Updates: Show Times, Links, Reviews, Stats

Hello Everyone!

A quick update from me: looks like I have a time slot for this summer. Laughter will now be broadcast on alternating Sundays starting  a full two weeks from today. I will be on the air from 4pm until 6pm.

Though it’s been nearly a full month since I stepped into the studio, May has been Laughter’s best month, yet. I’ve received more hits, more downloads, and more email this month than I have in any other month since I switched the site to WordPress. I hope you’ve enjoyed the site and continue to visit; please leave comments (and not just emails!) if you like what you see, here.

Make sure to check out some of the new links I’ve added to the sidebar. Arcane Detritus is a particularly interesting blog full of strange and completely insane sounds for you to download. Some of the more odd-ball cult-ish stuff available there is absolutely essential for anyone that desires to hear the weirdest the world has to offer. You’ll never look at hot dogs or God the same way…

I’ve also posted some reviews over the past week or two. I hope they’re informative, helpful, etc. – the new Foetus has completely blown my mind. You’ll probably hear something from that compilation on the next Laughter broadcast.

Thank you for visiting! Talk to all of you, soon.

Review: Foetus, “Limb”

Subtitled Minimal Compositions, Instrumentals, and Experiments 1980-1983, J.G. Thirlwell’s CD-DVD retrospective casts an entirely new and surprising light on his already diverse and infamous Foetus moniker. Some of these songs are close to being 30 years old, yet they share more in common with Thirlwell’s Manorexia and Steroid Maximus projects than with anything found on albums like Hole or Nail. Steeped in the theory and aesthetics of modern composition, Limb is a revelatory collection that adds even more depth to Thirlwell’s already rich musical history.

That Thirlwell decided to return to his past at this point in his career makes perfect sense. Each of the 13 pieces on Limb prefigure the ideas he has more recently explored as Manorexia and Steroid Maximus; they represent the beginning of his career as both a rock musician and a composer. His passion for soundtracks, modern classical music, and theory is fully formed and present on songs like “Te Deum” and “Primordial Industry,” both of which were previously available only on compilations. As such, they were partially divorced from the Foetus oeuvre and remained hidden to all but the most ravenous and attentive collectors. Still other songs were never released or only saw the light of day as b-sides on obscure 7″ records. Limb reabsorbs these lost tracks into the Foetus story and ties together Thirlwell’s many disparate interests while maintaining an album- like illusion.

While the term experimental applies very well to what Thirlwell was doing in the early ’80s, every song on Limb is immediate and attractive and removed from the aesthetics sometimes associated with experimental music. Thirlwell’s imagination and early output is far removed from the sometimes dry world of academic composition and theory-for-theory’s-sake performance. The sounds he manipulates and utilizes are ultimately invested in the pleasure of listening and not in the theory itself. The liner notes, which were written by Thirlwell, mention his interest in the mathematical and experimental aspects of 20th century musical theory, but a direct line can be drawn from songs like “Te Deum” and “Sjogren’s Syndrome” to the twisted pop of “I’ll Meet You in Poland Baby” or the forceful percussion of “The Only Good Christian Is a Dead Christian.” The techniques used to create the morose atmosphere of “Ezekiel’s Wheel” and the dizziness of “That We Forbid” ultimately helped to form every Foetus record both technologically and aesthetically. Throughout many of the songs Thirlwell’s love for hypnotic loops takes center stage, but they are complimented by big musical accompaniments and all manner of percussive mayhem. He fuses popular music and culture with the influence of Terry Riley and Phillip Glass and in the process forms something that is both confronational and alluring. The dark, creeping bass lines and tense, nerve-wracking melodies that populate many of his “jazz” and soundtrack-based works are also present on this record. Most striking, however, is the almost total lack of lyrics on every song. One of the most attractive elements of Thirlwell’s music was, for me, his lyrical ability. His scathing deliveries, biting lyrics, and often hilarious play on words highlighted many of his best songs, but Limb doesn’t feature even one of his characteristic growls. The focus is completely on his musical sensibilities and the sensations he’s capable of creating with little more than samples, everyday objects, and the occaisional synthesizer.

Limb also features a DVD, which is composed of a documentary directed by Clement Tuffreau and a series of brief live performances by each of Thirlwell’s major incarnations. The documentary provides excellent insight into Thirlwell’s world, his background, and features a host of familiar faces, including Michael Gira and Lydia Lunch. Tuffreau gets Thirlwell and company to talk about everything from his move to New York and his early musical endeavors to the various films he’s starred in and scored, as well as the circumstances surrounding the development of Steroid Maximus, Wiseblood, and Manorexia. Foetus may have been developed with a certain mythology in mind, but this documentary essentially collapses the space between Thirlwell and his fans. Despite all the drama of drugs and sex that might’ve been inserted into the film, Tuffreau keeps his focus almost completely on Thirlwell’s music and art. Thankfully, all of the individuals interviewed stay on topic, too, with Lydia, Matt Johnson, and Alexander Hacke providing some of the best commentary. For any Foetus fan this is an absolutely essential release. For the casual listener or the interested bystander, Limb is actually a great place to start listening to J.G. Thirlwell. The pop sensibilities that he is perhaps most known for are absent from the CD but his multi-faceted output is still well represented by this collection.

