Just a very brief update. I will be hitting the studio at the end of March. More details will come as I have them, but I'm really looking forward to it. In the meantime, I'll be recording at home, and rehearsing.
Currently enjoying: True Detective; The King in Yellow; Marissa Nadler - July; Trepaneringsritualen.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Friday, February 14, 2014
Review from Weird Canada
The fine folks at Weird Canada posted a review of Cold Wires. Original here, pasted below.
Winnipeg drone guitarist Curran Faris has become known for his signature tones and signals, elevating the listener in both live and recorded settings. Cold Wires continues his ethereal world of pedal worship, providing a musical base to a moment in which one can pause and be raised above the void of soundlessness in their mental make-up, looking down upon their thoughts as they are momentarily lifted into a lush musical landscape. Serving as the perfect follow up to his 2011 album Tired Forever, with Cold Wires Faris gives the listener another escape for 45 minutes and 14 seconds.
In other news, I'll be heading into the studio for a quick session in the next month or so. As well as recording at home.
Also, be sure you check out Weird Canada's newly launched Wyrd Distro. Hugely important resource for fans, artists and labels here in Canada.
Current listening: Grave Miasma - Odori Spelcrorum; George Harrison - All Things Must Pass; Vatican Shadow - Remember Your Black Day; Work/Death - Phone About to Ring; Bohren & der club of Gore - Piano Nights.
Winnipeg drone guitarist Curran Faris has become known for his signature tones and signals, elevating the listener in both live and recorded settings. Cold Wires continues his ethereal world of pedal worship, providing a musical base to a moment in which one can pause and be raised above the void of soundlessness in their mental make-up, looking down upon their thoughts as they are momentarily lifted into a lush musical landscape. Serving as the perfect follow up to his 2011 album Tired Forever, with Cold Wires Faris gives the listener another escape for 45 minutes and 14 seconds.
In other news, I'll be heading into the studio for a quick session in the next month or so. As well as recording at home.
Also, be sure you check out Weird Canada's newly launched Wyrd Distro. Hugely important resource for fans, artists and labels here in Canada.
Current listening: Grave Miasma - Odori Spelcrorum; George Harrison - All Things Must Pass; Vatican Shadow - Remember Your Black Day; Work/Death - Phone About to Ring; Bohren & der club of Gore - Piano Nights.
Friday, January 24, 2014
Tome to the Weather Machine Review
The folks at Tome to the Weather Machine posted a very kind, and very thoughtful, review of Cold Wires. In fact, they totally hit the nail on the head in terms of the sort of album I was trying to create, so it feels good to know some of that came across. Also, being recommended alongside serious favourites of mine like Jasper TX and Secret Pyramid is very flattering.
http://www.tometotheweathermachine.com/reviews/2014/01/greenhouse
"Cold Wires" lives in that space right before that contact mic stab of metal-on-metal feedback. You know that hum of a loose connection? That static charge you can feel reverberating right up your arm as you plug guitar into amp. Imagine living in that world for close to an hour. The air heavy with pregnant ions, brittle snaps of crackling feedback, alternating pitches of frequencies being tuned to piercing, dog-level highs and rumbling, bowel-shaking lows. I would be unfair to limit the dynamics of "Cold Wires" to this moment, but most of the album rides this razor's edge of tension-filled soundscapes both cold and wired. While Greenhouse seeks golden and leaden sounds without, this rumbling hum often acts a center, a homing device that guides all melodies and stray pitches back into it's cold, loving arms.
Flying under the flag of the always excellent Winnipeg label Prairie Fire Tapes, "Cold Wires" is an exhibition of minimal drones polished and coded under a thick pall of ambient electronics that signal and blink like a nighttime aerial view of an airport. Which makes sense as much of this album feels like circling and coming home in the vein of highway amnesia or a dog settling down for bed. A drift back into something with a minimal frame, but filled with so much stuff. Our stuff. A place completely ambivalent to our existence until we arrive there and start unpacking.
