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12 February 2007

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Albums and Singles

Mike Kinsella's bedroom poetry has often perplexed me. I could never figure out why someone would present the barest of lyrics in the barest of settings. Though I had always enjoyed Kinsella's American Football project (a band which I have heard that he disowns somewhat these days), I had never really bought into Owen, partly for the natural discomfort it inspired in me and partly because I just didn't understand it. But I have trouble dismissing Owen's latest effort.

Polyvinyl

I think it's unmistakably beautiful. For those who have never heard Kinsella's Owen, it sounds not unlike someone who woke up late on Sunday morning, rolled out of bed and into a guitar strap, and started virtuosically noodling through some condensed notes from half-written parts, spurting out prosaic thoughts which were running through his head right before he went to sleep the night before. The result is a sometimes uncomfortably privileged look into Kinsella's world and the access is twofold: you see not only his unshaded thoughts in the lyrics but also the introverted aftermath of these thoughts presented through polished pieces of music. As a listener, you can't let the bedroom presentation disguise the fact that the songs are incredibly well-wrought and orchestrated. Nothing in them suggests rudeness or laziness, despite the lazy environs.

"Bad News" is both the album's opener and highlight. It begins simply with the four-note plucked refrain which is the song's central motif but soon blossoms into eighteen different complex parts, fading in and out on Kinsella's polyinstrumental whims. Fortunately, Kinsella's musical whims are akin to most people's prudent decisions. He knows when to pull the strings and when to saturate the sparseness. He also knows how to mix simplistic indictment ("Whatever you think you are, you aren't") with lyrical complexity ("I know it's mean to say, but it's something I've been meaning to say to you/ for a while: You're a has-been, that never was"). "The Sad Waltzes Of Pietro Crespi" inquisitively picks up the meandering coda of "Bad News." The kinetic guitar part mimics the intonation of a spoken question and symmetrically mirrors the actual questions posed in the lyrics. I try not to pay too much attention to "One of These Days" because it drips with melancholy. And yet the song is dreadfully compelling, something of an elegy to Kinsella's father, from what I can tell. If that is the case, then it is a proper ode of which any father could be proud. Kinsella usually enjoys punctuating his idylls with an off-color "shit" or "fuck" every now and then, just to remind you that he might be angry amidst the delicate melodies. But there is newfound restraint on this album; Kinsella decides not to force the awkward slur into his music where it really doesn't belong.

At Home With is more robust than previous ones and though musical purists will probably gag when they notice Owen's cover of "Femme Fatale," it's not as apocalyptic as you might think. The VU cover is a wink and a nod to themes of Owen's lyrical past and a light-hearted dig at the sanctity of music never intended to be sanctified, a notion which Kinsella embraces wholeheartedly. He isn't in the business of building temples; he only decorates them.

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12 February 2007

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Albums and Singles

Looking at the cover of this album, I imagined Selda's music to be run of the mill acoustic folk; little did I expect the huge and almost psychedelic extravagance of the songs on her self-titled debut from 1976. Some of it is surprisingly modern sounding and some of it sounds kitsch in its own old-fashioned way. Even at its most peculiar it is a remarkable sounding disc.

B-Music

The music is Turkish folk from the ground up but decorated with electric guitars and synthesisers. Some of the songs sound great with the vibrant, electric sound. "Ince Ince" and "Yaz Gazeteci Yaz" from early on in the album both accommodate the contemporary psychedelic sound very well. One song that I am glad they did not record with all the electric instruments is "Gine Haber Gelmis," a mournful and sparse piece where Selda cries out her words into the void, it is beautiful stuff. There are other songs I feel would have sounded better with this stripped down approach, some of the guitar is drenched in phaser and flanger effects which makes them sound extremely dated now.

Speaking of words, as an advocate for free speech, Selda’s lyrics got her into trouble with the authorities in Turkey. As I do not speak Turkish I can only assume that the lyrics in her native tongue are better than the strangely translated English versions in the sleeve notes: "Accept this song as my pray" being one example of a line that should have been proof-read before going to press. Plus only five out of the 17 songs are listed in the lyrics section. It would have been nice if more effort had been put into this aspect of the release. There are three pages of sleeve notes telling me why she is important but then they omit most of the proof!

