Improvised Music From Japan (Box Set)

Earlier this week EXP ETC, one of my favorite blogs, uploaded an incredible box set of improv music from Japan. I suggest everyone go as soon as they possibly can and listen to all of it! It's got some fucking incredible noise/sound experiments and such. May it bellow through your brain and cause aneurysms-a-plenty! Enjoy it while you can!

Go HERE to get it, and let 'em know I sent yas.
Go HERE for more info.

say it with me now, "Thanks EXP ETC!"

Redneck Zombies 20th Anniversary Edition (1986)

The 20th Anniversary Edition of Redneck Zombies, one of the all time greatest zombie flicks ever made, was released yesterday! So fucking get the fuck over here and buy it! NOW!

"First off, if you haven't seen REDNECK ZOMBIES and the title intrigues you, then this is a must see. Strangely, this movie really polarizes its audience - I've found people who love it and those who don't love it really, really hate it with a passion. Whatever it is, it's both smart and sophomoric at the same time. Oh yes, and ultra-gory too.

This DVD release improves immensely over Troma's original release. For one thing, this is a new master seemingly created by Ed Bishop (with some slight "improvements" here and there). This means that the "Where's a nice place to take a s---" line isn't truncated like on the original DVD. The psychedelic sequences also have some additional effects added to them. Aside from this, the disc comes with a bonus soundtrack CD, 45 minutes of interviews from 12 cast and crew members, a fun commentary track, original promo trailers, outtakes and deleted scenes from the R-rated video version of the film. Basically, if you're a fan of REDNECK ZOMBIES, you absolutely must own this release. And if you've never seen the film before, note that this is probably the best example of a 1980s shot-on-video film. It's hilarious, gory and an all-around good time."

Info: When a clan of hillbily dirtfarmers turn a misplaced barrell of chemical waste into a whiskey still, going blind is the least of their worries as the toxic moonshine turns them into REDNECK ZOMBIES! Now they're ready to invite a group of wayward yankees to a down-home feast of southern-fried gore and mayhem that will turn your stomach and tickle your funny bone! So grab a seat and set a spell with your favorite gut-chompin, tobacco chewin' cannibal kinfolk from hell in REDNECK ZOMBIES!
Special Features include:
-Brand New Director-Approved Color-Corrected Transfer of the Film
-The Original Never-Before-Released Soundtrack on bonus CD!
-New Interviews with Director Pericles Lewnes and cast
-New Feature-length Audio Commentary by Pericles Lewnes and producer Edward Bishop
-Deleted Scenes, Outtakes, Original Promotional Videos, and Much More!

Royal Trux - Royal Trux (1988)

I love this album. I'm a fan of most output from New York's "Heroin Chic" poster band, but this has to be my favourite. It's noisey, SURPRISE!, and full of great guitar jams, crunchy yelps and howls, and all sorts of goodness. It kind of reminds me of Jandek or Beat Happening or something else as equally uncomparable, specifically in the way the instruments are played and recorded. I just got a vinyl reissue of this and it has reminded me just how fucking rad these guys are. If you're not familiar with Royal Trux then start here! Please!

""Royal Trux" is the debut album by Royal Trux. It was released as an LP in 1988 by Royal Records, then reissued on CD by Drag City in 1993." - Wikipedia.com

TRACK LIST:
1. Zero Dok – 2:38
2. Esso Dame – 2:26
3. Cold Dust – 1:39
4. The Set-Up – 2:20
5. Hashish – 2:06
6. Sice I Bones – 3:23
7. Hawk'n Around – 3:14
8. Sanction Smith – 1:42
9. Andersonville – 5:53
10. Jesse James – 3:52
11. Walking Machine – 3:00
12. Bits and Spurs – 5:02
13. Strawberry Soda – 2:42
14. Touch – 2:34

DOWNLOAD / BUY

Ariel Pink - Ariel Rosenberg's Thrash & Burn: Pre (1998)

I'm a big fan of the Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti series released by L.A.'s Ariel (Pink) Rosenberg, but this presents a much different sound. This is hands down my favorite of all of his releases, but to compare it to the rest would be stupid. It's a much more experimental sound, with little to none of that 80's pop sensibility. Imagine Thurston Moore tinkering alone in his bedroom at 17, recording a dance/noise album. That's what this reminds me of. From the washy guitar drones, and muddled voice, to the Velvet Underground mash-up, this is all around good times. Recorded in 1998, but released in 2006.

