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Optimistic Modernism is fairly varied; at times unnerving and unsettling improv record- which finds these three seasoned improvisers severing an eight track release that apt shifts from sinister & dramatic, through to quirky & dada influenced, onto mysterious & busy. The release comes in the form of either a physical CD release, with 48-page booklet, or a digital download- we were sent just the download for review.
Now here’s something you don’t often get- a punchy, varied, well-recorded & wholly enjoyable live record. Long Time Coming sonically chronicles the first every concert from British avant pop two-piece Renaldo & The Loaf, that happened last year in Vienna. The CD brings together the bands complete live set of fourteen tracks- it works perfectly as both a primer/ celebration of this band's fairly unique sound, as well as a effective flowing album- live or otherwise!.
On the surface & from its plot description of ‘horny Teens going to a lake location to be stalked by a killer’, Blood Lake may seem like your run-of-the-mill 80’s slasher. But in reality there’s nothing run-of-the-mill, or normal about this slice of SOV madness- like the best of the genre, it drops you in an almost parallel bad-movie universe- where we find mumbling mulleted teens, extremely stilted acting, way over-long shots of water skiing, extreme fleeting & to darkly shot gore, and general bad pacing- which often makes the whole thing as a lost family VHS from the 80’s- all soundtrack by a decidedly haphazard blend of wonky Hair metal, mawkish piano & synth wonders, and more pulsing-though-very monotonous horror focused synth ‘n’ beats. Here from AGFA & Bleeding Skull is a much needed new region free DVD of this Brain melting SOV classic- which features a new print, a directors commentary, and a few neat extras.
From Vinegar Syndrome here’s another late 80’s film that’s difficult to pin down into one genre. It starts off as a sort-of teen mystery/ melodrama, later adding in elements of comedic/ quirky characters, then moves towards being a thriller/ bloodless stalking action, before having a WTH & grim ending. As we’ve come to expect from VS releases we get a nice new scan, a handful of extras, reversible cover, and a duel Blu Ray & DVD- featuring multi-region discs.
All Things Quite brings together the first three albums from Steeleye Span- we have Hark! The Village Wait from 1970, Please To See The King from 1971 , and also from 71 Ten Man Mop Or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again - each of these 1970’s albums highlighting the projects authentic-yet- often creative take on the folk-rock/ electric folk genre. The set is presented in the form of a three CD set, which takes in a most informative thirty-one-page booklet- all packaged in a flip top cardboard box.
Over the years the Italian experimental music scene has given birth to many sub-genres. In fact, the very concept of experimental music originated in Italy. Therefore, it is not surprising that the country has a huge number of interesting, original and legendary projects. Claudio Dondo is the leader and the only participant of the famous Italian project Runes Order. However, in the late 80s - early 90s, before this project was his first sonic venture Order 1968, which existed from 1989 to 1992. Over the years, Order 1968 released six albums, which are subsequently been revaluated by many fans as a classic of experimental electronics.
Anni Hogan is a composer, musician and record producer, most well known for her long association with marc Almond. Anni studied at Leeds University around the same time that Marc Almond and Dave Ball were starting out as Soft Cell. Anni took a year out of her course in 1980 to work as a promoter, booking bands around the city, most notably Soft Cell and The Human League. After Soft Cell split Anni developed her close working relationship with Marc Almond, appearing on both albums from Marc and the Mambas, and continuing on to work with Marc on his solo material. Hogan has also worked with a diverse range of talents over the years including the incredible Barry Adamson and the even more legendary Nick Cave.
A Midsummer's Night, released in 2016, is three years later still the most recent work from avant-ambient guitarist Mike Fazio's orchestramaxfieldparrish alias. Like all of Fazio's music, it is self released on his own Faith Strange label in a limited edition, an edition of 100 copies in this case. As a long time fan of Fazio's experimental guitarscapes, I am honored to own a copy.
The Substance of Perception is the debut offering from Italian artist Alessio Antoni and his project NERATERRÆ. For this album he put together a stunning collaborative effort with some of the best contemporary names in the field of dark ambient /drone/ritual music ...collaborators here are Northaunt, Alexey Tegin from Phurpa, Treha Sektori, New Risen Throne, Flowers For Bodysnatchers, Taphephobia, Ugasanie, Xerxes The Dark and Infinexhuma-which is a pretty heavy hitting line up.
Hot on the heels of Croatian Amor's latest record comes fellow Posh Isolation denizen Varg (Jonas Rönnberg) with Evanescence (A Love Letter). The Swedish producer has had a particularly prolific last year or so; putting out the fifth instalment of his Nordic Flora series, in addition to collaborations with AnnaMelina and the aforementioned Croatian Amor. Collaboration and cross pollination have been at the heart of Varg's music during the few years he's produced under that name, racking up a good three dozen releases in the process. On Evanescence, his previous experiments with drone, darkside techno and industrial are further augmented with down-tempo R&B and Vaporwave sonics.
A Century Of Horror- A Pictorial History Of Cinefantastique is a glossy, poster & film still heavy study of the horror film genre moving from the silent movies, on through the 1930s, ending in the 1990s. It the latest book from the We Belong Dead team, who brought us the books Unsung Horrors & its sequel Son of Unsung Horrors, We’re British Y’ Know!"-A Celebration of Peter Cushing, and of course We Belong Dead Magazine.
