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Items for review: Compulsion, PO Box 19577, Kilbarchan, Johnstone, PA10 2WX, Scotland, UK
Isobel Campbell - Milkwhite Sheets
Milkwhite Sheets, claims Isobel Campbell, is "an indulgent hobby record" recorded in downtime between sessions for Ballad of the Broken Seas her acclaimed collaboration with Mark Lanegan. Where that record took its cues from the earthy duets between Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood, Milkwhite Sheets is firmly in the lineage of British folk music, with a collection of self-penned songs nestling besides some cornerstones of traditional song.
In a relatively short time frame Campbell's has sought influence from a broad range of sources; her releases both solo and as part of the Gentle Waves have taken in French and 60s pop, folk music, to a collection of Billie Holiday numbers. Milkwhite Sheets appears borne from her interest in Shirley Collins and Alan Lomax, and shares a kinship with her work with Backworld and Alasdair Roberts.
Milkwhite Sheets is filled with Campbell's hushed, breathy vocal and some beautiful guitarwork. Yet set against the stark arrangements Campbell's wispy voice is often exposed as being too light, too stretched to fully carry the melody. It's apparent on her renditions of 'O Love Is Teasin'', 'Reynardine' and 'Hori Horo' that carries through to the acapella delivery of 'Loving Hannah'. Sung straight like a live rendition in a folk club her breathy innocence is quite endearing. But the shrillness of her voice is a constant bugbear throughout Milkwhite Sheets and despite a number of captivating moments it's a problem she can't shake off. Her rendition of 'Willow's Song', the erotic ballad from The Wicker Man is sublime, though, with Campbell flitting between innocence and seduction. It's within the arrangements that Campbell sounds most comfortable, and the setting of guitar, dulcimer, whistle, percussion and cello marks this rendition of The Wicker Man standard as being one of my favourites. Another good moment is 'Are You Going To Leave Me', a track of dark psychedelic folk, with Campbell's voice hushed and layered over a dense rolling dirge. Even the eerie jangling of 'Thursday's Child' owing more to dark, dreamy indie-pop than folk music is another solid piece. Elsewhere 'Cachel Wood' boasts a gorgeous lilting melody almost like a mothers lullaby, and the nursery rhyme melody of 'Bird In The Hand' is pleasant enough. The real problem with Milkwhite Sheets is on the traditional songs, her faltering vocal delivery failing to capture the essence of the songs.
Those who came to Campbell via her Mercury nominated album may find that Milkwhite Sheet pales in comparision. Those, however, with a penchant for Anne Briggs, Shirley Collins and British female folk singers will find themselves in familiar company in the ache and yearing that Campbell brings to these tales of doomed love and faded romance. But be warned, as much as I enjoy this, Milkwhite Sheets is a frustratingly flawed release. For more information go to www.isobelcampbell.com
Formication - Redux
Formication return with another high quality release with four loosely structured tracks of experimental electronica and mutated techno. As the title Redux implies these were borne from live performances where certain tracks from their previous releases Pieces For A Condemned Piano and Crossing The Sea By Radio took on a life on their own becoming altogether different entities. Frustratingly the Nottingham based duo, Kingsley John Buckland Ravenscroft and Alec D Bowman, supply track titles but don't offer the running order preferring the listener to listen to Redux on random. So you're going to have to go with my take on the track ordering. The opener 'The Line That Divides The Earth From The Sky' combines fluttering electronic rhythmic patterns over bubbling synths before a series of disembodied piano stabs and snatches of sung and spoken voices enter the fray. 'Rise of the Native' ranges from drifting synths casting off erratic rhythms alongside deep throbs and pulses as it teeters on the fringes of techno, before being blurred by a hellish concoction of shrieks and scrapes. This is the dark side of electronica, a sinister contrast to the pastoral sound of Boards of Canada, as heard on 'The Victim' which is carried on a wave of distant rumbling drums through a muffled electronic haze pierced by fragmented human chatter. The final piece in this musical conundrum is ' When The Patient Stars Breathe', an outgrowth from the Pieces For A Condemned Piano sessions. It unfolds to electro sequences, underpinned by solid bass throb strewn with disorientating tones and textures and bursts of alien noise. Amidst the electronic improvisations of the four lengthy tracks Formication appear to be toying with ruptured ambient electronica littering it with processed and fragmentary sounds taking it to a much darker place than they visited on earlier releases. Well worth seeking out before they go back overground. For more information go to www.theformicarium.com
Thomas Nöla et son Orchestre - So Long, Lale Andersen
Earlier this year Thomas Nöla released the soundtrack to his underground film The Doctor, a deeply sinister and surreal recording, which featured vocals and narration by Douglas P. of Death In June. So Long, Lale Andersen foregoes the paranoid tendencies found on The Doctor but it's nonetheless a surreal and spooky creation. Behind a stilted thrift store portrait of some pre-war garden party lurks Nöla's compositions borne from dusty antiquated stylings that evoke America's distant past. Nöla's dark vision leads this cut-price chamber orchestra, stretched to include electronics, industrial percussion and a ghost choir that hovers over a number of tracks. An eerie and haunting presence is felt throughout. 'Kinderbund' and 'Hi-hat Men' are piano- waltz pieces laced with Nöla's bitter, twisted mindset, electronic treatments and spartan industrial percussion. If it gives the impression of Nick Cave fronting a haunted chamber orchestra it's not surprising. The tinkering piano notes and warbling cello of 'Bicycle For Two' sound as though they're being channelled out-of-time from another time. Then there's the wartime dancehall stylings of 'Foxhole Foxtrot' where Nöla's voice passes over piano and carnivalesque percussion.
