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This Week's Featured Downloads
New Orleans-based Belong's October Language album from 2006 went largely unnoticed, which is a real shame since it is a great drone/shoegaze record. In a genre that is plagued by dull Fennesz rip offs and mediocre My Bloody Valentine clones, October Language stood out because of the meticulous crafting and precise attention to detail -- original yet not afraid to show its influences. Belong return here with Colorloss Record (a super-limited vinyl pressing, which is available in download form only on Other Music Digital), an EP of '60s psych covers. Even though the duo throw vocals into the mix, you'd be hard pressed to guess the originals since these versions sound weathered, like the musical equivalent of a faded photograph, and all that remains is a gorgeous, melodic core. The four tracks ("Late Night" by Syd Barrett, "Beeside" by Tintern Abbey, Billy Nicholls' "Girl From New York," and the July classic "My Clown") echo Basinski and, sure, MBV at times, but the sheer originality of these interpretations again prove that Belong are at the top of the drone heap. -Andreas Knutsen
Active since the mid-1980s, Australian Oren Ambrachi has managed to spend the past two decades spreading his prodigious talents across a number of different performance modes. In collaboration, he's worked with folks like Keith Rowe and Toshimaru Nakamura on richly textured improvisations. He's tackled metal with the Southern Lord crew, both as an occasional member of Sunn O))) and a fundamental part of both the Burial AND Grave Temple Trios. And alongside Chris Townshend, he's explored shimmering pop as one-half of Sun. The crown jewel of his oeuvre, however, has always been his sublimely powerful solo work. Though originally a drummer, his use of both guitars and electronics on his richly faceted albums have made him one of modern music's pre-eminent dronesmiths, one capable of making time crawl with his slyly melodic, meticulously crafted pieces. Though perhaps overshadowed by 2007's great In the Pendulum's Embrace, Lost Like a Star was still a pretty fantastic and engaging (and all too limited) piece of vinyl-only work. Offering up two sidelong pieces, Ambarchi opens the album with the all-encompassing shimmer of the title track, a movement that builds upon a steadily growing guitar hum and distant cymbals until it erupts in a cascading rush of white light soaked tones. On the album's second half, he takes a more deliberating approach, plying the opening of "The Final Option" with ominously mutated guitar lines that slowly coalesce into a blast of static drenched heat, reverberating with a renewed intensity as each minute passes. Ever adept at creating and sustaining haunted moods, Oren Ambarchi closes out Lost Like a Star on a gracefully spare note, ending yet another great, low-key release in his impressive discography. -Michael Crumsho
As head of the clutch Fonal label, Sami Sanpakkila has helped turn the world onto Finland's burgeoning folk and psych scene. For most people, that would be enough to warrant some pretty serious accolades; for Sanpakkila, however, that's just the tip of one pretty massive iceberg. Also the driving force behind Es, one of Fonal's flagship projects, Sanpakkila has presided over a number of records that segue from warm, Philip Jeck-esque vinyl loops to gauzy live instrumentation, creating endlessly intimate worlds of abstract, melodic psychedelia in the process. Featuring a rotating cast of musicians that often draws on Finland's rich pool of talent, Es manages to exude an air of homespun beauty and gentility, making for some of the more beguiling spins in modern experimental music. Originally released as a double LP by Belgium's K-RA-AK label a couple of years back, Sateenkaarisuudelma solidified Es' place not only among Finland's finest, but also a global scene of musicians seeking to expand upon the traditional definition of psychedelic music. Beginning with quaint vocal harmonies, Sanpakkila introduces the album with a glorious titular triptych, working through plucked guitars and sawing strings that gradually give way to oscillating drones and loops. Elsewhere, the monumental "Harmonia, Rakkautta" opens on delicate keys before introducing field recordings and a steadily expanding palette of chiming instruments into the mix. Later still, the two part "Maailmankaari" examines different shades of droning organ, bounding from a growing rhythmic thump to more carefully considered lines as the piece progresses. Undoubtedly a shining moment for both Es and the Fonal records camp, Sateenkaarisuudelma is an essential listen for anyone seeking an inroad into all that Finland's current musical climate has to offer. -Michael Crumsho
Taylor Deupree's 12k label has given Other Music a Digital Download Exclusive for this stunning collaboration from Christopher Willits and Ryuichi Sakamoto. In case you missed the review in last Wednesday's Update when we featured the CD, here's what we wrote: "Dedicated to the preservation of our fragile oceans...", Ocean Fire has the sound palette of many processed guitar/instrument records. But where most releases of this type just tend to move "up" and then "out", Willits and Sakamoto do a fine job of mimicking the cross-currents of the water with schools of fish suddenly changing direction in unison. In other words, the sound moves in multiple directions, but quite naturally and in a way that is pleasantly calming. Familiarity is expressed while mystery is maintained. We reach a more peaceful, buoyant moment, perhaps above water judging from the very distant foghorn in "Sea Plains." Track two, "Umi," sounds great, but it ends abruptly, giving me the suspicion that someone might have stepped on the power strip while they were recording. Ocean Fire is definitely for fans of Fennesz, but the distinction is that while its movement is still dynamic, there's a slightly less "physical" quality to the sound in order to bring a more placid feeling. Each track expresses both the grandness of the ocean and some intimate space within it. Ever wish you could breathe under water? -Scott Mou |
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