Thursday, November 30, 2017

The Cavities ‎– Thee Asteroids Have Hit Our Heads AKA Various ‎– Soldering The Fuckin' Solitude Monitor 7"




Bleak Bliss had posted this last year in its original form as the Soldering the Fuckin' Solitude Monitor 7", but unfortunately it has been expired, so here I'm uploading another version of this release. For some reason, this has also been released as Thee Asteroids Have Hit Our Heads by a band called The Cavities, about whom I know nothing (could anyone lighten me up?). Discogs says this is a mispress of the original 7" and has a different artwork and different catalog number, but the tracks are the same, with one organ-and-loops track by Remora, guitar improvisations by Joincey's Coits, a psychedelic loop dream by Ashtray Navigations, and a fuzzed bass-noise piece by Ghostdad. 1997 7" on Phil Todd's Betley Welcomes Careful Drivers.

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Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Coits & Wham-O split 7"



Coits is one of the projects of Joincey, legendary musicians of the North England underground, member of Inca Eyeball, Jarvis/Joincey/Todd and scores of others. Two short tracks of acoustic guitar damage. On the flipside is Wham-O, the moniker of Jeff Fucillo, playing more musical acoustic guitar melodies in the vein of Sir Richard Bishop. 1996 7" on Giardia.

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Sindre Bjerga - Have You Heard The Truth cdr

 

Two live recordings by the bald master of improvisational drone. The man is on top of his game here. 2010 cdr on Striate Cortex.

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Monday, November 27, 2017

Culver - Angel Rain cdr



Stuning four track cdr by the inimitable Culver, one of the most consistent drone projects ever. One track of underwater drone, one short harsh noise track (something Culver rarely does), one guitar power boise drone and one UNBELIEVABLE hypnotic and melancholic track called "Acid Bath" headed by church organ and what could be either violin or accordion. Lee Stokoe is always reliable in delivering the goods. 2007 self-released cdr.

Download (removed after artist's request)

Sunday, November 26, 2017

Bjerga/Iversen - Same River Twice cdr







A great compilation of tracks that first appeared on other releases. Here the Norwegian drone duo showcase an ability to craft short tracks - it's like a drone single hits collection! 2011 cdr on Striate Cortex.

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Saturday, November 25, 2017

Khamvong Insixienmai - Bamboo Voices: Folk Music from Laos



Many years ago I used to work at a record shop, and when there weren't many customers in, the employers assigned me at the jazz & folk music section (on busy days I used to be at the pop section where I was exposed to horrible popular music from my own country and the latest shit by Madonna etc. Fortunately Amy Winehouse had just released Back in Black at that time, so at least we used to play that a lot, aside from experimental techno and house). Obviously not many people came to my section so I had the chance to sample a lot of the cds that were in the most obscure shelves. One of them was this cd featuring music by Laotian singers Khamvong Insixienmai and Thongxhio Manisone and the musician Khamseung Syhanone. The music is dominated by a bamboo pipe instrument called khene, which also consists of a metal free reed, which produces a high-pitched and very metallic sound similar to the harmonica or even more the accordion. In the 1.05 of the fourth track there is a very nice and funny distorted sound made by the instrument. Some tracks also include a lute called phin. The music is very uplifting and joyful, albeit a little annoying due to the ringing sound of the pipe. 1996 cd on Music of the World.

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Friday, November 24, 2017

La Mancha Del Pecado ‎– Cadaveres Exhumados cdr
















Subterranean unsettling drones in the vein of Culver and weird ambient black metal resembling old MZ.412, ending in a harsh noise wall track that is closed off by a mescaline desert ritual tune. La Mancha Del Pecado is the harsh drone project of Miguel Pérez, guitarist extraordinaire and also the guy behind The Skull Mask. 2012 cdr on Ruido Horrible.

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Thursday, November 23, 2017

Moon Zero - Moon Zero CD



Expansive and cinematic drone soundscapes from this project of producer Tim Garratt, evoking a variety of moods, from science fiction/space reminiscences and underwater floating to glacial majesty, aided by the reverb of the St. George church in London. 2015 cd on Denovali.

