Sal Klita Blogger | Muzik impressions

Sal Klita Blogger

Sunday, September 24

Studio AKA...The Only Way Of Making It Move, By The Comput...#Y^ + %du&%^***&NB - (/'ayw = Deep & Cool Animated Movie, By The British Studio AKA.

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S T U D I O A K A

& ...P I C T O P L A S M A

Sunday, September 17

Me Man Would Never Say Nope For A New Release By Zelienople.

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"Elephant"

Zelienople is a quartet from Chicago that slowly formed into a proper band out of years of 4-track sound experiments, hazy jams, and all-night drone sessions in a haunted room above an old antique shop. Matt Christensen plays bass, guitar, organ and sings. Brian Harding plays b-flat and bass clarinets, piano and guitar, and Mike Weis plays the drum kit, vibraphone and various eastern percussion (irreverently). In the fall of 2003, Zelienople became a quartet with the inclusion of guitarist Neil Jendon, an active musician in the Chicago improvised music community.

"Plaster Dog"

Drawing upon the drone-based music legacy of '60's American minimalism, 70's ambient rock, 80's space rock, and 90's electro-acoustic improv music, as well as a reverence for the history of psychedelic rock, the trio committed hours of songs to tape in preparation for their debut album, Pajama Avenue which was released by Loose Thread Recordings in August of 2002. The band took to the stage in earnest, sharing bills with Múm, Tristeza, Circulatory System, Eternals, and Scott Tuma. Info by Loose Thread Recordings.

"Fuck Everything"

Another beautiful sounding and gorgeously packaged super limited release from Jefre Cantu-Ledesma's (Tarentel) Root Strata label. This one, from a mysterious band of noisemakers from Chicago (even though they're named for a city in Pennsylvania), Zelienople. Having lurked on the periphery of the underground drone / noise / free folk scene, releasing a handful of limited cd-r releases on labels like PseudoArcana, 267 Lattajjaa and others, Stone Academy finds the band at their darkest and most expansive, droney and buzzy but still so delicate and beautiful, hopefully this release will be the one to get these guys more widely heard 'cuz they do belong right up there alongside Avarus and Starving Weirdos and Yellow Swans and Birchville and all of those ambientdronefolk household names.

Stone Academy, at its core, is basically a stripped down folk record. Simple strummed steel string guitar, wavery plaintive vocals, warm swells of ambience, wrapped in TONS of thick reverb, like it was recorded in a cave or a gymnasium or empty swimming pool, and while each song has this strummy folk center, each track evolves or devolves in a totally unique way, into a barely there minimal crawl, into grinding washes of distorted guitar, into warm thick swirls of My Bloody Valentine like buzz, into weird 20th century abstract clatter, into Murky Dead C like blurry noise rock, and sometimes into nothing at all, just sort of quietly and contemplatively drifting along, shimmering in a druggy haze of warbly ephemeral folk and whirring ambient rumble. Text by Aquarius talking heads.

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Me Man Would Never Say Nope For The Best Act In Austin TX, The Weird Weeds. Never! Ever!

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"Weird Feelings"

We're not exactly sure how we stumbled upon the Weird Weeds, a mysterious experimental pop outfit from Texas, but we're sure glad we did. This, their second full length, is totally captivating and weird as fuck. Even the opening one two punch is sort of confusingly brilliant, the sweet opening track, softly strummed guitar, simple chimes, and harmonized female vocals, followed by the bizarre rhythmic workout of the second track, a processed whump of a rhythm track, quickly surrounded by effervescent swirls of droning high end, and gorgeous intertwined vocals. It is definitely pop, but unlike any pop we've ever heard. Maybe the closest comparison would be Animal Collective, but Weird Weeds are a whole different animal, the core of their sound seems to be an upper register drift, be it some weird metallic shimmer, high end guitar jangle, or the dreamy female vocals combined with the mostly falsetto male vocals.

"Nose To The Wind"

And just as important to WW's sound is percussion. Every song leans heavily on whatever off kilter rhythm the band establishes, often lurching from near static shuffle to a loping pound, and just as quickly back again. The song structure is a bit off kilter as well, super complex and convoluted, sounding either like a pop band afflicted with the worse case of ADD ever, or like each song is a composite of 10 or 20 other little songs. The effect is intoxicating, and when the band unfurls a twangy little ditty, you find yourself braced for the inevitable shift to some other random melodic tangent, and when it sometimes doesn't come, you find yourself being almost disappointed. Hard to believe such a massive expansive sound could come from such a compact ensemble. And that the simplest ingredients, guitar, percussion and vocals, could be whipped into such a heady psychedelia! Droney, drifty, twangy, dreamy and strangely lovely. Text by Aquarious.

