look what we sneaked online while you were sleeping – transmission 14.0

Look what we sneaked online while you were sleeping…

Transmission 14.0….w/e 8/4/2017

Revolutions of a 33 and 45 kind….

This edition features……

Laika and the cosmonauts, langhorns, Bulent arel, valadimir ussachevsky, Milton babbit, john chowning, david tudor, Gerry and the holograms, ectopia, secret shine, vacant lots, alan vega, messer chumps, man or astro man, taleshi terruchi and the bunnys, the markets, atomic mosquitos, tara clerkin, the bad signs, canigou, the black doldrums, anton newcombe, tess parks, the third sound, tubular brass, public information films, ani glass, laker Herzog, chxfx, elephant house, s/n measures, hard trip, the man from Uranus, static records, under the skin, fields of the Nephilim, southern death cult, rose of avalanche, balaam and the angel, sex gang children, robyn Hitchcock, this other kingdom, barnacles, holy monitor, minka, the walking who, the fender iv, the road runners, the nightmares, the atmospheres, willie tremain’s thunderbirds, vorderhaus, vic mars, neotropic, dicepeople, schmaidl, ikaturo kakehashi, horror hospital, Dracula 1972 AD, psychomania

A curious cute thing that i must admit caught us on the hop. Heading out of the recordiau neb imprint this is Ani Glass with the svelte dream dazed kosmiche love note ‘Geiriau’. Now we said curious mainly because it appears to sumptuously shapeshift between the silken codas of your usual trademark chill toned purring celestial electronics whilst both simultaneously finding itself caught in the euphoric tail wind of both a youthful Eurythmics and a Moroder shimmied Donna Summer, what results is something touched in the ethereal and seductively kissed in a deceptively and quietly elegant radiant rush that’s lost in its own alluring rapture. https://soundcloud.com/aniglass/ani-glass-geiriau

Rumours abound that these folk are to shortly make an appearance on the esteemed polytechnic youth imprint. Previously found occasionally dipping their toes into the listening consciousness courtesy of fleeting appearances on those much loved Bedroom Cassette Masters compilations, this is Laker Herzog, schooled and fully fluent in German electronics, Teutonic automatons earthed with vintage Kraftwerk circuit boards marching to the tomorrow drill of swooning kitchen appliances.

Staying with strangeness by a strange feat of coincidence it should be said as we were prepping something only this very morning for mentioning. Anyway this is a super limited – just 50 – clear lathe 7 inch heading out of the Castles in Space imprint by CHXFX who appear to delight in electronic goonery whilst crafting to their bow an acutely jagged rhythmic spontaneity whose oddly gloopy drones whirr, bounce and fidget within their sonic confines giving the impression that its author is much guided bv and indeed, channelling the spirit of electronic sounds earliest experimentalists. Two cuts feature here, ‘electric creep one’ and the readily more playful ‘electric creep two’, both arrive loosely described by the label as ‘a pair of dystopian projections for our times’, both sounding as though they’ve escaped Sonic Boom’s EAR lab and both heavily reliant on the alienated landscapes crafted out from the use of wiring radiophonic frequency manipulations, it’s all very cold, dislocated and isolationist, something one would imagine admirers of the long since defunct Tigerbeat and ear sugar imprints of old might fondly flock to along with those much admiring of those ahead of the curve and out there early utterances from Fat Cat’s celebrated ‘split series’. As with the previously mentioned laker Herzog, we hear that plans are afoot for future happenings on the polytechnic youth imprint. https://chxfx-cis.bandcamp.com/

