Dosh – drones from home (CD)

I found this in the DVD section at Renaissance Montréal. The lowbrow look (it was inside a homemade cardboard CD box) and the album title `drones from home`. What else is there to say? I love drones and I`m a sucker for homemade recordings. For 2.00 $, I had to buy it. That Sunday afternoon I bought 12 CD`s and 6 DVD`s. I go back home put all of these items in my big pile of `to listen / review `things. Martin Chavez Dosh grew up in Minneapolis, MN, USA. He toured and provided drums, keyboards and various noise bytes for a couple of indie rock bands: Fog, Lateduster, Redstart, Vicious Vicious and T. He teaches children how to make music. Dosh is the name of his solo music project. This is his tenth album (11 tracks = 42.38 minutes). It was self-release in 2008. I was expecting drones and perhaps some type of ambient music. At first listen, I`m disappointed. This is not what I expected at all. The music here is lo-fi, homemade i.e. meticulously created. It`s a mixture of different styles: minimal introspective electronica, homemade IDM, near ambient music, weird / quirky / slightly warped bedroom / garage electronics and lo-fi minimalism. In order to appreciate something you have to give it a chance to soak inside. After repeated listens, I have to admit this album grows on me. This is excellent music. One particular song simply took my head off;

4 – Wolves (5.30 minutes) = it starts-off with lo-fi ambient noise which slowly segues into experimental electronica with trumpet included. Wow! More information here; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dosh_(musician)

And here:

http://www.anticon.com/artist/dosh

art is everywhere part 53

Various unknown mail art of the day

Homemade postcard of the day

Victimes de regime – come and die! (CD-R)

I got this album as a trade item. Never heard anything from `Victimes de regime `before. His name is Jeremy H and he`s a Christian harsh noise and dark ambient artist. Which is something rare. Does anybody heard of  Blackhouse? They are a power electronics / noise trio with Brian Ladd, Ivo Cutler and Sterling Cross. They have Christian themes and lyrics. There`s one track `come and die! ` (22.21 minutes) on this EP. It`s a solid piece of shifting noise. It slowly, subtly moves into harsh noise, loud drones, ambient darkwave and ambience noise. Impressive to say the least. You can find him on:

Facebook: 

https://fr-ca.facebook.com/VictimesDeRegime/

Soundcloud: 

https://soundcloud.com/victimes-de-regime

And Bandcamp: 

http://comearmageddon.bandcamp.com/  

art is everywhere part 52

Malok!!!

Malok
P.O.BOX 41
Waukau 
WI
54980
USA

Basement Jaxx – crazy itch radio (CD)

The fourth album from this British electronic dance music duo of Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe. This came out on XL Recordings (what a name) in 2006. A nice and long album (14 songs = 60.04 minutes). This is toe tapping, grooving, cruising and moving festive music. Every songs feels like you`re invited to your own little private Idaho i.e. party. There`s a rave in my head which never stops. This is not your regular run of the mill, bland EDM (electronic dance music). The music is a very potent fusion / mix of electronic, house, Latin grooves, funk, disco, rhythm & blues, hip hop and funk. Oh yeah funk me over & over again. I`m grooving in my head. There`s a couple of cute girls who sent me naughty text messages. It`s fun it`s wild, it`s all happening in my head and you`re not invited. Imagination knows no boundaries. The sky`s the limit. What happens in my head stays in there. Signing off.     
     

homemade postcards of the day

Oureboros – dreaming in earth, dissolving in light (CD)

Last year I got a parcel full of rarities, including this CD. This album (12 tracks = 66.28 minutes) came out on Ant-Zen in 2011. Oureboros are Aron West (Tropism) and Richard Oddie (Orphx, Kaspar Hauser, Antiform, Deconstruct, Eschaton, Magic Shadows and O/H). It`s a good thing that I decided to hear this first before doing some research. I allowed myself to be surprise by the music and I sure was. Ant-Zen promote themselves as industrial music, chilling ambient, noise, power electronic and technoid rhythms (Vromb). This album sounds like the best of both worlds. The music oscillates between ice, cold isolationism, outer worldly ambience, desolate atmospheres, minimal ambience + some percussive elements thrown in, ambient noise /  ambient darkwave with a subtle sensation of dark impending doom. This would make the perfect soundtrack for `Rosemary`s baby` movie (Roman Polanski`s masterpiece). Kudos to Richard Oddie & Aron West. They created something great here (it doesn`t sound like Tropism and Orphx). Info included here; 

http://www.ant-zen.com/

Run For Omniphobia – assembly bill-109 (CD)

