Bandcloud 314

Aaaaannnoooootttthhhhheeeeerrrrrr Bandcamp Friday. Something about Pi.

Ingrid Plum - Caesura
In poetry, the caesura is a break in the middle of a line. A perfect example is in Shakespeare's Sonnet #116, which opens as follows:

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds...

See that full-stop after impediments? That's your caesura. A pause, ostensibly in the middle of things. 2020 has felt like that for many. An unexpected stop with no sign of things starting again. That's really been the case for artists, who have seen gigs dry up without any kind of future planning in place from authorities or governments. I know that people in both the Irish and UK arts scenes are tearing their collective hair out due to the lack of response from those in power. The Tusk Festival, which usually takes place in Newcastle upon Tyne, has gone virtual this year, showing performances, films, guest mixes, interviews and archival recordings. Ingrid Plum's Caesura is one part of the programme, and it's an EP and short film that "contemplates the value of silent spaces within sound seeking balance". It shows the inside of a lighthouse, the very light itself, turning and turning, as well as panoramic shots of the water beyond. It screens tonight at 11pm UK time and again 12 hours later, and the music is on Bandcamp forever. 

Zero Gravity Tea Ceremony - V O O R R E
This is a collection of previous releases brought together on a three-tape boxset and of course in digital format. "Monolithic slabs of warm drone," the blurb says. There's one seven-minute track but the other seven range from 18 to 35 minutes in length. Slow, unending drone, perfect for the brain fog that attacks me every day. On Wednesday, as I looked through the tabs I had open in Chrome, I noticed that I had a private SoundCloud link of an unreleased album sitting there waiting for me to play. I don't know how I accessed this link. It feels like it must have been an accident? Zero Gravity Tea Ceremony make music that helps me to submerge the confusion and accept the strange moments of my day. 

Rolando's Hip-Hop Mix
Erstwhile Underground Resistance member, Detroit native now living in Scotland, Rolando shouldn't really need any introduction. If the name isn't familiar, check this out. He shared a hip-hop mix a few months back but I've only found it this week. It's got some classics in there, the likes of Cypress Hill, Eric B & Rakim, Digital Underground and EPMD. Nothing incredibly groundbreaking but an hour of fun.

Olivier Alary & Johannes Malfatti - u​,​i
Who knew seven months ago that Zoom would become the word of the year? Certainly not Olivier Alary and Johannes Malfatti, two composers who have been working through the ideas behind remote collaboration for nearly two decades. Olivier is based in Montreal and Malfatti in Berlin, so they've long been talking about working together from their respective cities. They've apparently been communicating over Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) — Skype and Zoom and the like — for a long time, recording their conversations as they go. This gave them source material, as well as allowing for the technology to improve over the years. The bulk of the work came between 2017 and 2019, and if you're interested in the process I'd recommend reading the notes on the Bandcamp page. It's a haunting and beautiful recording, melodic and glitchy, strangely soothing yet constantly reminding the listener of its artificiality. The artists can't have dreamed that it would be so prescient for 2020, but that's life eh? 

soso tharpa - Simon's Mind EP
soso tharpa first came to my attention with Looseleafs, a Bandcamp drop of two tracks that didn't fit into future projects. One such future project is out today, entitled Simon's Mind. At the time of writing, only 'Kala Pani' was available for play, and it's a dreamy haze of a track. It feels like a wistful breeze on a warm afternoon/evening, the sun going down as you enjoy a cold drink of your choice.

MIKI YUI - Aperio!
Fresh from the release of Siavash Amini's A Mimesis Of Nothingness, Hallow Ground presents this wonderful piece of work from Tokyo-born, Dusseldorf-based Miki Yui. I've dipped in and out of this and each track brings new insights and wonders. 'Dancing (swamp)' is cold and murky; 'Chanting (afar)' suggests unknown rituals held at arm's length; 'Dreaming (now)' is friendly and welcoming; 'Rhyming (colours)' is blissful but never quite brings you to let your guard down. 

Norah Lorway - Future Void
Endurance - Day Trips
Missouri label Distant Bloom dropped these two tapes last week and they are well suited. Two sets of beautiful ambient, cold and dry, trapped in a moment in time. Future Void was created using live-coding environments and programming languages, its creation belying any other-worldly impressions. Day Trips was the result of synthesizers and field recordings, soft tones meeting the crunch of the outside world.
 