It's not all haunted dancehall, though. 'Henry Pelham' is pure eighties electro-pop where Nola drops in a passable Ian Curtis impression between theremin shrieks. Some tracks take on a more soundtrack based style involving isolated piano chords, electronic drone, industrial creakiness, rattling percussion and the ever present ghost choirs. He almost plays it straight on the title track, his muted voice, flanked by female harmonies and cello, singing "So Long, Lale Andersen" a reference to the German singer famed for her wartime force's favourite 'L'il Marleen' as is bustles with thick cello stabs and distorted blues guitar.
Beyond the work of David E. Williams there's little to compare this to but if Dustmuffin, Radioactive Prostitute, Miss Moonshine - some names featured in Nöla's orchestra - mean anything to you it may help to shed some light on this peculiar and fascinating release. However if you enjoyed his work on The Doctor, or find time for wartime songs from either camp seek out So Long, Lale Andersen. Thomas Nöla is releasing some truly unique material that demands wider exposure. An enhanced CD with lyrics, photos and a wonderful video for 'Kinderbund' featuring naughty and spiteful children. For more information go to www.eskimofilms.com
Rose Rovine e Amanti - Rituale Romanum
Rose Rovine e Amanti inhabit the neo-folk genre but on Rituale Romanum they amply demonstrate that they're anything but generic. On their first full length CD, a deeply dark and romantic collection of songs inspired by Roman culture and Christianity, they gently accomodate neo-classical, mediavel music and elements of pop and rock music. The melodic voice of Damiano Mercuri and the numerous guest vocalists that lead the acoustic based tracks are surrounded by a wide musical palette. 'La Danza Del Colibri and 'Derse Uzala' are songs of melodic neo-folk, with the former accompanied by violin and the latter bolstered by striking percussion and steeped in Italian based samples. The gentle plaintive strum and soft keyboard accompaniment of 'Noi Non Dimentichiamo' veers close to Death In June. It's the exception to the rule but the hauntingly catchy vocal melody sends the song heavenwards. A more mediaeval presence is felt on 'Perso Nel Cuore Di Una Foresta Nella Nera Germania' where mandolin and guitar entwine before being drenched in bombastic percussion and crashing cymbals. 'Angel Always Stands For Us' swathes the guitar in a beautiful violin score to create ringing acoustic folk. Yet much of Rituale Romanum's variation springs from the guest contributors. Holger and Susanne of Belborn feature on 'Famiglia!' their German voices intermingling over intricate guitar patterns. Josef K. of Von Thronstahl adds a sullen David Bowie vocal to 'Soldato Cristiano' taking the rising acoustic guitar and power chords into pop-rock realms. It's later reprised on the final track taking the "Christian soldier" theme into a dark romantic atmosphere lead by Josef K., surrounded by heavyset massed vocals and offset by the gentle female vocal of Chiara.
Rituale Romanum is heavily influenced by Cold Spring labelmates Von Thronstahl. Aside from Josef K.'s guest vocals, he's credited with artistic supervision and there's even a Rose Rovine e Amanti rendition of Von Thronstahl's 'Adorazione Dell'Europa' which goes from cheering hordes through strident acoustic strum with contrasting harsh and melodic vocals that quite unexpectedly lunges into a ravaging piece of rock music.
Rituale Romanum is an unusual release for Cold Spring, a label more associated with dark ambient but with it striking black, white and red visuals and representations of the Archangel Michael it's designed to attract the attention of Von Thronstahl fanatics. Yet even without this association the classy arrangements of Rose Rovine e Amanti would ensure it a successful entry into the neo-folk genre. It will be interesting to see how they develop from here but Ritual Romanum is an effective blend of dark romantic songs. For more information go to www.coldspring.co.uk
Thighpaulsandra - The Lepore Extrusion
The Lepore Extrusion is a CD of Thighpaulsandra's soundtrack work for Daniel Mckernan's interactive multimedia exhibit focussing on Amanda Lepore, the Number 1 transexual in America. Amanda Lepore is a celebrity on the New York club scene, and something of a transsexual muse to director and photographer David LaChapelle, appearing in his films and numerous advertising campaigns. She's undergone all sorts of cosmetic surgery and launched a musical career with Fatal Art Syndicate.
The spectral haze that opens The Lepore Extrusion is reminscent of Thighpaulsandra's work with Coil, a fluttering drone offset by slow-motion sound effects. It creates an eerie and dark presence, quite at odds with the hyper-glam persona of its subject, that gradually attracts a series of tones and timbres to pierce the shadowy cosmic glow. The second section of this single 45 minute track is more minimal with suspended tones, casting off gliding electronics into the stark alien terrain. Metallic clanging fashions a somewhat vague melody in the final section above a shimmering drone, before a series of random processed computerised sounds are unleashed. As those sounds gradually dissipate the space age synth music returns, culminating in a swirling vortex of pure black sound.
The Lepore Extrusion disc is expanded with a behind the scenes peak at Mckernans' video installation which forces the viewer into the mindset of an exhibitionist, an essay entitled Is Evolution Evil? Surgical Transformations as the New Punk Aesthetic in the 21st Century focussing on gender, transgender, fame and celebrity with emphasis on the body modifications and gender transformations of Orlan, Genesis Breyer P-Orridge and Amanda Lepore.
