Steve Gunn - Sundowner

Label: Digitalis Recordings

Released: 2008

Style: Folk Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Experimental

"Steve Gunn is probably best known as a key component to the mighty GHQ with Marcia Bassett (Double Leopards) and Pete Nolan (Magik Markers), but his solo efforts have been even more impressive. With a couple limited & hard-to-find CDRs under his belt and a few offerings under the moniker Moongang, Gunn is ready to step out of the shadows and into the spotlight with his first proper CD. This music is finely tuned and expertly crafted by Gunn's capable hands, showing his skill not only as a guitarist, but as a songwriter as well.

"Sundowner" may short & sweet, but it has an epic feeling. Gunn reaches deep into the vaults to line the walls with hypnotic acoustic guitar dirges, organic drones, and banjo ditties. And unlike any of his previous work, he also unleashes his voice on three songs, showing that not only can he play with the best of them, he can sing too. When he's not wowing the listener racing around the fretboard, his simple but effective vocal hooks are sinking themselves deep into the confines of your memory." - Label

Tracklisting:

1 Concrete Beach (3:42)

2 For The Horse, Etc. (4:07)

3 Imi The King (6:14)

4 Money Train Blues (3:56)

5 No Atlas (6:33)

6 Over The Hill (4:13)

Link

Hush Arbors - Hush Arbors

Label: Digitalis Recordings

Released: 2006

Style: Folk Rock, Acoustic, Experimental

"Self released albums often get overlooked by most media outlets. This is a crime, especially considering that there is a lot of high quality stuff being put out by people with no money. You burn the CDs at home, you make the covers yourself, and you send out copies just hoping someone will listen. And I know from experience how discouraging it can be when seemingly no one pays attention. Hush Arbors, the solo vehicle of Keith Wood, is such a project that is plugging away in Northern Missouri. Despite attention from local admirers, you probably won't read much about Hush Arbors in many magazines across the globe. This is no indication of how good Wood's music is.

The Hush Arbors self-titled debut CD-R is 43 minutes of blissful forest folk with a heavy drone influence. Wood's vocals lie somewhere in between Jewelled Antler kingpin Glenn Donaldson and international man of mystery, Will Oldham. Musically, I am most reminded of the former's Birdtree project, but there are a range of influences audible all over this record. Those so endeared to the oragnic nature of many groups on the Jewelled Antler imprint will find much comfort in these warm and inviting tracks.

Wood opens the album with the haunting "Magic Wood." It's a slow, meandering piece that hums under the heat of the summer sun. His voice swims in ocean's of reverb, and his acoustic guitar sounds like it's being played in an underwater cave. This song makes me long for laying in the grass under a giant oak tree in an abandoned field. These songs have so much warmth flowing from them that the listener can't help but get drawn in. This is especially true with "Magic Wood." Each note seems carefully placed and each word chosen for a purpose. After one listen, I feel like I've been whisked away to a dream world. Wood's high-pitched voice meshed with the bright and roomy guitars gently lull your eyes shut as the music infects your entire body. "Magic Wood" sets the perfect mood for the rest of the album.

This album works so well because of it's combination of songs that are straight-forward and other tracks with heavy leanings in the drone area. The best example of this is on "The Same Tree Forever" which is followed by the short, innocent ballad "Wait for Awhile." "The Same Tree Forever" is a seven minute drone using some kind of bowed stringed instrument as the foundation. Hearing this, I feel like I'm in a cathedral and light is pouring through the brigthly-colored stained glass. As I am bathed in light, a choir of angels is barely audible through this thick musical haze. This is ethereal in every sense of the word. Just when it seems like he might let up, Wood builds the wall of sound higher; he doesn't let up. Spirituality is rarely expressed in such an empowering way.

Now, the real brilliance here is how "The Same Tree Forever" is followed up by the short, sweet, sun-kissed longing of "Wait for Awhile." Based around acid-folk guitars and bowed dulcimer (I think), Wood sings simple verses about the simple, beautiful things in life. "If we could find a place to wait for a while, to make sure there's a smile on your face," he croons. There is such longing in his voice that I can't help but be moved. This is a song that might not work in another context, but here it is perfect. It's sweet, and maybe even a little sappy, but every time I hear it, it's nothing short of beautiful.

