Sean McCann & Greg Manata - Fair Beginnings c42
AS14: Edition of 75

This is, without a doubt, the most outright beautiful tape we’ve ever released. San Francisco’s McCann (who’s on a roll of sorts with recent solo killers on Stunned, DNT, and his own Roll Over Rover) teams up with longtime friend Manata for a full-length collaboration. In the grand tradition of synth/guitar duos like Fripp & Eno and Budd & Guthrie, McCann & Manata lay down perfectly soothing waves of ethereal ambience. Like standing in a tide pool and pondering the vast ocean—infinitely pleasant, yet a strange, otherworldly presence lies beneath. Your summer will be a little better with McCann’s synth and viola and Manata’s guitar as the soundtrack. With full color art, inserts, and labels by Matt Yacoub.

Husere Grav/Meditations - Split c33
AS15: Edition of 75

Two dark passengers run parallel through the night. Husere Grav kicks things off in short, episodic fashion with five entirely unique reflections on dread and anguish. Crumbling walls of distortion, heartbreaking funeral dirges, and voyeuristic acoustic passages all tell a twisted but remarkably consistent story. Meditations follows with one side-long track that relies heavily upon synth, homemade electronics, tape, and vocals. A storm of tones, drones, and screeches build into a frenzy and eventually coast into a mournful, tense, and unexpectedly melodic finale. With full color heart-and-lung art, inserts, and labels by Matt Yacoub.

ANALOG CONCEPT MUSIC c32
AS16: Edition of 50

From Russia with lots of love, antique electronic guru Alexey continues his all-caps American infiltration (previous tapes on Digitalis Ltd. and Holy Cheever Church) with two servings of synthetic mastery. The appropriately titled “Science” mixes cold and spacey tones with bizarre sequences with clinical precision. “Nature” is a much more sentimental and downright gorgeous affair, with warm drones, melodies, and even a little guitar work that’s nearly overwhelming in its sublime expression of the pastoral. Step outside and study the earth, bask in its glory, or—even better—do both. With full color art, inserts (featuring a manifesto by Alexey in both English and Russian), and labels by Matt Yacoub.

The North Sea/Bones of Seabirds - Split c64
AS17: Edition of 80

Prolific, heavy Midwest and Southeast minds join up for an unprecedented analog synth tag team. Brad Rose leads the way with two distinct burners. One swirls between beauty and menace while threatening to suck you into its hypnotic vortex—a place you’ll surely want to go. The other burrows straight into your skull and blows rainbow bubbles in your grey matter. Ryan McGill goes the distance on the flip with a sidelong piece that sculpts a gentle, soothing pulse into a towering monolith and finishes with a truly hellacious descent—the likes of which haven’t been heard on a BoS recording in quite awhile. With full color art, inserts, and labels by Matt Yacoub.

Special rate to purchase all four new releases: $20

To visit Anathema Sound, click here! 

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Cliffsides

Small Doses

Here’s another lustrous gem from the Small Doses camp. Cliffsides is one Ryan McGill, who also records as Bones of Seabirds (awesome name, by the way). This lovely release finds McGill rocking the synth in a melodic yet droning manner. Imagine a film soundtrack from the 80’s with all of the cheese stripped out of it, leaving behind the bare, glorious synthesizer lines.

Cliffsides’ sustained sound fields warp and weave, shimmer and crackle. Opening track “Pegasus” comprises the lighter side of this disc; its synth melodies are uplifting but carry a slightly morose character. “Field Generator” is much colder, with a stark, buzzing drone anchoring more sinister textures. “White Helix” closes out the disc, incorporating elements of both of the two preceding tracks. McGill has achieved a rare feat with this Cliffsides disc: this is complex, yet charismatic music, a fascinating slice of hypnotizing drone. 8/10 — Bryon Hayes (23 June, 2009)

Click Here!

For those of you who enjoyed the first Cliffsides, there’s going to be another one in the next few months… I won’t give anything away, but I will say I’m pretty proud of this one… so keep your eyes open for that.