Species is an hours worth of dense & subtle shifting sonics, that sits somewhere between subdued wall noise, grim & grey ambience, and what sounds like looped/ layered field recording ebb & flow- all to create decidedly organic & uneasy hours listening. The release appeared in the form of a CDR on Russian label Torga Anum- back in 2017- in an edition of 36 copies- so you may still be able to hook a copy of this.
Drowning In The Wall is one of the more recent releases from one of the walled noise scenes most talented figures Elektrostal, Russia based Sergey Pakhomov- here under his Train Cemetery banner. The release consists of an art edition CDR( or digital download), that features an hour-long ‘wall’ of creatively textured & layered noise, which is all wrapped in a wonderful defined & detailed production- so you can make out ever element & pattern within this wall-noise masterwork.
Climax Denial is the brainchild of American musician Alex Kmet, working in the genre of experimental electronics, and specifically - Power Electronics. The project started in 2005, with it's opening release been a C30 Self-Released Tape entitled A Wood Rose For Little Love Knife. For the projects last fourteen years, Kmet has added forty-two releases to the discography of his project, fourteen of which (if the information on the Discogs is correct) are full-length albums.
A title like Invasion of the Blood Farmers literally screams low budget cheesy schlock, and this 1972 film pretty much lives up to its promise. With its scattershot blend of Z grade 1950’s Sci-Fi camp, OTT 1960’s gore & leering killers ala Hershel Gordon Lewis, and 1970’s rural grimness- all wrapped up in often unbalancing at times dense orchestral stock music. From the folks over at Severin here we have a recent Blu Ray reissue of the film- featuring a bright & buoyant new scan, new commentary track, and more.
Here we have a double CDR split bringing together two lengthy slabs of searing & unforgiving walled noise- offering up the tracks we have Uk based E.E.E.E., and Hungarian project Necrotik Fissure. The pro-pressed CDR's come in a jewel case packaging, having an edition of 15 copies, and appear on the UK walled noise label Void Singularity Recordings.
Plate Tectonics finds this Oregon Portland-based wall-noise project severing up a single fifty-five minute of buffeting ‘n’ bothersome HNW. The release comes in the form of a pro- pressed CDR, that takes in pictures of lava cracked earth, lakes of flaming & flowing red hot molten rock- it came in an edition of ten copies, and as of writing half of this stock is left for sale.
Magna Carta are an English progressive/folk rock band formed in 1969 by Chris Simpson (guitar, vocals), Lyell Tranter (guitar, vocals), and Glen Stuart (vocals). No Truth in the Rumour was the band’s eighth full length album, originally released in 1979 on Ariola records. By the time of this release only Chris Simpson remained from the original line-up, he was joined on this release by a host of top class musicians including guitarist Doug Morter, who has worked with amongst others, Richard Thompson and Maddy Prior, and violinist Tom McConville who has played on hundreds of albums from a wide range of popular artists including the aforementioned Richard Thompson and Newcastle folk rock legends Lindisfarne.
On a constant search for that delightful, slow groove, the curators of the Too Slow to Disco series have crafted together another loving compilation of soft, lush, almost danceable songs. Shifting their focus over to the sounds of France, DJ Supermarkt instead takes a different approach with this compilation: modern artists capturing and paying homage to the classic, slow sound of the past. While one would love to hear more from acts like Space or maybe some super obscure, unknown Droids release, the songs on Neo are wonderfully refreshing and a loving tribute to a softer, easier time.
The Power is a late 1960’s sci-fi thriller about telekinesis- the film features some fairly trippy visuals, a who-done-it plot, and some effective enough moments of paranoia. On Chezzy Films here we have a region free DVD release of the film.
Darkroom is an often pacey, fairly suspenseful & rewarding blend of US Giallo & slasher with some nicely sleazed edges. Appearing at the end of the 1980’s- when slasher films where somewhat out of flavour- here from Vinegar Syndrome is a new duel Blu Ray/DVD release of the film- severing up a nice bright new print, and a selection of interviews with the films actors.
Danish Modern Classic composer Christian Winther Christensen has a distinctive & often fairly schizophrenic style- that shifts between the violent & often jarring, to playful & subtle harmonic. Almost In G is recent CD release on Col Legno- celebrating the work of this distinctive young composer- featured here are seven pieces from between 2006 & 2017- and each features/ highlights the composer highly unique take on modern classical composition.
The Finnish black metal trio Förgjord was formed in the distant nineties of the last century, as a band called Brightness of Darkness. Then, after a few changes in names, settled on the Swedish word Förgjord ,which translates to 'Destroyed'. Over their career the band has put out a split, one mini-album, and five full-length albums, the last of which is Ilmestykset, which appeared this year as a joint release between Finnish label Werewolf Records & American label Hells Headbangers.
The Triple Echo is a 1972 British drama starring Oliver Reed, Glenda Jackson and Brian Deacon, directed by first time director Michael Apted, who would go on to make the James Bond classic, The World is Not Enough. The Triple Echo is set during World War II and based on the novel of the same name by H.E. Bates.