The work of Thighpaulsandra varies greatly from the electronic group improvisations of Rape Scene and Chamber Music to the colourful idiosyncracies of his I, Thighpaulsandra and Double Vulgar solo releases, The Lepore Extrusion is perhaps the most structured and restrained piece from this talented Welsh musician, whose impressive discography takes in Coil, Julian Cope, The Waterboys and Spiritualized. The Lepore Extrusion is part of Brainwashed's Handmade series released in an edition of 500 handmade letterpress sleeves. I picked up a signed edition from Thighpaulsandra.com and you shouldn't waste time here as The Lepore Extrusion is a darkly alluring electronic and synthesizer score. For more information go to www.brainwashed.com or www.thighpaulsandra.com
Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan finally get together to perform tracks from the Mercury Award nominated album, Ballad of the Broken Seas. Dates are as follows: January 21 - ABC, Glasgow; January 23 - Shepherd's Bush Empire, London; January 24 - Komedia, Brighton; and January 25 - St George's, Bristol.
The next release from Formication is a meditation on the effect of the secret nocturnal use of sound on a prehistorical glacial valley and its environs. The Untitled Wasdale Recordings was recorded in February 2006 during a trip to North Western England. It will be made available as an extremely limited edition of 23 handmade boxes, made out of ash and oak, each individually named and numbered containing various original art objects and photography by Alec and Kingsley. The recording will also be available as a free download. Formication are also planning a release for Lumberton Trading Company for release in April 2007. For more information go to www.theformicarium.com
NERUS, the American arm of NER, have just released a 20th Anniversary edition of The World That Summer from Death In June. This commemorative edition contains all of the original album, with an extra CD containing 6 bonus tracks, with re-recordings from The Corn Years and some previously unissued versions recorded in Australia in 2005-2006. The 20th Anniversary edition is enclosed in a specially carved stone case featuring the Totenkopf 6 and Life Rune. NERUS releases are manufactured and distributed by Soleilmoon. For more information go to www.soleilmoon.com or www.deathinjune.net
David Tibet is to curate a festival in Donau, Austria on Friday 20 April and Saturday 21 April, 2007. It's an impressive line-up with confirmed appearances from Baby Dee, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Current 93, Cyclobe (their first ever live performance), Fovea Hex, Julia Kent, Larsen featuring Jóhann Jóhannsson, Little Annie, Marc Almond, Nurse With Wound, Matmos featuring Jay Lesser, Om and Simon Finn. A website at www.donaufestival.at will be online soon in the meantime for more information go to www.durtro.com
Michael Cashmore follows his stunning instrumental album Sleep England with The Snow Abides, a mini-album of five thematically connected songs sung by Antony (of the Johnsons), with lyrics by David Tibet (of Current 93) and music by Michael Cashmore. The Snow Abides is released in January 2007 on Durtro Jnana. For more information go to www.durtro.com or www.jnanarecords.com
Futon, the Anglo-Thai hedonist sensation, start the New Year with three London shows to coincide with the release of their new single, Strap It On. You can catch Futon on January 4 - Metro Club; January 11 - 93 Feet East, January 18 - Barfly at the Monarch. Futon feature ex-members of Into A Circle and Suede, and their new album is produced by Tim Simenon of Bomb the Bass. For more information go to www.xfuton.com
Six Comm have returned with the release of the epic double CD set Headless, consisting of Headless and Let The Moon Speak. Headless and Let The Moon Speak is a varied disc with influences from Leagas's travel in the near East and Afghanistan and Pakistan, and his interest in Gurdjieff and Sufism, with some tracks initially written during Leagas's time in Death In June. Headless and Let The Moon Speak is released on Dark Dimensions. compulsion online proudly presented the first interview with Patrick Leagas in a long, long time focussing on the new release Headless.
The next release from Six Comm is a digipak reissue of Content with Blood, the debut CD from Leagas's post-Death In June project and considered a "darkwave classic". Content with Blood is the first re-release from the Kenaz label. For more information go to www.myspace.com/6commpatrickl or www.hagshadow.net/6comm
Pantaleimon release a 7-inch this month featuring 'Under The Water', the first track to be released from their forthcoming new album. One side features an alternate mix of the track from their as yet untitled new album, while the other side features a screen printed image by Andria Degens. 'Under The Water' is part of Blue Sanct Records series of "art" singles. To pre-order go to www.bluesanct.com or www.durtro.com For more information go to www.pantaleimon.com
Punch Records are holding a festival on January 20-21 at the Ut Connewitz club in Leipzig, Germany with a number of artists from their roster taking part. It's an impressive line-up featuring performances from 1997ev, AIT!, Comando Suzie, Elli Riehl, Erik Ursich, Mushroom's Patience, Novy Svet, Ô Paradis, Thomas Nöla and Wermut. For more information go to www.punchrecords.it
The Lumberton Trading Company have just released Songs for a Dog a vinyl only album from Michael Gira, taken from the short run CDs available from his website and three previously unreleased tracks. Songs for a Dog is released on heavy vinyl in high-quality packaging in an edition of 2000 copies. Coming soon are new releases from Volga, Siôn Orgon, Formication and a live release from Faust. Previous Lumberton releases have included Thighpaulsandra, E.A.R. and Theme, the label's in-house band featuring Hassni Malik and Richard Johnson. For more information go to www.lumbertontrading.com
In The Nursery return in the New Year with a new studio album, Era. Era explores the themes of architecture, urban decay and regeneration with contributions from Dolores Marguerite C and drummer David Elektrik, and collaborations with guest vocalist Sarah Jay Hawley, best known for her work with Massive Attack. In The Nursery are planning a series of shows to coincide with the release of Era. For more information go to www.inthenursery.com
Of The Wand and the Moon and Sonne Hagal are playing two shows this month. The first at the Sociedade União, Sintrense, Portugal on December 15. The following night they perform at La Morgue, Diskpol, Discoexpress y Rara Avis, Madrid, Spain. For more information go to www.ofthewandandthemoon.dk
Foetus has just released Damp, a "satellite" album to the last Foetus release Love. Damp features 12 tracks, many previously unreleased recordings, some of which was recorded during the Love sessions together with collaborations with Rotoskop and the Melvins and a remix by Phylr.