"Released by Human Ear Music as both a two disc set and a four cassette collection, Ariel Rosenberg's Thrash & Burn: Pre was recorded on cassette in 1998 and presents a more experimental Rosenberg than is found on his eventual Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti albums. The album plays as two long tracks which further divide into a collection of short songs." - Wikipedia.com

Also: Human Ear Music

TRACK LIST:
Part 1

1. "Shoes"
2. "Foul Play"
3. "Pleasure Spot 1 (Sweet Jane Rock N Roll)"
4. "Innagecko"
5. "I Disguise You"
6. "Cemetery Suite"
7. "Starry Eyes"
8. "Those Were the Days (Now I'm 21)"
9. "Disco MIA AKA Bust A Move"
10. "Nothing At All/Different Names"
11. "Memorial"
12. "Brother Sister"
13. "Funeral"
14. "Leggos"
15. "Double Jeopardy"
16. "Red Vinyl"
17. "Feel It With Your Landlord"
18. "White Rain in the Windy Summer"

Part 2

1. "White Rain in the Windy Summer (Reprise...)"
2. "On the Beach"
3. "The Andalusian"
4. "Half Girls Half Boys"
5. "Cry Yourself to Sleep (12 Minute Overture)"
6. "Rita Mae Brown"
7. "50 Cents"
8. "Cuz You're Dead (Lester Bangs)"
9. "Dawn (Thrash)"
10. "Pleasure Spot 3 (See You Are)"
11. "Rainy Den"
12. "Red Room"
13. "Pleasure Spot 2 (Lucinda Cunt)"
14. "Equus"
15. "You Die Slowly and Then You Die"
16. "Kamikaze"
17. "I Won't See You Again"
18. "Life Song"

DOWNLOAD PT. 1 / PT. 2
BUY HERE

Buffalo Tones - Spider Walks: Vol. 1 (2008)

So I've been making mixes for years and years, I used to make a new mixtape every other day way back in high school, then it switched to mixed cd's. Lately I've been making playlists for people and then sending them over the internet. I've decided to start uploading these mixes in a series I'm calling Spider Walks. The name comes from a friend of mine, Martok, who released a really beautiful ambient delay album (I say released but what I mean is handed out copies of to several people) entitled Spider Walks The Barren Wasteland... followed by "2012" or some number, I can't really remember specifically. Martok is also the main head in The Splitz (Track 2 of this comp.), a noise/punk band he formed with another good friend of mine, and whom I played drums for briefly. Anyways, I'm fairly proud of most of the mixes, some of them are much noisier and some of them are quite soft, and they were all made with someone particular in mind. This one was made for an old roomate of mine who shares much of the same taste in music. It's got some noisier songs (The Dead C), some soft songs (Greg Ashley), some hippy dippy stuff (Apple-Glass Cyndrom) and a whole bunch inbetween. I think it's fairly eclectic overall, so just grab it if there's anything on it that you're interested in and I hope you enjoy it. Favorite song on it, right now, is probably Karl Blau's Ghostly Appearance.

TRACK LIST:
1. The Tom & Marty Band - Naomi
2. The Splitz - Gun Or Guitar
3. The Dead C - Sky
4. Pedro Santos - Dual
5. Greg Ashley - Won't Be Long
6. Devo - Be Stiff
7. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Round And Round (It Won't Be Long)
8. Charlie Mcalister - Death From the Depths
9. Van Morrison - The Big Royalty Check
10. Talking Heads - I'm Not In Love
11. Beck - Replica
12. PAULO BAGUNÇA - Mensageiro
13. The Microphones - Get Off The Internet
14. Karl Blau - Ghostly Appearance
15. Apple-Glass Cyndrom - Someday
16. Abstract Truth - Moving Away
17. The Wilde Flowers - Don't Try To Change Me (Hugh Hopper-Flight-Wyatt)
18. Charles Manson - Bet You Think I Care
19. U.S. Girls - Kelly In The Other Room, Me In My Room
20. The Beach Boys - Cabinessence

DOWNLOAD

Merzbow - Anicca (2008)

First things first I suppose. I've been reading mixed reviews on Anicca, as well as Merbow's input as of late in general. I'm not well versed in the world of Merzbow, though I plan on being so and have been slowly building my repertoire in the past weeks. Of what I've heard, which again is still not significant, I really enjoyed Anicca a great deal. It's one of the heaviest and loudest things I've ever heard, and that excites me greatly. It throttled me with every ounze of energy it could muster, which was a lot, and I was filled with candescent power. I would probably go as far as to say that it's my favorite so far. If you're a Merzbow guru then please be light on me if that statement appawls you. I'm growing, I assure you, and I will be listening to many more albums in the very near future. In the meantime though I highly recomend this album to anyone unfamiliar with Merzbow, and even to anyone who is versed but has not yet heard this. Maybe I'm wrong, but I could care less 'cause I really enjoyed it. Did I mention that already? Ahhh well. Get it fucks!

