Some tracks.

First up is a track from Autechre, taken from their new (and killer) LP 'Exai':

Next up is a track from Saffronkeira, taken from his new (and also killer) LP 'Tourette':

And here's a bonus for fans of Boards of Canada:

I'll write an update some time next week (or the week after) about some of the stuff I've been buying this month, although I plan on writing a proper review for Exai pretty soon.

Enjoy.

-Gregor

Secret Mountains Record Release show @ Cameo Gallery 3/2/2013

Secret Mountains at Cameo Gallery

This review is a little late, it's been a long week. But, my memories of the show are still pretty fresh. Cameo Gallery is less a gallery and more a hole behind a restaurant and bar. At least it's a good-sounding hole, though. Beer on tap might cost you as much as the cover charge ($7) but I thought it was worth it for Brooklyn Winter Ale. There was a small merch table set up near the bar, and I got a chance to ask a band member if they have any old tapes left - they're all out of Rejoice, and Kaddish was a CD-R, so if anyone was hoping to pick those up, it's too late. However, Rejoice was recently added to Spotify, along with the new album.

Andrew Cedermark opened, and I was pleasantly surprised. I had seen this band play a few months ago at Union Pool, at what was supposed to be a Secret Mountains show in December, canceled due to illness. Cedermark still played, but poorly. I don't know if they were nervous being the de facto headliners, or if the sound was just off that night, but they were a lot better at Cameo last week. You can check their stuff out on bandcamp. Day Joy, the second opener, had some sound problems initially, but once they were set up, played an enjoyable and competent set. Their stuff can also be found on bandcamp. Both bands play good, if slightly uninspired, shoegazy rock.

Secret Mountains took the stage more or less on time, and they seemed a lot more sure of themselves than when I saw them last summer at Mercury Lounge. They opened with the new album's title track (which I had definitely heard live before, I think most likely at their Mercury Lounge show) and seemed set to play the record straight through - until their bassist snapped his first string on stage in all their four years together as a band, towards the end of Weepy Little Fingers. They didn't have any spare strings and he's a lefty, so there was a lot of downtime while they fixed it, by stealing a string off someone else's bass. At first, they told jokes. After they ran out of jokes, this happened (sorry for the terrible audio quality, it's my phone, not the sound at the venue). When people ask me why I bother seeing the same bands play live over and over, the answer is that it's shit like this that keeps me coming back.



Soon after the end of their improvised version of Rejoice, the bass was back in action, and so was the show, but they were now short on time. Still, they didn't seem too rushed, taking High Horse nice and slow, and jamming out a little on Golden Blue. Most of the live performances that night sounded very close to the versions on the record, which makes a lot of sense, since I imagine they've been rehearsing these songs this way for quite some time to get the record done. Here's hoping these songs will continue to evolve live, and diverge from the studio version in the future. The band was out of time after Golden Blue, but the crowd heckled the staff into allowing one more song. They played Remainder, finishing out the album. It's one of their only songs I haven't heard live or seen live myself, it's my favorite on the new record, and hearing it close the show was pretty much all I could have asked for from their first full-length gig (that both I and the band have had a chance to attend). Here are some more pictures from the gig. I have two more videos, of High Horse and Remainder, but the bass overwhelms my poor phone's mic. If anyone has a recording of this show, please contact me!

 

Kelly Laughlin

Secret Mountains

Secret Mountains

Andrew Cedermark

Day Joy

Kelly Laughlin

Secret Mountains - Rainer [2013]

Rainer is out today, and was available streaming via Stereogum starting last night. The record is short on tracks (only seven of them) but long on riffs - these are long, introspective songs, and the entire record clocks in around 45 minutes, which seems pretty common these days and is definitely pretty hefty for so few tracks. This is their debut LP, and while they have lots of good songs that they've chosen not to record again for it, I don't blame them for playing their hand close to the vest. Better to have fewer strong songs than end up with some filler, and they've managed to create a nice little slice of music in which the parts all make sense together. As much as I want more songs as a fan, I endorse the decision to keep it short.