B-Music have committed themselves to releasing what they see as criminally unappreciated rare records. So far their releases have been hit or miss although all have been interesting. The problem with their releases is that they seem to equate rare with genius and it is obvious that this is a silly way to judge records. In this case, they have luckily hit the mark. Selda’s music may be primitive in terms of recording quality but the music is still captivating. You can hear elements of punk, post-punk and modern independent music from Eastern Europe in her music. This is how I imagine what the Eurovision song contest should sound like: songs that exemplify both what is progressive and defining of a culture.

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08 February 2007

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Albums and Singles

Mix tapes or DJ mix releases are hardly a unique concept, but it's extremely rare that one isn't a 100% 4/4 techno mix, mildly forgettable, or posing as a commercial for some record label's other releases or a resume for DJ publicity. Get a Room defies all of that and reminds me of another significant mix that defied conventions, KLF's Chill Out.

Extreme

Parallels can be drawn between the romanticism of the open American highway and the Australian Outback. While Chill Out was the KLF's soundtrack of a fictitious journey through the American landscape, I could see Get a Room scoring a long drive in Australia with nothing but scenery to look at. Like Chill Out, the journey here can act both as foreground and background. Songs morph into each other almost seamlessly, either alone or with the slightest bits of sublime effects. Songs aren't identified, tracks aren't titled, and often there are a few songs or sources playing simultaneously. While the styles range from vocal lounge to micro dub, classic R&B to atmospheric country-influenced steel guitar, orchestral soundtrack music and sound effects, the feel remains pretty easy going. It's always in motion, however; never does it feel like it's dragging nor has it wandered completely off course.

There could be dialogue over bits like on track 6, where a lazy accordion and string melody accompanies the sounds of the ocean, before the melodic climax of course; but in other spots are more vocal songs, which can't help but take center stage. I can't help but feel like I recognize a ton of these songs but I'm embarrassed to say how few I can properly identify. My guess is a lot of it has been taken from underground film soundtracks of the '60s and '70s even though there are clearly songs that come from the '90s and this decade.

The lapping of the ocean returns with what could be Italian or Spanish standards, streetside sounds accompany downbeat R&B before night falls and low tone bells sound over the noises of crickets and other nighttime bugs. It's the low tones and creepy bugs that make this release on Extreme almost make sense, but as things pick back up again to porn soundtrack-ish music, my mind is once again far from the music Extreme has come to be known for.

It's nice to have the Extreme label back in the game, as I have always found their releases pretty solid and always worth listening to. This disc, however, has been a complete surprise in terms of its versatility and has frequently scored dinners at home, car rides, and other things since I got it. I think I read somewhere that the two creators were promising a tracklisting of the album but at this point I honestly don't want to know it.

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08 February 2007

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Albums and Singles

Christina Kubisch has been experimenting with sound, light and concrete/noise since the '70s, before most of the current crop of underground stopped messing themselves after a bellyful of milk. It feels like another circle has been completed with this latest aspect of her experimentalism, as it has been released by on a label co-run by a member of the experimental poster dudes Wolf Eyes (Nate Young's Aryan Asshole). As part of her Electrical Walks series this single track is a headphone record in more ways than one.

Aryan Asshole

Kubisch's magnetic headphones have built-in coils that respond to electrical fields within their environment. Talking a walk with these phones has spawned here a track of cross-town traffic electrics (rather than electronics) that criss-cross each other like a skyline of pylons. Like a different missive from every street corner, passing pedestrian and piece of underground cabling its possible to hear the silent hum of invisible life. At just under three minutes, and regardless of the details of its creation, this is a progressively pulsing piece of electric-grey head music. The minimal rhythm patterns are pretty simplistic; sounding in places like synth constructed clicks and cuts that threaten to blossom and subside, but never do.

samples:

Minimal Disinformation

07 February 2007

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Albums and Singles

Following soon after the critically praised Black Tar Prophecies collection on Important Records, Portland, Oregon's Grails return with their first proper studio album since the 2004 release of Redlight. Burning Off Impurities - their debut for Temporary Residence Ltd. out on May 1, 2007 - makes good on the promise of those past releases in delivering an album that not only thrusts the group to new heights, but also pushes the instrumental rock genre forward for the first time in nearly a decade.