"To begin a review by claiming Masami Akita as "the undisputed king of Japanese noise" would be a cliché that has probably been used 200 times before, counting each time Masami Akita has come up with a new Merzbow-album from his laboratory of sonic extremity. On this latest album "Anicca" released on the excellent British Cold Spring-label, Merzbow presents three pieces of ear-shattering noise. Opening piece titled "Anicca Part 1" is a twenty minutes piece recorded in London just after the well-acclaimed noise event at the UlU club in April 2008 featuring Merzbow, Satori and Sutcliffe Jugend. The piece separates in its inclusion of improvised freestyle drum-work from Masami Akita. The use of drums adds an interesting rhythm structure in the abrasive work. The contrast between acoustic sounds and electronic noise gives a quite interesting result. The next two pieces has been derived from Munemi House in Tokyo demonstrating Merzbow's ability to control and manipulate harsh sound textures and thus create the effect of hypnotism. Especially the third and final part of Anicca is an enjoyable exploration with the use of sonar sounds as part of the noise texture. Yet another fine work of anti-music from the Japanese legend which 30 years after his first shot still seems to find new paths in his jungle of sonic madness." - Vital Weekly

TRACK LIST:
1. Anicca Part I
2. Anicca Part II
3. Anicca Part III

DOWNLOAD

African Tribal Music & Dances (1994)

Unbelievable compilation of various tribal stuff. Very eclectic mix of instruments and sounds from The Baoulé, The Malinke & Sonar Senghor & His Rhythms. Get it!
















TRACK LIST:

1		Festival Music
2		Solo For The Seron
3		Hymn Of Praise
4		Percussion Instruments
5		Festival Of The Circumcision
6		Dance Of The Hunters
7		Dance Of The Woman
8		Invocation, Entrance, And Dance Of The Glaou
9		Duet For Flutes
10		Solo For Musical Bow
11		Xylophone Solo
12		Male Chorus And Harp
13		Dance Of The Witch Doctor
14		Sicco
15		Toffi
16		Ibonga
17		Gnounba Gnibi
18		Dianka Bi
19		Sibi Saba
20		Sindhio
21		Didrenquo
22		Bonomiollo

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Pedro Santos - Krishnanda (1968)

This is such a ridiculously great album. One of the best albums I've heard come out of Brazil, and that's saying something. It seems like everything I hear out of Brazil, specifically the mid-60's to mid-70's, is brilliant. So here you have an unbelievably classic album, full of great melodies, beautiful vocals, and all sorts of wonderful sounds. This is without doubt one of my favorite albums ever, so get it and be merry! I want to listen to the song Dual as I lay on a beautiful beach, and fall blissfully into an eternal sleep.

"The album is utterly unclassifiable and when I played some tracks for fellow SS contributer Josh Nice he remarked (after picking his jaw up off the floor) something to the effect of, 'this is why I love music, because just when you thought you've heard everything worth listening to, you hear something like this and it renews your faith in music.' Maybe I overstated his sentiments a bit, but nonetheless its a great album" - SoulSpectrum

TRACK LIST:
1. Ritual Negro
2. Água Viva
3. Um Só
4. Sem Sombra
5. Savana
6. Advertência
7. Quem Sou Eu ?
8. Flor De Lotus
9. Dentro Da Selva
10. Desengano Da Visita
11. Dual
12. Aranbindu

DOWNLOAD

Raccoo-oo-oon - Raccoo-oo-oon (2008)

With the mention of Raccoo-oo-oon in my last post I figured if any of you hadn't had the chance to hear them before then I'd give you that opportunity on a silver platter. Here is that silver platter my friends. Some numbing noise rock spazz, reminiscent of such greats as Sun City Girls (similar vocal squalls) or possibly at times even Black Dice (to a much smaller degree), The Boredoms, and the like. Perhaps that's stretching it a bit, but I digress. All you need to know is that this is noisy, pulsing goodness and you should hear it. Now disbanded, this is their fifth and final release.