The Damp cover is a deluxe ten panel foldout on heavy card with lyrics, featuring photos and design by JG Thirlwell. Damp released on the Ectopic Ents label and is only available from the shoppe at www.foetus.org
Out now on the Danhuser sublabel Sheela-Na-Gig is a double A-sided 7-inch single from Black Sun Productions. The 7-inch released on white vinyl in an edition of 444 copies features the tracks 'Uncle Billy' and 'His Secret Secretions'. Sheela-Na-Gig previously released the Black Sun Productions CD-EP Im Gegenteil. For more information go to www.anarcocks.com or www.danhuser.org
Klanggalerie follow two releases from Konstruktivists with a new release from old industrialist Maurizio Bianchi. Elisionem we are told reminds of Neuro Habitat or Endometrio and is limited to 500 copies. For more information go to www.klanggalerie.com
Fear Falls Burning, the drone alter ego of vidnaObmana, have two new releases out now. I’m One of Those Monsters Numb With Grace features 40 minutes of drone music, released on heavy vinyl in a gatefold sleeve, with picture insert, on Equation Records in an edition of 399 copies. Woes of the Desolate Mourner is a limited 7-inch, featuring the first half of a Dutch show, released on clear vinyl in a miminal sleeve design. The 7-inch is released on Tonefloat/Ikon. Fear Falls Burning have a number of dates lined up for 2007 with Cult of Luna. For more information go to www.fearfallsburning.be
Mykel Boyd and Allan Zane (of Wyrm) have just released Trace Elements, a collaboration featuring 4 hours of sounds spread over 4-CDRs in a silkscreened wooden box. Trace Elements is limited to 50 signed and numbered copies. Forthcoming is a split 3-inch CDR with Is, containing one track a piece, and one collaborative track. The release is scheduled for release in December to coincide with a live performance from Mykel Boyd at The Empty Bottle Chicago, on December 27. Other artists performing in this evening dedicated to experimental sound are Shattered Hymen, Estesombelo, Haunted Castle and Body Collector.
Mykel Boyd's Somnimage label are working on a compilation titled Radio Interference From Unknown Orgasm featuring Val Denham, Sword Volcano Complex, Wyrm, Mykel Boyd, Merzbow and Massimo & Pierce of Black Sun Productions. For more information go to www.somnimage.com
Creative Fields have just released A Tribute To The Wor(l)ds of Jhonn Balance with 13 artists presenting their personal interpretations of the lyrics of Jhonn Balance of Coil. Artists featured include Black Sun Productions, Mariae Nascenti, Wertham, alongside some new acts such as Cropcircle, Endtransmission, Mekhate and others. For more information go to www.creativefields.net
Geister im Waldgebirg is the title of the new release from Sturmpercht, the Austrian / south Bavarian Alpin-Folk formation. Geister im Waldgebirg is a journey through the deepest central-European forests and mountains with all their strange creatures, fairies, myths and legends. The songs vary from powerful martial-folk hymns to fragile folk-ballads with lyrics based on old pagan rites and cults.
On Geister im Waldgebirg Sturmpercht are joined by Axel Frank of Werkraum, while Allerseelen, Sangre Cavallum and Waldteufel all provide exclusive songs. Geister im Waldgebirg is released as a CD and as a double vinyl LP in white stained and branded wooden cover limited to 340 copies. For more information go to www.steinklang-records.at
Available now from Cold Spring Records is A Mythological Prospect Of The Citie Of Londinium, a nine track CD with three tracks each from Sol Invictus, Rose Rovine E Amanti, and Andrew King. The CD comes wrapped in the beautiful paintings of Andrew King, representing the city of London, and was originally issued to coincide with Sol Invictus' recent London performance. You can bring in the New Year with Sol Invictus as they perform at Hellraiser, Werkstättenstraße 4, Leipzig on December 31. Other acts performing include Nebelung, Spiritual Front and Andrew King. For more information go to www.eislicht.de
Cold Spring Records, meanwhile, have new titles from H.E.R.R., Beliburg, John Watermann and Toll available now, with releases imminent from Merzbow Vs Nordvargr, and Sistrenatus. Partikel II is the second of a trilogy from Masami Akita and Henrik Nordvargr. Division One is the debut release of black ambient, power noise and death-industrial from Harlow MacFarlane, a former member of Funerary Call. For more information go to www.coldspring.co.uk
Birch Book, the mystical folk project of B'Eirth of In Gowan Ring, release the second volume of Birch Book entitled Fortune & Folly – Sundry Rues and Wonders of a Wayward Wanderer released by helmet rOOm recordings of Denver, Colorado. On the second volume of Birch Book, B'ee displays a more organic, individualistic approach to songwriting. Fortune & Folly blends elements of idiosyncratic folk-pop and outcast-country with brooding layers of sound and sense, eliciting comparisons with Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake and Will Oldham. Birch Book Volume II - Fortune & Folly is available in three editions: a standard letterpress edition; a gold leaf edition with bonus live CDR limited to 88 copies, and an Alder ring edition with case and lyric scroll with stamped canvas pouch in an edition of 37 copies. A bonus live DVD is included with this now sold-out edition. For more information go to www.ingowanring.com or www.helmetroom.com
C.O.T.A. have made Terraist, their debut release, available as a download. Terraist was originally issued on cassette in an edition of 93 copies, with 93 of them packaged in hand-screened and sewn pouches. Subsequent C.O.T.A. releases have include Marches and Meditations and Ta'Wil on Tesco Records. For more information go to www.sonicksorcery.com
Items for review: Compulsion, PO Box 19577, Kilbarchan, Johnstone, PA10 2WX, Scotland, UK
Isobel Campbell - Milkwhite Sheets
Milkwhite Sheets, claims Isobel Campbell, is "an indulgent hobby record" recorded in downtime between sessions for Ballad of the Broken Seas her acclaimed collaboration with Mark Lanegan. Where that record took its cues from the earthy duets between Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood, Milkwhite Sheets is firmly in the lineage of British folk music, with a collection of self-penned songs nestling besides some cornerstones of traditional song.