This isn't a first impression, more like a fifth, but it helps that I have some experience with these tracks already. Only three seem really new, and I feel like I've heard parts of the title track somewhere before, perhaps under a different name, which, after the recent single, would leave only one truly new song on the whole record. However, almost everything about these old songs is new again. Weepy Little Fingers, Make Love Stay, and Golden Blue all retain the same basic shape as their predecessors, but the colors and textures, the pacing and drama - they're all different. There are new riffs, new noises, new shifts in cadence and feeling fleshing these tracks out more completely. They never seemed particularly thin before, but it's now fairly clear that they were basically live takes - and it's really great to see what they were able to do with them in a proper studio. But that's the least of the changes. First, check out the old version of High Horse from their Shaking Through Session:

and then check out the new official video for it below. Worlds apart. The video is nice too. Obvious themes of life and death are obvious.


Secret Mountains - "High Horse" Official Video from Brian Papish on Vimeo.

The way this track has changed with studio production is profound. The amount of restraint they show taking it down a notch, making it as eerie and haunting as it became, is impressive. I had no idea they were capable of sounding like this, and I'm very curious to find out if this was their vision, or their producer's, because I want to know who to thank. On the topic of production, it pays to point out that as far as I'm concerned, all the right decisions have been made. Kelly Laughlin's vocals are buried when they should be buried, and clear when they should be clear. The way the album flows from track to track is better than I could have even hoped for. The ambient sounds and field recordings are lush and just loud enough to be noticed, as they should be. The drums are neat and clean have not lost their characteristic driving (and dramatic) momentum. This album sounds great on speakers with a good low end, but it sounds even better on really nice headphones, so you can hear all the little noises in the background - and there are a lot of them. I had my jaw drop a time or two trying to get my mind to keep up with what I was hearing. It's been a long time since a band have done that for me, and it makes me think they have the potential to become truly great.

After seeing them live once (out of two attempts), hearing the early tracks, and now hearing the record, it's pretty obvious that they're one of those bands who play a song one way live, and another way in the studio, which is GREAT, in my opinion. Gives you a reason to go to the shows, and I'll be going on Saturday (March 2nd) for the record release party at Cameo Gallery in Brooklyn. Those of you in their hometown of Baltimore can catch them at The Bell Foundry on Thursday February 28th.

P.S. - She sounds like another vocalist I like, but I can't place it. If you can think of the answer, please put it in the comments. It's driving me nuts. 

Recent arrivals.

As some of you may know, I'm into vinyl.  It takes a lot for me to say no, if at all.  But I thought I would share some recent purchases, I'll only discuss particular highlights, and merely mention others without discussion.

I haven't bought all that much this month, however a definite highlight has been Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' 'Push The Sky Away'.

This is much more delicate compared to Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! from '08, which for me was more of a Grinderman record.  The compositions feel personal, and it never tires.  Particularly 'Jubilee Street' and the title track which closes the album.  Warren Ellis, in particular, is superb on this record, excluding Cave himself, he pretty much drives the tracks on violin.  All in all, this is very much a solid record.  However, if you've never been convinced by their works before, this will unlikely change your mind, but I guess that's expected from a band who've been in existence for about thirty years now.

Next up is EOD's (Stian Gjevik) 'Volume 1'.

This is his first release on Rephlex (that label that is co-owned by some guy called RDJ), and it's fantastic.  I feel like the label itself has been a bit of a ghost label for the past couple of years, but hopefully with this release, things are starting to turn around again.  This was released both as a 12" and CD, the former has three exclusive tracks (out of six) which means you're missing out on seven from the CD version. Word of advice, don't miss out, it's well worth investing in both.  He brings a whole new recipe to Acid/Techno/IDM (ugh) and keeps it fresh.  There's no abundance of artists in this genre, sometimes it can become quite tedious because there are very few distinctions to make between different artists (mostly because they use same the equipment).  However, Stian has managed to keep things interesting, it's much smoother than most Rephlex releases, and therefore, probably much more accessible, but that doesn't mean there's no depth.  I've been listening to his releases constantly for the past few months, and I still return for more each day.  I strongly recommend checking out his other 12" releases, particularly 'Questionmarks' and 'Utrecht', especially the latter, that's awesome.  In fact, you can check out these tracks at his bandcamp along with several other digital releases and an alias of his CN.