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Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Kōhachiro Miyata ‎– Shakuhachi - The Japanese Flute

 

Mournful and meditative sounds from the master of the Japanese flute called shakuhachi, which has a wide note range despite having only five holes, thus requiring a masterful technique. This is the original shit, no lame-ass ethnic bullshit played in restaurants. Recorded in 1976 during an American tourand released on vinyl in 1977, it contains melodies based on ancient compositions as it is noted. 1991 cd on Elektra Nonesuch.

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Xazzaz ‎– Smalltown Zombie Massacre cdr

 

Xazzaz is the solo project of Mike Simpson, whose work with Oppenheimer and Dark Bargain I have already covered; he is also in Satanhartalt and Gigantmæcg, and runs the very good Molotov Productions. In Xazzaz he plays savage, industrial-grey guitar punishments which sound like Skullflower on some really bad-quality drugs. Very hard. 2010 cdr on Molotov Productions.

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Monday, November 20, 2017

Soviet Avant-Garde 1 & 2 cds




In a somewhat belated tribute to the most important historic event of not only the 20th century, but of all history in terms of social change, here are the two cds featuring music by early Soviet music composers that were suppressed after the turn to socialist realism in the late 1920s-early to mid 1930s and the purges.

Despite Soviet Union's (and Stalin's personally) immense role in destroying Nazism and liberating a great part of Europe from the shackles of Western imperialism, not to mention the spread of socialism in other continents as well, it ought to be said that the turn to socialist realism, as a tool of serving political expediencies of preparing for WWII, thus needing a more popular form of art that would exult socialist construction and the imminent military effort - that had been correctly foreseen by the Soviet leadership - it was both politically and theoretically unfounded, as was the generalization of the Popular Front tactic that was imposed on the entire list of Comintern parties. The purges, the killings, the terror, and the increasing gigantism of the state and its repressive apparatuses were the logical outcome of such wrong theoretical views, which were, however, up to a certain extent forced upon the Stalinist leadership, as it inherited all the problems laid on the socialist building by the civil war, imperialist invasion and the tactical retreats of NEP and negative military treaties.

The first of the two cds features German pianist Steffen Schleiermacher playing piano sonatas and nocturnes by Sergei Protopopov (whose track starts like a black metal arpeggio!), Alexander Mossolov, Arthur Lourié and Nikolai Roslavetz. It is piano music based on modernism and futurism, with atonalities and very dark moods.

1994 cd on hat[now]ART.



The second cd features more music by Alexander Mossolov (very very bleak), Arthur Lourié, Nikolai Roslavetz, and the unbelievably beautiful tracks of Leonid Polovinkin. 1999 cd on hat[now]ART.

Soviet Avant-Garde 1 download
Soviet Avant-Garde 2 download


Ian Watson – Terrestrials Gone Tropic with Some Pretty Fancy Animals cdr


 
 

Sounds from the docks of a spaceship carrier made on home-made electronics by this Welsh visual artist also recording as SWEFN. Included is a bonus rar with two tracks that were left off the CDR and that were made freely available on lf records' bandcamp. 2013 cdr on lf records.

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Bonus tracks download

Antti Tolvi ‎– Ultrakosmos tape (Sloow Tapes)



Psychedelic synths bubbling and floating in space. Ideal for any lover of old space/scientific TV shows. 2015 tape on Sloow Tapes.

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Sunday, November 19, 2017

Sindre Bjerga ‎– Foreign Tongues tape



Superb improvisational and menacing drone live recordings made by Sindre Bjerga on his 2012 England tour. Great shit. 2012 tape on Matching Head.

Download (removed after artist's request)

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Hum ‎– Le Chat Á Neuf Queues tape (Sloow Tapes)



Yet another project of Bart DePaepe, the belgian druid of psychedelic haze, this time joined by one Anne Collet. As usual, expect guitar clouds of smoke, kraut and kosmische worship, along with amazing droning-looped passages of accordion which are tha shiznit of the tape. Great stuff yo, especially track 2 and the hair-rising, dungeon-sounding track 6. 2015 tape on Sloow Tapes.

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Monday, November 13, 2017

Anla Courtis ‎– ...Y El Resplandor De La Luz No Conoce Límites cdr





Awesome devotional underworld psychedelic drone led by hazy organ and guitar from the Argentine master. 2004 3" cdr on 267 Lattajjaa.

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