In a relatively short time frame Campbell's has sought influence from a broad range of sources; her releases both solo and as part of the Gentle Waves have taken in French and 60s pop, folk music, to a collection of Billie Holiday numbers. Milkwhite Sheets appears borne from her interest in Shirley Collins and Alan Lomax, and shares a kinship with her work with Backworld and Alasdair Roberts.
Milkwhite Sheets is filled with Campbell's hushed, breathy vocal and some beautiful guitarwork. Yet set against the stark arrangements Campbell's wispy voice is often exposed as being too light, too stretched to fully carry the melody. It's apparent on her renditions of 'O Love Is Teasin'', 'Reynardine' and 'Hori Horo' that carries through to the acapella delivery of 'Loving Hannah'. Sung straight like a live rendition in a folk club her breathy innocence is quite endearing. But the shrillness of her voice is a constant bugbear throughout Milkwhite Sheets and despite a number of captivating moments it's a problem she can't shake off. Her rendition of 'Willow's Song', the erotic ballad from The Wicker Man is sublime, though, with Campbell flitting between innocence and seduction. It's within the arrangements that Campbell sounds most comfortable, and the setting of guitar, dulcimer, whistle, percussion and cello marks this rendition of The Wicker Man standard as being one of my favourites. Another good moment is 'Are You Going To Leave Me', a track of dark psychedelic folk, with Campbell's voice hushed and layered over a dense rolling dirge. Even the eerie jangling of 'Thursday's Child' owing more to dark, dreamy indie-pop than folk music is another solid piece. Elsewhere 'Cachel Wood' boasts a gorgeous lilting melody almost like a mothers lullaby, and the nursery rhyme melody of 'Bird In The Hand' is pleasant enough. The real problem with Milkwhite Sheets is on the traditional songs, her faltering vocal delivery failing to capture the essence of the songs.
Those who came to Campbell via her Mercury nominated album may find that Milkwhite Sheet pales in comparision. Those, however, with a penchant for Anne Briggs, Shirley Collins and British female folk singers will find themselves in familiar company in the ache and yearing that Campbell brings to these tales of doomed love and faded romance. But be warned, as much as I enjoy this, Milkwhite Sheets is a frustratingly flawed release. For more information go to www.isobelcampbell.com
Formication - Redux
Formication return with another high quality release with four loosely structured tracks of experimental electronica and mutated techno. As the title Redux implies these were borne from live performances where certain tracks from their previous releases Pieces For A Condemned Piano and Crossing The Sea By Radio took on a life on their own becoming altogether different entities. Frustratingly the Nottingham based duo, Kingsley John Buckland Ravenscroft and Alec D Bowman, supply track titles but don't offer the running order preferring the listener to listen to Redux on random. So you're going to have to go with my take on the track ordering. The opener 'The Line That Divides The Earth From The Sky' combines fluttering electronic rhythmic patterns over bubbling synths before a series of disembodied piano stabs and snatches of sung and spoken voices enter the fray. 'Rise of the Native' ranges from drifting synths casting off erratic rhythms alongside deep throbs and pulses as it teeters on the fringes of techno, before being blurred by a hellish concoction of shrieks and scrapes. This is the dark side of electronica, a sinister contrast to the pastoral sound of Boards of Canada, as heard on 'The Victim' which is carried on a wave of distant rumbling drums through a muffled electronic haze pierced by fragmented human chatter. The final piece in this musical conundrum is ' When The Patient Stars Breathe', an outgrowth from the Pieces For A Condemned Piano sessions. It unfolds to electro sequences, underpinned by solid bass throb strewn with disorientating tones and textures and bursts of alien noise. Amidst the electronic improvisations of the four lengthy tracks Formication appear to be toying with ruptured ambient electronica littering it with processed and fragmentary sounds taking it to a much darker place than they visited on earlier releases. Well worth seeking out before they go back overground. For more information go to www.theformicarium.com
Thomas Nöla et son Orchestre - So Long, Lale Andersen
Earlier this year Thomas Nöla released the soundtrack to his underground film The Doctor, a deeply sinister and surreal recording, which featured vocals and narration by Douglas P. of Death In June. So Long, Lale Andersen foregoes the paranoid tendencies found on The Doctor but it's nonetheless a surreal and spooky creation. Behind a stilted thrift store portrait of some pre-war garden party lurks Nöla's compositions borne from dusty antiquated stylings that evoke America's distant past. Nöla's dark vision leads this cut-price chamber orchestra, stretched to include electronics, industrial percussion and a ghost choir that hovers over a number of tracks. An eerie and haunting presence is felt throughout. 'Kinderbund' and 'Hi-hat Men' are piano- waltz pieces laced with Nöla's bitter, twisted mindset, electronic treatments and spartan industrial percussion. If it gives the impression of Nick Cave fronting a haunted chamber orchestra it's not surprising. The tinkering piano notes and warbling cello of 'Bicycle For Two' sound as though they're being channelled out-of-time from another time. Then there's the wartime dancehall stylings of 'Foxhole Foxtrot' where Nöla's voice passes over piano and carnivalesque percussion.
