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15 September 2002

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Albums and Singles

Nameless Records

Yes, Virginia, there is a place for pedestrian electronica, but no one likes to listen to that much. Repetitive beats, the same thumping bass, the cheesiest of house girl singers - the time for the unoriginal concepts of third generation beat stylers isn't gone, it just never was. The best electronic music mixes recorded instruments in, improving on the concepts and hopes of both genres. Originality is improved, the sound is fuller and more genuine, and you can still dance to it. Plusses abound. "Melody For Sleep" is the first full-length Phobos 3 recording, a group that was created out of the consequences of theft. Steve Jones and Richard Pushong had all of their equipment stolen, but still had a strong desire to make new music, so they went back to basics on bass and guitar. Then they brought in beatman Martin Stovey to add some hip hop magic. The results are part My Bloody Valentine, part dance party. Everything takes on an ominous tone due to the low bass and squelched guitar, and there are creepy manipulated vocal tracks present in areas to raise the fear factor. Strangely, though, there's also a great deal of hope present, even in the ramblings of 'Crazy Reenie'. Phobos 3 aren't trying to change the face of music or anything. They just want to make music that leaves a good taste in your mouth after you've brushed your teeth, and that isn't too hard to swallow. They accomplish this for the most part, even though some of the basslines sound reminiscent of Fun Loving Criminals or Talking Heads, and the beats sometimes sound like Happy Mondays. But the instrumentation and arrangements aren't too heady, and the melodies are actually quite lovely in places. Worth sampling, for sure.

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15 September 2002

Administrator

Albums and Singles

Warp

The poppy first single from this album "Know My Name" (reviewed in Brain Volume 5, Issue 29) served as fair warning to Nightmares On Wax fans about the direction that George Evelyn was taking his long-running project. Although 'Mind Elevation' serves up a good deal of dubby smoker's delights, it appears N.O.W. has moved into the arena currently occupied by Moby and his big fat vegan ego. Fortunately, this soulful album is far stronger than Baldy's multi-platinum samplefest. While some extreme N.O.W. purists might cringe over their glass-blown pipes at some of the more vocal radio-ready cuts, most of their old fans and music lovers everywhere can appreciate this more accessible sound mixed in with the instrumental groove-ology. Motorola, Volkswagen and other "hip, young-minded" companies are probably eager (checkbooks firmly in hand) to license such tracks as the lush, summery "Date With Destiny" and the aforementioned "Know My Name". True to form, "Environment" wastes little time praising the ganja with blunt (no pun intended) lyrics like "I don't know if I can carry on / Without my roots and bong," so even those bitching about all those damned divas can have a good chortle while skinning up over the latest issue of High Times. N.O.W. have always been one of Warp's finest gems, as well as one of their most reliable staples, and 'Mind Elevation' may very well be the best album released on the label so far this year (Yes, I have heard 'Geogaddi' and no, I did not find it "hauntingly evocative" so shut your trap). Trip hop may be long dead, and "chillout" compilations may fill the Virgin MegaSuperChain cutout bins and Wal-Mart Superstores, but Nightmares On Wax has successfully managed to dodge these tricky genre bullets.

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15 September 2002

Administrator

Albums and Singles

Clairecords

Noisy, loud, and sprawling guitar rock is really reaching its apex these days with some accomplished bands putting out fantastic records. Add another possibility to the pile, but closer to the top, please. Stella Luna's first release, "Stargazer" is a four song EP meant as a teaser for their full-length due later this year. Their sound is primarily space rock, with breathy male and female vocals teasing each other over the distortion-drenched guitars, meaty bass, extraterrestrial synths and echoed eerie drumming. This music is horribly affecting, stirring, and compelling. I once read an article that postulated on the idea that the goal of movie trailers was actually to make you not want to see the film in question. Therefore, if a trailer succeeds, you should want to stay away at all costs. If that's the goal of an EP like this one - to make me want to avoid the full-length - it fails miserably. If you resist, Stella Luna attacks you at your brain stem, attaching and living there for a time until you relent. 'Change' opens the EP quietly, building noise until the wall of sound floods the speakers, then haunts with the repeating chorus ("Funny how some things never change/chaaaange/chaaaange"). The melody then feeds right into the EP's title track, featuring swirls and wooshes of sound with Susan Hanson's faded vocals. On 'Antares', the synths are more prevalent, at least until the chorus, with a chiming guitar line that just kills. 'A Bridge to Nowhere', the EP's closer, is not as strong a song, as it strikes with its pure noise, but it adds some diversity to the overall composition. A fine debut from a promising band to expect greater things from.