"Cold Wires" ends with one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have heard in a very long while. After the ominous sustained tones, whale-song guitar lines and serrated organ of "Sick Breath", "Your Favorite Place" ends with an elegiac, three-minute guitar piece comprised of a few simple notes plucked out with plenty of space left slack for the warm sustain to simply hang in the air like a swarm of cicadas on a hot summer's night. A perfect way to end an album which utilizes long, sustained tones for remarkably different ends.
Physical copies of "Cold Wires" at the time of this writing are no longer for sale as Chris from Prairie Fire Tapes/Dub Ditch Picnic recovers from a serious car accident (our thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family), however, digital copies are available at the bandcamp link provided below.
http://www.tometotheweathermachine.com/reviews/2014/01/greenhouse
"Cold Wires" lives in that space right before that contact mic stab of metal-on-metal feedback. You know that hum of a loose connection? That static charge you can feel reverberating right up your arm as you plug guitar into amp. Imagine living in that world for close to an hour. The air heavy with pregnant ions, brittle snaps of crackling feedback, alternating pitches of frequencies being tuned to piercing, dog-level highs and rumbling, bowel-shaking lows. I would be unfair to limit the dynamics of "Cold Wires" to this moment, but most of the album rides this razor's edge of tension-filled soundscapes both cold and wired. While Greenhouse seeks golden and leaden sounds without, this rumbling hum often acts a center, a homing device that guides all melodies and stray pitches back into it's cold, loving arms.
Flying under the flag of the always excellent Winnipeg label Prairie Fire Tapes, "Cold Wires" is an exhibition of minimal drones polished and coded under a thick pall of ambient electronics that signal and blink like a nighttime aerial view of an airport. Which makes sense as much of this album feels like circling and coming home in the vein of highway amnesia or a dog settling down for bed. A drift back into something with a minimal frame, but filled with so much stuff. Our stuff. A place completely ambivalent to our existence until we arrive there and start unpacking.
"Cold Wires" ends with one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have heard in a very long while. After the ominous sustained tones, whale-song guitar lines and serrated organ of "Sick Breath", "Your Favorite Place" ends with an elegiac, three-minute guitar piece comprised of a few simple notes plucked out with plenty of space left slack for the warm sustain to simply hang in the air like a swarm of cicadas on a hot summer's night. A perfect way to end an album which utilizes long, sustained tones for remarkably different ends.
Physical copies of "Cold Wires" at the time of this writing are no longer for sale as Chris from Prairie Fire Tapes/Dub Ditch Picnic recovers from a serious car accident (our thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family), however, digital copies are available at the bandcamp link provided below.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Upcoming Performance
My next live performance will be January 29th at the Centennial Concert Hall in Winnipeg. I will be doing a 20-minute set before Glenn Branca.
Tickets and more info to be found here (except, I don't use a laptop): http://www.newmusicfestival.ca/wp/unholynoise/
In other news: some gear is broken. Damn.
Currently enjoying: Basic House - Oats; Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away.
Tickets and more info to be found here (except, I don't use a laptop): http://www.newmusicfestival.ca/wp/unholynoise/
In other news: some gear is broken. Damn.
Currently enjoying: Basic House - Oats; Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Regarding Ordering Copies of Cold Wires
As some of may or may not be aware, Chris and his partner were involved in a very serious car accident a few weeks ago. Thankfully they are both ok and are recovering. I visited Chris in the hospital yesterday, and his spirits are high. Needless to say, it was great to see him and I wish him a fast recovery. Having known Chris and his family for several years, I'm still shaken about these events. I simply cannot imagine what he and his family are living through right now.
For the time being, and understandably, copies of Cold Wires will not be for sale on the Praire Fire Tapes site - though digital versions are still available. It goes without saying that having copies of my tape available on the site is something that simply can't happen at this point — and I couldn't agree more. Chris and his family need this time to heal. Having something available for sale is of no comparison to another person's health and well-being. Heal swiftly, friends.
