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From 2013 here’s a double CD reissue of two early releases from Us ambient legend Robert Rich. The release brings together (most of) Robert’s first ever release 1982’s Sunyata on the first disc, and on the second disc we have all of 1987’s Inner Landscapes(which conists of live recordings from 1985).
This tape from WHERE is THIS comes in smartly striking, monochrome artwork; black on white and professionally printed. The tape, in matching monochrome, has three tracks across its duration. These pieces are actually quite old now, having been recorded in early 2011 and all three have a similar form and modus operandi.
Raster-Noton presents Sinn + Form, the full-length CD debut of Frank Bretschneider’s new project, Sinn + Form (Meaning and Form). Bretschneider is a long-running sound artist from Germany who also releases music under the name Komet. The album was recorded in July 2014 at EMS, Stockholm, using the Buchla and Serge Analog Synthesizer Systems.
Polish experimental musician, and man of a thousand band names, Robert Skrzyñski is back with his second release as ForrrestDrones. This CD comes to us from Zoharum in a limited release of 300. Najas Flexilis Exequiae consists of one album long track (~ 1 hr) that takes the listener on a quiet, somewhat eerie trek through the nighttime wilderness
The LP release "Unfolding Luxury Beyond the City of Dreams" is one of 3 albums the highly prolific Janek Schaefer in 2014, and the 2nd I've had the pleasure of hearing. "Lay By Lullaby", released on 12k earlier this year, perfectly exemplified the intelligent and detailed upper atmosphere ambient sound typical of that label. This album has been released on Dekorder, another prominent avant garde label that has released such diverse artists as Machinefabriek, Failing Lights and The Hafler Trio.
What better way to kick off a new year than with a new Marduk album? And better yet, these Swedes have returned to the WW2 theme teased at by their 2011 EP Iron Dawn, a theme most fitting for black metal if there ever was one. The name Frontschwein (literally “front pig”) is an old German term referring to soldiers on the frontline and gives you an idea of what to expect: pure fucking war.
Here’s a split walled noise release that’s based around two of novels by Aleister Crowley- the infamous British occultist, Ceremonial magician, and writer. The two CDR set offers up two hour plus slices of walled noise matter from two different HNW project- on disc one there's US based The Ebony Tower, and on disc two there's Uk based D.S.W.A.C.V.
It's hard to believe it's seventeen years since these two artists collaborated on their tribute to Arne Nordheim. Since then Biosphere has released a steady stream of acclaimed records while Deathprod's solo output has been maddeningly rare. His last solo album appeared over ten years ago and has lent this member of Supersilent a particularly cult following. This new release of original material is thus something of a treat.
Here is a smartly presented tape on Gerauschmanufaktur, with a long fold-out inlay featuring stark images of Perrot, Wittmer and Meirino. These are all names familiar to me (to varying degrees) and the short tape documents a live performance by the trio at Brooklyn’s End Of Tymes Festival, in 2013. The first side has that performance in full, whilst the second has a “Studio <<reverse-engineered>> version”; both come in at the nine-minute mark.
Gnaw Their Tongues commenced their existence back in 2005. The project of Mories, (also of Aderlating, Cloak of Altering, Pompidou and Pyriphlegethon) is a stimulating mix of noise, black metal, electronics and funeral doom. Collected Atrocities is a double cd compiled of early and out of print EPs including Horse Drawn Hearse, For All Slaves…A Song of False Hope, Preferring Human Skin Over Animal Fur and the Gnaw Their Tongues/Lunar Miasma/Mrtyu/Xela split.
Here we have a four CDR drone/ambient reinterpretation of one of John Carpenter’s more simple & stripped back soundtracks. Minneapolis based HNW & stark ambient artist Cory Strand has a fair release history at doing film soundtrack reinterpretation, and in particular he’s done more than a few Carpenter soundtracks in the past- taking in the likes of Halloween (both deep drone & walled noise versions), The Thing, Big Trouble In Little China, Christine, & The Village of the Damned.
This CDR on Minneapolis based Altar Of Waste offers up three thick ‘n’ truly punishing slices of (mostly) fixed & set walled noise from this German HNW/ harsh noise project.