An increased interest in psychedelic, ambient and world music is most likely to blame for Grails' exploration of the lesser-traveled paths of modern music. In addition, their eclectic range of collaborative endeavors - guitarist Zak Riles is also in M. Ward's band, while drummer Emil Amos has moonlighted as Jandek's drummer - has introduced an element of improvisation and reinterpretation of ideas that is both brilliant and earnest.

Like Black Tar Prophecies, Burning Off Impurities was produced by Grails, with production assistance by Jeff Saltzman and Steven Wray Lobdell (of avant-garde legends, Faust). Influenced in equal parts by Ash Ra Tempel, Erkin Koray, Popol Vuh, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and dozens others, this is very likely the closest Grails will ever get to making a classic rock record; the kind of sprawling masterpiece that you savor for years before passing it on to your younger brother so he can repeat the process.

Track Listing:
1. Soft Temple
2. More Extinction
3. Silk Rd
4. Drawn Curtains
5. Outer Banks
6. Dead Vine Blues
7. Origin-ing
8. Burning Off Impurities

Discography:
GRAILS Black Tar Prophecies Vol's. 1, 2 & 3 CD (Important 2006)
GRAILS Interpretations... CDEP (Southern 2005)
GRAILS Redlight CD (Neurot 2004)
GRAILS The Burden of Hope CD (Neurot 2003)

07 February 2007

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Albums and Singles

Mute Audio Documents Box Set Out on 26th March 2007
128 tracks over 10 CDs, Mute Audio Documents is a unique insight into the musical development of the label and its artists, highlighting the influence, the success and, most importantly, the great music produced since its inception in 1978.

Mute Audio Documents is a collection of Mute's single releases from 1978 to 1984 and includes the first 4 double CD volumes of an ongoing series plus a 2CD rarities album exclusive to the box set. The series will feature all the A-side and B-side single tracks released by Mute in addition to album tracks by the artists for whom there were only album releases.

Mute emerged in the post-punk era. It was a new era of pop democracy, and anyone could make a record. You didn't even need to know three chords, according to Mute founder Daniel Miller. All you needed, he said, was an idea.

His 'idea' was to create a classic of DIY pop - a double A sided 7" single featuring the songs T.V.O.D. and Warm Leatherette. He called himself The Normal, designed a sleeve with Letraset, stuck the name Mute on it, and accidentally started a record label.

You only have to listen to the music gathered on these 10 CDs to see how Mute became the blueprint for maverick independence and sonic adventurousness - a blueprint that countless labels follow to this day.

The documentary evidence is here. All you have to do is listen.

Volume 1 1978 - 1981
Featuring: The Normal, Fad Gadget, Silicon Teens, D.A.F., Non, Robert Rental, Depeche Mode, Boyd Rice and Smegma.

Volume 2 1982
Featuring: Non, Depeche Mode, Fad Gadget, Die Doraus Und Die Marinas, Yazoo and Liaisons Dangereuses.

Volume 3 1983
Featuring: Depeche Mode, Duet Emmo, Robert Görl, Yazoo, Fad Gadget, The Assembly and The Birthday Party.

Volume 4 1984
Featuring: Einstürzende Neubauten, Fad Gadget, Robert Görl, Depeche Mode, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, I Start Counting, Bruce Gilbert, Boyd Rice and Frank Tovey.

Volumes 1-4 will be available separately later on in the year, but the exclusive 2CD rarities album, which features the legendary live recording of The Normal and Robert Rental - Live at West Runton Pavillon, live tracks from Depeche Mode, Fad Gadget and Yazoo plus John Peel and David Jensen session tracks from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Yazoo in addition to Boyd Rice variable speed versions of tracks from the Black album, will only be available as part of the Mute Audio Documents box set.

Daniel Miller has, for nigh on 30 years, been at the helm of a unique and groundbreaking label, which has gained a reputation as one of the most consistently successful, adventurous and challenging labels in the world. With offices in London, Berlin and New York and a roster that includes renowned international artists such as Depeche Mode, Moby, Erasure, Goldfrapp, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Richard Hawley, Mute Audio Documents unashamedly celebrates the label with a remarkable box set detailing both the known as well as the not-so-well-known tracks (some of which are available here for the first time on CD) and the promise of more volumes in the near future.