In the interim, if you would like a physical copy of the tape, please contact me directly at greenhousedrone [at] gmail [dot] com and I will get you sorted.
For the time being, and understandably, copies of Cold Wires will not be for sale on the Praire Fire Tapes site - though digital versions are still available. It goes without saying that having copies of my tape available on the site is something that simply can't happen at this point — and I couldn't agree more. Chris and his family need this time to heal. Having something available for sale is of no comparison to another person's health and well-being. Heal swiftly, friends.
In the interim, if you would like a physical copy of the tape, please contact me directly at greenhousedrone [at] gmail [dot] com and I will get you sorted.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Live from Frame (excerpt)
Here's a short excerpt from my live set at Frame in November. I was fairly happy with the set, considering I accidentally placed some gear in the wrong spot, so I had to troubleshoot on the fly.
I have the full version here too, but maybe I'll save that for another time. Maybe not.
My next live performance is Jan 29 at the Centennial Concert Hall at the pre-concert before Glenn Branca. Should be interesting. After that, I plan to do a quick studio session, followed by more work at home.
Currently enjoying: Secret Pyramid - Movements of Night; No UFOs - MPC Tracks vol. 2; Basic House - Oats; Glenn Branca - The World Upside Down.
GreenhousePB10212 360 2 from bandc on Vimeo.
I have the full version here too, but maybe I'll save that for another time. Maybe not.
My next live performance is Jan 29 at the Centennial Concert Hall at the pre-concert before Glenn Branca. Should be interesting. After that, I plan to do a quick studio session, followed by more work at home.
Currently enjoying: Secret Pyramid - Movements of Night; No UFOs - MPC Tracks vol. 2; Basic House - Oats; Glenn Branca - The World Upside Down.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Favourites of 2013
Hell yes. I love lists. I know you do too. Here's a list of records that I loved this year.
In no real order.
Coin - Stilled (Opal Tapes)
Such a great release. Coin is the solo project of Michael Vallera, one-half of duo Cleared, and Stilled is six tracks of greyscale, drone-infused minimal techno. Out of all the highly regarded, and fast-selling, releases of Opal Tapes, Coin truly stands out for me. Vallera's drum programming is very dubby and certainly not dance floor ready — and that's a very good thing. Processed guitar and piano and gritty swaths of noise swirl amidst minimal, throbbing drums, perfect for lonely, late-night listens.
Locrian - Return to Annihilation (Relapse)
It's no surprise what a huge fan of Locrian I am, and it certainly isn't shocking that I love this album. Off the top, Return to Annihilation is great because Locrian succeeded in throwing a wrench into the gears of both their fans, who perhaps were expecting more of their patented, suffocating, long-form blackened drone/noise workouts, and those of traditional Relapse listeners. A little head-scratching is always a good thing, and really, if you've been paying attention the evolution of Locrian, the direction of Return shouldn't really be a surprise. Nor should anyone be surprised how fucking good this record is. Locrian have delivered a dark, atmospheric, yet dynamic record with actual songs while still draping everything under a veil of experimentation, tension and terror that owes as much, if not more, to 1970s prog than it does drone or metal - black or otherwise; it's an album that in lesser hands would surely have been impossible.
Secret Pyramid - Movements of Night (Students of Decay)
Such an incredibly gorgeous album. Each track unfolds like watching a time lapse of the night sky as haunting melodies and gauzy drones slowly twist and turn around you. Amir's guitar and synth work is so perfectly blended and processed that at times it's hard to pick out exactly what instrument is doing what. Instead, the listener is left to drift through an expansive universe of sound. Stunning. Also, contact Amir directly to grip a copy of the super limited tape he put out this year
Deafheaven - Sunbather (Deathwish)
I know this will be all over every other best-of list this year, but sometimes there's a reason. Deafheaven have created a record that is at once punishing, abrasive and beautiful. I like this.