"Raccoo-oo-oon wraps up their recording career with the same reckless abandon as every album that has preceded it. The album contracts and expands as if it were a schizophrenic Big Bang, preparing to spew its volatile contents across the black void to breathe life into the dark crevices that have gone untouched for eons. Raccoo-oo-oon doesn’t visit new territory; it simply reconstitutes the old into something familiar but fresh. Songs melt and decompose before you, only to reform and freeze into gnarled incarnations. What good is a memory if it can’t be manipulated to extrapolate the most potent bliss? This is Raccoo-oo-oon’s gift to us before their final explosion expels their seeds into untouched corners of an ever-expanding musical universe. This album may be the final credits, but it doesn’t signal the end of their impulse." - Tiny Mix Tapes Reviews



TRACK LIST:
1. Untitled I
2. Untitled II
3. Untitled III
4. Untitled IV
5. Untitled V
6. Untitled VI
7. Untitled VII

DOWNLOAD

Wet Hair - 08 Tour Tape (Cass.)

Some really great lo-fi ambient/noise/rock type stuff from the folks who brought you Raccoo-oo-oon & Pocahaunted (Night People). I really enjoyed this, as well as any other Wet Hair I've heard, and Night People are quickly becoming one of my favorite labels. I'm a sucker for tapes, and they've got a lot of good ones! If you liked the Emeralds post, or anything like that, then you'll probably dig this, though they're not the same at all really. This is much more immediately progressive, less of a wash of sound type thing. So maybe that's a bad comparison. Both will put you in a dazed-out zone, I suppose, is what I'm trying to say. But besides all that they're awesome! Check their Myspace for a better idea of the sound. Enjoy!

Wet Hair is Shawn Reed & Ryan Garbes of Raccoo-oo-oon.

TRACK LIST:
1. White Strobe Void
2. Black Sand
3. Saturns Return
4. Electric Annihilation

DOWNLOAD

(thanks to We Are Up For Sale! for the origianl upload)

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Can't Hear My Eyes / Evolution's A Lie (7") (2008)

The newest from Ariel Pink sees his first ever recording with full band. I really liked it. Though I wasn't huge on Can't Hear My Eyes overall I didn't hate it by any means, and the horns in the middle are incredible! Evolution's A Lie is just overall an awesome song, with a much harsher jam/freak-out type dealy [aura] deep at the core. Definitely get this if you're already familiar with Ariel Pink!

"hello friend. My name is Ariel Pink. You've probably read my name online somewhere, maybe your best friend burned you some of my older records, or perhaps you even think we've met at some time in the past. Baloney! Everything you think you know is WRONG- DEAD WRONG. THIS is me, naked, without the buffer of awful tape noise drowning out any lack of vision." - Ariel Pink

TRACK LIST:
1. Can't Hear My Eyes
2. Evolution's A Lie

DOWNLOAD

Emeralds - Planetarium (2008)

Very beautiful, melodic droney stuff. I don't know much about the band, but this is a fabulous album. It seems they're quite prolific too, as they have several other 2008 releases. They're a band I'm looking quite forward to hearing more of. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find much information on them aside from this being a limited tape release. As such, this is obviously a cassette rip. Enjoy folks.

TRACK LIST:
1. Untitled (9:55)
2. Untitled (9:55)

DOWNLOAD

(thanks to We Are Up For Sale! for the origianl upload)

Merzbow - Kibbutz (1983)

I've sampled Merzbow before, here and there, but this is the first album to ever really grab me, shake me, throw me down, forcefully penetrate me, impregnate me, abort the baby, eat the remains, and force me to pay attention to the heavenly light that is "Merzbow". Imagine Mainliner's Mellow Out, Amon Düül, and Eye all skipping, hand in hand, through a beautiful park, raping and pillaging as seen fit. This album is the best no-wave krautrock orgasm I've heard. Ever. Get it and prepare to explode. This is a cassette rip, and I'm fairly sure it's never been re-released on anything else. I'm also going to upload one of his 2008 releases, Anicca, in the coming days. Enjoy!

"The late 80s/early 90s saw an influential experimental noise movement emerge from Japan, with artists such as Hanatarash, Masonna, Violent Onsen Geisha, and especially, Merzbow, causing quite a stir. Besides being the leader of the movement, Akita also quickly turned out to be one of the most prolific recording artists in music, as it is almost impossible to stay on top of all his releases. His total number of recordings (both solo and with others) easily passes 300, with some guessing the number totalling over 500." - NME.com

Also: Wikipedia.com

TRACK LIST:
1. Kibbutz Side A Track 1
2. Kibbutz Side A Track 2
3. Kibbutz Side B

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Maximum Joy - Unlimited (1979-1983) (2005)

Picture Ana da Silva of The Raincoats yelping along to some superb punk-groove (think Dub era Flying Lizards), toss in some amazing Pop Group horns and that is somewhat what this album represents. Two parts Glaxo Babies, one part Pop Group, with Janine Rainforth on vocals, Maximum Joy is a hard hitting groove fest that you can't help but dance to! This is kind of like their version of Minor Threat's Discography, in that it compiles tracks from a larger body to give you the overall, a retrospect. I won't ramble on for too long, but if you want to bop, and rock out then grab this one!