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15 September 2002

Albums and Singles

Tonschacht

Oren Ambarchi is one of the busiest new composers around. Sadly, his work on this 7" does not stand up to his reputation. Compared to a number of his more theoretical releases, the songs here sound somewhat shallow and unimpressive. Produced with analog equipment (or trying to mimic such gear) "Der kleine König" consists mainly of a slightly distorted naive melody line. On "Links!," he pushes the frequency range into more uncomfortable regions at first, but lets it fade away in a repetitious wave which ends abruptly in some pitch bending. Both of these tracks could easily be excerpts of a recording session from years ago that just marginally escaped the eraser button. Experimental electronic recordings like this are both average and overdone these days.

samples:

Oren Ambarchi - Der Kleine Koenig
Oren Ambarchi - Links

The simultaneously-released Keith Fullerton Whitman 7" features two edited parts of a concert from March, 2001. "Part One" sounds surprisingly reminiscent of a soundtrack (like the Sonic Youth score to 'Made In USA'). Guitar and loads of processing provide a moody setting which, to me, could go on much longer without ever getting boring. "Part Two" takes off with electronically-altered layers of sound until the guitar resurfaces in the middle part, only to be buried again in an effects-assault conclusion. This one's indeed a pleasure to listen to. Whitman shows a clear concept in composition which puts this release up with the best that 2002 has had to offer yet. Get it while you can.
Both singles are (as all Tonschacht releases) limited to about 500 copies and come with an info sheet.

samples:

Keith Fullerton Whitman - Part One
Keith Fullerton Whitman - Part Two

15 September 2002

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Albums and Singles

BlueSanct

Drekka has been releasing music since 1995, though not in the traditional fashion, it seems. Songs were released on cassettes, CD-Rs, or the odd 7", and in such limited numbers of copies that it must have been nearly impossible to hear any of them. So now BlueSanct releases Drekka's debut full-length, which contains some new tracks as well as some previously released in limited engagements. Michael Anderson, for all intents and purposes, is Drekka, with occasional guests. Anderson creates "home-fi" music: atmospheric music on four-track recorder with very little substance and yet a lot of weight. Songs are very minimalist, with just a simple guitar or vocal. Sometimes there are no instruments at all, just low voices or clicks. Anderson seems to be possessed by the demons of low quality production for a reason, though: these songs are much more successful because of the limitations of the recording. Every song has its own precious idiosyncrasies, from the movie playing the background of 'An End of Silence (Night Dancing)' to the misplayed guitar part on 'Untitled Filmshoot'. Fourteen tracks in forty-seven minutes makes it a quick listen to, with real disparity in the track lengths (a four second thirteenth track leads into the eight-and-a-half minute album closer). Spooky music to be sure, with strange sounds to raise the hairs on your neck. Will it stand the test of time, though?

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15 September 2002

Administrator

Albums and Singles

Warp

And the winner of the Worst Warp Album Ever prize? Why Vincent Gallo's 'Recordings of Music for Film' of course! Beating out the former champion (Gallo's previous Warp release 'When'), this entirely unnecessary release compiles material that recorded since the late 1970s all the way through the late 1990s for various film projects, including his classic film Buffalo '66. Please don't misunderstand me. I enjoy Vincent Gallo somwhat as an actor, and his role in the sex meets cannibalism indie "Trouble Every Day" will probably stand out in my mind as his finest hour, but musically he's the pits. It troubles me that a label with such a strong history as Warp would even bother to put this album out on the market, as it is comprised of 29 tracks of pointless atmospheric noodling and forgettable vocal takes. "Lonely Boy" is a great example of this, with tonedeaf singing over minimal instrumentation. Nothing stands out here. Nothing moves me. Is this supposed to be artistic? Am I missing something? It can't just be me. Some people may think that I've just been hard on Warp lately, but that's because I know they can do better than this garbage (as their recent singles from Sote and S omething J/DJ Maximus have proven). They cannot rely on the famous names in their roster like Aphex Twin and Squarepusher to redeem them forever. It's time to break ground again, and Vincent Gallo is not going to be that innovator—not by a longshot.

samples:

15 September 2002

Administrator

Albums and Singles

Tonschacht

Oren Ambarchi is one of the busiest new composers around. Sadly, his work on this 7" does not stand up to his reputation. Compared to a number of his more theoretical releases, the songs here sound somewhat shallow and unimpressive. Produced with analog equipment (or trying to mimic such gear) "Der kleine König" consists mainly of a slightly distorted naive melody line. On "Links!," he pushes the frequency range into more uncomfortable regions at first, but lets it fade away in a repetitious wave which ends abruptly in some pitch bending. Both of these tracks could easily be excerpts of a recording session from years ago that just marginally escaped the eraser button. Experimental electronic recordings like this are both average and overdone these days.

samples:

Oren Ambarchi - Der Kleine Koenig
Oren Ambarchi - Links

The simultaneously-released Keith Fullerton Whitman 7" features two edited parts of a concert from March, 2001. "Part One" sounds surprisingly reminiscent of a soundtrack (like the Sonic Youth score to 'Made In USA'). Guitar and loads of processing provide a moody setting which, to me, could go on much longer without ever getting boring. "Part Two" takes off with electronically-altered layers of sound until the guitar resurfaces in the middle part, only to be buried again in an effects-assault conclusion. This one's indeed a pleasure to listen to. Whitman shows a clear concept in composition which puts this release up with the best that 2002 has had to offer yet. Get it while you can.
Both singles are (as all Tonschacht releases) limited to about 500 copies and come with an info sheet.

samples:

Keith Fullerton Whitman - Part One
Keith Fullerton Whitman - Part Two

08 September 2002

Administrator

Albums and Singles

It's only natural that a gallery filled with the visual art of David Tibet and Steven Stapleton be filled with their audio art as well. This limited edition (1000) set served as the soundtrack for their April 8 - May 4, 2002 exhibition at London's Horse Hospital gallery. Initially it was only available there and through Durtro's online store but it has since filtered down to the usual outlets (though the price point of roughly $45 will undoubtedly dissuade casual fans).

PanDurtro

The packaging is a four panel fold-up with dark, white crested ocean waves on the outside and illegible chalk on blackboard writings inside. A six panel insert hides the discs and a Tibet painting underneath. Keeping in mind the background intent of this music helps to appreciate it, but of the two, Current 93 is the most rewarding for attentive listening. Here c93 includes past collaborators Joolie Wood and Maja Elliot as well as Julia Kent of Antony and the Johnsons. Between a spoken "alpha" and "omega", Tibet lays the foundation with a short ebb and flow loop of (presumably harmonium) drone while the three women crest his wave with piano and strings. Despite its nearly 41 minutes, it remains hypnotically tranquil and enthralling. Nurse With Wound, here just Stapleton and Colin Potter (as on the recent 'The Man With the Woman Face'), craft a longer but more minimal piece. It takes several minutes for their dulled roar to fully surface and massage like c93's piece. Change is perceptible - a slowing down, a temporal lengthening of the waves - but it's so gradual and so minute, it might go undetected while perusing the paintings (or anything else).

¬†

samples:

Current 93 - Archealephtelos
Nurse with Wound - SALT

¬†

08 September 2002

Albums and Singles

Uni:form

Thule Musik has been responsible for the fledgling releases of some of the rising stars of the Icelandic music scene. Múm's popularity has exploded over the past year and Trabant was recently profiled in the New York Times. Both these bands are represented on this double CD compilation (each with their remix of another artist's track, plus an original track remixed by someone else), but '42 More Things to do in Zero Gravity' attempts to showcase a wide variety of electronic artists. Some names might ring a bell to those who follow the musical goings-on of Reykjavik and beyond, and others seem to be surfacing for the first time.
Billing itself as "an Icelandic Ambient Compilation," Uni:form, in conjunction with Thule, definitely adopts a broad definition of "ambient." The vast majority of tracks on '42 More Things' are more structured than such aforementioned nomenclature might imply, but the general presence of electronic chill-out background soundscapes (somewhere in between Warp's 'Artificial Intelligence' compilations and the atmospheric side of the Morr Music roster) is right on the mark.
Ilo, Thor, Ruxpin, and Biogen will likely be familiar to the more seasoned aficionados of Icelandic music as a result of their remix work for both Múm and Sigur Rós. Ilo's track "Tif" is among the more striking of the contributions: a trip hop-infused tapestry of distorted voices, guitar, piano and seductive beats. The fluffy but listenable "Flying," the angelic and moody "First Contact," and the drum 'n' bass-inspired "Above Sea Level" are Ruxpin's three pieces. These tracks, while exhibiting an impressive range overall, individually don't seem really go anywhere. They do succeed, however, in melding well with the relaxed vibe of the compilation as a whole. Biogen's "Hi-Fi FM" is quirky and up-tempo, while "Afloat" sounds like a digital sea spray overlaid with glistening mellow synths. "I Don't Have a Clue" by Thor is perhaps the closest to being truly ambient with its beatless lilt, along with the Trabant's track "Superman," remixed here by Worm is Green. Other noteworthy contributions come from the lesser-known Krilli (represented here by two excellent songs, one of which beautifully recalls some of the instrumental work on David Bowie's 'Low'), Rhythm of Snow's Autechre-esque "Getting Closer to an Unknown Goal," and Múm's twitchy Kanada remix.
Overall, '42 More Things' doesn't have much that will completely bowl its listeners over with either profundity or innovation, but as a whole, it provides for extremely pleasant and meditative listening.