Not altogether sure where this one fits in the grander scheme of things given it doesn’t feature on their forthcoming long player, but eyed on a recent you tube ramble this is elephant house with ‘golden roof’. A strangely alluring track which in the first instance ought to appeal to those much adoring of the groove heading out of the foolproof projects imprint of Brighton, skittering drum patterns rub awkwardly atop droning synth motifs which on first reading mightn’t sound like anything to write home about, but it’s the way these lulling waveforms eke out and disperse to smother you in what can only be described as a spiritual calm that really presses upon the ear candy buttons. While we are here, we’ve also unearthed a video accompanying the track ‘pearl’, this cut opens side 2 of their forthcoming full length ‘pony ride’ out later this month via Adaadat and mentioned with much fondness somewhere here https://marklosingtoday.wordpress.com/2017/02/28/elephant-house/ – a most beautifully lulling thing it is to it has to be said, all star hugging pirouettes and vapour bliss kissed choral dissipates swirled in shimmering symphonia.

Latest to the Arell sound house is the ‘prion’ EP from S/N Measures – a duo Luke and Cecilia. Not quite out yet – in fact incoming towards the end of the week, but previewing over on the labels bandcamp page right now. A haunting and nightmarish scenario looms heavily over this improvised recording that concerns itself with the very real fear and potential threat of the hapless tinkering in ‘submicroscopic biology’. Culturing a dystopian eeriness utilised from micro sound minimalist motifs, the duo craft a bleak and glassy atmospheric landscape that’s pitched in ice formed foreboding and an omnipresent tension, the hollowing dread brought sharply into focus by the chilling chime of bowed electronic shimmers, not we hasten to add, for lone listening. https://arell.bandcamp.com/album/prion-ep-preview

Now i’ll honest in saying that we weren’t quite expecting the kind of sunshine sprayed lightly lilted and demurely dinked electronic pouts that whirr and weave from this pre-release taster of Hard Trip’s ‘abandoned house’ EP. With promised titles like ‘get out’ and ‘dead body’ smarting the intended track listing, we assume the playfully teased pastoral posy ‘dear ghost next door’ is something of a radiant calm before some oncoming dread storm, still while matters are tranquil its best to make hay while this adoring slice of twinkle toning loveliness chirps and swirls casually away as though caught upon the tail of fortdax. https://hardtrip.bandcamp.com/album/abandoned-house-ep

much worrying and deeply odd visitation from the Man from Uranus, seriously i couldn’t let this escape without a mention. Described by its author as ‘amphibious choruses rise from the swamp of a forest world. A transmitter sends out its signal from a distant region of space. Alien Flowers is a collection of sonic flora produced by Man from Uranus’. Pretty much sums up what your hearing if truth be told, ‘Alien Flowers’ incidentally being a forthcoming full length which is set for arrival upon the bravest and most inquisitive of turntables via a limited issue wax pressing sometimes late May via RAM tapes. Anyhow on the preview player, just one solitary track to whet the appetites, the quite surreally affectionate ‘alien frogs’ – not quite ‘the Frog Chorus’ thankfully, but worryingly not far off albeit as though a weird eared out opera by the Residents in a high wiring impish mood. https://ramtapes.bandcamp.com/album/alien-flowers

record store day trailer from the good folk over at Static Records in Wigan, imagine Phoenix Nights reborn as a record emporium…

Channelling both Sisters of Mercy and Fields of Nephilim is not a bad trick if you can pull it off, happy to report that under the skin do it with much brooding aplomb. Alas no info on these dudes other than to say that this is the dog in trees remix of the aptly titled ‘cold’ which all said on second listening also reveals something of an early 80’s Clock DVA shadow playing bedevilling its gloomed grooves. Beautifully bleak shade adorned scab picking iciness darkly echoing the classic output of the likes of Situation 2, Merciful, Fresh et al….. https://soundcloud.com/dogs-in-trees/undertheskin-cold-dogs-in-trees-remix

Interlude……fields of the Nephilim, rose of avalanche, balaam and the angel, southern death cult and sex gang children….

Blame under the skin for this, but talk of the Nephilim had us dogged by a sense of urgency to hear this…..from their first EP…..

Which led us to this…..immaculate in all its velveteen cool….

And these……almost forgotten them…..