Mute Audio Documents includes exclusive sleeve notes by Chris Bohn, Stephen Dalton, Ian Johnston and Dave Henderson, original artwork and exclusive original poster for The Normal.

Full tracklistings

Mute Audio Documents
Volume 1 1978 - 1981

CD 1:
1. The Normal - T.V.O.D
2. The Normal - Warm Leatherette
3. Silicon Teens - Memphis Tennessee
4. Silicon Teens - Let's Dance
5. Fad Gadget - Back To Nature
6. Fad Gadget - The Box
7. Silicon Teens - Judy In Disguise
8. Silicon Teens - Chip 'n Roll
9. Fad Gadget - Ricky's Hand
10. Fad Gadget - Handshake
11. D.A.F. - Kebabträume
12. D.A.F. - Gewalt
13. Non - Soundtrack 1 (loop edit of 1'30" at 33rpm)
14. Non - Soundtrack 2 (loop edit of 1'30" at 33rpm)
15. Non - Soundtrack 3 (loop edit of 1'30" at 33rpm)
16. Non - Mode Of Infection
17. Non - Knife Ladder
18. Smegma - Can't Look Straight
19. Smegma - Flashcards
20. Fad Gadget - Insecticide
21. Fad Gadget - Fireside Favourites

CD 2:
1. Silicon Teens - Just Like Eddie
2. Silicon Teens - Sun Flight
3. Robert Rental - Double Heart
4. Robert Rental - On Location
5. D.A.F. - Tanz Mit Mir
6. D.A.F. - Der Räuber Und Der Prinz
7. Depeche Mode - Dreaming Of Me
8. Depeche Mode - Ice Machine
9. Boyd Rice - Side A Track 2
10. Boyd Rice - Side B Track 1
11. Fad Gadget - Make Room
12. Fad Gadget - Lady Shave
13. Depeche Mode - New Life
14. Depeche Mode - Shout
15. Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough
16. Depeche Mode - Any Second Now

Mute Audio Documents
Volume 2 1982

CD 1:
1. Non - Rise
2. Non - Out Out Out
3. Non - Romance Fatal Dentro De Un Auto
4. Depeche Mode - See You
5. Depeche Mode - Now This Is Fun
6. Fad Gadget - Saturday Night Special - Special Mix
7. Fad Gadget - Swallow It - Live
8. Die Doraus Und Die Marinas - Fred Vom Jupiter
9. Die Doraus Und Die Marinas - Even Home Is Not Nice Anymore
10. Non - Physical Evidence
11. Non - Man Kills Self While Cleaning Gun
12. Fad Gadget - King Of The Flies
13. Fad Gadget - Plain Clothes
14. Depeche Mode - The Meaning Of Love
15. Depeche Mode - Oberkorn (It's A Small Town)

CD 2:
1. Yazoo - Only You
2. Yazoo - Situation
3. Liaisons Dangereuses - Los Niños Del Parque
4. Liaisons Dangereuses - Mystère Dans Le Brouillard
5. Yazoo - Don't Go
6. Yazoo - Winter Kills
7. Fad Gadget - Life On The Line
8. Fad Gadget - 4M
9. Depeche Mode - Leave In Silence
10. Depeche Mode - Excerpt From: My Secret Garden
11. Yazoo - The Other Side Of Love
12. Yazoo - Ode To Boy
13. Fad Gadget - For Whom The Bells Toll
14. Fad Gadget - Love Parasite

Mute Audio Documents
Volume 3 1983

CD 1:
1. Depeche Mode - Get The Balance Right!
2. Depeche Mode - The Great Outdoors!
3. Duet Emmo - Or So It Seems
4. Duet Emmo - Heart Of Hearts (Or So It Seems)
5. Robert Görl - Mit Dir
6. Robert Görl - Beruhrt Verfuhrt
7. Yazoo - Nobody's Diary
8. Yazoo - State Farm
9. Depeche Mode - Everything Counts
10. Depeche Mode - Work Hard

CD 2:
1. Fad Gadget - I Discover Love
2. Fad Gadget - Lemmings On Lovers' Rock
3. Depeche Mode - Love In Itself.2
4. Depeche Mode - Fools
5. The Assembly - Never Never
6. The Assembly - Stop Start
7. The Birthday Party - Jennifer's Veil
8. The Birthday Party - Mutiny In Heaven
9. The Birthday Party - Swampland
10. The Birthday Party - Say A Spell

