06 February 2000

Mark Weddle

Albums and Singles

"The Somniloquist" (meaning 'one who talks in his sleep') is a limitededition (2000) 73 minute spoken word album by former SWANS and TheAngels of Light leader Michael Gira available signed direct from theSWANS web site.The disc is divided into 5 stories read live:Bloodsucker (1984), The Sex Machine (1994), MTV and the Cult of theBody (1996), The Idiot (1996) and My Birth (1996) that vary in lengthfrom 6 to 25 minutes apiece. The first two stories, or 'fairy tales' asGira refers to them, may also be found in his 1994 book "The Consumer"on Henry Rollins' 2.13.61 book imprint. In short the tales cover thesesubjects: a person being physically and mentally eviscerated byanother, a sex show, the clean-up of an air plane crash, a prisoner andhis experiences in jail, the birth of a child and murder of the motherby the child. Consider these *adult* fairy tales. Gira's frequentinspirational sources are also found here: authority, control, virtualrealities, fame, love, hate, sex, rape, violence, brutality, gore, etc.Gira has the same penchant for painting evocative images with words ashe does with sounds. His speech is delivered in a nonchalant anddeadpan, yet hypnotic manner deviating occasionally for an impassioned,whispered or sung line. His mastery of language and attention to detailis crucial to the visceral nature of these stories. You almost feelguilty for enjoying these tales which is probably the purpose of it'screation ... a confrontation of sorts with the darkest hidden innerthoughts, feelings and sides within individuals and society in general.Luckily for us Gira is not reluctant to share the fascinating and/orfrightening bowels of his mind ...

samples:

• MTV and the Cult of the Body
• My Birth
• The Sex Machine

order: www.swans.pair.com
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06 February 2000

Mark Weddle

Albums and Singles

When's the last time you bought a compilation with 500 tracks by 500artists? Never right? You can now. This LP features just that ... 500locked groove tracks, 250 per side.You drop the needle where you want,listen to the locked groove until you're sick of it, then drop theneedle somewhere else. It's a pain in the ass but it's fun too. Some ofthe more familiar names among the 500 artists: Aube, Zoviet France,Otomo Yoshide, Terry Riley, Project Dark, the Haters, Lee Ranaldo,Thurston Moore, Masonna, People Like Us, Sonic Youth, etc, etc, etc,etc, etc.
This is the first time I've reviewed something without actuallylistening to it all beforehand ... but do you know how long it's goingto take to hear all of these tracks? Quite a long time. Someday when Ihave a lot of free time on my hands I'll sit down and do it and maybetape them off.
Anyways, I dropped the needle randomly several dozen times on bothsides for this write-up. What I heard were short (a few seconds apiece)found sound style loops of just about everything you can imagine:whirs, clicks, whistles, buzzes, drones, clankings, bangings,scrapings, industrial noises, electronics, drums/percussion, dialoguebits and undescribeable samples and collages. A lot of reallyinteresting sounds here ... quite a few you can leave repeating for agood length of time. The record comes in a neatly designed b/w gatefoldsleeve inside a clear bubblewrap cover with the full list of artists onthe inside. This is one of those items you own just because it's uniqueand cool, show off to all your friends and don't necessarily spin allthat often. Art, for cheap, at around $10 ...

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06 February 2000

Carter Adams

Albums and Singles

Actually, the full titleis the CIVIL warS: a tree is best measured when it is down, but who'sgoing to read an article with such a lengthy tagline? And yes, I knowthat perhaps some of you are thinking that it's quite a lengthy titlefor someone who pioneered the concept of minimalism, but this disc isanything but that.