"On the track "Building Bridges", Maximum Joy's Janine Rainforth sings, "How do you feel about building a bridge / Between you and me / Between them and us?" A great deal of Maximum Joy's output seems to deal with building bridges. Musically, the group's use of complex percussion, horns, danceable bass lines, and overtly English female vocals built a bridge between the worlds of Afrobeat, reggae, avant-garde jazz, funk, and pop. On a personal level, the band built a bridge connecting musical luminaries like the Pop Group, Adrian Sherwood, Dennis Bovell, Nellee Hooper, and John Peel. The group came together in Bristol, England, in 1979 and besides Rainforth, included Tony Wrafter, Charles Llewelyn, John Waddington, and Dan Catsis. Llewelyn was a former member of Glaxo Babies, Waddington was formerly in the Pop Group, and Catsis and Wrafter had played in both bands. Later, they would be joined by Kev Evans, future super-producer Nellee Hooper, and Jeremy Hirsh." - PopMatters Review

Also: Pitchfork Review (7.8/10)



TRACK LIST:
1. White & Green Place
2. In The Air
3. Building Bridges
4. Summer 'Till Done
5. Stretch
6. Where's Deke
7. Silent Street
8. Man Of Tribes
9. Searching For A Feeling
10. All Wrapped Up!
11. Dancing On My Boomerang

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Arthur Russell - The World Of Arthur Russell (2004)

Disco has never sounded this good. That's really all I can say. Arthur Russell (aka Dinosaur L, for a lot of his dance stuff) is beautiful. Disco is perhaps the wrong word to use, but the inspiration is there. A lot of this stuff could be easily played in clubs, especially in 1978, and people would dance their heads off. Also remember that this is Arthur Russell, so to try and pigeon hole it would be stupid. There is a lot about this album that isn't dance, and doesn't sound anything like the sample below, so experiment with this even if that song doesn't strike your fancy. Also, if you haven't had the chance I recommend sitting down and watching the film Wild Combination (2008), about the life of Arthur Russell. It's intensely mesmerizing and heart breaking. Please go and listen to this album! The end.

"The set opens with the disco favorite "Go Bang #5", as mixed by Francois Kevorkian. From the drunken Don Drummond-esque trombone, weird Bitches Brew-style keyboard doodles, and crisp hi-hats cutting into the hand drums to the mingled masculine/feminine chants of "I want to see all my friends at once go bang, go bang, go bang, get BANGED!!!" its dubby pleasuredome message is undeniable and infectious. Similarly lascivious is the Larry Levan mix of "Is It All Over My Face", whose lyrical meaning vacillates between that of come-on and unbridled aural beatitude on the dancefloor. Both tracks embrace the seeming conflicts of simple physical release and higher levels of ecstatic pleasure and simply let it all go." - Pitchfork Review (8.9/10)



TRACK LIST:

1. "Go Bang" (Dinosaur L) – 7:36
2. "Wax the Van" (Lola) – 5:27
3. "Is It All Over My Face" (Loose Joints) – 6:57
4. "Keeping Up" (Arthur Russell) – 6:20
5. "In the Light of the Miracle" (Arthur Russell) – 13:21
6. "A Little Lost" (Arthur Russell) – 3:18
7. "Pop Your Funk" (Loose Joints) – 6:38
8. "Let's Go Swimming" (Arthur Russell) – 5:14
9. "In the Cornbelt" (Dinosaur L) – 5:57
10. "Treehouse" (Arthur Russell) – 2:17
11. "Schoolbell/Treehouse" (Indian Ocean) – 10:05

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Surprieze - Zeer Oude Klanken En Heel Nieuwe Geluiden (LP) (1973)

SWACK! SHOOMP! BLAP! Look the fuck out before your face explodes! This little dutch jem is golden! Full of disturbed psychedelic free jazz rock and roll extravaganza! There's raunchy guitars, noisy drums, fuzzy feedback, bagpipes, flutes, chants, horns, strings, harmony, cacophony, and plain old good time freak outs. It's got a somewhat middle eastern edge at times, and at times it's kinda like the velvet underground or something. It's all over the place and nasty and I like it that way! Many levels, and they're all schizophrenic noodles and really superb. To top it all off, this is an original vinyl rip courtesy of the great Mutant Sounds. So get it! Now!