Each track here is a winner, but my favorite is "I Took a Watch on the Sea Wall." By using a lot of bass when mixing the acoustic guitar track, Wood gives this song vague punk rock undertones. I know it sounds strange, but I feel a great deal of energy emanating from this piece. This song, like so many on here, is based around acoustic guitar and his voice. Under the surface flows a river of dense ambience. These atmospherics give the track an open-air feeling, like he is trying to embody the vast expanses of rural Missouri. On the chorus, Wood's voice is cathartic, and his reverb-laden background vocals are vaporous. The last chorus feels like one last breath of fresh air before the song descends into a minute of distorted electronic noise. "I Took a Watch on the Sea Wall" is a minor masterpiece.

Keith Wood is an immensely talented songwriter, and his ability to make his recordings feel raw and organic really sets him apart from likeminded artists. Perhaps I am most reminded of Ben Chasny and Six Organs of Admittance; there are definitely similarities, especially on the 11+ minute "Smoke Burn - Eyes So Sore." With its subtle Eastern influences and gentle guitar picking, Chasny and other Fahey followers would be proud. This is music that comes straight from the earth. It's a shame that this won't get the same attention as any of the recent recordings from Chasny, because this is just as good. 9/10 --" - Foxy Digitalis

Tracklisting:

1 Magic Wood (3:53)

2 The Same Tree Forever (6:48)

3 Wait For Awhile (2:27)

4 The Werewolf Om (4:18)

5 Red Horse (4:10)

6 I Took A Watch On The Sea Wall (6:19)

7 People Died Today (3:37)

8 Smoke Burn - Eyes So Sore (11:19)

Link

Steven R. Smith - The Anchorite

Label: Root Strata

Released: 2008

Style: Psychedelic Rock, Avantgarde

"Root Strata is proud to present the reissue of The Anchorite, a dazzling jewel in Smith's substantial discography. Performed live to two track with the aid of tape loops and prerecorded takes, the music maintains a drifting, painterly quality that easily evokes the American west as much as the European east which Smith so lovingly mines for his Hala Strana recordings. Sepia toned and tinged with a luminous distortion, The Anchorite, as the name suggests, is reserved, pulled back and solemn, some kind of hermetic prayer for the end of the world. " - Label

Tracklisting:

1 Stars Heaped Up Like Grain (3:52)

2 Procession (3:22)

3 Paths In The Bower (3:34)

4 The Anchorite (2:41)

5 Vine (4:35)

6 Ampulla (2:50)

7 Moss Landing (3:13)

8 Anastasis (4:02)

9 Closing (3:40)

10 Ascension (5:52)

Link

Scott Tuma & Mike Weis - Taradiddle

Label: Digitalis Recordings
Released: 2009
Style: Abstract, Drone, Folk, Experimental, Ambient

"Weis is the drummer in Zelienople, and since Zelienople never had much cause for a proper drummer, Weis manages to be super creative behind the kit, or maybe more accurately, with an arsenal of cymbals and gongs and chimes, creating textures and layers more than rhythms. Which is precisely what he brings to this collaboration. Tuma is of course doing what he does best, weaving lush landscapes of sound, his guitar keening and moaning, drifting and twanging, sounding underwater one minute, weightless and spacey the next, those sounds are given a whole new context when paired with Weis's unique percussion. The drums here seem to consist mostly of a sort of soft cacophony, manic skitter, clouds of tinkling chimes, bowed cymbals, the deep tones of BIG cymbals or gongs, plenty of clatter and clang, but all sort of smeared into a living backdrop, reacting and interacting with Tuma's guitar, the result is often like a strange Souled American free jazz mashup, which might not sound good, but actually is, although elsewhere the results are a bit more subtle than that.

The guitars slip from hazy and underwater sounding, to gently shimmering, acoustic guitars unfurl woozy Appalachia, bits of twang, soft strums, all gently laid over a sea of skitter and thump, the deep shimmer of reverberating metals, the result is gorgeously murky and indistinct, less like two players playing off of each other, and more like two people contributing to the same sprawling sound. The first side plays out like the two getting acquainted, a delicate dance, their unique sounds quickly finding common ground and melting seamlessly into each other, culminating in a gorgeous track of hushed minimalism, introducing piano, Weis's percussion kept to a whispered thrum, everything wreathed in lush reverb and delay, so lovely.