Mute Audio Documents
Volume 4 1984

CD 1:
1. Einstürzende Neubauten - Tanz Debil
2. Einstürzende Neubauten - Kalte Sterne
3. Fad Gadget - Collapsing New People
4. Fad Gadget - Spoil The Child
5. Robert Görl - Darling Don't Leave Me
6. Robert Görl - A Ist Wieder Da
7. Depeche Mode - People Are People
8. Depeche Mode - In Your Memory
9. Fad Gadget - One Man's Meat
10. Fad Gadget - Sleep - Electro Induced Original

CD 2:
1. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - In The Ghetto
2. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - The Moon Is In The Gutter
3. I Start Counting - Letters To A Friend
4. I Start Counting - Adman's Dream
5. Bruce Gilbert - U, Mu, U
6. Bruce Gilbert - Here Visit
7. Depeche Mode - Master And Servant
8. Depeche Mode - (Set Me Free) Remotivate Me
9. Depeche Mode - Blasphemous Rumours
10. Depeche Mode - Somebody - Remix
11. Boyd Rice / Frank Tovey - Extraction 2
12. Boyd Rice / Frank Tovey - Extraction 7

Mute Audio Documents
Rarities

CD 1:
1. The Normal & Robert Rental - Live At West Runton Pavilion
2. Boyd Rice - Side A Track 1 - 33RPM
3. Boyd Rice - Side A Track 1 - 45RPM
4. Boyd Rice - Side B Track 2 -33RPM
5. Boyd Rice - Side B Track 2 - 45RPM
6. Fad Gadget - King Of The Flies - Live
7. Fad Gadget - I Discover Love - Live
8. Fad Gadget - The Ring - Live
9. Fad Gadget - Love Parasite - Live

CD 2:
1. Depeche Mode - Excerpt From: My Secret Garden
2. Depeche Mode - Shout - Live
3. Depeche Mode - Photographic - Live
4. Depeche Mode - Somebody - Live
5. Depeche Mode - Ice Machine - Live
6. Yazoo - Bring Your Love Down - David Jensen BBC Session
7. Yazoo - In My Room - David Jensen BBC Session
8. Yazoo - Winter Kills - Live
9. Yazoo - Don't Go - Live
10. Yazoo - Situation - Live
11. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - From Her To Eternity - John Peel BBC Session

06 February 2007

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Albums and Singles

Mice Parade Set To Debut New Album
Self-Titled Album Continues Gorgeous Pop Odyssey That Spans Seven Albums

It was the winter after returning from extensive touring behind Mice Parade's 2005 album Bem-Vinda Vontade, and founder Adam Pierce moved away from the edge of NYC, up to the wooded country near Bear Mountain. There he spent the following spring converting an old garage into a quite spacious recording studio, the best so far in a long line of his home studios. After the last piece of gear was installed, instruments set up, cables plugged in, some kind of test project was needed to make sure everything worked the way it was supposed to. The result is Mice Parade's first self-titled album, and (depending on how you count) seventh full-length release.

While Pierce has written and played the lion's share of Mice Parade's catalog on his own, this album finds him continuing his recent trend of stellar collaborators. Laetitia Sadier (Stereolab) chimes in beautifully on "Tales of Las Negras". Kristin Anna Valtysdottir (múm, also a touring member of the Mice Parade live band from 2003-2006) lends her incredible grace to "Double Dolphins on the Nickel", complete with Icelandic verse. Other members of the live lineup appear on tracks like "Sneaky Red" and "Satchelaise", notably Doug Scharin (Rex, June of 44), Dylan Cristy (Dylan Group), Jay Israelson (Lansing-Dreiden), and Dan Lippel.

No two Mice Parade albums are alike. While 2004's Obrigado Saudade was intensely personal, close-mic'ed in a basement, and Bem-Vinda Vontade led listeners on more of a thrill ride, this latest album offers bits from all across that spectrum, as well as completely new directions - like the highlife guitars in "Last Ten Homes", or the flamenco percussion rhythms in "Double Dolphins on the Nickel"

Reflecting this eclecticism, the lineup of the touring band includes two drumkits, both nylon and electric guitars, vibraphones, keyboards, and whatever or whomever else is available.
Come to a show as they tour the US & Japan in May/June...!