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ltd#76: meditations “precipice” c20 $7 US / $9 INTL
with a name like meditations, you’d probably assume something with a spritual bend would be coming up the tubes. but no worries - these sprawlers are looking to take you deep down into the muddy depths. this trio absolutely kills it on “precipice.” blown-out, brooding synths pummel your senses left and right while vocals from hell taunt you into taking the fall. this is one dark fucking ride, a cut-up masterful mess. specks of light try to escape in the form of distant, bright melodies but they’re quickly destroyed by the impending hellacious mess. awesome. edition of 65, pro-dubbed purple monsters.

tracklist
side one
1.windswept decisions

side two
1. here too long
2. hollow yellow raven (excerpt)

Click Here!

Pick one up before they all disappear…

Thanks Brad!

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Wow, it’s been a while since i posted…

I just got back from my yearly pilgrimage to Synth Jerusalem, aka Brooklyn… If all goes well, I may be calling it home some time in the near future… but more about that some other time…

No Fun Fest… holy shit… hours and hours of blissed out good times. A quick recap of the highlights…

Yellow tears - dark cacaphonies that enduced visions of murder and human squalor and filth. Meticulous orchestrations of terror and nightmares. Definitely one of the most energetic and captivating noise sets i’ve ever seen. Those guys really enjoy what they do and it makes it that much better to watch.

Bastard Noise - Vast oceans of subharmonics and oscillators ripping the fabric of space time, my jaw dropped a few times during this set. Awesome vocals with some of the blackest and deepest drones I’ve ever heard.

Xeno & Oaklander - Sweet sweet coldwave. I can’t get enough of the vocals, and the drum machines and synths sound amazing. Really impressive live performance as they juggle all instruments and arrangements perfectly… Perfect driving music too imo, just beautiful stuff…

Prurient & Kevin Drumm - My first Prurient set and I get to see him with Drumm, very intensely satisfying. The two of them constructed a tower of dense noise and then systematically destroyed it. The two of them were doing their own thing, it was interesting to see them work together live, and the final product was just amazing. No one topped this one, definitely the highlight of the entire fest, for me at least…

Emeralds - Or did I enjoy Emeralds more? In a different way, yes I did. These guys really have a good thing going, their sound is so organic and hypnotic. Each of them really contributes an individual style that complements the other two. Every release I hear by these guys, whether it be as a group or in their individual side projects, instantly becomes one of my favorite albums. They have an entirely unique sound, very relaxing and transcendent, and with the power and volume of a live setting, they really transformed the entire venue into a very strange but benevolent place.

Pedestrian Deposit - Awesome set, I’m really enjoying the LP i picked up too… They really know how to blend the acoustic dimensions with the synthesized ones. I had heard a number of his other releases under different pseudonyms and didn’t really know what to expect with this set, but i was definitely blown away by what I saw and heard… Yet another particularly calming set that was interesting to watch because both individuals had such a unique style, each one of them was a polar opposite of the other but the sounds worked together effortlessly.

Most of the other performances were great, some I didn’t really care for all that much, but overall I loved the fest this year and I got a chance to pick up some new albums and cassettes that are currently dismantling my mind as i write. I heard that Steve Hauschildt and Raglani got alot of gear stolen out of their van, the list of gear that is missing makes me physically sick to read… Complete bummer, was very sorry to hear about that. All in all though, another success. Can’t wait til next year…

Photos (not mine)

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Chapels - In Aspic c25
AS13: Edition of 50

This new project sees Buffalo’s Adam Richards (of The Circle and the Point and the House of Alchemy label) playing the role of lo-fi exorcist. In Aspic is a fascinating, addictive listen that extols both warm melodies and eerie vibes in heavy doses at once. Richards juggles guitars, synths, and hand percussion to lift spirits from the tape hiss and cause all the floorboards in the house to creak at once. It’s densely-layered and swirling at one moment, sparsely whispering the next, yet always beautiful and engrossing in its own haunting way. With full color art, inserts, and labels by Matt Yacoub.