The second side, features several longish tracks, where Tuma gets to try something a little more distorted and aggressive, the duo creating extended bouts of deep ominous dronemusic and thick caustic buzz, each player's contributions still distinct, at least with close listening, but step back, and the various parts take on surprising shapes, long stretches of heaving, droning, mesmerizingly meditative and surprisingly fluid drones, that manage to be warm and melodic as well as darkly mysterious. " - Aquarius Records

Tracklisting:

1 Dropsy (3:39)
2 Soire (2:25)
3 On Cox (2:20)
4 Off Bellows (1:34)
5 Tried (4:00)
6 Rubadub (6:00)
7 (Dub) (2:21)
8 Enearthed (7:05)

Link

Ilyas Ahmed - Goner

Label: Root Strata
Released: 2009
Style: Lo-Fi, Folk

"Portland, OR. bedroom wanderer Ilyas Ahmed emerges from the shadows and offers up his first new batch of songs in some time. Over a year in the making, 'Goner' sees Ahmed telescoping his previous acoustic wanderings into fuzzed out rockers and a hypnotic set of beautifully tight knit nocturnes. The kick off of 'Earn Your Blood' is probably the most amped up and stoned out Ahmed has ever sounded, a heavy blown out thump of hiss & electric strum. From there 'Goner' really gets lost. Loner howls, model hypnosis, desolate vamps... it's all here. The comedown into 'Exit Twilight' with Grouper on vocals is as haunting a broadcast you'll hear all year, for sure to knock around in your skull for days." - Label

Tracklisting:

1 Earn Your Blood (5:22)
2 Love After Love (4:32)
3 Some Of None (7:03)
4 Enter A Shadow (9:36)
5 Out Again (5:59)
6 As Another (4:16)
7 Two Breaths (6:51)
8 Exit Twilight (5:45)

Link

The Alps - III

Label: Type Records
Released: 2008
Style: Folk Rock, Experimental

"Although III might be the third album from San Francisco trio The Alps it marks their first studio-based record and a fresh direction for the psychedelic supergroup. Made up of Tarentel mainman Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, ex-Tussle member Alexis Georgopoulos (better known as ARP) and Troll member Scott Hewicker there is a deft amount of skill on display as the three rip through eight tracks of sizzling spiritual bliss. Comparisons here are easy to bring up – Popol Vuh, Ennio Morricone and Serge Gainsbourg spring to mind for starters as the band toss and tangle through thick drum breaks and reverberating sun-drenched guitar lines.

III feels like a lost soundtrack to some crumbling Italian surrealist classic with its pounding basslines and swirling synthesizers. This is visual music, inspired by the likes of Werner Herzog, Alejandro Jordorowsky and Michaelangelo Antonioni, but what results is far more than a pastiche. Rather the trio have concocted a record which while being aware of its sprawling influences is far more than the sum of its parts. The finest excesses of progressive rock and the leanest intricacies of the psychedelic folk scene have been splashed together with a distinct dusty funk overlook to produce something which is totally out of time. Free from some half baked scene or other this is the result of three musicians doing exactly what they want." - Label

Tracklisting:

1 A Manhã Na Praia (5:28)
2 Hallucinations (7:35)
3 Cloud One (4:44)
4 Trem Fantasma (7:42)
5 Labyrinths (5:09)
6 Pink Light (1:48)
7 Echoes (4:18)
8 Into The Breeze (4:07)

Link

Benoît Pioulard - Précis

Label: Kranky
Released: 2006
Style: Abstract, Experimental, Neofolk

"A multi-instrumentalist with an insatiable palette, Pioulard bases most of his songs on treated acoustic guitars and honeyed vocals, backed by carefully layered bells, bass, dulcimer, old tape samples, field recordings and myriad other sources. These sounds, though sculpted roughly into pop songs, have their own delicate patterns of ebb and flow, distortion and disappearance. From the sunny refrain of "Triggering Back" to the descent of nighttime chills on "Needle & Thread", Precis sighs in time with the seasons. It's an album about him, her, and you; it's an exaltation of the ways these things end." - Label

Tracklisting:

1 La Guerre De Sept Ans (3:08)
2 Together & Down (3:08)
3 Ext. Leslie Park (2:42)
4 Triggering Back (2:30)
5 Moth Wings (1:16)
6 Alan & Dawn (2:51)
7 Corpus Chant (1:43)
8 Palimend (3:04)
9 Coup De Foudre (1:31)
10 Hirondelle (2:22)
11 Needle & Thread (2:42)
12 R Coloring (0:40)
13 Sous La Plage (2:59)
14 Patter (2:58)
15 Ash Into The Sky (3:18)

Link