Before they started shortening their name every three releases……

Tried to find ‘into the abyss’ couldn’t so you’ll have to make do with this, still scorching stuff……

Out shortly via yep roc, self-titled new full length from Robyn Hitchcock finds him at the height of his creative powers, hell he’s 63 these days, not that he’ll appreciate being reminded so, but at that age, really, should he be turning in the best stuff he’s done since ‘underwater moonlight’ with former charges the Soft Boys recorded some 35 years ago – not least as evidenced on the simmering shimmy of the shadowy stalker ‘i want to tell you about what i want’ – itself tapping directly into dark groove of ‘kingdom of love’. Whatever the case the three teaser cuts featured here certainly come with a creative bite not seen ventured since the ‘respect’ and ‘perspex island’ sets with the Egyptians. Three tracks / videos / sound links preview the arrival of ‘Robyn Hitchcock’ with the softly stirred woozily kaleidoscopically eyed ‘Raymond and the Wires’ proving to be the picking of the trio echoing as it does to the pervading psychedelic purr of ‘I often dream of trains’ while ‘Mad Shelley’s letterbox’ is pure wide eyed pristine psychedelicised Barrett steam pressed with an acutely power popping throb.

Ostensibly more insular in tone and delivery that his recent outing for Boring Machines, this was nearly the one that got away, by Barnacles via the Arell imprint this is the ominously stilled ‘the evening news’. In short a 15 minute journey in micro sonic psychosis, both brooding and bleak you can almost feel the shivery touch of the overwhelming tension and sense of eerie disquiet dripping from this, amid its minimalist sound fissures a grimly grinning fusion of jazz noir chamber electronics peers out of the shadows etched in primitive radiophonic motifs gorged upon by squirreling string recitals, the effect is sombre and funereal yet all the same curiously alluring especially at the 11.00 minute whereupon matters take on a somewhat sunnier disposition with the intricate harvesting of bowed arrangements adoring it with an almost Set Fire to Flames / Constellation records late 90’s era back catalogue vibing. https://arell.bandcamp.com/album/the-evening-news-preview

Occupying a sonic stopping off point somewhere between Baby Woodrose, Sula Bassana and the lucid dream, this is the smoking psych haze sound of this other kingdom with ‘comatosed’, a cut lifted from an incoming full length heading out of the wrong way imprint titled ‘reveur’. Kissed in a cooling 60’s strut that’s kaleidoscopically charmed, there’s no doubting that these dudes are very much adoring of the Doors which last time we checked was still no bad thing. Expect heap loads of fond words for that aforementioned album shortly.

Tours dates….

April 22nd The Worksman Club, Dublin

May 12th Aatma, Manchester

May 13th Carlton Studios, Glasgow

May 17th Mono, Falmouth

May 18th The Islington, London

May 19th The Crofters Rights, Bristol

From what we can gather this is heading out on an album marking the debut release for the Cambridge based Wysing Polyphonic imprint. By Ectopia a brace of tracks from that aforementioned set incidentally going by the name ‘life / section’ entitled ‘sauna’ / ‘head for business’ heralding what might be best described as something darkly artful whose weary gaze settles upon a curiously shadowy sonic palette that draws to its gloom bruised heart a deeply emotionally tortured and tensely atmospheric woven tapestry that scabs and stricken to the kind of out there off radar melodic channelling that you might readily expect to have headed out of the Sartorial imprint a few years ago. Difficult to describe exactly what it sounds like, but when has that proven to be an issue here, so imagine if you will then some gathering of talents then, say for instance, Big Eyes locking horns with Virgin Passages with the encounter anxiously overseen by Glissando and you’re close. But then factor in elements of Fad Gadget, Gavin Friday and Andi Sex Gang and the theatrical ‘sauna’ insidiously begins to brush its finger, carving out a harrowing chamber recital bedded upon a sinister electronic pulse that’s ghosted in a ceremonial finality that teeters between descent into psychosis and a primitive prayer soured in an edgy arcane artistry that howls in nodding union to Preterite. The ostensibly more playful ‘head for business’ – the shorter of the twin set, is a lot lighter toned, the strings swaying to an awkward lock grooved funky swing which in truth had we not known any better, would have had us believing was some secret studio summit meeting enacted upon by a note swapping King champion sounds and de staat. https://soundcloud.com/user-842886128/sets/ectopia-lifesection-teaser