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06 February 2000

Carter Adams

Albums and Singles

Actually, the full titleis the CIVIL warS: a tree is best measured when it is down, but who'sgoing to read an article with such a lengthy tagline? And yes, I knowthat perhaps some of you are thinking that it's quite a lengthy titlefor someone who pioneered the concept of minimalism, but this disc isanything but that.The fifth movement of an opera to be performed inthe mid-80s, Glass' section (other composers were responsible for theremaining sections) was one of the few that actually surfaced, and hasfinally been captured here on disc for the first time. The "Romesection," as this fifth movement is called is Glass at his mostexpansive, without any of the redundant musical syncopations that he isknown for. Yes, there are the rapidly shifting chords and mechanicalrhythms of his soundtrack pieces, but Glass utilizes the voice to itsutmost. It's as if he took the Rome section to heart, studying theworks of Verdi and Puccini and fusing their style with his signaturesound. The fact that the title is the CIVIL warS and not the CIVIL waris a conscious one made by Robert Wilson, the opera's visionary andlibrettist. In the liner notes to the album, David Wright notes themultitude of nations and cultures represented within the opera, showingnot only the many nations of the world, but also their "warS." One ofmy favorite Glass pieces, I would easily recommend this to anyone as anintroduction to one of the most important composers of the late-20thcentury. And to a friend who recently commented on Glass and hisminimalist contemporaries as being "new age," I would happily ask himto listen to this and then try to compare it to any of the equallyhorrible Wyndham Hill samplers.

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30 January 2000

Administrator

Albums and Singles

Okay, I know this albumis about five years old but I strongly think it's worth mentioning. Acouple weeks ago I found a place online where I could order the UKpressing of this disc, which I had always known was clearly a differentversion than the US release which I have owned for years. I was notready for such an incredibly pleasant and drastic surprise.Everything's beefed up and played out with the force and energy thatblows the US release away completely. Although Justin Warfield's rap isweak, the opening tune, "Bug Powder Dust" hits hundreds of times harderwith a powerful pounding driving bass line and an incredible melodycompletely missing on the one I already had. Other guests and othertracks follow suit with an abrasive side of dub completely void on theother version, currently collecting dust in my collection. Playingthroughout the disc on nearly all of the tracks is a star-studded teamof various Dub Syndicate veterans Skip MacDonald, Doug Wimbish, KeithLeBlanc and Bim Sherman. Guest vocalists and players include SineadO'Connor, Jah Wobble and other singers. An 11th track, "5ml. Barrel," aspoken word piece from Will Self backed by some incredible music wasn'teven on the US version. It's no wonder to me, looking back how thisdisc bombed in North America.

samples:

• Bug Powder Dust (the better version - from the UK CD)
• Sleepyhead (with Bim Sherman)
• Somewhere
• Bug Powder Dust (the crummy US CD version - just for comparison sake)

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30 January 2000

Administrator

Albums and Singles

Finally, this is the album we all knew Matt Elliot could make.

Domino UK/ Merge US

Sure, everybody's heard rave things about him and his music but anyone who's bought one of the albums or seen him in concert has thought there could be something more. This is it. The album is clean and clear, all the music flows well and at the end I'm hitting play again. It's not far from the first few albums - a little drum and bass, some loungey organ tunes, choral vocal samples all mixed in with an appropriate progression.

"I've Lost That Loving Feline" and "Stone Cold Said So" wash over the listener as very nice punchy beat tunes with pretty samples taking the front stage. The second track, "What is it With You?" hits me with a keyboard progression all to remeniscent of Architecture and Morality-era OMD, while the 11-minute "Are You Still a Cliche?" just blows me away with its grand and beautiful sounding acoustic forward/reverse guitar - combined with solo vocalist and orchestral samples. An easy contender for a Lynch film broken hearted dream sequence.

samples:

• I've Lost That Loving Feline
• What is it With You
• Are You Still a Cliche?
• Stone Cold Said So

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30 January 2000

Jason Olariu

Albums and Singles

I really had no idea what to expect when I put this disc on, and was quickly blown (okay, washed) away.5WM are Windy and Carl of, well, Windy And Carl fame, along withpal Greg, AKA Violet Glass Oracle. Starting points may be W&C's"Antarctica" Ep, "Occasional Light" by September Plateau, or maybe evenan ADD-fueled Main. Carl Hultgren's trademark post-Reilly guitar sheetsbillow from end to end, both in fore and background, with electronicice floes disrupting any sense of total tranquility. Fractured beatsand rusty machines (the last breath of a 404, out-of-focus Moogs)occasionally bob to the surface, only to be washed over again bycascading waves of endlessly delayed feedback. "The Devils And AngelsAre The Same" could have been an out-take from "Selected Ambient WorksVol.2"; both versions of "Sleeping To Technology" have a very aquaticfeel to them, thanks to the depth charge bass and soothing repetitiousflow. Close your eyes, and picture the sea anemones lazily floating by.Transcendental? More like otherworldly.
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30 January 2000

