Cyclic Defrost Magazine |  |
- Mem: +1 (Interval Recordings)
- Barbagallo – Floppy Disk (Barbie Noja)
- “Two Two Two” – 222nd Emission Special (Part 2 of 2) – Extended Playlist 310809 – www.2ser.com 107.3FM
- Art Abscons – Spektral Magik (ParaLucid)
| Posted: 16 Sep 2009 03:53 AM PDT
Los Angeles’ Mem1 are Laura and Mark Cetilia, cellist and media artist respectively, who produce improv-based electroacoustic music of the itchy Max/MSP variety. As the album and track titles suggest, ‘+1′ finds them collaborating with nine individual artists over as many tracks, an impressive roster from the vanguard of minimalist digitalia. Mem1 are at their finest when their collaborations foster a chameleon-like metamorphosis in both their own sound and approach. Of course, with a team such as this the variants are slight, but the Cetilias digest their partners’ influences, attitudes and styles with considerable appetite, and this works both ways. Jan Jelinek’s work is unrecognisable to those who grew up on his springy microhouse, and just as difficult to categorise, and the treated scrapes, tics and low-end rumbles that comprise his contribution here are as pleasingly elusive as Machinefabriek. ‘+Ido Govrin’ pairs aquatic drips with snails-pace cello bows, splitting these into multiple dialogues; ‘+RS-232′ gets lost in the woods, cicadas competing with a heavy bass thud, while ‘+Jeremy Drake’ brings birdcalls into a lower-case improv session, creaking along like Polwechsel. Frank Bretschneider’s piece is a highlight, which centres on a rich, flickering drone which evokes both live field recording and internal machine noise, a muffled bassline like the undersea dub of Raster Noton labelmate Senking; as is Steve Roden’s: minute activity so close as to cause claustrophobia, slowly building into an almost frantic level of activity, complete with surprise bass loop. Joshua Meggitt |
| Barbagallo – Floppy Disk (Barbie Noja) Posted: 16 Sep 2009 12:14 AM PDT
Having overdosed on psychedelic rock as a teenager, hearing its return in the hands of Sicilian songwriter Carlo Barbagallo leaves me flat. He plays all the instruments himself and is rather eccentrically skilled as an arranger, and as a warped spatial sound purveyor. To a degree his writing is better than those he imitates: The Beatles, Pink Floyd and King Crimson. Actually, scratch King Crimson – Barbagallo’s wielding of the guitar has a long way to go before reaching the precision and ingenuity of Fripp. The two genuinely surprising tracks on the album are ‘Motion Reprise’ and ‘French Road’. Both feature stripped back guitars and a cyclical sound that wobbles gently through space. They have all the ambiance of the psychedelic, without the uber-cool strutting and psycho-probing lyrics that seek to elicit interpersonal nuance. Overall, if you are seeking a contemporary solo performer of the psychedelic rock mode, this sixth album by Carlo Barbagallo could easily suffice. Innerversitysound |
| Posted: 15 Sep 2009 05:58 PM PDT We celebrate the seconds part of our two-hundred and two-ty-two times on 2SE-air– another great opportunity to indulge in a bit of numerology. More good things come in TWOs! ————————- Photek – Ni-Ten-Ichi-Ryu (Two Swords Technique) Team Shadetek – Two And A Half Months In the Nursery – Twins (Remix) The Human League – Seconds Joy Division – Twenty Four Hours Virgin Prunes – Revenge Black Moth Super Rainbow – Twin Of Myself Four Tet – Twenty Three Yo La Tengo – Periodically Double Or Triple BARR – Half Of Two Times Two (Newer Version) Tetine – Entertainment No 242 SuperMayer – Two Of Us (Extended Album Version) Acid-Pin-Ups – Heather 202 808 State – Pacific 202 Severed Heads – Twenty Deadly Diseases The Associates – Grecian 2000 Broadcast – Minus Two Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – The Messerschmitt Twins Do you like our playlists? |
| Art Abscons – Spektral Magik (ParaLucid) Posted: 16 Sep 2009 04:38 AM PDT
Art Abscons is a mysterious individual who adopts the persona of the Grandmaster Abscon for the purposes of composing and recording music. He’s been on MySpace for a couple of years now, but Spektral Magik is his first release to the world at large. It’s a peculiar concept album, perfectly formed, containing just seven tracks, labelled ‘Somnium pts I-VII’. I can guarantee that you will hear no other musician this year who names his influences as Death In June, Lee Hazlewood, French 60s Ye-Ye music, Picasso and Huysmans, amongst others. ‘Somnium pt II’ is like a lost Death In June track beaming in from a parallel universe – deep voice singing in German, breezy acoustic guitars, sparse rhythmic backdrop, orchestral strings, light percussion – and a beautiful chorus melody that lodges in your brain after just one listen. ‘Somnium pt IV’ has a relaxed jazzy swing rhythm, over which the Grandmaster recites poetry by Mallarme, with ethereal femme vocals from Vera W’r..H (sic), over a backdrop of organ, piano, acoustic guitar and drums. Final track ‘Somnium pt VII’ is an ambient tour de force, lasting almost 14 minutes, of drones, gregorian chants, distant choirs, spoken word vocals, backwards sounds and voices. This is a stunning album, easily my favourite of the year so far. Now, you’re going to like this next bit. Spektral Magik is available as a free download on the ParaLucid netlabel, here. Ewan Burke |
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