Cathartic Pipe's sophomore release. The boys are preaching the gospel of impending government-engendered doom and annihilation; a full fledged apocalypse of the bowels and neural network of every man, woman, boy and girl by compulsory consumption of atomic laxatives (of the brain). This is the end of all things, and the finale is hearkened by the bellow of a trombone, bowed electric bass, live electronic boxes with arms and legs, and a buzzsaw for a heart. This is the infernal vision of a single summer afternoon; school is out and the world is over. Download it here. Listen on last.fm
The latest from the AvE Ensemble sees the lineup and the sound coalesce around the core of Fields of Industry. Has a Keen Cultural Sense features selected recordings of what were essentially Fields of Industry experimental rehearsals meant to inform the band's live repertoire. But these and additional sessions have taken on lives of their own, to the extent that the band has lately been recording them for their own sake. The resulting improvisational pieces consist largely of manipulated guitars and function generators, live electronics, and live laptop performance with a tiny bit of acoustic instrumentation (e.g. penny whistle). The aesthetic of atmospheric and ambient noise of the first AvE self-titled release remains, but is supplemented here by an affinity for droning krautrock and a greater emphasis on electronics. Download it here. Listen on Last.fm
We played with no drummer on a Wednesday night in Ann Arbor, stuffed comfortably into Production Studio B of the defiantly obscure and vehemently varied WCBN, transmitting something much more somber than I think any of us expected. Eric tapped a floor tom with timpani mallets between guitar strums; Joel employed the function generators to fill some empty space. I like this set a lot.