It's not all haunted dancehall, though. 'Henry Pelham' is pure eighties electro-pop where Nola drops in a passable Ian Curtis impression between theremin shrieks. Some tracks take on a more soundtrack based style involving isolated piano chords, electronic drone, industrial creakiness, rattling percussion and the ever present ghost choirs. He almost plays it straight on the title track, his muted voice, flanked by female harmonies and cello, singing "So Long, Lale Andersen" a reference to the German singer famed for her wartime force's favourite 'L'il Marleen' as is bustles with thick cello stabs and distorted blues guitar.
Beyond the work of David E. Williams there's little to compare this to but if Dustmuffin, Radioactive Prostitute, Miss Moonshine - some names featured in Nöla's orchestra - mean anything to you it may help to shed some light on this peculiar and fascinating release. However if you enjoyed his work on The Doctor, or find time for wartime songs from either camp seek out So Long, Lale Andersen. Thomas Nöla is releasing some truly unique material that demands wider exposure. An enhanced CD with lyrics, photos and a wonderful video for 'Kinderbund' featuring naughty and spiteful children. For more information go to www.eskimofilms.com
Rose Rovine e Amanti - Rituale Romanum
Rose Rovine e Amanti inhabit the neo-folk genre but on Rituale Romanum they amply demonstrate that they're anything but generic. On their first full length CD, a deeply dark and romantic collection of songs inspired by Roman culture and Christianity, they gently accomodate neo-classical, mediavel music and elements of pop and rock music. The melodic voice of Damiano Mercuri and the numerous guest vocalists that lead the acoustic based tracks are surrounded by a wide musical palette. 'La Danza Del Colibri and 'Derse Uzala' are songs of melodic neo-folk, with the former accompanied by violin and the latter bolstered by striking percussion and steeped in Italian based samples. The gentle plaintive strum and soft keyboard accompaniment of 'Noi Non Dimentichiamo' veers close to Death In June. It's the exception to the rule but the hauntingly catchy vocal melody sends the song heavenwards. A more mediaeval presence is felt on 'Perso Nel Cuore Di Una Foresta Nella Nera Germania' where mandolin and guitar entwine before being drenched in bombastic percussion and crashing cymbals. 'Angel Always Stands For Us' swathes the guitar in a beautiful violin score to create ringing acoustic folk. Yet much of Rituale Romanum's variation springs from the guest contributors. Holger and Susanne of Belborn feature on 'Famiglia!' their German voices intermingling over intricate guitar patterns. Josef K. of Von Thronstahl adds a sullen David Bowie vocal to 'Soldato Cristiano' taking the rising acoustic guitar and power chords into pop-rock realms. It's later reprised on the final track taking the "Christian soldier" theme into a dark romantic atmosphere lead by Josef K., surrounded by heavyset massed vocals and offset by the gentle female vocal of Chiara.
Rituale Romanum is heavily influenced by Cold Spring labelmates Von Thronstahl. Aside from Josef K.'s guest vocals, he's credited with artistic supervision and there's even a Rose Rovine e Amanti rendition of Von Thronstahl's 'Adorazione Dell'Europa' which goes from cheering hordes through strident acoustic strum with contrasting harsh and melodic vocals that quite unexpectedly lunges into a ravaging piece of rock music.
Rituale Romanum is an unusual release for Cold Spring, a label more associated with dark ambient but with it striking black, white and red visuals and representations of the Archangel Michael it's designed to attract the attention of Von Thronstahl fanatics. Yet even without this association the classy arrangements of Rose Rovine e Amanti would ensure it a successful entry into the neo-folk genre. It will be interesting to see how they develop from here but Ritual Romanum is an effective blend of dark romantic songs. For more information go to www.coldspring.co.uk
Thighpaulsandra - The Lepore Extrusion
The Lepore Extrusion is a CD of Thighpaulsandra's soundtrack work for Daniel Mckernan's interactive multimedia exhibit focussing on Amanda Lepore, the Number 1 transexual in America. Amanda Lepore is a celebrity on the New York club scene, and something of a transsexual muse to director and photographer David LaChapelle, appearing in his films and numerous advertising campaigns. She's undergone all sorts of cosmetic surgery and launched a musical career with Fatal Art Syndicate.
The spectral haze that opens The Lepore Extrusion is reminscent of Thighpaulsandra's work with Coil, a fluttering drone offset by slow-motion sound effects. It creates an eerie and dark presence, quite at odds with the hyper-glam persona of its subject, that gradually attracts a series of tones and timbres to pierce the shadowy cosmic glow. The second section of this single 45 minute track is more minimal with suspended tones, casting off gliding electronics into the stark alien terrain. Metallic clanging fashions a somewhat vague melody in the final section above a shimmering drone, before a series of random processed computerised sounds are unleashed. As those sounds gradually dissipate the space age synth music returns, culminating in a swirling vortex of pure black sound.
The Lepore Extrusion disc is expanded with a behind the scenes peak at Mckernans' video installation which forces the viewer into the mindset of an exhibitionist, an essay entitled Is Evolution Evil? Surgical Transformations as the New Punk Aesthetic in the 21st Century focussing on gender, transgender, fame and celebrity with emphasis on the body modifications and gender transformations of Orlan, Genesis Breyer P-Orridge and Amanda Lepore.