I got this one as a trade. RFO is a music / noise duo with Jay Howard (Synthesizer SH-101) and Edward Giles (guttertronics, tapes and pedals). Jay Howard is the mind behind Circuit Wound, Bacteria Cult, Circuit Refusal, Redwound, Run For Omniphobia and Wire Werewolves. I got scared reading the thank you section. They gave kudos to The Haters and Xome amongst others. Two big names in the world of experimental harsh noise. I was just hoping my poor ears would survive the aural nightmare (or so I though). The first listening experience is a surprise. It`s not your regular run of the mill relentless wall of noise. There`s four tracks (64.04 minutes) which would be:

1 – Polonium 210 (14.46 minutes) = a long, evolving piece of droning ambient noise minimalism.

2 – Stunt Double (17.21 minutes) = a dense, thick slowly moving track of ambient / lo-fi noise (snail noise perhaps).

3 – Gutterman research (16.05 minutes).

And

4 – men`s rea (15.52 minutes) = those two pieces are similar in styles. It`s a mix of sampled voices with lo-fi meditative ambient noise. A nice, chillout, relaxing schizophrenic listening experience. All jokes aside, I love this album. Another proof that you don`t need to bludgeon my ears to get my attention. Intelligent noise music that`s for sure. Contact address:

Wheelchair Full Of Old Men

P.O.Box 5418

Saginaw

MI

48603

USA.

Jay Howard`s blog:  http://sentientrecordings.blogspot.ca/

Basement Jaxx – kish kash (CD)

Basement Jaxx are a British electronic dance duo with Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe. This is their third album (I bought it at Renaissance Montréal for 2.00$). The only thing I know about them is their big hit `where`s your head at `, on their second album `rooty ` (2001). I was expecting a similar music style. After repeated listens, I`m puzzled. Part of me hates this. Musically it`s not what I expected. The bigger, stronger, more technology part of me likes this album. They can musically evolve and reinvent themselves. It makes me curious. I wonder what their other releases sounds like. You will hear fourteen tracks (50.42 minutes) of groovy, festive music (it will wanna make you groove all night long). The music is a solid mix of electronic / UK garage with elements / traces / influences of rap, soul, disco and funk. Standout tracks:

7 – Plug it in (4.51 minutes) = groovy, funky electronics / UK garage = instant dancefloor satisfaction.

8 – Cosmolude (0.55 minutes) = a nice, short & sweet almost ambient sonic interlude. This is good. Believe that.

The ' item ' of the day

Once in a blue moon, I get a letter from one Ronald Emolo. He sends me an envelope crammed with various mail art goodies. There is no logic in logic. Out there, fringe, outsider art. Maybe there's a hidden meaning in there. Some inner wisdom hidden lying somewhere in the never where. Enjoy the ride folks...

Ray Emolo

231 E 22nd Street

Paterson

NJ

07514

USA

The Picture is strange chapbook

Mark Sonnenfeld
45-08 Old Millstone Drive
East Windsor
New Jersey
08520
USA

Giorgio Moroder – deja-vu (CD)

It`s a rainy Sunday afternoon, you`re at the thrift store scoping out second hand CDs. You find a sealed CD. What does it tell you? Here`s a couple of theories:

A – It comes from a bankrupt record store.

B – Someone stole this and gave it to the store.

C – This is so damned bad that no one bothered to open it. Instead of throwing it in the garbage bin. The person felt like recycling this. One man`s garbage could be one man`s treasure. A music philanthropist donated this CD.

