by: Eric Roper
Harold Budd & Clay Wright - a song for lost blossoms (darla)
Beautiful ambience full of wavering tonal bliss. This is music for clouds to dream to on a clear blue day, and with rainbows too! The first track, 'Pensive Aphrodite', clocks in just over 32 minutes and will leave you smiling if you allow yourself to experience the beauty of the sound. The title song, track 2, uses this mellow ambiance as a medium over which to transmit a poem recited by its creator, Anna LaCazio. The third track, called forever hold my breath, is more of a mellow string piece utilizing string samples by Akira Rabelais. 'At This moment', the title of the fourth song, shimmers with well-being. I imagine a place outside of space where nothing negative exists and all beings live together harmoniously. This track was recorded live with the applause coming in around 6min17sec. This is very pleasing to listen to on a quite day or simply as background music to read to or just think. Check it out if you like mellow ambient pieces.
Trio Slicnaton - glinkowski slaton sparacino
Jazzy dark ambience. Murky atmospheres with light horns adding wonderful shape to songs. Instruments featured on this release include: violin, vitar, basses, electronics, clarinets , and flute. Music is all compiled from live performance from early 2008. Most of the sound is a little spooky. Darkness all around with horns shining tiny lights. Track three, called 'storch', illustrates this point nicely. Brighter songs too with out dark elements, such as on track four, called 'from scratch'. This sound reminds me of a fusion of jazz with experimental electronics, but remaining pretty mellow throughout. Track seven, called 'boxcar', is a bit more chaotic with a multitude of various oscillations creating a sort of sweeping effect as the sound buzzes past you on a thin layer of noise and fuzz. 'Nightlife', track 8, is not experimental at all and is rather pleasing to listen to. Hundreds of colorful butterflies flying around you fluttering their wings and smiling as the beautiful day brings peace to all. Try this one for something different.
Jandek - the myth of blue icicles
It is rare to find a soul to admittedly love Jandek. More of an inspirer of strange curiosity, if tolerable at all. Strange off key strumming and with off key voice that make me think of tom waits mixed with the guy from built to spill. I think Jandek just plays what comes to him and these seem void of structure and pleasing sounds. For the musically trained, this may just be way ahead of your time and yet too primitive to try to contemplate. Actually, I don't know who this kind of stuff is for. Some of the most damaged sound in the station, another Jandek novelty has been added to KUCI!
Noah Britton - old yeller (self released)
I was not going to add this, but track 8, 'I like rainbows', kind of won me over. Most of this is far from experimental. Singer/songwriter stuff mainly, and bad from what I can tell. There are rad experimental tracks, but these only seem to last for a few dozen seconds tops. I think these short pieces might be useful for experimental djs to use to talk briefly over or possible manipulate them in some way. There is some pretty good stuff on here and I think there are djs that might appreciate it. My advise to the seekers of the experimental, search between the songs and take what you can use. There are even elements of noise present, try track 17 'standing on the edge of a volcano' to hear what I mean. Immediately after on track 18 I cannot help but think of Calvin Johnson in an early beat happening song. Track 19 'I want to stick my tongue in a fan, I don't care who she is' is pretty rad! A lot of noise mixed with danceable energy that collapses abruptly on itself for a bottomless end. Track 21 'summer' is pretty good too. A shuffling beat with the sound of electrically modified strings that is pretty melodic and intelligent in structure and it lasts for a couple of minutes!
Ilyas Ahmed - between two skies/towards the night (digitalis arts and crafts edition)
I am excited to present this to you. If you love acoustic guitar pieces that are a bit experimental in structure, I think you are in for a treat! These were originally self released in obscurely limited editions, brought back to the light of day for a new generation to love. Beautiful vocal instrumentation drifting over delicate guitar strums and wonderful complimentary elements. Some of the most beautiful music of its kind. Fans of Six Organs of Admittance and Hush Arbors will have their mind blown by these amazing songs. I am going to go out on a limb and guess fans of John Fahey will be transported to a new world of possibility where beauty and acoustic guitars exist as one. I cannot recommend this enough!
Grouper - Dragging a dead dear up a hill (type 038)
First track 'disengaged' blends brilliantly into second 'heavy water/i'd rather be sleeping'. Beautiful female vocals in a shoegazer type vein bathing in sea of reverb to be held afloat by the gentle guitars. This album has taken me to another place. A place where djs sleep inside studio c and hope that the following cds will be as fulfilling. And they will! Highly recommended!
Belong - Same places 12"/tour ep
Opens with wall of beauty/sound fuzz drone that drifts brilliantly along. For those late night experimental djs that asked about the nature of the sound this last tuesday, this is the very same sound! I did not know that this sat patiently in the locker waiting to be spun by all. Now it is free and ready for your use. 1st cut 'same places (slow version) was originally released on a one sided 12" released on the table of elements label. Shivering crackles meld with bright atmosphere leading to a world of unknown optimism. The rest of the album is just as good. Deep wooshing swells distant in the background and layers of evolving drones with the lightest noise imaginable, somewhere in the area of black noise, if such a sound exists. Simply wonderful. Highly recommended!
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