Carter Adams

Albums and Singles

With their latestrelease--their 6th or 7th perhaps?--the Austin via Houston duo ofChristina and Tom Carter have created a disc of subtle psychedelia,imbued with reverberating guitar echoes and luscious drones.Recordedon Christmas Eve 1995, Internal / Eternal flows together as a seamlesscomposition, with the majority of the tracks consisting of guitar notesthat seem as if they are echoing across a vacant room, bouncing againstthe walls, pitches bent and morphed by the acoustics. Faint voices canbe heard in the background at certain points, and subtle atmosphericslend to the album to give it a very haunting, hollow, quality. What isnew, however, is the Arabic feel lent to much of the disc. It's as ifyou are standing in a deserted casbah, only to hear the music of thedesert and the departed wash in from over the distant dunes. While thisaccounts for the first 7 tracks of the album, the last track, "CityPrison," is a departure from this sound. Samples wander around lost inthis soundscape, and various other aural objects including sampledvoices and digital blips contribute to give this track more of amusique concrete feeling, a la Nurse With Wound. Darlings of thepsychedelic / drone music world, Charalambides are one of those bandsthat you find yourself wishing to be a bit more popular, but yet find acertain joy in keeping them to yourselves.

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30 January 2000

Mark Weddle

Albums and Singles

Three new cd offeringsfrom the Berlin based Basic Channel / Chain Reaction family: Fluxion"Vibrant Forms" and Hallucinator "Landlocked" on Chain Reaction and"Round One to Round Five 1993 - 1999" on Main Street Records, allavailable domestically in the U.S. via EFA/Caroline.CRhave thankfully done away with the frustratingly impractical metal tinsin favor of biodegradable or glossy digipacks which are made to looklike the tins. No more breaking the cds when trying to get them out!The same descriptive words can often be accurately applied to themajority of the CR artists: minimal, techno, dub, washes, texturedsoundscapes, subtle shifting etc. You either love or hate this music... it will either bore you to tears or grab you and not let go.
Two words set the Fluxion and Hallucinator discs apart: tedious andenthralling, respectively. Most of "Vibrant Forms" is missing the "it",the subtle ebb and flow of changing rhythms and textures, that makesthis music so beautiful. Most of these tracks put the beat in theforefront and do little to pull you in thanks to less than exciting andrarely shifted loops. Two of the 10 tracks, which happen to be thelongest at 9:30 +, have "it" while the rest are difficult to sitthrough. "Landlocked" on the other hand has "it" from start to finish.These tracks are ambient journeys, most of which happen to have somesort of beat and/or bass line. Hallucinator use a wider set of styles(ambient, techno, bits of dub, tribal and jazz) and palette of sounds(thick textured washes, water, sampled clankings, bell tones, synthnoises) to create one of the more diverse, yet cohesive, set of tracksof any CR cd to date.
"Round One to Round Five 1993-99" collects all of the Main Street 12"sreleased between 1994 and 1999. The first two rounds are thumpin'upbeat house tracks featuring Andy Caine on vocals. In all honesty, Ihave trouble discerning a good house track from a bad house track ...but these 2 are at least tolerable. I much prefer the "Chicago'sTwisted" and 2 dub mixes which strip out most of the vocals and aremore in the CR style. The next three rounds feature Tikiman's smoothreggae vocals and corresponding dub versions. These tracks are in theexact same spacey-dub vein as the 1998 Rhythm and Sound w/Tikiman"Showcase" cd from Burial Mix. Great stuff, but only if you want more.To recap: thumbs up for the Hallucinator and Round One to Round Five,thumbs down for Fluxion. Bang for your buck: "Vibrant Forms" is the'shortest' of the 3 clocking in at just under 70 minutes while "RoundOne.." comes in just shy of 80 minutes! Next up from Chain Reaction areArovane "Atol Scrap" via Din on January 25th and Vladislav Delay"Militia" on February 8th ...

samples:

• Fluxion - Atol Scrap
• Fluxion - Fove Centralis
• Fluxion - Pendoulous
• Round Two feat. Andy Caine - New Day
• Round Four feat. Tikiman - Find a Way
• Round Five feat. Tikiman - Na Fe Throw It
• Hallucinator - Red Angel
• Hallucinator - Hallucinator
• Hallucinator - Sethos

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