Personally, I remember Giorgio Moroder`s cool electro / ambient / disco soundtrack works: Midnight Express (1978), Battlestar Galactica (1978), American Gigolo (1980), Cat People (1982), Mamba (1988), Fair Game (1988), and Another Way (1988). There`s some guest singers on deja-vu: Sia, Charli XCX, Mikky Ekko, Kylie Minogue, Matthew Koma, Britney Spears, Foxes, Kelis and Marlene. It took me some listening to `appreciate` this album. In life, nothing is totally good or bad. Let`s find the good points and bad points, shall we.

Goodies; good choice of singers, top-notch production, excellent electronic / disco / synth-pop / dance music.

Badies: generic and commercial. It sounds like your regular, flavor of the day, mass produced electronic dance music. I tried but nothing works for me here. I`ll stick to his old soundtracks.    

10,000 Maniacs – our time in eden (CD)

Short review of the day part two because I bought both 10,00 Maniacs CD`s  the same day at Renaissance Montréal thinking it was perhaps electronic, early industrial, something weird, out there. Unfortunately, it`s not the case here. This is their seventh album. 10,000 Maniacs are an American indie rock band (formed in 1981, in Jamestown, New York). You`ll hear 13 songs (47.35 minutes) of pure positive, aural bliss. A potent mix of rock, folk and soft rock. Recommended if you like; Bob Dylan, Blind Willie McTell, Terry Lee Hale, Simon & Garfunkel, Blind Lemon, Beat Happening, Heavenly and The Pastels. Not my cup of tea. I recommend it but I don`t have to like it. 

10,000 Maniacs – blind man`s zoo (CD)

Short review of the day. I bought this at Renaissance Montréal thinking it was perhaps electronic, early industrial, something weird, out there. Boy was I wrong here. The sixth album of this American indie rock band (formed in 1981, in Jamestown, New York). The music is a mixture of soft rock, rock and folk. Not my cup of tea. It`s good none of the less. Recommended if you`re into this.

Pukka Joint Massif # 13 (zine & CD)

The most recent (but not the last one I hope) issue of PJM`s zine. Pukka Joint Massif is a half size, black & white, cut & paste, photocopied zine (24 pages this time around). There`s a lot of music, zines and book reviews. It has also a list of contact addresses for; zine exchange, mail art contact, tape traders, mail art projects, postcard exchange, events and mail art exchange. Besides there`s also the `audio mail art project project 5 – sculpting the audio space` CD. You`ll hear challenging sounds / music from the likes of: Eberhard Janke, I Don`t Care, Silvano, Letterfounder, Breadwinter, Lost Trail, Jurgen Oibrich & Kommisar Hjuler, Minimal Frank, Droney Mitchell, Sinner`s Crime, Sonic Disorder, The Knobs and Derelict Mosquito Spontaneity. Amazing zine with an outstanding compilation CD. Send well hidden cash, money orders, cheques, a zine, a trade but send him something:

PJM

P.O.BOX 2632

Bellingham

WA

98227-2632                                                                                         USA

homemade postcard of the day

Short Attention Span theatre (CD)

I got this one from Todd Z Glitter himself. This CD (24 tracks = 60.12 minutes) is a four way split with  Whisky Saintes, Nancy Regan Death Squad, T Z Glitter and Expletive Deleted. Let`s begin with:

Whiskey Saintes was Emily and T Z Glitter. You`ll hear six tracks of lo-fi noise rock with bluesy undertones. Minimal & stripped down Sonic Youth perhaps. Of particular notice is track # 4 `stripper song `the only piece where Todd sings. He should do this more often his raspy voice is perfect for this type of music.

Nancy Reagan Death Squad (More of T Z Glitter) offers nine tracks of intense lo-fi hardcore goodness.

T Z Glitter - `welcome to the Glitterdome` mini EP (tree songs). The music is a mixture of punk / metal / hardcore. Interesting.

Expletive Deleted = six tracks. How can I describe this one? The music is all over the place, experimenting with various styles: meditative ambient noise, experimental guitar works, experimental noise and Intellivision videogame noise orgy. Contact here: zglitter@gmail.com

homemade postcard of the day