pArcel pOst 5/16/2012 A Library
The tsugaru shamisen is a three stringed japanese lute that sounds reminisceint of a banjo. Michihiro is a master and being of the younger generation of players has chosen the path of improv. All the tracks on here are great. While I found it a bit difficult to listen all the way through (the banjo-ness wore on me) there are many enjoyable tracks here. My picks are the ones that feature Christian Marclay.
-pArcel pOst
pArcel pOst 5/16/2012 A Library
Megafortress is New York musician Bill Gillim. Voice and field recordings come to the fore on this EP. I think a lot of the field recordings are somewhat fictional or at the very least, processed beyond recognition. The recordings presented here are some of his most recent works. While they are interesting and certainly worth a listen they tend to venture into a new age space. The really good stuff seems to be his earlier work, accessible on Soundcloud.
pArcel pOst
pArcel pOst 4/14/2012 A Library
Sample based dark ambient. Collaboration between Sean Canty and Miles Whittaker. They take their name from a 17th century witch and Oujia bored hijinks ensue. Heavy on the drone sides at times and definitely reminiscent of Nurse with Wound. Lots of layered groaning, atmospherics, and sometimes even ethnic sounding. The beats in some of the tracks seem to emerge from the gloom. Back ground sounds switch with foreground, turn widdershins Best listened to in a dark room in the wee hours. Good clean FCC fun for the whole family.
– pArcel pOst
pArcel pOst 4/14/2012 A Library
This guy has a great sense of humor. Crystal Cat is a good rockin’ IDM for spastic people. Totally Boner Eat Shit says it all. This is my pick. Look for a totally boner cleaned up shit cd so you can play this during the day.
-pArcel pOst
pArcel pOst 4/14/2012 A Library
Folk music from San Antonio. Is this what Bob Dylan would have sounded like had he been from Texas? It’s just Mr. Hoke on guitar or banjo and harmonica. The lyrics and singing are slightly off. Some of the songs have a social import (Grave Concern + Gone – the Trees and the Beasts). Never dull, but there are a few moments of despair.
pArcel pOst
pArcel pOst 4/14/2012 A Library
sonic textures twist
soft and sparse musings
around mournful melodies
this release is from Richard Skelton AKA Carousell. Intensely somber and dark but light and airy at the same time. The sparse guitar and piano highlight the scritchy violin overtones. vocal wailings on “The Clearing” by Autumn Grieve. Some faint giggles or sobbing can also be heard. My pick is “Which is the Blood”, but they’re all good. “Owl Lantern” and “the Clearing” track together, making for a nice 10 minute piece.
– pArcel pOst
pArcel pOst 4/13/2012 A Library
Johnathan Sheppard started his music career in the 7th grade in a band called Weed. Using pots + pans the band produced such hits as “Kill Me or I’ll Kill You”, “Drugs”, and “Constipated”. His instrumentation on this release has evolved to using parts of drumkits and occasionally a radio. A low-fi minimalist, he’s the Russel Hoke of the great white north. “Radio Quebec” really gets it groove on and is my pick. Good wholesome fun. Sheppard does some interesting drawings/paintings as well (cover art and on his website). – pArcel pOst
pArcel pOst 4/13/2012 A Library
A really good example of cut and paste audio collage. The “California Dreamings” Is a combination of possibly every version of that song ever recorded all in one spot. “Is That All There Could Be?” answers a question never asked by Peggy Lee. “Pwn (pronounced ohn, pohn, pawn or pee-OHN take your pick) Monkey” is an hommage to the nice folks that make our computers go. It’s fun to listen to these songs and try to name the samples as you hear them. A cheat sheet is provided inside the cover if you really want to know what was used to create a particular song. Long live fair use! All tracks are good clean fun! -pArcel pOst
pArcel pOst 4/13/2012 A Library
Bardo Thodol – Liberation Through Hearing During The Intermediate State
You can float along with most of these songs. “Cracker Wrist” and “Don’t Know About You” are my picks, although all the tracks are good on here. All songs are longish except for “Don’t Know About You” (4 minutes +). Average length is about 10 minutes for most tracks. “Undone”, while certainly listenable, is about 17 minutes too long.
Reminds me a little bit of My Bloody Valentine without the overly complex production. Songs are generally down tempo with heft + mass but manage to stay away from being ponderous. Isobel Sollenberger’s voice (some kind of cross between PJ Harvey + Kim Gordon) stands out effortlessly + possesses clarity complimenting + contrasting the guitars. -pArcel pOst
pArcel pOst 4/11/2012 A Library
Track one starts out very glitchy and transforms to kitschy. Don’t let that deter you from the rest of this recording. There are some really fine tracks on here. Lots of 8-bit Atari sounds, sparse samples, bits of noise, and unconvetional compositions. Seems as if Michel is thumbing his nose at acedemia. The beginning of track 9 could make a pretty good ring tone. The sampling is rather restrained in favor of the glitched. Track 7 is a Frippertronics gone bad with small electronic birds. Tracks 3, 7 + 9 are my picks.
-pArcel pOst
pArcel pOst 4/11/2012 A Library
Overall a very listenable release. Dynamic, glitchy and gritty cut up records and recordings re-assembled and experimented upon. Strange stops and starts as noted. Previewing selections are a good idea or not.
Track 5 is a pleasant drowning in quiet tones + short wave radio noise. False ending on 5 + then starts + tracks into 6. Track 7 starts with 19 seconds of silence. Track 9 starts up at about 6 secs in. Track 15 ever so slowly fades into water lapping on a shore at about 45 seconds. Picks 5, 10,11,13.
-pArcel pOst
pArcel pOst 4/11/2012 A Library
Largely quiet and subdued, the untitled tracks on this release almost all run together. The tracks are only as suggestions it seems. Most average under three minutes, the longest track is 4:30. The music wants to lull into a disturbing sleep with samples, voices, and synthesizer sounds. Interesting stuff can be found throughout, but I liked tracks 6 -8 and 14 – 16.
-pArcel pOst
pArcel pOst 4/11/2012 A Library
dark + mournful. Variety of track lenghts, so if you need that special sorrowful tune to complete your set, you can probably find it here. The titles are evocative of the tones + drones + textures. One must learn to sleep on the cold stone floor with only puddles of fetid blue ink for coloring. Please do not draw outside the lines.
-pArcel pOst
pArcel pOst 4/11/2012 A Library
Over-produced walls of distortion waxing and waning. A good antidote to that chilled somnambulant techno you just listened to. Not so much harsh or caustic, but moments of epic clarity rising to the murky surface. At times this recording reminded me that I like to rev the engine of the lawn mower, letting the whirling blade scatter black petals of a better fire.
-pArcel pOst
KFJC 89.7FM