The album is slated for a May release!

Tracklisting:
1. Sneaky Red
2. Tales of Las Negras
3. The Last Ten Homes
4. Snow
5. Double Dolphins on the Nickel
6. Satchelaise
7. Swing
8. Circle None
9. The Nights After Fiction

06 February 2007

Administrator

Albums and Singles

YELLOW6
‘Painted Sky’
Label: Resonant
Catalogue number: RESCD022
Format: CD Album
Release Date: March 19th 2007

A debut on Resonant from a man with a wealth of back catalogue on labels such as Enraptured, Darla, Bearos, Ochre, Awkward Silence and many, many more, spanning almost a decade.

Yellow6 is the solo project of Jon Attwood, a guitarist based in Leicestershire (the first UK-based artist to release an album on Resonant!) who has released six full length albums, five live albums and one remix album, on top of several mini-albums and EPs, singles and contributions to numerous compilations.

"Painted Sky" was recorded between 2004 and 2006, and strips away many of the layers of previous outings, resulting in a collection of melodic, organic guitar and piano soundscapes backed with subtle percussion.

More ambient than post rock, "Painted Sky" draws comparisons to Labradford, Cocteau Twins, Durutti Column, Slowdive, Windy & Carl and Erik Satie, as opposed to the quiet/loud exponents; this is quiet/quiet, with an overall air of wistful melancholy. The previous releases of Yellow6 have established a solid following, both in terms of fanbase and press.

Tracklisting:

1. I Know I Shouldn’t (But I Do)
2. I Loved You More Before I Knew You Loved Me
3. Common
4. NYE 2
5. Realisation
6. Pleasure/Pain
7. Eighteen Days
8. Requiem For Julian
9. Maré
10. Azure

For press pictures and sleeve scans. Please visit : http://www.resonantlabel.com/press-paintedsky.htm

Further Contact :
RESONANT RECORDINGS
Telephone: (Andy) 01922 406183 / 0208 376 4809
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
website: www.resonantlabel.com

YELLOW6 BIOGRAPHY

Yellow6 has at times been described as post-rock, space-rock, electronica, shoegaze, ambient… the reality is that Yellow6 has some similarity with each of those genres but is not so easily definable, using apects of drone, repetition, melody, harmony, noise and silence to create absorbing soundscapes to drift off into.

Yellow6 was created out of necessity in the mid-90’s, the necessity to make guitar music not confined to rock song structures, and the necessity of circumstance to be a solo artist.

Jon Attwood is a guitarist who grew up with punk in the London suburbs, playing in the early 80’s London punk scene with a number of bands. Landing in the mid 90’s with no band Jon started to experiment with guitar sounds, drones, programmed beats and loops, resulting in a debut single release in 1998 on Enraptured Records. This was followed by a number of single, compilation and EP releases on as many labels, with a debut album in 2000, also taking yellow6 into the live arena that year.

Over the following years, Yellow6 has amassed over 18 releases on nearly as many labels across the globe, remixed or been remixed by many similar artists (Charles Atlas, Tristeza, Rothko, Maps&Diagrams, Amp, Bauri, Portal, Port-Royal) and played live shows in the UK, europe and north america with Tarentel, Tristeza, This Is Your Captain Speaking, Televise, ISAN, Christ, Jessica Bailiff and Charles Atlas.

‘Painted Sky’ is the 7th album from Yellow6, and his first for Resonant Recordings. This album strips away some of the layers of previous outings and contains 10 tracks of melodic, organic guitar and piano soundscapes backed up with subtle percussion.

Key releases:
Icanhearthemusicallaroundme (Atomic Recordings, 1999)
Overtone (Enraptured Records, 2000)
Catherine Whiskey (Jonathan Whiskey, 2000)
Music For Pleasure (Rocket Racer USA, 2001)
Lake:Desert (Ochre, 2001)
Live @ Ochre 7 (Ochre 2002)
NewFoundLand (Music Fellowship, 2002)
Disappear Here (Make Mine Music, 2003)
Melt Inside (Make Mine Music, 2005)
The Beautiful Season Has Past (3 CD collection, RROOPP, 2006)
Painted Sky (Resonant, 2007)

© 2007 Resonant Recordings
For further information on this release please contact Andy at Resonant via:
telephone: 01922 406183 / 0208 376 4809

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05 February 2007

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Albums and Singles

With the timing of this 7" single, this could be seen as a companion to this duo's recent and universally lauded The Radiant Mirror duo LP on Textile records. No less balls-out intense and exploratory, this rougher and more lively take on their musical pairing pins down the chemistry of this improvising drummer and Shaahi Baaja player.