"In Your Arms"

"Tupper"

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Me Man Would Never Say Nope For More Great Post Rock From The Depth Of The 80's. Never! Ever!

Image is Free Hosted By Pictiger.comIke Yard may be the most innovative band you hear this year, although their only album was recorded more than 20 years ago. Yet another example of artists cheated of the recognition they deserve, Ike Yard were, among other things, the only American group signed to Factory Records. They shared bills with the likes of Suicide, Konk, and New Order, and the band’s Stuart Argabright would go on to form Dominatrix and Death Comet Crew. Ike Yard’s new compilation, 1980–1982 Collected, brings together everything the group released — the 1981 EP Night after Night (les Disques du Crepuscule) and 1982 LP A Second a Fact (Factory) — and adds additional odds and ends.

"Cherish"

The material that makes up "Night after Night" is cased in heavy, dark dub with scraping guitars and swirling synth sounds. It's so good it may make you pause the next time you automatically reach for PiL's Second Edition or Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures. On A Second a Fact, however, the electronics take over. You can hear traces of D.A.F., Cluster, and what would become Detroit techno, with Argabright arbitrarily singing like an entranced street shaman. "Loss" merges the infinite arpeggios of Ashra with Grauzone and Throbbing Gristle. It's really what you wanted last year's Black Dice album to be. The brilliant "NCR," meanwhile, predates Autechre by about two decades and outdoes them to boot. Whether or not these reference points mean anything to you, this group deserves its legendary status. And you need to hear them. Text by SFBG

"NCR"

Swiping their name from the record racks in A Clockwork Orange, Ike Yard were apparently more popular in that bleak, violent future than in this one. Sure, they opened for Suicide, SPK, Cabaret Voltaire and New Order in the nascent ’80s (we even heard the bass player dated Madonna), but being the first Yanks on Factory brings more cache now than it did then. Neighbors once more with Glenn Branca, whose screeching guitar pop (as Theoretical Girls) and symphonies have already been documented by the Acute label, Ike Yard is sonically closer to the imprint’s other archival project: the stiff, existential synth screeches of Metal Urbain.

"Kino"

“Night After Night” is a ringer in the Ike Yard retrospective, in that the drum kit of Stuart Argabright is still fully assembled so as to better emulate their beloved Can. Soon, it would be stripped down, filtered, looped or else abandoned entirely as Argabright manned the banks of their stockpiled Korgs, Rolands, Arps and Buchlas. Those ever-quickening cymbal eighth-notes glimmer here in the rain-slicked, perpetual noir of the L.E.S., a journey to the end of night intoned against the dual swoop of no-wave guitars and UFO hoverings. The bass throbs (soon to be the band’s focus) are as speedy, edgy and rambling as a cokehead in a spy thriller. Text by Paperthinwalls

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Me Man Would Never Say Nope For More Exotic & Actual Kraut Rock...Never! Ever!

EXPO 70 was formed in Los Angeles by Justin Wright as a side-project, while he was playing guitar in Living Science Foundation (Second Nature Recordings; GSL50 Compilation). Initially, the group also included Wrights friend, Julian Peeke (The Pope, The Manifolds, Bipolar Bear, SXBRS). The pair improvised creating sounds bouncing effect-ridden instruments creating a wide range of textures and moods. EXPO 70s first recording and inception was during Peekes project SXBRS recording session, resulting in one of many split releases on Peekes Kill Shaman label. After playing two shows (with Parts & Labor and Tyondai Braxton respectively), they ventured back into the studio. “Live July 18, 2004” was recorded with the help of Bryan Levene (Bipolar Bear), and recalls the spirit of the Taj Mahal Travellers improvisational drones.

"Hitherto"

Returning to the midwest upon the breakup of LSF, Wright began developing EXPO 70 further, collaborating with McKinley Jones of the Kansas City-based Cantus Firmus. The pair recorded “Surfaces” in late 2005, adding synths over improvised guitar tracks pieced together by Jones. In February 2006, Wright completed “Exquisite Lust”, his first fully-realized vision of EXPO 70. “Exquisite Lust” collects improvised guitar tracks that shift through pleasant melodies, warm and harsh textures, while overall remaining somewhat minimal. His most recent effort, “Center of the Earth”, pushes dense and heavily-layered drones, with a rich, organic feel.
Expo 70 is currently based in Kansas City, Missouri and has begun performing live. All releases to date have been issued on Peekes Kill Shaman label, released as limited CD-Rs, designed and hand-packaged by Wright himself.

