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AirportPaean To Chi's Awakening
'Lorde Playlist is that fine line between background music and distraction. As if Justin Bieber were just taught how to use DJ production equipment, and that little fucker picked it up too quick. Or if the infamous “god from the machine” was Ms. Cleo dialing you from hell, but *dial tone* or *siren* and “Yo, you called ME.” And another one. But what binds us all the MOST is everything at once. If we could all have it all, then grip nuts and proudly admit to being a GIRLY GIRL. Ladies, throw up the *jerk-off* motion until y’all become rightful heirs of the gesture. Reclamation! Claim everything. Airport is an infinity of pop-culture chimes in your head. Wring out them sounds until it’s dry!'-- C Monster
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Death GripsThree Bedrooms in a Good Neighborhood
'Bottomless Pit finds Ride (aka Stefan Burnett), producer Flatlander (aka Andy Morin), and drummer Zach Hill in their most cohesive and incendiary form since 2012’s The Money Store. Flatlander obfuscates and annihilates seemingly insurmountable soundscapes with the help of Hill’s passioned and precise drumming, as well as Ride’s occultist and misanthropic rage. All of this is focused through a new lens where the band’s actions no longer dictate their relevance — Death Grips are Death Grips because of what they make, not what they do. Bottomless Pit is Death Grips 2.0, as promised. The band’s backlash against fans and critics alike who purely see them as a gimmick is tangible, too. “BB Poison” finds Ride mocking fans who wildly speculate over the band’s tweets, saying, “Zach hit them off like, ‘It won’t lit,’ they shit bricks.” Not content to stop there, he taunts them: “I’m in your house like, ‘Oh shit, I own this’/ I’ll kick your ass out, don’t bitch, bitch, it’s winter, bitch/ Take my trash out real quick or live in it,” he adds, calling back to “Trash”, a track that connects 21st century world-weariness to our constant contact with the overflow of ultimately fleeting content. On “Eh”, Ride shrugs his shoulders and brushes off egotists and sycophants alike. Finally, with eyes wide and arms out, Ride challenges on “80808” with a striking “Fuck with me.” All of this approaches an intense level of irony, considering that Bottomless Pit contains some of the most accessible tracks in the band’s history.'-- Sean Barry
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Dane LawUnited in Dance
'As Dane Law, Adam Parkinson makes music using single board and embedded computers, mixing sine waves and mangled rave samples on an entirely screenless, battery powered set up, exploring the possibilities of new digital instruments and the future of how we incorporate computers (and computer music) into sets with no obvious computer present, whilst producing glitched up beats and room shaking drones. His debut album, United in Dance, was recently released on Quantum Natives.'-- Gray Area
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Dan Graham & The StaticLive 2/24/79
'The tape’s careful presentation of minor archival material is not only a consideration of Graham’s entirely special performance, but a consideration of cultural transmission itself outputting in 1979, in 2016, and perhaps outputting into all foreseeable human exchange. Primary Information’s archival release of the performance is a post-production of affective memory embedded deeply in urban and cultural infrastructure, an archaeology of assembled data not necessarily meant for machinic dissolution or fragmentation, but deep, considered, and undeniably human interpretation. By presenting a minor moment and minor commentary on the nature of art perception, the tape is placed into an endless archival field, the endless consideration of an artist auto-performing themselves linguistically across the stage of history. Considering how this subtly is often unconsidered in plenty of modern music contexts, Dan Graham’s performance at Riverside Studios London is an enigmatic snapshot of a wholly different scenario — and an ever important one.'-- SCVSCV
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Glenn Branca BandDissonance
'Award winning 1980 recording of the "guitar attack squad" with Glenn Branca at Bogart's in Cincinnati, Ohio.'-- PB&J
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FLANCHPretty Girl
'FLANCH is a record that explores this blurring line between the online and the offline, and it is a record steeped in the aesthetics and iconographies of both the internet and religion. The production on this album melds clanging, futuristic beats with sometimes-Levantine-sounding melodies. The tone is variously devotional and oppressive, exalted and alienated. The record features hard-hitting raps and almost-rhapsodic singing, and the lyrics are at times explicitly religious, at others irreverent and profane, and occasionally a droll mixture of the two. (The track “hal0” concludes: “Come into my immortal spirit/ Come deep into my immortal soul.”) This record sounds and looks like a document of a culture in flux, a snapshot of humanity turned strange by our own creations. This is most evident in the treatment of the vocals on the record — almost all are heavily processed, some beyond intelligibility — but also in its accompanying visuals, from the futuristic humanoid featured in the cover art to the videos for the first two songs, both of which are built around images of the human form deranged by digital processes.'-- Stephen Weil