No-Fi

The title track sees both players immediately lifting off from the starter's block, Corsano attempting to slip around the sides of the fret-fucking Vibracathedral Orchestra member Mick Flower, at one point almost disappearing off the radar. The heavy raga shred of Flower's Shaahi Baaja (a Japanese Banjo that looks like ZZ Top took up the lap steel) calls to mind more than just its own singular voice, there are flutes, horns and pylon spillage sounds in there too. Despite the massive presence of the instrument, and its authoritative volume, there’s no sublimating Corsano; this is why this is a great improvisational team up.

On the reverse's "The Fifth Truth" both players show what the union is capable of when both are on full steam. Fueled on something illegal cut heavily with heavy vitamins and chili powder, they kick out explosion after explosion of razored notes that veer left of hitting chords. At times the sound is like water storage being emptied through the speakers, the monstrous bull headed guitar sound revealing itself in rare clusters of notes as banjoesque. The almost straight tank-track rhythm from Corsano shows he’s happy to play second fiddle to Flower’s sonic spread. Coating the pile-driven drums in luminous slashes, the duo really shows that they’re playing off each other for the greater good. The slight shifts and emphasis’ on parts of the beat shows Corsano’s inability to sit still on a pulse when there are so many other ticks and tricks to use. Tracking down single lines of enquiry and leaping from these into homilies of how to really investigate an instrument, Flower drags circles from the fret that sit just right with Corsano. These two sides of perpetual peaks ram home the chemistry of Corsano and Flower, another great pairing of minds.

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05 February 2007

Administrator

Albums and Singles

After their live performances and a brace of self released demo CDs caught my attention, I have been eager to hear this band's debut. The sludgy doom presented here is as good as I was expecting but unfortunately the sound quality of the album leaves a little to be desired, especially for an album that is backed by a label and being properly distributed. That being said, Wreck of the Hesperus have offered up a noble sacrifice at the altar of doom.

Aesthetic Death

The three songs on The Sunken Threshold are at first listen fairly straightforward examples of doom but with repeated exposure, the layers peel back to reveal more and more detail. The song structures are constantly morphing: it sounds like it is all built on the foundation of one or two riffs but subtle variations and changes in the riffing give rise to new tangents and avenues for the band to explore. The production is unfortunately not as sharp as it could be: the oomph of Wreck of the Hesperus' live presence has not been captured successfully. Instead of bowel wrenchingly huge, the album sounds a little thin. The drums in particular feel hollow, especially on "Stop the Black Coffins," where it sounds like the kit is made from cardboard boxes. With the volume cranked the sound does become better but at lower volumes it does not pack the punch it should.

Luckily when "Grave Signal" erupts from the speakers any thoughts of an inferior production are blown out of the window. What it lacks in polishing it more than makes up for with ferocity. Wreck of the Hesperus pick the pace up and take no prisoners. The vocals are drenched in reverb and their black roar drips from song like venom. The unexpected electronics that make an appearance towards the end of the song add a new slant to Wreck of the Hesperus’ sound. When the instruments and vocals begin to be swamped by a glacier of noise and glitch-ridden drones, the tone of the song lowers to new levels of evil.

One thing that I do not like about Wreck of the Hesperus is their use of vocal samples from movies. This has never worked for me, it is a throwback to the mid-'80s to early '90s when every second rate metal and industrial act would include a line from The Wicker Man or some splatter movie. In the past, Wreck of the Hesperus have relied quite heavily on this cliché. Luckily on The Sunken Threshold the samples are kept to a minimum and are not too intrusive and do not detract from the music but I do find them to be an annoyance.

Quibbles aside, The Sunken Threshold is relentlessly brutal. What it lacks in terms of production it makes up for in spirit. Although, in the future I hope they opt for better recording facilities and record the classic album that I know they’re capable of.

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