Fossils - Die Job c30
AS12: Edition of 50

The stoned saga of Ontario’s relentless destroyers continues. With tapes, electronics, guitars, reeds, and perhaps even the kitchen sink as their tools, you can always count on Fossils to deliver heavy batches of cathartic clatter and downright WTF. Die Job is certainly no exception. Side A teams regulars Steve Smith, Daniel Farr, and David Payne with Detroit bruiser Andrew Coltrane for a session that gradually builds and claws itself to fucking pieces. Side B finds the core duo of Smith and Payne administering the dosage much slower, but still burning all the way down. Bleached scalps and rattled bones may result from listening to these recordings. With full color art, inserts, and labels by Matt Yacoub.

HeadBoggleD - rchive #3 c30
AS11: Edition of 50

In a universe of incredible synth jammers that grows more crowded by the second, Bay Area’s Derek Gedalecia is truly a standout. Eschewing pleasant melodies and anything even remotely new age, Gedalecia uses his analog gear to disorient, discombobulate, and deteriorate. The third part in Head Boggle’s ongoing rchive series buzzes through your cranium in so many different ways: sharp beams of sound, rumbling oscillations, and plenty of bizarro, brain-bending field recordings from who-knows-where. Side B is an entire live set that throws a hand-cranked music box in the middle of the synth storm. To say “it works” would be an understatement. Draw the wildcard and unleash the madness. With full color art, inserts, and labels by Matt Yacoub.

Special rate to purchase all 3 new releases: $15!!!

CLICK HERE TO VISIT ANATHEMA SOUND 

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I’m trying to sell the remaining copies of the 2008 releases… from now until whenever I do so, the releases are buy one get one free.  That’s $4 for a CD… so jump on that shit.

Click HERE to visit the shop

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Here are some pics and a video of the house party I played. It was nice to get back to A-town for a while, I miss the slow pace of that place.

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The shop page (look to your right) is now updated with some cd’s and cassettes…

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Franklin’s down to less than 10 copies of STHDIE… hurry up and buy it before you’re the only chump on your block who doesn’t have one…

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Bones of Seabirds - Sink Thy Hands Deep Into Earth 2xc20
Edition of 50

After a breakout year in ‘08, Atlanta’s Ryan McGill starts ‘09 off right with one of his most cohesive works to date. Sink Thy Hands Deep Into Earth combines four distinct pieces that explore the warmest recesses of the Earth and the coldest depths of space. Utilizing synths, guitar and feedback, it showcases a delicate sense of subtlety, focusing on single riffs and loops and allowing them to gently decay into oblivion. This is a true synthesis of the beautiful and heavy that will bury you in the soil and launch you into the stratosphere. With full color art, inserts, and labels by Matt Yacoub.

Click Here to Visit Anathema Sound

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bones of seabirds’ ryan mcgill is back again, but this time with his new cliffsides project. this one is entirely synth based, very ethereal and airy. it called to mind the Vangelis score to Blade Runner at times, both in a shared aesthetic with that music, but definite similarities in its melancholic mood and tone. this is really lush, beautiful stuff. edition of 72 copies in a white-on-white silk screened cover with vellum insert.

Click here to visit Small Doses

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BOS - STHDIE 2xc20 (anathema sound) and Cliffsides - s/t CDr (small doses) will both be out within the next couple weeks… who knows which will be available first, but everyone pick both of them up and support both of these great labels…

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that’s all for now… just wanted to post that little ditty.

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So 2008 has come and gone… it was a crazy but good year all around. Let’s hope 2009 has some good things to offer all of us.

As for release updates, here’s what I have for you.

1. BOS - Sink Thy Hands Deep Into Earth 2xC20 should be out with the next round on Anathema Sound within the next month or two.
2. Cliffsides s/t cdr should be coming out some time early spring on Small Doses. For fans of Vangelis, Klaus Schulze, and analog synths in general. I’ll upate with some album art or samples when I get some stuff from Joe.
3. Meditations just had its 3rd recording session and it was a complete success. Expect another couple cassettes from this project and possibly a split with Husere Grav on Anathema Sound at various points in 2009.
4. Hammer Smashed Jazz will be putting out a compilation featuring alot of great artists including BOS, so keep an eye out for that.
5. Just as of today, BOS will have a new full length CD coming out on Snapped in Half some time in early or mid-spring, this is just in the brainstorming stage right now, soon the hypothesis, procedure, and conclusions will be ironed out.