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GobbyRomance Frog
'No Mercy Bad Poet is Gobby’s sensory deprivation. And shit can get grim. Modern living is so immediately isolating. But there’s always a way out of Brooklyn. Nobody has met someone who didn’t want their own private island. Gobby is presenting that as an audible offering. It’s color-by-numbers, only you do the counting. Or a game of peak-a-boo, but with ears instead of eyes. No Mercy Bad Poet is a tactical listening experience using layered sounds that increasingly tug at one’s psychology in a way that isn’t a minor note, but a stick in the mud waiting for its next adventure.'-- C Monster
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PitaAahn
'Twelve years have passed since Editions Mego boss Peter Rehberg released his last full length release Get Off on the Hapna label. In the interim, along with running the label, Rehberg has embarked on a series of soundtracks for the French artist and choreographer Gisele Vienne. Out of this collaboration the seeds were planted for the prolific KTL, guitar/computer duo with Stephen O Malley. After a surprise return to live performance in 2015 we are now presented with Pita’s new full length document under the banner of Get In. Get In extends the perennial Pita sound into a paradox of intimidation and beauty. 20150609 teases the juncture between the human and the tool, the improvised and composed and the analogue and digital. Aahn inhabits a field of electronic nebula, simultaneously inviting and alien. Line Angel could be a new form of minimalism for the post internet crowd. S200729 harks to an acid most splintered whilst Mfbk completes proceedings as an ambient drift underscored with classical overtones.' -- EM
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Girl Sweat Off The Tracks
'With Bad Happenings, his first full length release for the prolific Box Records following a number of cassette releases for various labels, Russell Andrew Gray offers up an engaging selection of electronic beats and stomping garage rock guitar. His vocals sound as though he’s channeling something between the manic screech of Tomata du Plenty of the Screamers and the spaghetti western drawl of Suicide's Alan Vega, providing the perfect accompaniment to the motorik digitised rhythm and treble guitar. In fact, the album's opener — the aptly named 'Off The Tracks'— immediately and noticeably recalls Screamers, which is no bad thing at all. The Los Angeles-based synth punk band were a pretty amazing unhinged racket and that's the way we get going on Bad Happenings. Not for the faint hearted, but who wants to hear an album for the faint hearted anyway?'-- collaged
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WireFishes Bones
'True to that nighttime scene-setter, Nocturnal Koreans ranks among Wire’s most musically relaxed releases, with Newman mostly singing in calm, sometimes hushed tones. But it’s only relaxed in the sense that a sleepless night in your bedroom is relaxed—the pillows and sheets feel familiar, but your thoughts are riddled with anxieties over the unknown. While the droll, dry “Internal Exile” may deliver its critique of cutthroat capitalism with a smirk (“Hearts of gold/ No pot to piss in/ Join the queue of future has-beens”), its tense acoustic stalk and prodding chorus apply palpable pressure. The more wiry—and typically Wire-y— “Numbered” packs in a cheeky callback to one of the band’s signature songs (“You think I’m a number/ Still willing to rhumba”), yet that knowing nod only reinforces the new track’s doomsday messaging. Those apocalyptic intimations are rendered all the more starkly through the dead-of-night stillness of “Forward Motion,” whose eerie, frosty ambience swells into a mushroom cloud of lingering cold-war paranoia.'-- Stuart Berman
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Klara LewisToo
'It’s no secret that Klara is Graham Lewis ov Wire’s daughter, and therefore not difficult to draw a line between her investigations of laptop-as-loom for creating vast, enveloping tapestries of field recordings and electro-acoustic process, and her dad’s exploratory, studio-as-instrument work with Dome in the early ‘80s. Klara clearly has a keen ear attuned to the nuance of texture, tone, and spatial dynamic within electronic and organic spheres, underpinned with a rhythmic subtlety that integral yet not overbearing within Too. She finds a democracy of sound within the mix giving equal attention to all parts of the stereo field, from the whirring micro-organisms of View thru the whisked rhythmic torsion and distant bird calls of Twist, or the loping freedom of trip hop and avant-classical movement in Too.'-- boomkat
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Samiyam Dartgun
