Un Festín Sagital - Deimos (Black Horizons): Bestias Solares was just straight Zuehl worship (a great thing in and of itself), but this next offering gets a little more inspired. While the vocalizations still have that Zuehlian structure, but synthesized guitars and rhythms throughout the tape make for something not so prog rock. The flip side is a bit different; a sinister quasi-Persian, quasi-Bo Hansson, dark-kraut ride and a possessed, mocking keyboard piece that finishes it off. No vocals on this side I believe. Definitely a killer tape, and makes me even more excited for their bit coming out on Beta-lactam Ring soon.
Swans - To Be Kind (Young God): This was nothing like the wet fart I found their recent live show to be, but I'm also definitely just burnt out on Gira's stardom. This disc is more interesting in that there's something besides way too long post-rockish 30 minute tracks (although they teeter on the edge a few times). A handful of the songs, particularly the first few, are something very fresh and there's lots of instrumentation you wouldn't expect - VCO warbles, a new approach to vocals. Things also aren't as outright goofy as their live jams were, but again they teeter on the edge once and a while. I liked The Seer for being emotionally evocative, but it was way too drawn out. This album does little for me in that department, and while it's cool to listen to, I guess I'm just over the hype. Not bad. Not great.
Mike Weis - Don't Know, Just Walk (Type): First off, I love the cover - captures something really relevant to my childhood night walks. Weis was diagnosed with prostate cancer prior to the recording of this album - all solo - so that gives some perspective on his purpose/process. I'm not familiar with his group works, but this is a really spectacular album made mostly from drums. Field recordings and tape, amongst some other things I suppose, are sparingly used throughout as well. I'd expect a drummer to work with rhythm regularly, but Weis barely does. When it happens, its not much to make your head bob, but to bring you back to a stable ground. You lose one within the drifting, dark ambiance of the album. I'd say this could easily appeal to the Cyclic Law, CMI, etc junkie. The work is very meditative, not in a Radigue or Pitre sense... something else entirely. Also love the field recordings of crickets and cicadas interspersed that, again, make this album a memory of my childhood in some way. Really great album.
Santa Espina - Blue Yesterday (Black Horizons): I thought I was investing in some sort of Kirschstein or Nový Svět-type release, but that's not really the case at all. In some ways, you might argue that you can hear Chappaqua in certain places, but that's a stretch even. This is very meticulously crafted dark ambient/industrial, although it's never either of these things in their essence, with a folk touch that is masterfully added all throughout. A wonderful, lusty female voice carries the whole 60 minutes through. It's just all dreary and I love that.
Perispirit - Spiritual Church Movement (Digitalis): Had to check this out after Mikko's mention. This really does have that heavy "digital" sound, but I would agree that it spoils nothing. It's like if Kassel Jaeger and Lionel Marchetti collaborated; graceful spontaneity, never cartoonish. Gotta check out more.
Aaron Dilloway - Beauty Bath (Rockatansky): Admittedly, this is the first Dilloway album I've every purchased - the breadth of his discography always made it sorta impenetrable for me. Wish I wouldn't have waited so long. There's something out-of-time about this LP. It's got similarities with others, but there's so much tasteful variety - tape experiments to almost-outright harsh noise - that it's like a mixtape to my love of noise (and noise-like) music. Really, really digging this. Any recommendations on where to start with Dilloway? Regardless of whether or not they sound like this album.