Okay, well thats all for now… here’s a cool video to watch (”i want that…“)

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Bones of Seabirds - Nihanisyati (Anathema Sound, AS02, 2008)Más trabajos de síntesis, esta vez a cargo de Ryan McGill, alias Bones of Seabirds, quien, en tres cortes, establece una retórica aural de involuciones constantes a partir de un sintetizador. Estas andanadas de aterciopelada oscuridad son aumentadas en cada uno de los cortes por sonidos que le adhieren una dimensionalidad bastante impactante.
En “Lost In Green Fields,” por ejemplo, McGill opta por dejar al fondo la presencia obliterante del potente teclado y sus secuencias, permitiendo que el centro del escenario lo ocupe la enorme distorsión de una guitarra que quiere forjar algo entre un cuadro de doom y uno de shoegaze. A pesar de que el inicio de este track es impresionante por la cantidad de sentimientos que parece querer invocar, la falta de contundencia de un armazón compositivo deviene en un solo no muy agradable, pero que constituye una de las pocas debilidades de esta efímera cinta.
“Conqueror,” abriendo la cinta, con sus invocaciones a una pesadez guitarrera colorida y repetitiva forja una unión intrincada y apasionada con el sintetizador. En sus complementarios rugidos, embaten la distorsión, el drone, el ambient más espeso y la pulsión inacabable del bajeo amplificado en vivo contra amplificadores. Una sicodelia potente, oscura que culmina bellamente con el canto de una cuerda falsa que inhala y exhala siniestros alientos. (S.S.)

http://ruidohorrible.blogspot.com/2008/09/bones-of-seabirds-nihanisyati-anathema.html

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Here’s a review from Brazil… the BOS virus is spreading worldwide…

BONES OF SEABIRDS : “Sacrament” [Small Doses]

Mais um projeto-de-um-homem-só, Bones Of Seabirds é um trabalho de Ryan McGill, influenciado por toda essa leva de bandas que exploram amplificadores, guitarras distorcidas e ruídos indefinidos. Ryan sabe usar muito bem suas influências, ao ponto de ignorar sua condição de iniciante e transcender a sombra dos que consagraram o estilo. Empunhado de uma guitarra vigorosa, deixa a mesma ecoar ininterruptamente em ressonância com as ondas sonoras de seu amplificador, criando uma atmosfera bruta e vigorosa, difícil de presumir que tal construção provavelmente venha de um simples PC localizado num dormitório. Quando brinca com equipamentos eletrônicos analógicos, invade conceitos do noise, sem esquecer o comprometimento com as intermináveis ondas sonoras. Sangue novo com idéias novas.

Muito Obrigado Vicente!

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Here are a couple of pics I snapped at the show at the Icehouse the other night… good stuff, i even managed to give my cd’s to the guys from Zoroaster.  Spreading the bones around.

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http://foxydigitalis.com/foxyd/reviews.php?which=3915

Meditations “Eternal Absence”
3/10

Judging by the artist’s name I figured that this would be a nice psych album to chill to…boy was I wrong! “Eternal Absence” begins with a buzzing hum, much akin to the hum of an overhead light. Soon it erupts into a cacophony of sound, with some shouted vocals in the background. Sounds like buzz saws flying through the air. And just as soon as things begin to calm down with a minimal perpetual drill of guitar distortion, the second track spits you out into a high pitched tone with a noise crescendo. Then a silent pause, just long enough to get your bearings—suddenly, like a noisy teenager to his parents in the room next to him—the third track jostles you into a rodeo of a guitar solo. More yelling in the background. Then the final track tiptoes soothingly slow, easing you into twisting clatter and pulsating generators. The short-lived trip is a journey through a meat packing plant that just hired Ed Gein as their new manager. Definitely not easy listening. 3/10 — Dave Miller (10 December, 2008)

“swet dehuud… another great psych album to listen to… I’ll get out my favorite pair of birkenstocks” and then… PSSSSSYYYYYYYCHCHCHHCHCHCHCHCHOPEYOULOVEBUZZSAWSGERONIMO  -MY-

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For anyone who hasn’t read it already, there’s an interview I did for HSJ here

http://hammersmashedjazz.blogspot.com/

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