'Simply put, Animals Have Feelings is another fantastic Samiyam record. And I say that to be purposefully difficult because a) I opened this review in the way that I did and b) because even though it's all new, it sounds like vintage Samiyam immediately. That loud, open snare on the title track that rings out for way too long? That's pure Samiyam. The sample flip on 'Dartgun'? Same thing. You can tell it's him right away. Same goes for the oversimplified piano glued on top of that coarse LFO bass on 'Gum Drop', and the quickfire beats on 'Pier 4', 'Smoke Break' and 'Ronald', which encapsulate his melodic touch perfectly. 'Calisthenics', 'Surprise' and 'Part 1' are a great example of his iconic, if a little ham-fisted drum work and the cuts with Earl Sweatshirt, Action Bronson and Jeremiah Jae; they're heaters that also show us that he has talented friends who can rap pretty good on top of his tracks too.'-- Oli Marlow
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Sissy SpacekDisfathom
'Hellish unrelenting grindcore. No slow parts, no midtempo, no mosh parts.'-- nwn
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Jonny TrunkKraken
'20,000 Leagues. The classic steampunk novel. Here it is, in full. In a gatefold sleeve, with a blue vinyl LP of music by yours truly. The publishers (Four Corners Books) came to me and asked if I'd be interested in making an LP with a book, or music for a book or something and I immediately said yes, I will try 20,000 Leagues as it means I can try my hand at underwatery music. And that's what I have done. Artwork by cult tattooist Liam Sparkes, this releases in a fab gatefold sleeve Includes the full book, my LP and download code too. A lovely package. Or of course, just buy the download and get the music and no book.'-- Trunk Records
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Oren Ambarchi/Kassel Jaeger/James RushfordPale Calling
'This is a fine example of electro-acoustic technique and knowledge wrought to a non-academic, non-traditional purpose: insectoid field recordings and glossolalic mumbles merge with the odd, lilting lick of accordion and crying bairns over a slow-moving hummus bed of electronics in Pale; never revealing a fixed source but flitting around the stereo field with the drowsily surreal effect of a warm summer days absorbed whilst stoned on antihistamines. By that measure, Calling feels more crepuscular, largely due to the appearance of an enchanting, Badalamenti-esque chord progression connoting the looming shadows of pines and a pining atmosphere punctuated with brushes of distant, smoky jazz percussion and a sipping harmonica, before the sun slowly dips and off vocal apparitions begin emerging from the undergrowth and shadows. The effect is made all the more gorgeous from building anticipation with the previous side.'-- boomkat
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Ana CaprixM6 Ultra
'London's Ana Caprix prefers to keep a low profile ("Ana Caprix" is actually a pseudonym), but that hasn't stopped the producer from building a cult following. Caprix just celebrated the arrival of M6 Ultra, a self-released 7-track EP chock full of abstract avant-pop and imagistic music, as if the producer had strained old Taylor Swift demos through a Holly Herndon filtration system.'-- Thump
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ProstitutesChandeliers Shake
'After countless singles, LPs and performances played around the world, James Donadio is back with his first full length effort since 2014s Petit Cochon. Ghost Detergent is a consummate amalgam of fried gear, chunky bass and fractured samples. Donadio's extraordinary ability to fuse his wide range of influences into a collection of lucidly executed and concis.e jams has reached it's paragon. Ghost Detergent is a rhythm-centric maze of fluctuating patterns adorned with crooked fills and raucous melody. Tracks like "Nerve and Gall" and "Government Wrecker" stomp with a coarse, grinding fuss gliding on swinging bottomless bassline turbulence. Locked in puzzle-like sampling patchwork collides perfectly with an array of rogue electronics creating a sense of daring nearly extinct in the age of gridlocked BPM-steady 12"s. Tracks like "Pregnant Toad" and "Cheap Amplifiers" play out like a Def Jam bonus beat with ripping, cough syrup slathered DMX snare sounds. Ghost Detergent has an unhinged, unrelenting churn that stares squarely into a personal vacuum, remaining uninfluenced by the influencers and unflinching in its originality. Neither bird nor egg are relevant here.'-- EM
*