Wolf Eyes - No Answer/Lower Floors (DeStjil)
The might Wolf Eyes return. One of things I like most about this record is how spacious and restrained it is. While Burned Mind will probably be one of my favourite Wolf Eyes records (and I fully acknowledge that there are probably hundreds of Wolf Eyes records I've never heard and will likely never hear), they didn't need to make another unstoppable noise juggernaut. Everything on No Answer is tense, constantly being pulled and prodded by scraping metal, murmured vocals and percussion that sounds like an abandoned factory slowly collapsing. The mark of true masters is this ability to hold back and ratchet up the tension. And when Wolf Eyes finally let it go, the results are nothing short of amazing and deafening.
Miles - Faint Hearted (Modern Love)
I admit to being a bit of tourist, still, when it comes to techno. I'm working on it, I swear. But my gateway into certain strains of techno mainly comes from noise crossovers like Pete Swanson and Dominick Fernow or following certain labels, not from anything that happened in Germany or Detroit. Similarly, my introduction to noise/drone/experimental music came from the heavy bands I listened to ten years ago. Anyways, my point is I'm relatively new. I don't necessarily know all the originators that inspired music by Vatican Shadow or Miles, for example, but I like it, and I'm willing to do the homework, time permitted of course. But OK. What I like about this album is that it grooves in some places, more tranquil in others, and really blown out and noisey too. It's cold, yet really listenable. Plus, as with all Modern Love releases, the vinyl sounds great, especially when it's cranked. This album is no exception. A side note about this album: I trekked all the way out to Brooklyn with my daughter strapped to my back to buy this. Killer store. She fell asleep part way through shopping and the dude working there had to help me do up the head support on her carrier, which was nice, but he was super uncomfortable doing it.
Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork
For sure my most-listened to album of 2013. Hands down. I've been a longtime fan of Queens, though I really wasn't too into their last full length. ...Like Clockwork is definitely contender for top three, maybe two, favourite Queens records. Anyone who knows me is aware that I'm a sucker for hooks, and this album is filled with smart, jagged, brain-burrowing hooks. This record also feels so comfortable, like Homme knew that he didn't need to make another Songs for the Deaf, or write another "Super Hit of the Summer." This album is spacious, restrained, mellow and just fucking great. It's also got some incredible guitar tones on here. Again, I'm a mega-fan of Homme's sound, writing and playing, but the tones in here have totally made me re-examine what a guitar could, and sometimes should, sound like, in a rock setting. "I Sat By The Ocean" is for sure my favourite song of the year, and is up there for all-timers.
Side note: I pre-ordered this on iTunes because I wasn't sure I'd love it and want it on vinyl (mistake!). The release date was when my family and I were in NYC, but I didn't find a working WiFi connection until we were in the Museum of Natural History. Our trip was great, but it was also really stressful, seeing as my daughter was two at the time and we all had to deal with some pretty bananas sleep issues in NYC. Far from ideal, but that's how it went down. One afternoon while she napped, I spent a few hours walking Manhatting, buying records, drinking coffee, just being there. It was a great way to de-stress for a bit, and I blasted this album probably three times in a row. This record will always take me back there.
Acteurs - s/t (Public Information)
Big thanks to Chris Dub Ditch/Prairie Fire for bringing copies of this before they totally went OOP. This reminds me at first of a Wolf Eyes with much nicer, pristine gear if they grew up on krautrock or something. Maybe that's a shitty analogy (Ed: it is). Anyways. This record really grabbed me. The modular synth tones here are really interested and chilly, and the mastering on the vinyl is killer. I also dig the fact that these guys are writing songs here too, instead of just wiring up a bunch of patches and hitting record. I'd love to see this band live, somehow. Sorry, I don't have anything more interesting or profound to say about this LP other than I really like it and it's out of print now but Dub Ditch Picnic STILL has copies available. So get on it.
Kwaidan - Make All The Hell of Dark Metal Bright (Bathetic)
I wrote a fairly extensive review of this record here on my blog, actually, so I likely don't need to say anything I didn't say there. The skill these three players have is staggering, and one of the strongest aspects of this record is how cohesive they sound together. No one steps on anyone's toes or vies for the spotlight. Everyone is too busy listening to what the other is doing. "The Sound of This Bell" is an incredibly beautiful piece. I strongly hope that we hear more from Kwaidan in 2014.