"I first read the reviews of the Surprieze LP's and did not expect to hear what I heard when I finally had the chance to listen. The descriptions I read were possibly not written by reviewers who liked or knew albums like Kalacakra, Dom, Siloah, etc., German acoustic improvisational Krautrock albums with a raga-like effect...

This band who started with their career with R&B in 1966 evolved to something completely different, something more psychedelic through avantgardistic and more pure mood improvisation styles. "Suprieze" refers to "surprise" and the music is surprising indeed, because there is not much music like this being made in Holland.

The first track is like Kalacakra, improvisational raga like.

The second track start like an experimental sounds creation like very early Kraftwerk. This kind of creativity with music being born from within the mood and sound creation was very ahead of it's time, and even now it's still not always understood by music writers. -Thanks to the newer more accessible works of Kraftwerk some people did take time to get into the earlier works of Kraftwerk for instance, but other groups were often still denied, although such "sound creations" on its own have abilities to look for and dig into the 'essence' of musical creation. Such transformational potential, within a psychedelic / bluesy raga like mood continuation, creating its own structures, becomes an accessible and enjoyable, mind expanding experience.

After the first two long tracks in the described style two less appealing underground blues tracks come after that. The first track on side B, "Zero" is experimental acid blues, with a psychedelic repetitive rhythm, and with, let's call it "Native screams" and blues mouth harmonica.

The very short track "In Galop" to be followed are completely experimental free sounds. "Lazarus" is a long acid psychedelic improvisation, completely tripped out, with distorted electric guitars, bagpipes, echoed effects, psychedelic voice sounds / singing, flutes. "Lazarus" is a Dutch word for being completely farout which you can be by being drunk or stoned, but can become also when you would listen to this music. The title of the album itself means something like "old sounds for a new sound".

Except for the two blues tracks this is a very interesting psychedelic record, maybe even the most psychedelic record from Holland." - Dutch Progressive Music Reviews

TRACK LIST:
(Note: This track list is from Discog's, which is the only one I could find online, and is different then the upload itself. The sides are reversed. I'm not sure which is correct, sorry.)

A1		Klasziek
A2		Zoen Zoen
A3		Just The Blues
A4		Eddies Harpblues
B1		Zero
B2		In Gallop
B3		Lazarus

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(Thanks to Mutant Sounds for always being amazing, and for the original upload!!)

Filipe Pires - Canto Ecuménico/Litania/Homo Sapiens (1980)

Some amazing acousmatic music! Noise collage at it's finest! Highly recommended if you're interested in noise, electroacoustics, avante-garde composition.

"[Filipe Pires] began his career as a pianist, studying in Lisbon, Hannover and Salzburg. A growing interest in avant-garde aesthetic trends led him to undergo training in electroacoustic music with Pierre Schaeffer at Groupe de Recherches Musicales, from 1970 to 1972. He was engaged as a music specialist for the UNESCO International Secretariat between 1975 and 1979. Up to present, he has also been teaching musical analysis and composition. The musical language of Filipe Pires, formerly of strong tonal roots of neo-classical appearance, has shifted to atonalism, chance and electroacoustics, the latter of which he was a pioneer in Portugal in the 1970’s." - Unknown source.

1. Canto Ecuménico (Ecumenical Chant) - 1979
The choice of a religious theme is a pretext for an approximate comparison of traditional music from different cultural areas. The similarities and differences are presented in the form of collages and quotations, connected and superimposed on the sequences of sound material - vocal and instrumental - drawn exclusively from the musicians. Some parts are fragments of Australian Aboriginal rites, joined with Rain Spirits and mixed with sound taken from a funeral ceremony of the Somba of North Benim. Also included are materials from Tibet, Japan, Orthodox Christian Chants from Armenia and Syria, Islamic rites from Morocco, Yemen and Tunisia. Moroccan, Yemenite and Tunisian jews are also quoted here. From a formal point of view, the grand lines of the composition come together in a single block, in the middle of which distinct sessions develop.

2. Litania (Litany) - 1972
This work was composed while Pires was studying with the French GRM. The improvised parts are controlled in the editing process. The sound materials originate mostly from sheets of iron and metal wires, which are joined at their ends. To produce sound, these are plucked, struck or rubbed, obtaining an extensive range of vibrations. Other sound objects are inserted into the discourse, upon which there are opposite characters, that stop and start under a repetitive pattern.