Here are some other records I picked up this month:

Atoms for Peace - Amok
Four Tet - 0181
Grinderman - Grinderman
Grinderman - Grinderman 2
KH - The Track I've Been Playing That People Keep Asking About And That Joy Used In His RA Mix And Daphni Played On Boiler Room
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
Slowdive - Pygmalion
Stars of the Lid - The Ballasted Orchestra
Sunn O))) - Monoliths & Dimensions
Yo La Tengo - Fade

I'll probably publish other types of articles such as talking about rare records I own/want, and artists that I love.  In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this at the very least.  

-Gregor

Secret Mountains - Coasting (single)

I'm so impatient for the Secret Mountains debut record (called "Rainer"), I'm going to warm up a little with their first single from it, "Coasting". Edit: it's out, and you can listen here on bandcamp.



First though, a little background. Secret Mountains are a six-piece from Baltimore playing blissed-out psych-rock with a distinct self-indulgent bent, which is a big draw for me. I'm a sucker for "big" music, and their songs seem to tower over me as I listen, getting larger and taller as the layers pile on. Kelly Laughlin's vocals are haunting and forlorn, and just a little bit hesitant sometimes - as if she's not sure she wants to confess such significant thoughts and feelings, but is compelled to anyway. I can't understand what she's singing most of the time, but I can just barely make out words here and there, which really adds to the excitement-of-discovery feeling I get with this band that I haven't had in a long time. Each song feels new for longer than it should - though it's worth mentioning that it also takes awhile to be able to tell their songs apart from one another. That's not necessarily a bad thing, to have such similarity in style between tracks, at least not in this case, for me, because I really eat this shit up. The songs tend to be geometric and climactic, rising and falling with satisfying predictability as layers of noodling guitars stack up with layers of more ambient color coming from the keyboards and extra guitar. The vocals are generally a little buried, melting back into the big picture being painted as you listen, which had an entrancing effect on me. Before now, they've only released a few singles and EPs, mostly sold out, but all well worth tracking down. You can get their Winter Sessions tape on Bandcamp, and their Kaddish EP is on Spotify. You can also hear their Rejoice tape on Bandcamp, and their recent single High Horse is on Bandcamp and Spotify. edit: and there's a new version of the song along with an official video on vimeo.

The new single cuts in a little startlingly - these bongos are clearly leading out from another song on the record. Before actually getting to the song itself, can I just say how excited I am by this? I know production techniques like this are hardly new, but I was really hoping this album would flow like that, because that sort of production decision seemed like it would suit their play style. So i'm delighted to see it's likely going to be the case. The guitar riff kicks in with an immediate ambient accompaniment, creating a dark, foreboding mood that only gets intensified as Ms. Laughlin starts cooing over the top. The ambient backing swirls and rises and drags us into the actual song as the drums kick in and the floaty guitar is replaced by a lower one, at which point the mood becomes a little less muddy and dark, a little more distantly hopeful. That's probably one of my favorite things about this band throughout their earlier releases - how good they are at nailing that feeling of hope or triumph over adversity. This is a band that also does big climaxes well - but this song does not have one. They get a good thing going, and build some really nice tension and mood. Towards the end a building wall of guitars starts to appear, and Kelly comes back for one more line - and then cuts you off abruptly. Normally, this is the kind of thing that would drive me up a wall a little bit (though this is not nearly as bad an example as some others), and I've not really heard this from them before. But I expect it will work really well in the context of the record, as long as it's been produced with an ear to its flow, which seems pretty likely because of how the intro is cut. As a single, I'm not sure of the choice, but it might have simply been the shortest track on the record; their songs tend to run quite long (which is not a complaint, quite the opposite in fact). I really like the song, but it leaves me wanting more desperately - which I suppose might be a reasonable goal to have accomplished with a lead single.