more of that bliss toned sky siren dream pop that you’ve come to expect as a given from the Saint Marie sound house, this one entitled ‘falling again’ by Secret Shine comes pulled from their new full length ‘there is only now’ – in truth this is a melodic melting of Chapterhouse and Kitchens of Distinction motifs, a stratospheric shoegaze love note rippled in effervescent radiance which to a heavenly harmonic hush comes surrendered in shimmer toning dissipating sighs of solar burn crushes, utterly adorable and bitter sweetly crestfallen and lovelorn.

Incoming on metropolis, new groove from the Vacant Lots entitled ‘endless night’ from off which has been ripped ‘suicide note’. A gruff growling psyche blues rambler tuned to a Spacemen 3 frequency over which prowls the cut loose scowling preacher croon of the late Alan Vega. Story goes the ‘Lots visited Mr Vega shortly before his passing to play him the tapes of the album, there was talk of him applying his trademark tubes but alas events overtook. Not done and with the blessing of his wife, they wanted to pay their respects and were granted access to the Vega vaults and hooked upon this vocal track which they found seamlessly fused into the tracks spirit, damn fine it is to with Vega sounding like some raging dark twin drawing from the well of Elvis, Cash and the Killer.

Some surf-y things – because we thought you’d like a little surf-y listening…….

Messer chumps…….

Played this to death on its release….. Man or Astro-Man?

Want more info on these dudes….. Takeshi Terauchi And Bunnys

And info on these please……Atomic Mosquitos

…and finally the Marketts….

Sounding strangely out of step, curiously wonky, skewed and off centre yet strangely possessed of that little something that has you clambering to hit the repeat button while simultaneously muttering to yourself ‘just what the hell was that’. There’s something oddly casual, okay daydream possibly even flighty and head in the clouds about ‘John’ as it skips nonchalantly into a sonic smoke of a vintage distilling that softly curdles a brew twinkled in lazily breezed prairie lollops and a spot of rustic mountain blues rambling atop of which Tara Clerkin distractively coos thoughtfully with an affectionate not a care in the world air. Anyhow, this be a download single, an album’s to come called ‘hello’ due May time through Stolen Body and Howling Owl on CD / download and most intriguingly, in clay head format, whatever that may be. No links just yet, we are working on it though.

Oh yes this is certainly hitting all the buttons at once, slinky, seductive, shadowy and somewhat shrouded in a swamp dragged sleaziness that suggests its stepped straight from the rushes of a new Tarantino / Lynch set whilst indelibly ghosted in the spectral rumble twang gouged cool of the Link. This is the Bad Signs with ‘love lock’ – a deathly dead eyed and darkly lurid descent into the decadent depths of lust all moored upon shade adorned snaking spell weaving reverb soaked shimmers, need we say more. Being lined up for stateside rsd17 action pressed upon a limited 12 inch set entitled ‘black magic moments’. https://soundcloud.com/thebadsignsband/love-lock

TOUR DATES:

4/22 Nashville, TN – The Groove Records

4/27 Kansas City, MS – Prohibition Hall

4/28 Denver, CO – The Skylark Lounge

4/30 Boise, ID – The Shredder

5/02 Portland, OR – Dante’s Inferno

5/04 Sacramento, CA – The Press Club

5/05 San Francisco, CA – Hotel Utah

5/06 Pasadena, CA – Old Towne Pub

5/07 Los Angeles, CA – The Mint

5/09 Phoenix, AZ – Yucca Tap Room

5/10 San Antonio, TX – The Amp Room

5/11 Austin, TX – Hole In The Wall

5/12 Hot Springs, AR – Maxine’s

Before we go on a momentary roll of all things twangy and psychedelic, here’s a little something tranquil that we fell over much adoring. This is Canigou with the quite wonderfully thawing shy eye ‘tape’. Now this lot describe themselves as a ‘tint orchestra from Sweden, summoning atmospheric sounds from the depths of the universe’. Fair do’s, doesn’t tell you a lot, like how softly alluring this track it, which even despite of its minimal palette manages to fill the air space with a genteelly demurred cavernous calm not to mention the way in which it delicately peels away its sonic skin and sweetly unfurls itself of its lonesome mooring to reveal something truly crystal tipped and beautifully bruised as though a momentary passing visitation by a maps and diagram led lovelorn cortege of minotaur shock and ISAN types. Alas beyond that the information trail goes sadly cold. https://soundcloud.com/canigoumusic/tape

Happened across this one, as you do, by sheer accident following a little rummage around you tube, as ever no information on these dudes though by the looks of things there’s an album kicking around that we fear we may need to hear at the earliest convenience for fear of spontaneous combustion. Anyhow rambling done, this is black doldrums with the smoking bliss gun that is ‘exit city lights’ who obviously stoop to bow at the sonic altar of Spacemen 3 whilst clutching under their collective arm their prized copies of Wooden Shjips wax and into the bargain turn in a truly bonged out slice of out there mind morphing hypno grooved psych wooziness.

No one quite does cool like Anton Newcombe, here he is paired up with Tess Parks for what’s described as ‘a work in progress’ entitled ‘French Monday afternoon’ – you want bliss kissed – check, woozy – tick, smoking – need you ask – all wrapped in a gorgeously snaking and comatosing slo-core seduction that purrs, pouts and prowls dropping tiny ear worm eggs that hatch out to draw head shrooming hazy kaleidoscopic swirls.

Talking of Tess Parks here’s a little something we stumbled on a little earlier, alas i suspect we are a little late to the party given it appeared early last year, but here she is shimmying up to the Third Sound for the simply exquisite ‘you are not here’ which in truth had us brought a little low and quivering in the face of its tortured and bruising ache and how many times we’ve been here, in short this is the point at where the Devastations collide with Mazzy Star.

Here’s a sound clip of one of three tracks – if i recall rightly – that will appear on a strictly limited 7 inch pressing of Tubular Brass’ exquisite re-visioning of Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’ which we mentioned somewhere here https://marklosingtoday.wordpress.com/2017/03/20/tubular-brass/ a little while back. These tracks come ahead of the imminent arrival of a complete full length entitled ‘tubular bells’ through their own tubular brass recordings imprint. The collective will shortly be hitting the tour walk with Hannah Peel who will be assuming her Mary Casio guise….. https://soundcloud.com/tubularbrass/7-1-introduction

Tubular Brass and Hannah Peel play the following live dates:

May 27th: Tubular Brass present Tubular Bells

+ Hannah Peel – Mary Casio: A Journey To Cassiopeia

RNCM – Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester

July 1st: Hannah Peel – Mary Casio: A Journey To Cassiopeia with Tubular Brass

Jubilee Church Hull

Kingston upon Hull

July 8th: Hannah Peel – Mary Casio: A Journey To Cassiopeia + Tubular Brass present Tubular Bells

Blue Dot Festival, Jodrell Bank Observatory, Cheshire

July 9th: Hannah Peel – Mary Casio: A Journey To Cassiopeia with Tubular Brass

Royal Festival Hall, London

July 29th: Hannah Peel – Mary Casio: A Journey To Cassiopeia + Tubular Brass present Tubular Bells

Womad World Festival, Malmesbury

August 5th: Tubular Brass present Tubular Bells +