The psychic communion of bassist John Edward and Steve Noble has been commented on many a time, but here it reaches a level of near absurdity; ‘Betting On Now’, the first piece on this explosive slab of vinyl, has a section so completely locked-in that your brain tells you it must be rehearsed were it… Continue reading N.E.W. – Motion (Dancing Wayang)
C. Reider – I’d’ve (self released)
http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3641284996/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/t=5/transparent=true/C. Reider created this excellent solo album in 2003 while in the group Drone Forest; it finally emerges as a self-released project after an inexplicable disinterest from various labels. It recalls KTL with its glassy cold synths wrapping around the scrape of metal and the buried subterranean roar of guitars. ‘Strings’ sounds like great endless… Continue reading C. Reider – I’d’ve (self released)
Howie Reeve – Friendly Demons (self released)
http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1261326499/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/t=3/transparent=true/‘Friendly Demons’ is a collection of 12 impressively wide-ranging compositions for solo acoustic-bass guitar by Howie Reeve, former member of Tattie Toes. His songs wander down snaking multifarious paths, taking the listener through several stylistic contortions that never jar or appear forced into place. The songs lithely wind flamenco-like knots into smooth post-rock grooves; sudden… Continue reading Howie Reeve – Friendly Demons (self released)
Colin Webster and Graham Dunning – Estigate (Linear Obsessional)
https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3852134465/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/t=7/transparent=true/‘Estigate’ is the first release in a planned series of improvised duos from the Linear Obsessional label. This album pairs Colin Webster playing tenor and baritone saxophones, with Graham Dunning who employs turntables, mixer, and dubplates, occasionally manipulated with brushes, dentistry tools, and pencils. The music they create is fascinating, the sound is fibrous and… Continue reading Colin Webster and Graham Dunning – Estigate (Linear Obsessional)
Henry Blacker – Hungry Dogs Will Eat Dirty Puddings (Riot Season)
https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2524143014/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/t=5/transparent=true/Featuring two members of one of the finest rock bands in existence, Hey Colossus, this debut album by Henry Blacker promised much but delivers in great greased granite slabs. Songs like ‘A Bone and a Thistle’, ‘Scumblood’, and ‘Pullin’ Like a Dray’ combine the unhinged bloodshot glare and loping lupine stalk of Jesus Lizard with… Continue reading Henry Blacker – Hungry Dogs Will Eat Dirty Puddings (Riot Season)
A.R.C. Soundtracks – Archive: Volume One (Little Crackd Rabbit)
This A.R.C. Soundtracks album, ‘Archive: Volume One’, is the second release for Little Crackd Rabbit, a Manchester label that is becoming an essential dot in the avant music firmament. ‘Archive: Volume One’ is full of mournful desert sunset moans; these are songs that shiver into being, percussion like a bird settling its feathers into order. Guitars… Continue reading A.R.C. Soundtracks – Archive: Volume One (Little Crackd Rabbit)
Maurice’s Hotel Death – And The Way Out EP (self-release)
http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1584025096/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/t=1/transparent=true/Pouring a tape by Maurice’s Hotel Death into your head is a sure way to lose yourself; continuing from the fantastic ‘Hot Jone’ album on Rano, this EP finds Larry Crywater exploring a hard-to-place feeling of dread-filled poignancy. The first side has desperately plaintive piano melodies resounding forlornly in an abandoned rusted hulk; drones and… Continue reading Maurice’s Hotel Death – And The Way Out EP (self-release)
Viv Corringham – Gum + Butts (Linear Obsessional)
https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2492720979/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/t=1/transparent=true/Viv Corringham wanders the streets of London in this fascinating set of field recordings, capturing her improvised vocal interaction with the ambient sounds of the city. In six locations - Borough Market, the Thames east from Queenhythe, St Paul’s Cathedral, a Moorgate construction site, Kings Cross Station, and Tate Modern – she haunts the areas,… Continue reading Viv Corringham – Gum + Butts (Linear Obsessional)
Bass Clef – Acid Tracts e.p. (Magic + Dreams)
http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3344926566/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/t=2/transparent=true/Ralph Cumbers returns with his Bass Clef alter ego on 'Acid Tracts', an e.p. of fine echo-chamber bloop transmissions. The e.p. tag is a little misleading as this contains enough invention to sustain several full-length albums by less imaginative producers. The tracks writhe and squirm, tick and click, blooming into great liquid-bass-soaked sonic flowers; ones… Continue reading Bass Clef – Acid Tracts e.p. (Magic + Dreams)
Ears For Eyes 