Rainer comes out February 6th, is out now and you can listen to it or buy it here on bandcamp. It is limited to 500 vinyl copies (or digital download) and can also be purchased over here at Friends Records. Stay tuned for a review of the album when I finally receive it, and more after their record release party @ Cameo Gallery in Brooklyn on March 2nd.

Julianna Barwick @ Cafe Oto, 22nd November 2012

Support: Silver Pyre

The bedroom musicians of today have the unique position contrary to most arena-centric bands and artists out there to forge their own world within the comfort of their aesthetically moulded environments and harbour some measure of success and merit for their work. American one-woman operation Julianna Barwick has garnered some high praise from critics and spellbound fans alike for her ethereal incantations. The title of her last full-length, 2011’s The Magic Place, conjures a dream-like state that could so easily allude to her own space of music-making. The same concept is analogous to Cafe Oto, a relaxed, stylish coffeehouse-cum-music venue with an authentic atmosphere of a vintage jazz club. Instead of solely focusing on jazz music like its neighbour, the Vortex Jazz Club, its eclectic nightly programme makes this a popular venue. Tonight’s sold out event begins with Silver Pyre, pseudonym of Gary Fawle, who challenges the crowd to some minimal folktronica. His sound inhabits a similar aesthetic to Thom Yorke’s solo glitch-rock – with laptop, pre-programmed sequencer, guitar and an aura of abandonment, he paints intimately-bound layers of rough, stuttering beats and tones. Lyrical vocals too, but these lack the rounding punch. The climax of the set arrives with a distorted Lou Reed-style vocal performance grinding together with processed chimes, scattershot buzz tones and a sludgy bass pulse to deliver a swaggering post-industrial heaviness.

Julianna Barwick is the cheerleader for DIY ambient folk. Where her cousin contemporaries (Julia Holter, Rachel Evans (Motion Sickness of Time Travel) and Grouper’s Liz Harris) are caught in the claustrophobic rut of abandoned loneliness, Barwick’s sonic pedigree is a rich and cleansing experience elevating our emotions to heavenly heights. With her head gracefully poised upward, as if delivering a sermon to the Gods, Barwick opens her set immersed in dreamy projections of tree-flecked skies. Within the enveloping washes of harmonies and gushing reverb, rewards begin to greet the patient audience members. I feel transfixed, and pretend to hallucinate enchanted spirits that dwell within the trees whispering through the crepuscular glades. She turns an East London coffee shop – that most intimate space – into an Arcadian idyll, a majestic cathedral.

In spite of her arrestingly original approach to composition, the same method is used time and time again in each piece: a build up of mainly wordless vocal loops, interlaced with thickly blanketed instrumentation which all reach some kind of euphoric plateau where Barwick can then inject some more of her own unearthly vocal decorations before fading back into stillness and silence. These multi-tracked mantras evoke a spiritual feeling that chimes the all too familiar resonances of Enya’s atmospheric fairylike folk, or the cosmic touchstones of Brian Eno’s ‘An Ending’. I could not fault the sound, which I assume plays a critical role in her own enjoyment of performing live. Tonight she is as sweet and modest as her music would suggest. Barwick’s dependency on her loopstation and pre-programmed effects occasionally dispels the magic, but her talent is in that crystalline voice. One gets caught in a resonant web, created by the vast layer of vocal phrases and these build up with interwoven delicacy. The weighty presence of reverb is the glistening touch for the IMAX of musical experience. The elevated intensity reaches a climax in ‘Bob In Your Gait’ where the soaring resonances shaped by Barwick’s controlled vocal decorations around leisurely refined pulse of guitar and piano juxtaposition lets the song drift off into the ether with poise.

I think we should be beaming Julianna Barwick’s music out into space if heaven was a place on Earth. As we all float away from the sacred space of dreams, one would hope Barwick can cast her net wider on her next stride towards creative ambition. On her forthcoming album (out in 2013) which features guest vocalists and musicians, it will be intriguing to know whether her unique aesthetic combines effectively with collaborative minds to coexist with this meteoric ascent of her talent.

