Archive for May, 2012

CAKEWALK: Wired (Hubro Music)

themilkman on May 31st 2012 01:34 am

Cakewalk: Wired

CAKEWALK
Wired
HUBROCD2514/HUBROLP3514
Hubro Music 2012
06 Tracks. 30mins43secs

Amazon UK: CD | LP | DLD US: CD | LP | DLD iTunes: DLD

Wired may start in somewhat dreamy fashion, but this is only short lived; ten seconds in, drummer Ivar Loe Bjørnstad, soon joined by guitarist/bassist Stephan Meidell, sets a pretty effective metronomic pace, and it is developed over much of the next half hour, only breaking down occasionally with diffuse atmospheric moments. Although this debut album from Norwegian improv power trio is, at just thirty minutes, a rather swift affair, there is enough energy here to power an album double the length of this one. Together with keyboard player Øystein Skar, Meidell and Bjørnstad operate as a close knit formation, finding much of their inspiration in the motorik sound of Can, Cluster or Faust, upon which they apply a work ethic sourced in their respective jazz backgrounds.

Tight and incredibly dense, their sound also occasionally manages to take on a much more fluid and hazy appearance. Continue Reading »

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SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE: Grandfather Harmonic / SEAWORTHY: Bellows And Breath (Preservation)

themilkman on May 29th 2012 01:44 am

Sparkling Wide Pressure: Grandfather Harmonic Seaworthy: Bellows And Breath

SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE
Grandfather Harmonic
CIRCA212
Preservation 2012
06 Tracks. 50mins32secs

SEAWORTHY
Bellows And Breath
CIRCA112

Preservation 2012
08 Tracks. 38mins38secs

Grandfather Harmonic
Amazon UK: CD | DLD US: CD | DLD Boomkat: CD | DLD iTunes: DLD
Bellows And Breath
Amazon UK: CD | DLD US: CD | DLD Boomkat: CD | DLD iTunes: DLD

The first two in Preservation’s second batch of releases for their Circa project, which aims at showcasing lesser-known artists with a taste for exploratory experimentations, these two albums, released in a series of 300 copies each on CD and as unlimited downloads, come from Tennessee-based artist Frank Baugh (Sparkling Wide Pressure) and Cameron Webb, from Sydney (Seaworthy). Although both already have a number of releases under their respective belts, most of Baugh’s have been very limited runs, for the most part on cassette. Webb on the other hand has been publishing records since the late nineties and has appeared on Steady Cam, Low Point and 12K, for whom he has recorded two solo albums and a collaboration with Matt Rösner. Circa originally comprised a set of six releases by Fabio Orsi, Aaron Martin & Justin Wright, Nickolas Mohanna, Aera C, Deep Magic and Quiet Evening, all published through 2011. Continue Reading »

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PHILIPPE PETIT & FRIENDS: Cordophony (Home Normal) / PHILIPPE PETIT: Eugenie (Alrealon Musique)

themilkman on May 23rd 2012 01:44 am

Philippe Petit & Friends: Cordophony Philippe Petit: Eugenie

PHILIPPE PETIT & FRIENDS
Cordophony
HOMEN035
Home Normal 2012
13 Tracks. 45mins32secs

PHILIPPE PETIT
Eugenie
ALRN029
Alrealon Musique 2012
04 Tracks. 24mins08secs

Cordophony
Amazon UK: DLD US: DLD Boomkat: CD | DLD iTunes: DLD
Eugenie
Amazon UK: DLD US: DLD iTunes: DLD

The dust has barely had the time to settle on the second proper Strings Of Consciousness installment that the unstoppable monsieur Petit is back with a handful of releases for Aagoo, Home Normal, Alealon and Utech to be released over the coming weeks.

Marseille-based Philippe Petit is as much a curator as he is a composer, sound artist and musician, and his records have become extraordinary meeting points for artists of all horizons. Equally, the music he produces ranges from abstract post rock to intense soundscaping to post-classical and beyond. This is precisely where Cordophony stands. Continue Reading »

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SUSANNA: Wild Dog (Rune Grammofon)

themilkman on May 22nd 2012 01:38 am

Susanna: Wild Dog

SUSANNA
Wild Dog
RCD2128
Rune Grammofon 2012
10 Tracks. 35mins01secs

Amazon UK: CD | DLD US: CD | DLD Boomkat: CD | DLD iTunes: DLD

With or without her Magical Orchestra, the duo she formed with Morten Qvenild almost ten years ago, Susanna Wallumrød has built quite an odd catalogue of material both original and, most prominently quite unfortunately, covers. Whilst the first Susanna & The Magical Orchestra album only contained two (she famously revisited Dolly Parton’s Jolene and Leonard Bernstein’s Who Am I), the pair’s second saw them take on anyone from Depeche Mode, Joy Division and Leonard Cohen to Prince or AC/DC and indiscriminately apply their ultra sensitive pop onto them. This was far from being an entirely successful endeavour, and saw them risking to compromise some of the brilliant songwriting moments they had shows on their debut and becoming a predictably formulaic partnership. Wallumrød threw further doubts on her work with her second solo effort, on which she once again forwent her talent as a songwriter to interpret songs by Will Oldham, Nico, Sandy Denny, Roy Harper or Abba.