KEN mode - Entrench (Season of Mist)
Full disclosure: I'm good friends with these guys. That aside, Venerable is one of the few aggressive records that I bought and loved this year. As always, brutal, crushing noise-rock heaviness with some lurching breakdowns thrown in for extra destruction. What does it for me is that KEN mode don't just right killer riffs, they write killer songs, and that is huge difference.
TM404 - s/t
Damn it. What an amazing album. Again, acid techno isn't something I grew up listening to, and I guess that's what this is? I don't know. And I don't really care too much about putting a label on things, but all I know is that I love this album and can't get enough of it. The concept behind it is really interesting too. Using a series of Roland 303s, 606s and 808s, Tillander hooked them all together and hit record. Apparently with no overdubbing either, which is totally insane. The results are minimal, yet extremely complex bass lines and beats that intertwine and unfurl with one another in some incredible ways. Thanks to a way pricey and short-lived Euro pressing I had to settle for the digital version, but hot damn I bet this sounds amazing on vinyl.
Autechre - Exai (Warp)
I feel like this record took a bit of bruising, reviews wise. Autechre is one of the first strictly electronic bands/artists that I got into when a friend of mine recommended Confield to me by saying that his friend really like it, but that my friend thought it was super weird and crazy and dumb. I loved it. I digress. First off, the packaging of this 4LP set is beautiful. Anyone familiar with Autechre likely shouldn't be super surprised with the material found on Exai. Totally otherwordly, futuristic electronic music that really sounds like no one else. Plus, at an enormous 2+ hours of music spanning 4 LPs, there's lots to digest, and if you're a fan of Autechre, that's a good thing.
Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks (Universal)
Another childhood favourite of mine that I reconnected with over the last few years. The Downward Spiral remains one of my top albums of all time, but I really stopped paying attention to Reznor after The Fragile. As I made up for lost time over the past few years, discovering how good With Teeth is, it was a happy coincidence that NIN would drop a new one this year. I really like this album. The production, and attention to detail is, as to be expected, pretty amazing, and there's some really good songs on here.
Huerco S - Colonial Patterns (Software)
A terrific album by an artist I really know very little about, other than he released a tape on Opal and he does lots of DJ gigs. Colonial Patterns has a great, minimal techno pulse throughout, but it's often so minimal and buried beneath hazy synths and stuttering loops, making many of the beats and rhythms pretty woozy feeling, as if it was recorded over and over on a tape that baked on your dashboard for a weekend.
Head Hits Concrete - Hollowed Out Human Husk
Fuck yes. One of my all-time favourite Winnipeg bands make a triumphant return after years of deafening silence. I first got into HHC when I was in high school, and they were one of the bands (along with Propagandhi and Malefaction) who really changed the way I saw the world poltically and socially. Mike Alexander is a truly gifted, ferocious vocalist and lyricist who's writing delivers as great an impact as does the finger-snapping riffage HHC doles out. A particular standout here is "Phoenix," which deals with one of the most horrific, disgusting accounts of abuse and murder I've ever read in the news (Manitoba or otherwise). Alexander's outrage and disgust is front-and-centre, but so is his grief and sadness — a surprising tenet for a grind band, and one that will linger with you long after this 7" has ended.
Cloudrat - Moksha (Halo of Flies)
There are very few aggressive, heavy, whatever bands that really grab my attention anymore. Maybe I'm old. Maybe go fuck yourself. But I increasingly feel that if I want something loud and pissed off, I have plenty of options with the old stand-bys of my record collection. Cloudrat is one of the exceptions this year. And maybe it's partially due to the fact that Cloudrat is exactly the kind of band that would have totally blown me away when I was nineteen — and in no way is that a bad thing: this band totally has totally blown me away at 29. Blending the manic speed of grindcore and the crushing heaviness of His Hero Is Gone-esque hardcore with some incredibly powerful vocals and intelligent writing, Cloudrat do not fuck around. Highly recommended.