VA - New Neighborhoods (Freedom To Spend)
I recently commended the Patrúin compilation for its programming. Well this compilation, from RVNG/Freedom To Spend, is exceptional. It's a compilation inspired by and following the path of Ernest Hood's Neighborhoods. Originally released in 1975 and reissued by FTS last year, this album was a mixture of field recordings and musical introspection. Tracks meandered through melodic exploration while sharing everything from kids eating peanuts on the street to moms TV playing in the background, crickets chirping and rain pouring. Listening through this new collection of sounds, it could easily be the work of a single artist, in the way that it flows and develops. Each artist brings their own particular ideas to the work but on there's a singular vibe to the release. It could also be seen as a bunch or artists performing in a single space. The performers are all excellent, RVNG friends and associates like Todd Barton, Felicia Atkinson, Ka Baird, CV & JAB, Nailah Hunter, bookworms, Barraco Barner and Sugai Ken to name but a few.

shawné michaelain holloway - AFTER​-​NATALIE​-​HINDERAS​[​a​-​terrasse​-​des​-​audiences​-​du​-​clair​-​de​-​lune​.​wav]
Chicago-based multidisciplinary artist shawné michaelain holloway recently shared this piece, a performance of which was released on a Natural Sciences comp a few years ago. It seems to be a recording of American pianist Natalie Hinderas playing Debussy's Claire De Lune combined with sounds and performance by the artist. It's quite fascinating. 

Bedbind - Acceptance / New Realm
Two very different tracks here, the first a pathway of searing notes, perhaps embodying the spirit of its title. Float along a sea of understanding and acceptance of reality. 'New Realm', therefore, moves forward with painful urgency. 

JoAnn McNeil - Lavender Skies
Don't let the title fool you; this is no gentle flower. There's a rumbling feeling of strange bass here, a constant tripping that could be percussion but could be repeated static. Swirling noise shrieks up above, dizzying and nauseating if you're not prepared.

The Neighbourhood Character - There Will Be Magic EP
This is a collection of tracks recorded between 2012 and 2015. Not to be trite, but they seem timeless. Devoid of any particular sense of style or genre, the music is warm and enveloping, heady but intricate. Bass is key, while percussive elements drive forward without being overbearing. Every track features something unexpected, but it's never unwelcome. It comes just at the right time.

VA - Particle Count (Room40)
I guess it's up to you if you like field recordings or not. I was in the garden taking clothes off the line yesterday and heard the sound of crows in the distance; I nearly recorded it on my phone but decided to enjoy it instead. This particular release on Lawrence English's Room40 label has been put together by Ian Wellman, who asked artists to send recordings of spaces that had been affected by the wildfires on the west coast of the US. These are all artists who live in or have spent time there so the recordings are imbued with life and experience. The first time I listened to the pieces available I played them under some experimental cutup music but they work in their own right too. Faith Coloccia's opener features strange sonic experiments and doleful piano, while Wellman's own contribution features the sound of birds and water. Cheryl Leonard offers a gentle moment in time from Lyell Canyon in Yosemite National Park. It's all in aid of the Latino Community Fund's Norcal Wildfire Relief Fund, Direct Relief's Wildfire funds and GoFundMe's Wildfire Relief Fund.

Lee Kelly - A Day In The Life
Nice release here from lovely Dublin lad Lee Kelly, who presents a gorgeous housey bumper fresh with warm bass and evocative piano chords. George Earnest adds breaks and processed vocals, while Der Opium Queen makes the track both lighter and chunkier at the same time. lastminuteman adds icy grime effects while stretching things into stoned oblivion. 

Zvrra - Growth
Zvrra dropped two albums yesterday, the seven-track Snapped Vol. 1 and the 11-track Growth. Snapped is high tempo, exciting music, juke and footwork. Growth is slower and darker, with horrific swells of sound befitting this spooky season. It still bangs, but it's more techno than anything else. That said, it's not just 4/4, with unexpected rhythms joining up with dark and heavy material. The title is justified, as even from a high standpoint, her music seems to get better and better. 

Those Who Came Before Us and Us Who Are To Follow - More Kicks Than Cops
This is some Anti-Police Ambient Music. Performed live for the More Kicks Than Friends online festival, it's a weirdly beautiful series of tracks, ~ambient~ but strange and haunting. I've been meaning to share it for a while so what better time than now? It's name your price but at the time of release in June, and I assume still now, money is going to help black-owned businesses in Minnesota that were burned down by white supremacists during protests there in the wake of George Floyd's death.  

Tr One - Untitled Dream EP
If anyone has helped me get through this pandemic (other than my wife and children and extended family) it's Eddie Reynolds from Tr One. Every day he populates his Instagram Stories with an abundance of memes that range from the absurd to the searingly accurate. He also makes good music. He's previously released on Irish labels like Apartment Records and Lunar Disko, as well as the legendary Don't Be Afraid in the UK. This release is from the vaults, recorded at various points over the past four years. Three varying cuts of crisp and exciting machine techno. At turns melancholic and hopeful, the three tracks are each an interesting insight into the artist. 'Untitled Dream' in particular transports me to a club in a way I haven't felt in a long time.  

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