TQ Zine # 18, 19 & 20

Time's very limited for reading the latest TQ issues in depth, let alone write about them, but there's been some cool that is worth mentioning.

On #18 the most interesting piece was the interview with Bloxham tapes, which has released the stellar All Is Quiet At the Ancient Theatre by Alison Cotton, a superb album of pagan drone. There's also an interview of Graham Thrower of alt.vinyl, in which I discovered the amazing Vampire Blues tape Knocking on the Dragon's Door, an offering of ecstatic guitar drone folk. The free cd offered with the issue is a label sampler from Bloxham Tapes and its sister label Stars, Dots and the New Junk, showcasing experimental folk, drone, and ambient. Some tracks are really good; I distinguished Greenidge Lambourne's track. Check it out here.

#19 is dedicated to minimalism and is centered around Tone Quanta, a double-disc compilation of minimalist tracks offered by artists worshipped in the blog such as Posset, Chow Mwng, and Xqui. Proceeds from the cd's sales will go the Westgate Ark, an action providing homes for stray cats. Half of the issue is filled with artists reflecting on the tracks they created for the compilation, something TQ had done with its previous compilation, too, and I think it's a great way to get into the working styles of noise musicians. The most important part of the issue is a piece on Arvo Pärt, plus an interview with legendary French experimental composer Éliane Radigue, whose Triptych album I completely adore and crave for when I feel sleepy.

The new issue (#19) offers a cd of Sheer Zed featuring cool ambient soundscapes and field recordings, plus a free download of the album Glass In Your Ear by Robert Weis, which features electronic compositions generated by glass sounds. I like it because it has a Coil quality to it. The mainpiece in this issue is a bio of Eurock zine and label, keeping at promoting experimental music since the 1970s. I got to know Eurock through its collaboration with the amazing Urban Sax/Gilbert Altman, and of course the contributions of owner Archie Patterson to underground music cannot be diminished. His praise of Richard Branson, though, as a "music legend," without referring to his political activities, which now include a financing of a concert aid in Colombia which acts in support of US-backed self-appointed president of Venezuela, Juan Guaido, and aims to assist in the overthrow of the government of Venezuela, is kind of too naive and apolitical. Of course, this isn't TQ's fault, I'm just noting that music and politics cannot be completely separated.

As always, TQ Zine is a great endeavor that requires the support of undeground and DIY music fans, so go to http://tqzine.blogspot.com/, and land a subscription!