The work of Thighpaulsandra varies greatly from the electronic group improvisations of Rape Scene and Chamber Music to the colourful idiosyncracies of his I, Thighpaulsandra and Double Vulgar solo releases, The Lepore Extrusion is perhaps the most structured and restrained piece from this talented Welsh musician, whose impressive discography takes in Coil, Julian Cope, The Waterboys and Spiritualized. The Lepore Extrusion is part of Brainwashed's Handmade series released in an edition of 500 handmade letterpress sleeves. I picked up a signed edition from Thighpaulsandra.com and you shouldn't waste time here as The Lepore Extrusion is a darkly alluring electronic and synthesizer score. For more information go to www.brainwashed.com or www.thighpaulsandra.com
Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan finally get together to perform tracks from the Mercury Award nominated album, Ballad of the Broken Seas. Dates are as follows: January 21 - ABC, Glasgow; January 23 - Shepherd's Bush Empire, London; January 24 - Komedia, Brighton; and January 25 - St George's, Bristol.
The next release from Formication is a meditation on the effect of the secret nocturnal use of sound on a prehistorical glacial valley and its environs. The Untitled Wasdale Recordings was recorded in February 2006 during a trip to North Western England. It will be made available as an extremely limited edition of 23 handmade boxes, made out of ash and oak, each individually named and numbered containing various original art objects and photography by Alec and Kingsley. The recording will also be available as a free download. Formication are also planning a release for Lumberton Trading Company for release in April 2007. For more information go to www.theformicarium.com
NERUS, the American arm of NER, have just released a 20th Anniversary edition of The World That Summer from Death In June. This commemorative edition contains all of the original album, with an extra CD containing 6 bonus tracks, with re-recordings from The Corn Years and some previously unissued versions recorded in Australia in 2005-2006. The 20th Anniversary edition is enclosed in a specially carved stone case featuring the Totenkopf 6 and Life Rune. NERUS releases are manufactured and distributed by Soleilmoon. For more information go to www.soleilmoon.com or www.deathinjune.net
David Tibet is to curate a festival in Donau, Austria on Friday 20 April and Saturday 21 April, 2007. It's an impressive line-up with confirmed appearances from Baby Dee, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Current 93, Cyclobe (their first ever live performance), Fovea Hex, Julia Kent, Larsen featuring Jóhann Jóhannsson, Little Annie, Marc Almond, Nurse With Wound, Matmos featuring Jay Lesser, Om and Simon Finn. A website at www.donaufestival.at will be online soon in the meantime for more information go to www.durtro.com
Michael Cashmore follows his stunning instrumental album Sleep England with The Snow Abides, a mini-album of five thematically connected songs sung by Antony (of the Johnsons), with lyrics by David Tibet (of Current 93) and music by Michael Cashmore. The Snow Abides is released in January 2007 on Durtro Jnana. For more information go to www.durtro.com or www.jnanarecords.com
Futon, the Anglo-Thai hedonist sensation, start the New Year with three London shows to coincide with the release of their new single, Strap It On. You can catch Futon on January 4 - Metro Club; January 11 - 93 Feet East, January 18 - Barfly at the Monarch. Futon feature ex-members of Into A Circle and Suede, and their new album is produced by Tim Simenon of Bomb the Bass. For more information go to www.xfuton.com
Six Comm have returned with the release of the epic double CD set Headless, consisting of Headless and Let The Moon Speak. Headless and Let The Moon Speak is a varied disc with influences from Leagas's travel in the near East and Afghanistan and Pakistan, and his interest in Gurdjieff and Sufism, with some tracks initially written during Leagas's time in Death In June. Headless and Let The Moon Speak is released on Dark Dimensions. compulsion online proudly presented the first interview with Patrick Leagas in a long, long time focussing on the new release Headless.
The next release from Six Comm is a digipak reissue of Content with Blood, the debut CD from Leagas's post-Death In June project and considered a "darkwave classic". Content with Blood is the first re-release from the Kenaz label. For more information go to www.myspace.com/6commpatrickl or www.hagshadow.net/6comm
Pantaleimon release a 7-inch this month featuring 'Under The Water', the first track to be released from their forthcoming new album. One side features an alternate mix of the track from their as yet untitled new album, while the other side features a screen printed image by Andria Degens. 'Under The Water' is part of Blue Sanct Records series of "art" singles. To pre-order go to www.bluesanct.com or www.durtro.com For more information go to www.pantaleimon.com
Punch Records are holding a festival on January 20-21 at the Ut Connewitz club in Leipzig, Germany with a number of artists from their roster taking part. It's an impressive line-up featuring performances from 1997ev, AIT!, Comando Suzie, Elli Riehl, Erik Ursich, Mushroom's Patience, Novy Svet, Ô Paradis, Thomas Nöla and Wermut. For more information go to www.punchrecords.it
The Lumberton Trading Company have just released Songs for a Dog a vinyl only album from Michael Gira, taken from the short run CDs available from his website and three previously unreleased tracks. Songs for a Dog is released on heavy vinyl in high-quality packaging in an edition of 2000 copies. Coming soon are new releases from Volga, Siôn Orgon, Formication and a live release from Faust. Previous Lumberton releases have included Thighpaulsandra, E.A.R. and Theme, the label's in-house band featuring Hassni Malik and Richard Johnson. For more information go to www.lumbertontrading.com
In The Nursery return in the New Year with a new studio album, Era. Era explores the themes of architecture, urban decay and regeneration with contributions from Dolores Marguerite C and drummer David Elektrik, and collaborations with guest vocalist Sarah Jay Hawley, best known for her work with Massive Attack. In The Nursery are planning a series of shows to coincide with the release of Era. For more information go to www.inthenursery.com
Of The Wand and the Moon and Sonne Hagal are playing two shows this month. The first at the Sociedade União, Sintrense, Portugal on December 15. The following night they perform at La Morgue, Diskpol, Discoexpress y Rara Avis, Madrid, Spain. For more information go to www.ofthewandandthemoon.dk
Foetus has just released Damp, a "satellite" album to the last Foetus release Love. Damp features 12 tracks, many previously unreleased recordings, some of which was recorded during the Love sessions together with collaborations with Rotoskop and the Melvins and a remix by Phylr.
