Tonight we have a range of dark sounds, from indietronica to acoustic improv, acoustic doom to postpunk, post-dubstep to drill’n’bass.
LISTEN AGAIN because music is forever… stream on demand via FBi, podcast it here.
We start with the new music coming out from Aussie indie/underground stalwart Benjow, who’s been releasing music on Bandcamp under the Lewis Carroll-inspired moniker haddock’s eyes for the last year and a bit. This new EP comes on what would have been the birthday of longtime musical partner Baterz. It touches on the tragedy of loss, and on issues of mental health, and it showcases his gorgeous techniques for taking lo-fi indie guitar music and treating it in various high-tech and low-tech ways.
Circadia are an improvising quartet described by their label as “experimental psych-impro-folk”. The folk, if it’s there, comes from the acoustic instrumentation used. Two members are experimental guitarists – David Stackenäs from Sweden, who’s played with Fire! Orchestra and many others, and the Norwegian Kim Myhr, who we recently heard collaborating beautifully with Jenny Hval and the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra. Bassist Joe Williamson is also based in Sweden where he’s played with Fire! Orchestra, but he’s also a member of the excellent improv/postrock/glitch trio Trapist. And you should know drummer Tony Buck from Sydney greats The Necks among a huge range of groupings. These are all masters of improv and live sound sculpture, so it’s no surprise this is a gem. Out from SOFA in mid-August.
David Toop is a renowned music writer & academic, whose essays and articles on experimental music, world music, ambient music, improvisation etc have inspired and illuminated many. He’s also compiled many ear-opening compilations, and released a fair amount of music himself. But it’s been quite long since his last musical release, because for some years (over a decade) he has been agnostic at best about the project of making or listening to music (as opposed to sound). It took some conversations with Brisbane’s Lawrence English to come back to making music, and this album, released on English’s Room40 label, constructs sound-pictures from field recordings, recordings of non-musical objects, and sometimes-disjointed musical elements.
B/B/S/ is a supergroup of sorts, featuring artists from improv, doom and acoustic doom worlds making gorgeous immersive psych/postrock/doom. The first B is Aidan Baker, extremely prolific guitarist & producer, one half of doom/drone metal legends Nadja. The other B is percussionist & producer Andrea Belfi, part of the amazingly fecund Italian experimental music scene, and the S is the brilliant Erik K Skodvin, who through Miasmah Records, his own solo music and his duo Deaf Center has pioneered the genre of “acoustic doom”. There’s plenty of mystery and cavernous doom in this music, although it’s sometimes quite peaceful too – movement within sillness, immense beauty and depth.
UK duo Raime have been connected to the Blackest Ever Black label since its beginnings in 2010. They’ve released some influential mixes – their 2011 FACT Mix was a raging 40 minutes of darkwave jungle, which you can stream at least here. While jungle is no doubt an influence, it’s more in the darkness and rhythmic drive than BPM or production style. There’s a lot of taut postpunk angularity, heavy bass motion, clipped vocal samples, sometimes offset by fluttering string drones…
Asher Levitas is a member of the post-dubstep collective Old Apparatus, who released some mixes and EPs on Deep Medi with some mystery a few years ago, but have since put out a series of EPs on their own Sullen Tone label, each produced by a different member. Levitas’ album is if anything a step upwards: beats are only present on a few tracks, but there’s plenty of bass and rhythmic propulsion. Surges of noise or distorted vocals appear, as well as the beautiful vocals of Marina Elderton.
Finally, the musical chameleon ¬ b (fka Lee Bannon) – born as Fred Warmsley iii, now known as Dedekind Cut. His probably last release as Lee Bannon is a massive double cassette/digital mixtape called 3M that takes in unreleased tracks & partially-finished tracks from the last 4 years – from new bass techno sounds to his origins in hip-hop to ambient, with a strong thread of classic jungle as well as more experimental drill’n’bass running through it. There are heaps of gems throughout this release, so I highly recommend picking it up!
haddock’s eyes – twenty two [haddock’s eyes Bandcamp]
haddock’s eyes – sins (it’s coming in waves) [haddock’s eyes Bandcamp]
Circadia – The human volunteers were kept in isolation [SOFA]
David Toop – Ancestral Beings, Sightless By Their Own Dust [Room40]
David Toop – Sea Slug [Room40]
B/B/S/ – Cosmow [Miasmah]
B/B/S/ – Navel Oil [Miasmah]
Raime – Glassed [Blackest Ever Black]
Raime – Told & Collapsed [Blackest Ever Black]
Raime – The Dimming Of Road And Rights [Blackest Ever Black]
Raime – Stammer [Blackest Ever Black]
Asher Levitas – Withdrawn [Planet µ]
Old Apparatus – Boxcat [Sullen Tone]
Asher Levitas – Blessed Mother feat. Marina Elderton [Planet µ]
Asher Levitas – In The Eyes [Planet µ]
¬ b (fka Lee Bannon) – 3m8-disc1 [Lee Bannon Bandcamp]
¬ b (fka Lee Bannon) – 3m14 (bloodline)-disc2 [Lee Bannon Bandcamp]
Listen again — ~190MB
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