisupreme just beamed in from that place!

Nurse With Wound, "The Man With the Woman Face"

Sunday, 10 March 2002

Staff

Music

Longtime NWW fans are going to be very very very pleased with thisalbum. Shaved down to a mere duo featuring Steven Stapleton and ColinPotter, this is almost a tribute to the more ambient and free-formearly to mid-period Nurse with Wound.

Limp, "Orion"

Sunday, 10 March 2002

Staff

Music

The debut Morr Music release from this quartet of Danish wanna-becosmonauts takes the form of a marvelous six-track EP.

Kammerflimmer Kollektief, "Hysteria"

Sunday, 10 March 2002

Staff

Music

The latest release from Thomas Weber's Munich-based 'ShimmeringCollective' is somewhat of a crossover between the previous twofull-lenthers recently issued in North America by Temporary Residence.The six-song EP continues with Weber's love of both organic jazz/improvand affinity for electronics, almost split down the middle between thecollective playing and Weber's solo electronic journeys.

Casiotone For the Painfully Alone, "Pocket Symphonies For the Lonesome Subway Cars"

Sunday, 10 March 2002

Staff

Music

This has got to be the worst CD I have ever listened to ten times in arow. Strange but true, this disc of juvenile adventures on cheap18-year-old keyboards in late night bedrooms is fucking terrible yetsomewhat addictive.

COIL, "Winter Solstice 2001" Special Edition CD-R

Sunday, 10 March 2002

Jonathan Dean

Music

After months of agonized waiting and much hand wringing, Coil hasmailed out all 300 copies of the special edition of "Moon's Milk (InFour Phases)" double CD set with a bonus, exclusive CD-R of brand newmaterial. This bonus disc was recorded last Winter Solstice - December21, 2001 ev. The special sets were supposed to be burned over thatweekend and shipped out before X-Mas, however, all of us that orderedhave had to show the ultimate patience to wait until early March to seethe package. One begins to feel a tad pathetic, looking forlornly atthe mailbox every day waiting for the treasure to arrive. The sinkingfeeling sets in that perhaps the music will not have been worth all ofthe build-up and anticipation; what if it's totally worthless andanticlimactic? Can you justify having paid $85 for this stupid CD-R?Have you become obsessively insane?

Merzbow / Jazzkammer "Live at Molde International Jazz Festival"

Sunday, 10 March 2002

Nate Smith

Music

Noise-based electronic music has been around long enough that now, likeall musical idioms, you have progression on one hand and stylism on theother. Merzbow, having been a pioneer in noise and electronic music formore than twenty years, is one of the most important figures in theprogression of this music. But this Smalltown Supersound collaborationwith Norweigan electronic duo Jazzkammer seems quite predictable withinthe genre. That's not to say it's a bad disc; the music is interestingenough. But it's certainly doesn't make my jaw drop.