Mutoid Man - Helium Head (Magic Bullet)
Brodsky from Cave In and Koller from Converge? Ok, so this this way-to-brief album is a bit of trump card for me, but god damnit. Mutoid Man is the perfect distillation of each member's previous outputs, only coated in meth and fired into space. Brodsky's riffing is some of his fiercest yet, and Koller's penchant for off-kilter, metronome-overloading transitions results is a truly fantastic record that sounds like no one else. But as frenzied and chaotic and heavy as Helium Head is, there are some serious hooks in here that will be lodged in your head for days.
Side note: As the vinyl release for this was delayed, I've just been streaming this beast on Rdio. That's kind of shitty, I know, but it won't be long until I lay this wax upon my table.
In no real order.
Coin - Stilled (Opal Tapes)
Such a great release. Coin is the solo project of Michael Vallera, one-half of duo Cleared, and Stilled is six tracks of greyscale, drone-infused minimal techno. Out of all the highly regarded, and fast-selling, releases of Opal Tapes, Coin truly stands out for me. Vallera's drum programming is very dubby and certainly not dance floor ready — and that's a very good thing. Processed guitar and piano and gritty swaths of noise swirl amidst minimal, throbbing drums, perfect for lonely, late-night listens.
Locrian - Return to Annihilation (Relapse)
It's no surprise what a huge fan of Locrian I am, and it certainly isn't shocking that I love this album. Off the top, Return to Annihilation is great because Locrian succeeded in throwing a wrench into the gears of both their fans, who perhaps were expecting more of their patented, suffocating, long-form blackened drone/noise workouts, and those of traditional Relapse listeners. A little head-scratching is always a good thing, and really, if you've been paying attention the evolution of Locrian, the direction of Return shouldn't really be a surprise. Nor should anyone be surprised how fucking good this record is. Locrian have delivered a dark, atmospheric, yet dynamic record with actual songs while still draping everything under a veil of experimentation, tension and terror that owes as much, if not more, to 1970s prog than it does drone or metal - black or otherwise; it's an album that in lesser hands would surely have been impossible.
Secret Pyramid - Movements of Night (Students of Decay)
Such an incredibly gorgeous album. Each track unfolds like watching a time lapse of the night sky as haunting melodies and gauzy drones slowly twist and turn around you. Amir's guitar and synth work is so perfectly blended and processed that at times it's hard to pick out exactly what instrument is doing what. Instead, the listener is left to drift through an expansive universe of sound. Stunning. Also, contact Amir directly to grip a copy of the super limited tape he put out this year
Deafheaven - Sunbather (Deathwish)
I know this will be all over every other best-of list this year, but sometimes there's a reason. Deafheaven have created a record that is at once punishing, abrasive and beautiful. I like this.
Wolf Eyes - No Answer/Lower Floors (DeStjil)
The might Wolf Eyes return. One of things I like most about this record is how spacious and restrained it is. While Burned Mind will probably be one of my favourite Wolf Eyes records (and I fully acknowledge that there are probably hundreds of Wolf Eyes records I've never heard and will likely never hear), they didn't need to make another unstoppable noise juggernaut. Everything on No Answer is tense, constantly being pulled and prodded by scraping metal, murmured vocals and percussion that sounds like an abandoned factory slowly collapsing. The mark of true masters is this ability to hold back and ratchet up the tension. And when Wolf Eyes finally let it go, the results are nothing short of amazing and deafening.