3. Homo Sapiens - 1972
At the heart of this work is the human voice, used as the symbol of earth and creation. It is phonetically framed towards movement, elaboration, and the fusion of disparate sound elements. Homo Sapiens is a revision of the first part of the Nam Ban ballet, composed in 1970. The present version was composed while Pires was studying at the GRM in Paris.

Released in 1980 by Imavox SARL.
Re-released on CD by Strauss in 1997.

TRACK LIST:
1. Canto Ecuménico [1979] (24:45)
2. Litania [1972] (14:31)
3. Homo Sapiens [1972] (13:38)

DOWNLOAD

(Thanks to bravo juju for the original upload)

Jakob Olausson - Moonlight Farm (2006)

If this album doesn't move you, then you don't deserve to breath. As far as 2006 goes this one is way up there at the top, along with Beach House's debut. The first time I heard this it was about 7:30 in the morning, I was sitting on the couch drinking some coffee and my roommate put it on. About halfway through the song Unforgivable Question I realized I was completely entranced by the music. I quickly asked who I was listening to, and so began my love affinity with Jakob Olausson. The only other music I was able to find by the gifted Swede was his equally unknown band, Joshua Jugband 5. This is basement bedroom four-track bliss like you've never heard it. For the few of you who may know Tradition, this is somewhat comparable at times, if only for the occasional bellow from deep within Olausson's belly. Full of bells and whistles and trinkets, toy noise makers found in garbage dumps and flea markets, full of gorgeous guitar melodies, full of hauntingly morose vocal chants, full of absolute, undoubted, moving beauty. Get this album or you're wasting your life!

"If Skip Spence were somehow, instead of finding his white-frocked self stuck in the rat-infested hole that was Bellvue, transplanted to the pine forests north of Malmo, Sweden, in a sonic nest of gimbri, bells, shakers and clothed in Tibetan silk, one would come slightly closer to the reality of Jakob Olausson’s migratory whims. To be sure, that foggy and only slightly inland empire of synapse-twisters like Ben Chasny offers a step on the trodden trail, but this isn’t the same road we’ve traveled before. Olausson’s huge ears protect him from the cold and keep the sun from turning his face to a series of desert crags, as his compositions slowly fade down the walls of four-track bedroom artistry into atemporal suites that shrink huge expanses and are a bellows to the microcosmic. Enter the Moonlight Farm." - Clifford Allen (De Stijl)

Also: Pitchfork Review (7.9/10)

- LINK REMOVED -

Fred Frith - Cheap At Half The Price (1983)

The first time I heard this album it totally threw me against a wall, as would any introduction to Fred Frith I should assume. It screamed at me, and I listened contently. If you've never heard this album, or especially if you've never heard Fred Frith, then you are in for a real treat. The first song that really grabbed me, and is still my favorite of his, is Evolution. When that middle-eastern-esque guitar solo kicks in it just fries my brain. I sat down about a month ago and started watching the film Step Across The Border (1990), which features Frith throughout, and I only made it ten minutes in before I paused it and spent the rest of the night listening to Frith albums I'd never heard before. It was a great night. So please grab this if you've never heard it. Frith is as eclectic as a river is wet, and this album is no exception, so to try and explain what he sounds like would do no justice. Just get it if you're interested in anything.

"Cheap at Half the Price is a 1983 solo album by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. It was Frith's third and last album for The Residents' Ralph Records label and was recorded by Frith at his home in New York City on a 4-track recorder. Frith played almost all the instruments himself, with the exception of bass guitar on two tracks, and drums, for which he used drum tapes and samples previously recorded by other drummers." - Wikipedia.com



TRACK LIST:

1		Some Clouds Don't (3:12)
2		Cap The Knife (2:47)
3		Evolution (3:21)
4		Too Much, Too Little (2:09)
		Bass - Tina Curran Engineer - Kramer (2)
5		True Love (2:58)
		Voice - Sheena Dupuis
6		The Welcome (2:28)
7		Same Old Me (2:58)
		Bass - Bill Laswell
8		Some Clouds Do (2:49)
9		Instant Party (1:53)
10		Person To Person (2:20)
		Saxophone [Alto] - George Cartwright
11		Walking Song (3:13)
12		Flying In The Face Of Facts (2:38)
13		Heart Bares (4:56)
14		Absent Friends (3:58)
		Handclaps - Aksak Maboul
15		The Great Healer (2:07)