When an artist you admire decides to shift from their normal sound- it can often be probmatic. One of three things can happen- you either full enjoy & embrace this new departure, feel surprised & a little unsure yet still intrigued, or come away feeling disappointed & puzzled. This double CDR is such a case in point.
Swedish industrial/power electronics act IRM has been active in the scene since the late nineties. In 2008, they released "Indications of Nigredo," which is the first installment of an unnamed trilogy. The culmination of this comes in the form of Closure from Malignant Records. Part power electronics, part theater show, IRM's latest is a nice mix of roughness and restraint.
Candlelight Records presents Liars/Bastards, the third album by Bristol’s Hateful Abandon. The brainchild of one Vice Martyr, Hateful Abandon has been toiling in the dark crevices of the European underground since 2004.
Into The Infernal Regions of The Ancient Cult is the debut album from Inquisition- it was originally released in 1998, by now in 2015 it gets a welcome re-issue on Season of Mist. Inquisition started life in Colombia in 1988, moving to the U.S. in 1996. The band was founded by lead singer/guitarist Dagon, joining him are Incubus on drums and Debandt on bass. They’ve had quite a catalog, with various eps’, demos and full length albums.
Here we have the 8th full length album from Desiderii Marginis. Begun in Sweden in 1993 by Johan Levins, Hypnosis is a study of dreams and nightmares. Levins gathered submissions by friends, fans (and himself) to illustrate musically the emotions, atmospheres and finer points of our thoughts. All this is ensconced in a 2 cd digipak release edition of 500 copies.
I caught wind of Fen when they released their first album right in the midst of the post-black metal movement. It didn’t amaze me like it did the rest of the community at the time, but I was intrigued enough that I decided to keep an eye on their progress. Naturally, being the idiot that I am I promptly forgot about the band and never listened to their next two albums. With 2014’s Carrion Skies I have the opportunity to give this English group another listen.
I’m reviewing a digital version of an apparent tome of a package: a cd with accompanying eighty-page book. The cd contains two long tracks and the book contains an interview with Gilles Aubry, an essay and assorted photographs and texts. The subject of all this work is, to crudely summarise, the sonic environment of Christian charismatic churches; as recorded in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The interview and essay are, in places, overwhelmingly academic; whilst the cd is, somewhat against all odds, equally dry.
Multi-instrumentalist David Shea used to be an incredibly prolific composer, with a steady stream of more than 20 albums between 1992 and 2006, his work largely released on Sub Rosa. This album "Rituals", released on Room040, is his first in many years.
Long time Chicago experimental visual and sound artist Andy Ortmann started 2015 off with the release of a very limited cassette, Inconsequential. Limited to just 37 copies, this C-41 was recorded between 2009-2014 at Nihilist in Chicago (save for "The Way"). Despite the varied recording times, Inconsequential sounds pretty coherent. Fans of experimental synthesizers and musique concrete will find a lot to enjoy on this tape.
The almighty Vagary imprint presents Still Thirsty for Revenge, by HNW mainstay Cannibal Ritual. Released in the waning days of 2013, this quadruple CD-R represents one of the first (if not the first) statements from this act after a long period of dormancy. Established by Ruggero Lenzi in 2006, this German act is known for his noise walls based on Cannibal films. This release in question is an ode to the infamous flick Cannibal Ferox.
Pilgrim Chants & Pastoral Trails is Sharron Kraus sonic tribute to weathered, sometime barren, but always beautiful landscapes of Mid-Wales. This CD release offers up eight sound-scapes which sit on the more moody & atmospheric side of folk music. The tracks are built around a mix of Kraus earthy yet warming (& mostly wordless )vocals, tuneful yet dramatic folk instrumentation, and subtle ebbs of field recordings from around mid-Wales's valleys & rivers.
Ponder The Mystery finds William Shatner teaming up with Billy Sherwood, and a whole host of guest stars, to create a poppy prog rock album. And though it doesn’t reach the exellence of Has Been (his 2044 collab with Ben Folds Five ). This is often a lot of fun, as we get Shatner’s instantly recognisable spoken word delivery against Sherwoods soaring, slick & tuneful mix of pop prog & airy harmonising vocals.