A quick look at the track listing of her third solo effort for Rune Grammofon, her fourth in total, would have anyone think she is once again up to her old tricks (Imagine, Lonely Heart); a listen however quickly dispels any doubt that Ms Wallumrød is here to deliver her own material and nothing else. Continue Reading »

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LUCA SIGURTÀ: Bliss (Fratto9 Under The Sky Records)

themilkman on May 21st 2012 01:32 am

Luca Sigurtà: Bliss

LUCA SIGURTÀ
Bliss
FRATTO017
Fratto9 Under The Sky Records 2012
05 Tracks. 42mins19secs

Bliss is an all too elusive feeling; one which conjures both ideas of extreme spiritual peace and of intense yet controlled happiness, and which often requires to be honed to be reached. It is anything but owed or deserved, it is attained. Bliss is exactly what Italian sound artist Luca Sigurtà is aiming at with his new album, his first for Fratto9, and whilst the industrial setting featured on the cover of his album may hint at everything but bliss, the music offers a very different perspective.

Recorded between 2010 and 2011, Bliss follows releases on Afe, Creative Sources, Tulip or Fragments. Articulated around five untitled pieces, all clocking between six and a half and ten minutes, the album is a slow and stern soundtrack. Continue Reading »

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SIMON SCOTT: Below Sea Level (12K)

themilkman on May 17th 2012 01:49 am

Simon Scott: Below Sea Level

SIMON SCOTT
Below Sea Level
12K1071
12K 2012
07 Tracks. 44mins33secs

Amazon UK: CD US: CD

With releases on Miasmah, Sonic Pieces, Immune, Slaapwel, Low Point and Secret Furry Hole, it seems a pretty logical step for Cambridge-based multi-instrumentist and sound artist Simon Scott to release an album on Taylor Deupree’s excellent 12K, but Below Sea Level, Scott’s third solo full length in four years is much more than a simple collection of tracks. Everything about it, from the music itself and the numerous field recordings used to the cover image and the journal that accompanies it, was inspired by or sourced from the Fens, a low-lying marshland region spreading from Boston and King’s Lynn to the North, Peterborough to the West to Cambridge to the South and the North Sea to the East.

Scott spent two years criss-crossing this vast flat area, which at times spreads below sea level, hence the album title, with a wealth of recording equipments to capture some of its sounds and atmospheres, then added treated guitars and drones to create a stark, yet rich, collection of airy soundscapes and dreamy sequences. Continue Reading »

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LAST STEP: Sleep (Planet Mu)

themilkman on May 14th 2012 09:46 pm

Last Step: Sleep

LAST STEP
Sleep
ZIQ303
Planet Mu 2012
09 Tracks. 34mins09secs

Amazon UK: CD | LP | DLD US: CD | LP | DLD Boomkat: CD | LP | DLD iTunes: DLD

Aaron Funk may be best known for his often corrosive drill’n’bass and intensive release schedule as Venetian Snares, but he has a gentler side which he has been expressing through his work as Last Step since 2005. Taking on a resolutely more acid-based approach, Funk has issued two albums under this moniker, the first one, self-titled, in 2007 and the second, 1961, a year later, both on Planet Mu.

As its title suggests, this third album is concerned with sleep, something which transpires through the track titles (Xyrem, Rohypno, Microsleeps, Somno), and, if Funk is to be believed, was recorded as he was falling asleep. Continue Reading »

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SQUAREPUSHER: Ufabulum (Warp Records)

themilkman on May 9th 2012 01:43 am

Squarepusher: Ufabulum

SQUAREPUSHER
Ufabulum
WARP228
Warp Records 2012
10 Tracks. 51mins20secs

Amazon UK: CD | CD LTD | LP US: CD | CD LTD | LP Boomkat: CD | CD LTD | LP iTunes: DLD

In the sixteen years that separate Squarepusher’s debut to his latest delivery, Tom Jenkinson’s music has mostly been fueled by strong fusion jazz currents and massive rave effusions, but whilst these two poles have cohabited, his albums have for the most part been under the dominance of one or the other, never quite the two in equal measures. With its heavy synths lines and playful keyboard washes, Ufabulum clearly belongs to the latter category. Following an excursion as lead-member of Shobaleader One, an enigmatic formation which delivered the somehow crowd-divisive d’Demonstrator two years ago, Jenkinson is back as Squarepusher, and it would appear that his little escapade has done him a world of good.