Miles - Faint Hearted (Modern Love)
I admit to being a bit of tourist, still, when it comes to techno. I'm working on it, I swear. But my gateway into certain strains of techno mainly comes from noise crossovers like Pete Swanson and Dominick Fernow or following certain labels, not from anything that happened in Germany or Detroit. Similarly, my introduction to noise/drone/experimental music came from the heavy bands I listened to ten years ago. Anyways, my point is I'm relatively new. I don't necessarily know all the originators that inspired music by Vatican Shadow or Miles, for example, but I like it, and I'm willing to do the homework, time permitted of course. But OK. What I like about this album is that it grooves in some places, more tranquil in others, and really blown out and noisey too. It's cold, yet really listenable. Plus, as with all Modern Love releases, the vinyl sounds great, especially when it's cranked. This album is no exception. A side note about this album: I trekked all the way out to Brooklyn with my daughter strapped to my back to buy this. Killer store. She fell asleep part way through shopping and the dude working there had to help me do up the head support on her carrier, which was nice, but he was super uncomfortable doing it.
Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork
For sure my most-listened to album of 2013. Hands down. I've been a longtime fan of Queens, though I really wasn't too into their last full length. ...Like Clockwork is definitely contender for top three, maybe two, favourite Queens records. Anyone who knows me is aware that I'm a sucker for hooks, and this album is filled with smart, jagged, brain-burrowing hooks. This record also feels so comfortable, like Homme knew that he didn't need to make another Songs for the Deaf, or write another "Super Hit of the Summer." This album is spacious, restrained, mellow and just fucking great. It's also got some incredible guitar tones on here. Again, I'm a mega-fan of Homme's sound, writing and playing, but the tones in here have totally made me re-examine what a guitar could, and sometimes should, sound like, in a rock setting. "I Sat By The Ocean" is for sure my favourite song of the year, and is up there for all-timers.
Side note: I pre-ordered this on iTunes because I wasn't sure I'd love it and want it on vinyl (mistake!). The release date was when my family and I were in NYC, but I didn't find a working WiFi connection until we were in the Museum of Natural History. Our trip was great, but it was also really stressful, seeing as my daughter was two at the time and we all had to deal with some pretty bananas sleep issues in NYC. Far from ideal, but that's how it went down. One afternoon while she napped, I spent a few hours walking Manhatting, buying records, drinking coffee, just being there. It was a great way to de-stress for a bit, and I blasted this album probably three times in a row. This record will always take me back there.
Acteurs - s/t (Public Information)
Big thanks to Chris Dub Ditch/Prairie Fire for bringing copies of this before they totally went OOP. This reminds me at first of a Wolf Eyes with much nicer, pristine gear if they grew up on krautrock or something. Maybe that's a shitty analogy (Ed: it is). Anyways. This record really grabbed me. The modular synth tones here are really interested and chilly, and the mastering on the vinyl is killer. I also dig the fact that these guys are writing songs here too, instead of just wiring up a bunch of patches and hitting record. I'd love to see this band live, somehow. Sorry, I don't have anything more interesting or profound to say about this LP other than I really like it and it's out of print now but Dub Ditch Picnic STILL has copies available. So get on it.
Kwaidan - Make All The Hell of Dark Metal Bright (Bathetic)
I wrote a fairly extensive review of this record here on my blog, actually, so I likely don't need to say anything I didn't say there. The skill these three players have is staggering, and one of the strongest aspects of this record is how cohesive they sound together. No one steps on anyone's toes or vies for the spotlight. Everyone is too busy listening to what the other is doing. "The Sound of This Bell" is an incredibly beautiful piece. I strongly hope that we hear more from Kwaidan in 2014.
KEN mode - Entrench (Season of Mist)
Full disclosure: I'm good friends with these guys. That aside, Venerable is one of the few aggressive records that I bought and loved this year. As always, brutal, crushing noise-rock heaviness with some lurching breakdowns thrown in for extra destruction. What does it for me is that KEN mode don't just right killer riffs, they write killer songs, and that is huge difference.
