Podcast Episodes 721 & 722 are live!
Mid-November midweek special
Two new episodes are now available.
Episode 721 features Throwing Muses, Eros, claire rousay, Moin, Zachary Paul, Voice Actor and Squu, Leya, Venediktos Tempelboom, Cybotron, Robin Rimbaud and Michael Wells, Man or Astro-Man?, and Aisha Vaughan.
Episode 722 has James Blackshaw, FACS, Laibach, La Securite, Good Sad Happy Bad, Eramus Hall, Nonconnah, The Rollies, Jabu, Freckle, Evan Chapman, diane barbe, Tuxedomoon, and Mark McGuire.
Wine in Paris photo by Mathieu.
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I'm sure by now you've heard the hype surrounding this growing legend. He was picked up by David Tibet of Current 93 to be on the Durtro label after Tibet listened to this album. Antony's lyrics and vocals are some of the most soul-clenching and amazingly powerful sounds around today by far. His piano work is splendid. The Johnsons band consists of drums, harp, bass, two violins, cello, flute, two clarinets, sax, and "guitar effects."
Bella Unionpresents the debut Undark release, originally released in 1996 for alimited time direct from the label, but soon being sent to storesworldwide. The usage of different musicians and combinations from trackto track echoes ideas from This Mortal Coil albums from the 80s,differing styles yet remaining linear from start to finish of thealbum. Some songs that have an avant-garde classical feel, with verysubtle mutations of noises in the background and classical instrumentslayed over. Others, though, are very beat driven with fresh soundingnoises, sampled and noodled around with an attention to detail. Thevocal track "How Safe is Deep?", would also appeal most likely to fansof Eyeless in Gaza. For the most part, however, the album is devoid ofsinging, although often touched with voices and scattered fuzzysamples. Much like the last Undark album, guests include Brian Eno,Bill Laswell, Roger Eno, and David Sylvian. And, of course, the sleeveart and design was done by Mills himself, and showcases a newcomputerized direction for him.
His output of recent andthe near future is extensive, including 12"s and full lengths onnumerous hip labels: Sigma Editions, Chain Reaction, Max Ernst &Freunde, Phthalo, Force Tracks and here Mille Plateaux. "Entain"combines 4 new tracks with "Kohde" and "Ele" from last year's debut cd"Ele" on Sigma. Each of the tracks, with the exception of 2 briefuntitled segues, are between 15 and 22 minutes in length for nearly 77minutes total of continuous unfolding music. "Kohde" sets the tone witha flow of disjointed micro sounds (bass swells and blips, metallicplucks and pings, minuscule bits of percussion, glitches, pops, clicksand barely discernible human sighs) set against a reverb shroudedambient drone. The sounds gradually slide into a mildly funky rhythm assubconscious melodies also rise up out of the mix. The 22 minutescontinually evolve/devolve, almost inexplicably, and never becometiresome which is remarkable. And it's simply beautiful! "Poiko" and"Notke" are a bit more abrasive, repetitive and structured, the formerfeaturing a glitch loop and the latter a bass throb as centerpieces fortheir duration, while "Ele" is more similar to "Kohde". There is astrong sense/feel of improvisation and controlled chaos within thismusic and it's all purpose suitable to deep, background or REM timelistening. With the glut of artists working within the future musicfields, Vladislav Delay is one to pay attention to. He is trulyextending the boundaries of the electronic frontier with innovative andevocative sounds ...
South Pacific are Graeme Flemming (drums guitars samples),Joachim Toelke (guitars) and Phil Stewart-Bowes (bass), and if youanswered yes to the above question you really want to hear them play.Constance is South Pacific's first full-length release on TurnbuckleRecords, following their "33" EP - now out of print and increasinglydifficult to find. Full of drifting guitar landscapes and upbeatpercussion, this album is a perfect for days when you would rather havemusic shape the patterns in your head then words. Vocals appear on onlyone track, and even then seem to barely cut through the atmosphere.Almost any of the songs on Constance could have easily fit ontoSlowdive's "Souvlaki" or "Just for a day" because of the driftingquality of the music and the use of similar effects, but South Pacifichave a decidedly different direction to their music. I am finding itvery difficult to put any other albums in my cd player this week.Verdict: Strikingly beautiful music to dream by, don't operate heavymachinery while listening. South Pacific releases can be orderedthrough Turnbuckle at 
"Pop" is his 4th full-length release as Gasand judging from the artwork it continues the 'forest' theme of thelast few albums. The near 66 minutes are split up into 7 untitledtracks ranging from 5 to 15 minutes in length. Each track has the samebasic formula: loop and repeat, ad nauseum. Voigt uses a variety ofdense and mildly melodic atmospheres somewhere between gaseous andliquid states. They simply flow on repeat for the duration of the trackwith little to no change. Add a simple techno beat to 2 tracks andthere you have it. "Pop" is relaxing but it's also very tedious, evenas 'background' music, due to it's excessive and pointless repetition.Instead of drawing me in it makes me want to play something else that'smore fully developed and more interesting. And the title? You've got me...
"Red Letters," on theother hand, is to my ears a cohesive, well structured and thoroughlyeffective disc. I'm very pleased with Edward's latest work. The wholealbum has a very slow, somber, moody atmosphere to it, yet "Seeing Red"is a bit faster (though still quite dark). It stirs me, my emotions, mythoughts and has already become one of my all-time favorite Ka-Spelsongs. "Belief on a Breeze," "Red Rock," and "Radio 6," are slow peiceswith plenty of chilling textures circulating around behind the simplemelodies, with Edward's emotive voice at the forefront.
Some from other bands as notable asAmber Asylum and Rasputina! Backworld's third album combines masterfulsound arrangement, very pretty melodies and brilliant yet melancholysongwriting to bring you a musical delight. The Death in June influenceis apparent in the song structure of tracks like 'Destroying Angel,'but Backworld's sound quality is far superior. The crisp clean12-string guitar and dulcimer blend so well with violin and cello, andthe vocals are mixed at just the right levels. Remarkably consistent inits high quality, and yet each song has its own unique sound andemotion.