"Motorik"

Text from the home page of expo 70'

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His Own Creepy Space

Saturday, September 9

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In August of 1996, S S was born in Seattle with the release of a
7" single from rock outfit, 764-HERO. The label quickly defined itself as a
serious voice in the world of independent record making in the Pacific
Northwest, no small task in a town that hosts that other label you might
find represented in your crates of records. While many of the bands and businesses in the city struggled to find their way out of the dirty fog left hanging in the air after Time Magazine started talking about a logging town up near the border of Canada, SUICIDE SQUEEZE followed that first release with a new and highly sought after treasure chest of singles, EPs, and 12" from other Northwest Greats. There are two fan favorite Elliott Smith singles, bonefide essential Modest Mouse singles, and holy goodness from Pedro the Lion...an impressive stable!

Since the very first record sporting the Squeeze logo, the label has been
aiming all arrows at top caliber records, great music made with great care
and a punk rock soul. Untarnished by the haze of ripped jeans and flannel
shirts, label owner David Dickenson worked tirelessly with infectious
enthusiasm developing the roster to include full-lengths from other
Northwest bands and songwriters, as well as artists stretching to many
corners of North America.

Now, ten years after that first single, comes a celebratory double-CD
release spotlighting songs from most every artist the label has worked with.
Here find classics from timeless singles including an exclusive Black Heart
Procession track, early career Constantines grit, and a quintessentially
quirky Unicorns jam to name only a few. To accompany those gems are several
songs from records now out of print (The Melvins, Les Savy Fav), remixes and
demos from some current roster favorites (Minus the Bear, The Aislers Set),
and some brilliant combinations of great talents coming together to make
magic (Iron and Wine with Six Parts Seven, Modest Mouse with 764-Hero).

Slaying Since 1996 exemplifies the steadfast diversity that truly helped the
label rise above the typical genreism that plagues much of the industry.
SUICIDE SQUEEZE's current stable offers a true cross-section of what makes
independent music so exciting, vibrant and crucial; the spazz-damaged skronk
of Hella rubs up with the anthemic-pop of Minus the Bear as easily as
Headphones pulsing synths butt up against the smoldering hooks of Crystal
Skulls, and this only scratches the surface of what Slaying and the entire
label catalog have to offer.

Track-listing:

Disc 1
1. 764-Hero "Now You're Swimming"
2. Modest Mouse "A Life of Arctic Sounds"
3. The Scenic Vermont "Elementary" #
4. Elliott Smith "Division Day"
5. Modest Mouse / 764-Hero "Whenever You See Fit (DJ Dynomite D REMIX)
6. Pennsy's Electric Workhorses Songs "Cycle Suitor" * #
7. Pedro the Lion "June 18, 1976"
8. The Black Heart Procession "After the Ladder" #
9. Aspera "Bird's Fly" #
10. Constantines "Dirty Business" #
11. The Magic Magicians "Cascade Express"
12. The Black Keys "Yearnin' (live)"
13. Iron and Wine / Six Parts Seven "Sleeping Diagonally"
14. The Melvins "With Teeth (live)" #
15. Les Savy Fav "We'll Make a Lover of You" #
16. Hint Hint "Natural Collegiate"
17. We Ragazzi "Making You Queens Tonight"
18. The Unicorns "2014"
19. S "5 Dollars"
20. Goon Moon "Rock Weird (Weird Rock)"

Disc 2
1. Minus the Bear "The Game Needed Me (Dalek REMIX)" *
2. The Aislers Set "What Fades First (demo)" *
3. Headphones "Gas and Matches (acoustic)" *
4. Crystal Skulls "Baby Boy (demo)" *
5. Six Parts Seven "Afternoon Bed" *
6. Metal Hearts "Jean Baptiste" *
7. Of Montreal "Voltaic Crusher/Undrum to Muted Da" +
8. Chin Up Chin Up "Trophy's for Hire" *
9. Earlimart "Caruthers Boy" *
10. Red Stars Theory "Evergreen and Ivorbean" *
11. Black Mountain "Voices" +
12. Russian Circles "Upper Ninety" *
13. These Arms Are Snakes "Old Paradise" *
14. Hella "Meth Leper" *

* - Previously Unreleased
+ - First time on CD
# - Out of Print

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