#13

Ben Billington – Brave Grave#3: Drums c92

One man, a set of drums, and 90 minutes of tape. I'll be honest, I'm not a percussion aficionado, so this is a little outside my comfort zone. That said, I enjoyed what this had to offer. It's pretty damn intense, but also manages to incorporate some laid back, atmospheric elements. This isn't the thing for everyone, but if you're into drums or want something different, snag a copy.

905 Tapes


Garrincha & The Stolen Elk – Black Sambo/White Mamba c21

Oh, you gotta dig this; rhythmic drone with wild strings and horns. Really rad, but I want more than just 20 minutes. Recommended.

905 Tapes



i AM esper – The Slumber of the Grayscale Moths/Over the Atlantic c90

A collection of two i AM esper albums and some bonus material, side A starts off with the monsterous ambient dirge that is The Slumber of the Grayscale Moths. The side is rounded out with the bonus track “Listen and Glisten”, which is similar to Slumber, but noticably more upbeat sounding. On the flip is Over the Atlantic, which alternated between tracks of feedback oriented drone and spacey guitar loops. Niiiice.

Frozen Tendril Records


Lace Bows – Morte Do Artista c82

Morte Do Artista is the perfect soundtrack to drifting off into space. But, if you want to appreciate what Lace Bows is doing here, you have to really listen and not let the album become pleasant background noise. Over an hour of minimalistic synth, the sound ebbs and flows and one begins to feel this isn't a linear piece, but cylindrical. If you like them low key, this is for you.

Bum Tapes


Majutsu no Niwa – Ecstatic Crystallization c60

Lurking somewhere between noise, drone, and psych rock is the feedback drenched realm of Ecstatic Crystallization. Driven by a reverb-soaked guitar, I found it a little to abrasive and chaotic to really get into. Not a bad release, just not particularly my deal.

Sloow Tapes



Pürple Zhrö – Sorgho N'sryo cd

This seems to be little more than a collection of sounds and noises arranged arbitrarily to form a handful of “songs”. Sporadically throughout the album there are brief moments that resemble something like music, and it's actually enjoyable, but these are few and far between. There's obviously some talent behind this racket, too bad it's being wasted. Who knows; maybe I just don't get it.

Sturmundrugs Records