New Members

Deadly Boars would like to welcome several new collaborators - Dillon, Fiona, Glen, and Gregor. For the six of you who read this blog and don't already write for it, hopefully this will mean more diverse and frequent content.

Best of 2012 instrumental mix

Pictured: Toto

Click here to listen

01 Evenings - Golden
02 Snow Palms - Blue Yonder
03 Andrew Bird - Things Behind The Barn
04 Two Bicycles - Voice Clouds
05 Message To Bears - Farewell, Stars
06 Dead Rat Orchestra - Salt Slide
07 Alamaailman Vasarat - Riistomaasiirtäjä
08 Black Prairie - Evil Leaves
09 Mount Eerie - (something)
10 Library Tapes - End of the Summer
11 dalot - haiku 16
12 Indian Wells - In The Streets
13 Errors - The Knock
14 Balmorhea - Artifact
15 Godspeed You! Black Emperor - We Drift Like Worried Fire
16 Memory Tapes - The Black Reel

~90 minutes counting the last two tracks, ~45 without them. Think of it as a 2-part deal if you want, or just skip the long tracks at the end, idgaf. It was a good year for instrumental music. I could have made this go on for hours, easily. I left most of my favorite ambient stuff off since a lot of the same artists are on the Hurricane Sandy Relief compilation posted below, which you should really check out in lieu of any mix I could make.

...and darkness came [2012] - First Impression

I'm only really thirty-eight or so songs into this absurdly large (86 tracks!) compilation, but i'm fairly confident it's worth recommending to you. I haven't heard a bad track yet, and still to come further down the list are the likes of Nils Frahm, Ólafur Arnalds, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Max Richter, Hauschka, Clint Mansell, Celer, and many, many more of your favorite ambient, drone, and modern classical artists. The album is free to listen to, but if you choose to buy it, 100% of your $10 for a download in a format of your choice (including FLAC) will go to Doctors Without Borders and The Humane Society. And, thanks to this compilation, I'm now subscribed to the excellent electronic music review mag headphonecommute, which I hadn't known about until now. Whether you're really into this kind of thing, are feeling particularly contemplative on a grey day with nothing to do, or just need some pretty music to fall asleep to, this 86-track monstrosity is probably for you.

Best of 2012 mix

Pictured: None of the below bands.

I don't do lists, I do do mixes. click here to listen or check out the streaming link below.
hehe. do do.

01 Secret Mountains - Golden Blue
02 Thee Oh Sees - Lupine Dominus
03 Frankie Rose - Interstellar
04 Grass Widow - Milo Minute
05 Seapony - What You Wanted
06 Ilyas Ahmed - My Mirage
07 Mount Eerie - Ocean Roar
08 Sharon van Etten - Serpents
09 Black Prairie - How Do You Ruin Me
10 Efterklang - Dreams Today
11 Stars - Progress
12 The Luyas - Channeling
13 Memory Tapes - Neighborhood Watch
14 Aesop Rock - Racing Stripes
15 Boy Eats Drum Machine - The Devil's Wheels
16 Liars - WIXIW
17 First Aid Kit - Dance To Another Tune
18 Andrew Bird - Beyond the Valley of the Three White Horses

If i get DMCA'd for not blacking out any of those names, so help me god, (insert empty threats here). Run time is ~80 minutes, and watch out for a follow-up all-instrumental mix coming soon.

On the topic of Black Prairie, Secret Mountains, and Sharon Van Etten, I still have some pictures and videos from shows I attended last month to round up and post here. Secret Mountains are playing again this coming Friday, 12/14 at Union Pool in Brooklyn. They'll be opening for Andrew Cedermark (who sounds promising from the brief sample I heard) along with The Heaven's Jail Band and Gem Trails. While theirs will probably be a short set, Secret Mountains alone will be worth the price of admission, so drop by that show if you have nothing better to do.

Update: Secret Mountains canceled so I hope no one took my advice.

House-Mixes.com