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Lemon Kittens - The Big Dentist (1981)

Those that bite the hand that feeds them sooner or later must meet ... THE BIG DENTIST ...! Indeed, there is no better statement to sum up this album. I've only just started listening to it, I stumbled upon it a few days ago while researching Karl Blake, and I immediately knew I had to share it on here. It's got so much of what I love in so many different bands. There is just so much to offer. It's like The Flying Lizards, with a bit of Eno (sometimes), and even briefly at times it takes on a certain tenderness which can't help but remind one of the great Robert Wyatt, of The Soft Machine. Take all of that and mix it with some sort of odd-ball early electronica/80's synth-pop and you might be close to this album. You may also be way off base. Who knows, and who cares. This album is so much stranger and eclectic then how i've explained it, so just get it because it's really interesting and fantastic stuff!

"The Lemon Kittens are a post-punk band formed in Reading, Berkshire, England in the late 1970s by Karl Blake and Gary Thatcher. The cast of the band revolved quite frequently, notably counting among its membership musicians such as Danielle Dax and Mark Perry of Alternative TV and The Good Missionaries." - Wikipedia.com


Not from this album, but it'll give you a taste.

TRACK LIST:
1. They Are Both Dirty (11:19)
2. The Hospital Hurts The Girl (4:30)
3. Mylmus (4:09)
4. No Night Not Shared (4:55)
5. Oath (4:08)
6. The Log And The Pin (4:00)
7. Nudies (3:17)
8. An Untimely End (2:11)

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Nahvalr - Nahvalr (2008)

To start off with, I'm not a Black Metal enthusiast by any stretch of the imagination. I don't know all the bands, and I couldn't tell you what "true" black metal is. I do, however, know a little about the genre, about the various murders and crimes associated with the Norwegian scene, and about some of the main people involved, etc. I have a few friends, one in particular, who have shown me everything I know, only within the last few months. From what little I do know I can say this, some black metal is lame, much like the mindset of many of the most hardcore fans, but aside from all the ritualistic bullshit and uptight elitist know-it-all hogwash, there is some really fucking incredible music out there. And the best part is, you don't have to burn down a church or murder yr best friend to enjoy it! I don't know if this would fall, technically, into the black metal circle of life but that's where I'd put it. It's dark as hell, and full of sound. Droney guitars, blasting noise, it even opens with "sounds from Hell" for Christ sake! As a bit of a side note, this is made by the same dudes responsible for Have A Nice Life, though the two are completely different projects. So without trying to sound like I have any idea what I'm talking about when it comes to black metal, I'll just say that if you like things loud, heavy, atmospheric, or just really fucking cool, then do yourself a favour and get this album! It's completely rad! P.S. If yr a hardcore Black Metal dude, please don't kill me.

"Nahvalr, described by its founders as “open source black metal”, is nothing less than a landmark in originality. Dan Barrett and Tim Macuga from Connecticut’s equally brilliant Have a Nice Life have taken submitted noises, samples and instrumentals from across the web and melded them together into 8 terrifying movements that shift between ambient, doom, drone and black metal styles. These impenetrable walls of sound are as compelling as they are suffocating, rich with grotesque detail and atmosphere. While numerous dark ambient acts have touched on the same blackened corner stones as Nahvalr, both the innovative creative process and the density of this album is remarkable.

The idea of having many so disparate sounds compiled may seem daunting, even counter productive in the creation of music, Nahvalr moves far beyond mere bursts of noise and finds a common, sinister and even spiritual thread that runs through their collections. Their compositions, whether they are cavernous, bass-driven processions (”Blood Flood”) or ghostly, free-floating ambiance (”Swallower of Bile”) are given ample room to stretch out and breathe, uncovering a powerful emotional center in each.

Music this experimental, haunting and visceral demonstrates the often neglected potential the Internet has for collaborative projects. It may be overlong in some segments, but the dark energy within Nahvalr is impossible to ignore and shake off, making it a masterpiece of devastatingly bleak reflection. I can only hope that projects like Nahvalr, with all their promise and dynamism, will continue to take shape and flourish in our digital culture." - The Rock Blogger

Also: An awesome review where they compare this to Burzum

TRACK LIST:
1. Chorus of the Blasphemes
2. Blood Flood
3. There Isn't Anything
4. Objectivity
5. Swallower of Bile
6. The Witch Box
7. Let Them Eat Blood
8. Black Elk Speaks, Chokes, and Dies

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