TM404 - s/t
Damn it. What an amazing album. Again, acid techno isn't something I grew up listening to, and I guess that's what this is? I don't know. And I don't really care too much about putting a label on things, but all I know is that I love this album and can't get enough of it. The concept behind it is really interesting too. Using a series of Roland 303s, 606s and 808s, Tillander hooked them all together and hit record. Apparently with no overdubbing either, which is totally insane. The results are minimal, yet extremely complex bass lines and beats that intertwine and unfurl with one another in some incredible ways. Thanks to a way pricey and short-lived Euro pressing I had to settle for the digital version, but hot damn I bet this sounds amazing on vinyl.
Autechre - Exai (Warp)
I feel like this record took a bit of bruising, reviews wise. Autechre is one of the first strictly electronic bands/artists that I got into when a friend of mine recommended Confield to me by saying that his friend really like it, but that my friend thought it was super weird and crazy and dumb. I loved it. I digress. First off, the packaging of this 4LP set is beautiful. Anyone familiar with Autechre likely shouldn't be super surprised with the material found on Exai. Totally otherwordly, futuristic electronic music that really sounds like no one else. Plus, at an enormous 2+ hours of music spanning 4 LPs, there's lots to digest, and if you're a fan of Autechre, that's a good thing.
Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks (Universal)
Another childhood favourite of mine that I reconnected with over the last few years. The Downward Spiral remains one of my top albums of all time, but I really stopped paying attention to Reznor after The Fragile. As I made up for lost time over the past few years, discovering how good With Teeth is, it was a happy coincidence that NIN would drop a new one this year. I really like this album. The production, and attention to detail is, as to be expected, pretty amazing, and there's some really good songs on here.
Huerco S - Colonial Patterns (Software)
A terrific album by an artist I really know very little about, other than he released a tape on Opal and he does lots of DJ gigs. Colonial Patterns has a great, minimal techno pulse throughout, but it's often so minimal and buried beneath hazy synths and stuttering loops, making many of the beats and rhythms pretty woozy feeling, as if it was recorded over and over on a tape that baked on your dashboard for a weekend.
Head Hits Concrete - Hollowed Out Human Husk
Fuck yes. One of my all-time favourite Winnipeg bands make a triumphant return after years of deafening silence. I first got into HHC when I was in high school, and they were one of the bands (along with Propagandhi and Malefaction) who really changed the way I saw the world poltically and socially. Mike Alexander is a truly gifted, ferocious vocalist and lyricist who's writing delivers as great an impact as does the finger-snapping riffage HHC doles out. A particular standout here is "Phoenix," which deals with one of the most horrific, disgusting accounts of abuse and murder I've ever read in the news (Manitoba or otherwise). Alexander's outrage and disgust is front-and-centre, but so is his grief and sadness — a surprising tenet for a grind band, and one that will linger with you long after this 7" has ended.
Cloudrat - Moksha (Halo of Flies)
There are very few aggressive, heavy, whatever bands that really grab my attention anymore. Maybe I'm old. Maybe go fuck yourself. But I increasingly feel that if I want something loud and pissed off, I have plenty of options with the old stand-bys of my record collection. Cloudrat is one of the exceptions this year. And maybe it's partially due to the fact that Cloudrat is exactly the kind of band that would have totally blown me away when I was nineteen — and in no way is that a bad thing: this band totally has totally blown me away at 29. Blending the manic speed of grindcore and the crushing heaviness of His Hero Is Gone-esque hardcore with some incredibly powerful vocals and intelligent writing, Cloudrat do not fuck around. Highly recommended.
Mutoid Man - Helium Head (Magic Bullet)
Brodsky from Cave In and Koller from Converge? Ok, so this this way-to-brief album is a bit of trump card for me, but god damnit. Mutoid Man is the perfect distillation of each member's previous outputs, only coated in meth and fired into space. Brodsky's riffing is some of his fiercest yet, and Koller's penchant for off-kilter, metronome-overloading transitions results is a truly fantastic record that sounds like no one else. But as frenzied and chaotic and heavy as Helium Head is, there are some serious hooks in here that will be lodged in your head for days.
Side note: As the vinyl release for this was delayed, I've just been streaming this beast on Rdio. That's kind of shitty, I know, but it won't be long until I lay this wax upon my table.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)