samples:

Ilo - Tif
Krilli - 52cd 4kg
Biogen - Hifi FM
Ruxpin - Above Sea Level

08 September 2002

Administrator

Albums and Singles

Crouton

Here are past and present Crouton recordings centered around prolific, poly-pseudonymic, multi-faceted artists Chris Rosenau and Jon Mueller. Piano Bread is a (still available) numbered and cardboard boxed edition of 500 from 1999. It comes with a book with a surreal tale by drummer Mueller that seems to portray an individual's lustful, "piano bread"-addled search for self. Equally mystifying is the disc's 15 untitled tracks which may or may not correspond in some way to the book's 12 chapters. Ranging from one to nearly nine minutes, the pieces are performed by soloists, duets, trios or quartets that include four other players from the Milwaukee area. Musically it's very varied, running the gamut from a lone feminine voice, woodwind or treated harmonica to drums/samples/turntables/double bass band freakouts. To take the easy way out would be to describe much of what's going on here with words such as "avant", "improv" and "freeform" paired with another word that rhymes with "spazz". It's not really my cup of tea, but it would leave out the many other moments of greater interest to me, such as tracks five and 12. Here, Rosenau performs a magic trick with erratic acoustic guitar and banjo plucks and scrapes, sparse keyboard and bass notes, and clarinet chirps, wheezes and drones. On track six, John McCoy's "advanced sound manipulations" make for a murky melting pot of environments and atmospheres while on track seven, Jason Wietlispach drowns Rebecca Gray's ghostly wailing in heavily effected guitar swells. 'Piano Bread' is a bewildering 48 page and 68 minute journey with some intriguing sight seeing along the way.

samples:

Fast forward to 2002. Collections of Colonies of Bees is mostly the duo's doing and 'fa.ce (a' is their third album since '99. It is a continuous suite of eight (all but the last untitled) tracks that glide through played, processed and played to be processed sounds - often with elements from each track carrying over into the next.
Besides acoustic and electric guitars, lap steel, piano and steel drums, Rosenau is also credited throughout with "assembly," "manipulation," "miscellaneous noises," and/or the Akai Headrush. Mueller provides drums or percussion on five tracks and another Milwaukee musician, Don Mahlmeister, also adds guitars, Rhodes and Wurlitzer piano, keyboard and programming. That should give you an inkling of the palette and production. In a way, the first track sets a false tone with an upbeat, yet mild-mannered, almost folksy jam involving acoustic guitars, EBow, Rhodes, lap steel, bass and drums. The aftermath is track two, as the final notes slowly fade away and scraped metal and ambient drift supersede. Track three is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful pieces of music I've heard in years, if not ever. At the heart of it all is the guitars, their intermittent suggestions of melody and harmonics intertwined with near silence and tiny electronic currents. It's as delicate and pretty as a music box or Faberge egg. A barely audible background of steel drums and bird song begins track four as computer voiced "dooooo"s of varying length and gender pile up with portamento-wavered piano notes. For song five, melted down lap steel licks pick up where four left off and are coupled with somewhat bombastic drum fills. The 11-minute finale belies its curious title of "mu:rder" as the band invents a gorgeous, deep lull, which, up until the final few minutes, are cluttered with digital debris. Start to finish, 'fa.ce (a' is a very finely-calibrated work. It has an impeccable focus and flow, a well balanced mix between acoustic and electronic instrumentation, and a learned sense of time and space. Plain and simple, 'fa.ce (a' is poetry in motion. Look for it in my top ten of 2002 list.