p.s. Hey. ** Jamie McMorrow, Morningness galore to you, Jamie. Cool, yes, he's great. Me, I am seriously not knowledgeable about filming equipment, but Zac and Michael Salerno are, so we're covered. Yes, the script is finished. I mean, I'm sure we'll do a bunch of revising once we cast the film and find out who'll be performing and delivering the lines since we'll be working with non-actors and are interested in working with each person's natural strengths and weaknesses, but it's fully written and ready for the process to begin. We're seriously raring to go as soon as humanly possible. It's just about having to know how much money we'll have to work with, so we have to wait for a little bit until that's known. Our big meeting today got postponed until next week, grr, but we're being patient. Wow, that's crazy about the dedication! Sounds like fate to me. That's awesome. I think 'My Own Private River' is on youtube, or someone told me it is. It's definitely worth a watch if you like River Phoenix. There are some really amazing moments/scenes by him mixed in there. Nice about your trip. So, like, you're already on your way? Or did you mean soon not now? I've seen pix of Skye, and it looks pretty as a pic. Oh, on the mathematical influence on my structures, hm, I'm just really, really interested in writing fiction that has complicated and deep and tricky substructure, and I make these kind of elaborate plans and graphs for how the substructure works and what it hopefully will do and even in terms off where things get placed inside that internal, mostly invisible structure. It's kind of architectural, I guess. And I don't, like, do mathematical equations or anything directly related to mathematics, but it involves a lot of organizing the space inside the fiction and determining its size and shape and stuff, and I use calculations and things that seem like they must be based in mathematics, I guess. Thursday was okay. Work. Saw the new documentary film by the great experimental documentarian Barbara Hammer about the poet Elizabeth Bishop. The film itself was kind of problematic, I thought, but she was there and talked, and it was great to see her and listen to her. Oh, and I got your email! Your gift! Thank you so much! It looks amazing! Actually, these are rainy days right now because I'm way behind on the blog due to recent heavy work and traveling, so, if it's okay, I'm going to post your post really soon on Monday, if that's good with you? If it's not, let me know, and I can hold back on it, but, yeah, I'm in sore need at the moment. In any case, thank you, thank you so much! I hope your Friday is amazing to the max! Love, me. ** Dóra Grőber, Hi, Dóra! Yay, great, do let me know when they're showable, and I'll twiddle my thumbs patiently in the meantime. Our meeting today got delayed until next week, which kind of sucks, but a few days is only a few days. We're just impatient. Like I told Jamie, I think you can watch 'My Own Private River' on youtube. How was your meeting with your writer friend? Tell me. I'm good. I think seeing an old pal of mine who's visiting from Berlin today, so that should be really nice. Rock everything until Saturday! ** H, Hi. Oh, well, I do recommend Gluck when the time feels right. There's an anthology of 'New Narrative' work edited by Kevin Killian and Dodie Bellamy that's coming out later this year or next year, so maybe that will be a place to start if you want to. Yeah, it is really nice that your professor suggested that project to you. ** Bill, Hi, Bob Gluck is a mega-slow, meticulous writer. He's been working on a new novel for, like, twenty years or something. I hope the grump phase ends today and the weekend is like a secret treasure cave behind the waterfall, or something of that nature. ** David Ehrenstein, Hi, D. Yes, he was Nayland's squeeze, late 80s, early 90s, back when Nayland was a thin as a rail. Yeah, I get that about 'Hugo'. It just didn't do much anything for me at all, but I'll revisit it at some point. ** _Black_Acrylic, Hi, Ben. Okay, that sounds pretty promising. Yeah, man, it'll be so great. I like driving and cars, as problematic as they have turned out to be vis-à-vis the natural world. ** Steevee, Hi. No, I don't know Wang Bing, I don't think. Your description greatly intrigues me. I will set off on a mission of discovery, and maybe do a post on him while I search if there's enough stuff online. Thank you! Sucks about the postponement of your date. Yeah, talking to him and rescheduling next weekend sounds like a very logical plan to me. I'll go read your review. Everyone, Steevee reviews Greek director Athina Rachel Tsangari’s new film "Chevalier", which he seems to find pretty good but not great. Wondering why that is? Easy to find out. ** Liquoredgoat, Hi, D. It's good, man. His book. My very favorite by him is his novel 'Jack the Modernist'. That's one of my very favorite novels in general. Essay collections ... I'll have to think. Let me think. I don't have my library here, and I need to get it in my mind's eyes and then scroll and scan. July! Soon! Awesome, man, that sounds great, and it's awesome that you're pumped. That word is so evocative. ** Chris Cochrane, Hey, Chris! Super great to see you! Yeah, how are you feeling? Is the recovery going well? How laid up are you? Can you not play guitar? Love, me. ** Sypha, Hi. Oh, yeah, so ... oh, wait, you don't like the page count thing, is that right? 'Cos, you know, the more the merrier? Although I don't remember thinking those plays were very good at all. Right. ** Okay. Jeez, the 100th gig. Time flies, etc. Anyway, that's some stuff I've been into lately and that I obviously recommend you test out, so maybe do that. Would be good. See you tomorrow.