The Damp cover is a deluxe ten panel foldout on heavy card with lyrics, featuring photos and design by JG Thirlwell. Damp released on the Ectopic Ents label and is only available from the shoppe at www.foetus.org
Out now on the Danhuser sublabel Sheela-Na-Gig is a double A-sided 7-inch single from Black Sun Productions. The 7-inch released on white vinyl in an edition of 444 copies features the tracks 'Uncle Billy' and 'His Secret Secretions'. Sheela-Na-Gig previously released the Black Sun Productions CD-EP Im Gegenteil. For more information go to www.anarcocks.com or www.danhuser.org
Klanggalerie follow two releases from Konstruktivists with a new release from old industrialist Maurizio Bianchi. Elisionem we are told reminds of Neuro Habitat or Endometrio and is limited to 500 copies. For more information go to www.klanggalerie.com
Fear Falls Burning, the drone alter ego of vidnaObmana, have two new releases out now. I’m One of Those Monsters Numb With Grace features 40 minutes of drone music, released on heavy vinyl in a gatefold sleeve, with picture insert, on Equation Records in an edition of 399 copies. Woes of the Desolate Mourner is a limited 7-inch, featuring the first half of a Dutch show, released on clear vinyl in a miminal sleeve design. The 7-inch is released on Tonefloat/Ikon. Fear Falls Burning have a number of dates lined up for 2007 with Cult of Luna. For more information go to www.fearfallsburning.be
Mykel Boyd and Allan Zane (of Wyrm) have just released Trace Elements, a collaboration featuring 4 hours of sounds spread over 4-CDRs in a silkscreened wooden box. Trace Elements is limited to 50 signed and numbered copies. Forthcoming is a split 3-inch CDR with Is, containing one track a piece, and one collaborative track. The release is scheduled for release in December to coincide with a live performance from Mykel Boyd at The Empty Bottle Chicago, on December 27. Other artists performing in this evening dedicated to experimental sound are Shattered Hymen, Estesombelo, Haunted Castle and Body Collector.
Mykel Boyd's Somnimage label are working on a compilation titled Radio Interference From Unknown Orgasm featuring Val Denham, Sword Volcano Complex, Wyrm, Mykel Boyd, Merzbow and Massimo & Pierce of Black Sun Productions. For more information go to www.somnimage.com
Creative Fields have just released A Tribute To The Wor(l)ds of Jhonn Balance with 13 artists presenting their personal interpretations of the lyrics of Jhonn Balance of Coil. Artists featured include Black Sun Productions, Mariae Nascenti, Wertham, alongside some new acts such as Cropcircle, Endtransmission, Mekhate and others. For more information go to www.creativefields.net
Geister im Waldgebirg is the title of the new release from Sturmpercht, the Austrian / south Bavarian Alpin-Folk formation. Geister im Waldgebirg is a journey through the deepest central-European forests and mountains with all their strange creatures, fairies, myths and legends. The songs vary from powerful martial-folk hymns to fragile folk-ballads with lyrics based on old pagan rites and cults.
On Geister im Waldgebirg Sturmpercht are joined by Axel Frank of Werkraum, while Allerseelen, Sangre Cavallum and Waldteufel all provide exclusive songs. Geister im Waldgebirg is released as a CD and as a double vinyl LP in white stained and branded wooden cover limited to 340 copies. For more information go to www.steinklang-records.at
Available now from Cold Spring Records is A Mythological Prospect Of The Citie Of Londinium, a nine track CD with three tracks each from Sol Invictus, Rose Rovine E Amanti, and Andrew King. The CD comes wrapped in the beautiful paintings of Andrew King, representing the city of London, and was originally issued to coincide with Sol Invictus' recent London performance. You can bring in the New Year with Sol Invictus as they perform at Hellraiser, Werkstättenstraße 4, Leipzig on December 31. Other acts performing include Nebelung, Spiritual Front and Andrew King. For more information go to www.eislicht.de
Cold Spring Records, meanwhile, have new titles from H.E.R.R., Beliburg, John Watermann and Toll available now, with releases imminent from Merzbow Vs Nordvargr, and Sistrenatus. Partikel II is the second of a trilogy from Masami Akita and Henrik Nordvargr. Division One is the debut release of black ambient, power noise and death-industrial from Harlow MacFarlane, a former member of Funerary Call. For more information go to www.coldspring.co.uk
Birch Book, the mystical folk project of B'Eirth of In Gowan Ring, release the second volume of Birch Book entitled Fortune & Folly – Sundry Rues and Wonders of a Wayward Wanderer released by helmet rOOm recordings of Denver, Colorado. On the second volume of Birch Book, B'ee displays a more organic, individualistic approach to songwriting. Fortune & Folly blends elements of idiosyncratic folk-pop and outcast-country with brooding layers of sound and sense, eliciting comparisons with Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake and Will Oldham. Birch Book Volume II - Fortune & Folly is available in three editions: a standard letterpress edition; a gold leaf edition with bonus live CDR limited to 88 copies, and an Alder ring edition with case and lyric scroll with stamped canvas pouch in an edition of 37 copies. A bonus live DVD is included with this now sold-out edition. For more information go to www.ingowanring.com or www.helmetroom.com
C.O.T.A. have made Terraist, their debut release, available as a download. Terraist was originally issued on cassette in an edition of 93 copies, with 93 of them packaged in hand-screened and sewn pouches. Subsequent C.O.T.A. releases have include Marches and Meditations and Ta'Wil on Tesco Records. For more information go to www.sonicksorcery.com