After the acoustic tendencies of Hello Everything (2006), which eventually led to the entirely beat-less Solo Electric Bass 1 in 2009, Ufabulum is Jenkinson’s most overtly electronic record to date. Continue Reading »

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PHON.O: Black Boulder (50 Weapons)

themilkman on May 8th 2012 01:32 am

Phon.o: Black Boulder

PHON.O
Black Boulder
50WEAPONS07
50 Weapons 2012
11 Tracks. 49mins00secs

Amazon UK: CD | LP | DLD US: CD | LP | DLD Boomkat: CD | DLD

Following stints on Kit Clayton’s Cytrax, T.Raumschmiere’s Shitkatapult, Normoton and Detroit Underground, Phon.o’s Carsten Aermes joined the ranks of Modeselektor’s 50 Weapons last year. His last solo full length release however goes back to 2005 when his second album, Bum Down The Town, was published on Shitkatapult, and whilst a few more EPs came out in the following couple of years, Aermes’s time was, for a while at least, taken mostly by his collaboration with former Funkstörung member Chris De Lucas, CLP, which resulted in two EPs and one album in 2008. Since, the East Germany-born producer and musician, now a Berlin resident, had been pretty quiet, until a handful of EPs appeared on 50 Weapons throughout last year, revealing a much more focused, dubstep-infused sound which he has expanded to full album format with Black Boulder. Continue Reading »

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THOMAS BEL: Innerly (Annexia Records)

themilkman on May 4th 2012 01:33 am

Thomas Bel: Innerly

THOMAS BEL
Innerly
ANNEXIACD09/ANNEXIALP02
Annexia Records 2012
12 Tracks. 55mins31secs

Thomas Bel was born, as he informs us on his website, in autumn. Could it be that it had such a strong influence on his whole persona that it would transpires through his work to this day? Whether this is indeed the case or pure coincidence, his music is at best dark, introspective and cinematic, in an oddly oppressive way. Musician, sound artist, poet and all-round dreamer, Thomas Bel hails from Toulouse, south of France, where he regularly plays live. Although essentially electronic-based, his music also incorporates acoustic elements (cello, guitar, piano), and field recordings, over which he occasionally adds vocals. Continue Reading »

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RUMPISTOL/RED BARON: Floating (Project: Mooncircle)

themilkman on May 2nd 2012 09:49 pm

Rumpistol/Red Baron: Floating

RUMPISTOL/RED BARON
Floating
PMC096/PMC097
Project: Mooncircle 2012
11 Tracks. 41mins36secs

Amazon UK: LP | DLD US: LP | DLD iTunes: DLD

After three albums of increasingly tight and incisive electronica for Rump Recordings, Danish artist Rumpistol, aka Jens Christiansen, has teamed up with LA-based Danish-born vocalist Red Baron for his latest offering and has migrated to Project: Mooncircle for the occasion.

Already, with last year’s Talk To You EP, Rumpistol was carving a surgical dubstep-infused electronica which he had previously only hinted at, most notably on 2008’s Dynamo, hijacking a section of Charlene’s I’ve Never Been To Me on the title track in the process. The reworked version of this track featured on this album does away with the vocal sample and sticks a sliced up Red Baron in its place. Continue Reading »

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EX CONFUSION: Embrace (n5MD)

themilkman on May 2nd 2012 01:21 am

Ex Confusion: Embrace

EX CONFUSION
Embrace
MD196
n5MD 2012
10 Tracks. 45mins24secs

Amazon UK: CD | DLD US: CD | DLD iTunes: DLD

Ex Confusion is the solo endeavour of Japanese musician Atsuhito Omori. Following a debut album published on U-Cover two years ago and handful of EPs released through Heat Death, Somehow, Rural Colours and Twisted Tree Line since, and a spot on For Nihon, a compilation curated by Goldmund’s Keith Kenniff in support of the Japan Earthquake Relief Fund last year, Omori has landed a place on California’s premier electronic imprint n5MD. Deeply atmospheric, warm and textural, Omori’s music is built from heavily processed guitar or piano sequences, stretched and shaped into wonderfully gentle dreamy pieces, and drenched in long slow reverbs. Continue Reading »

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