Limb is available on Ectopic Ents
Sound samples are available at Brainwashed.com

Review: Haptic, “The Medium”

It’s dark outside, the windows are open, and the light in the room is slowly bleeding into the shapelessness outside. A trickle of sound pours out of the speakers and evokes a half-frightened reflex; it isn’t clear whether something just moved outside the house or if Haptic just added a new element to their droning melancholy. In slow, measured steps, and with liquid ease, The Medium plays out like a subdued, but troubling soundtrack to an unreleased David Lynch film. It’s filled with both tense uncertainty and cool atmospheres drowned in low-end heaviness.

Haptic’s technique is simple and direct. They begin both sides of their debut LP on Flingco Sound with metallic, but somewhat indecipherable drones. After introducing this trembling, often uncertain base, Haptic slowly breathes a plethora of tiny details into their music. The sensation is, at first, a disorienting and troubling one. I mistook several sounds on the record for sounds occurring outside my window. As the sounds intensified, I began to wonder what kind of thing was lurking about just feet away from me. Sizzling fire, dragging feet, muffled voices, bouncing balls, the buzz of electricity, and the whir of motors all find a place for themselves on The Medium. These bits of noise, samples, and odd productions are arranged such that they form convincing and detailed narratives. Within minutes of firing up “One” a complete and almost intrusive scenario had formed in my mind. I could see a weary and worn character shuffling down my street with a drained look upon his face. I could see the cigarette in his hand and I could hear the thoughts crushing his brain into a single-minded state. As he stares off into space and as “One” proceeds to work its magic, all manner of details are added to this picture. The drones turn into buzzing lights and the minutiae produced by the band turn into streams of thoughts and uncollected fragments of ideas. The progression of both songs is like peering into the mind of someone fixated on some premise or memory. The point is that their music is strikingly cinematic and well-sequenced. Their arrangements are obviously thought out and carefully planned or their improv skills are of the highest order. Either way, both sides of this record have an odd and satisfying logic about them.

Most of the sounds employed by the band are organic. Haptic’s instruments, whether they be cymbals or boxes filled with junk, are largely naked, so it is easy to believe that what sounds like a piece of burning paper is in fact just a piece of burning paper. I highly doubt this is the case, but such nudity amplifies the band’s potency. Not only do they craft shifting and somewhat frightening soundscapes, they produce them with objects that anyone would recognize from their everyday lives. The mix of the familiar and the unfamiliar greatly increases the album’s proximity to the listener and the extent to which it can produce emotional responses. The human or emotional component of the record is emphasized by a DVD that is included with the first 100 copies of the record. Amid a progression of shimmering surfaces, video artist Lisa Slodki projects a series of human faces. Her repetitive and hypnotic technique, combined with Haptic’s ghostly soundtrack, both emphasizes Haptic’s cinematic side and increases the dramatic elements already present in the music. The frozen, sometimes listless faces she focuses upon are frightening in and of themselves. All of them seem lost, alone, or completely without emotion, somehow swallowed by the images projected behind them or by the music that is the occasion of their presence. The only sign of happiness is one that is affected for show. Still, Haptic’s music isn’t simply doom and gloom. It exudes a kind of ease and directness that makes both songs float by rather quickly. The sounds of a manipulated xylophone and gentle bass pulses push the album along and, at some points, add a jazz-like feeling to the entire affair. The band never breaks character, thoug; their droning simplicity and monolithic approach holds the album together from beginning to end. This simplicity lends the band a cool, almost untouchable aura and ultimately turns all the creeping despair they produce into noir-ish calm.

The Medium is available on Flingco Sound
Sound samples are available at Brainwashed.com

Review: Interbellum, “Over All of Spain the Sky Is Clear”

Brendan Burke and Fred Lonberg’s quiet, unassuming debut on Flingco Sound flirts with the conventions of both glitch and chamber music, though it obviously favors the latter. Composed primarily of piano and cello performances, Over All of Spain… is a beautiful and mostly pastoral record fleshed out by the minimal use of samples, loops, and other odd sounds.

More than anything else, Interbellum’s music reminds me of a sonata for piano and cello. It is essentially one long piece divided into distinct movements, all of which center around the 21 minute song, “The Life and Death of Anne Zimmerman.” Each of the seven pieces move in a natural way and develop out of one another effortlessly. They are characterized by deep moments of silence and dense stretches of sound, all of which express a yearning for something just out of reach. Just minutes into the album a great sense of loneliness emerges from the music, which develops into a romantic image of a life lived in solitude. Whether or not it was the band’s intent to develop such an image isn’t clear, but the cinematic development of the record is perfectly suited for such a narrative.

Lonberg’s cello performance is marked by long, sensuous notes and hints of melodrama. When he draws his bow across the strings the sound is like a breeze coming out of the speakers on a hot day. It is gentle and light, but very pleasing. Burke’s piano technique is, on the other hand, punchy and full of weight. He does not provide rhythm or a tonal center so much as he dots the I’s and crosses the T’s. His playing lends something of an ambient tone to the music. He often keeps his foot on the sustain pedal of his piano, allowing the chords to ring out almost undetected in the background. When silence or near-silence falls on some of the songs, those notes can be heard humming softly in the background. The tastefully employed samples found throughout the record further emphasize the ambient dimensions of the record. While many of the samples feature distorted or distant conversation, some songs rely more heavily on atmospheric effects and light distortion. Both “Mansfield, Louisiana” and “6EQUJ5″ feature essential, non-traditional sounds throughout their duration. While the cello and piano melodies anchor every song, neither of these pieces would be the same if it weren’t for the bits of sound effects and buzz that accompany them.

Calling this a glitch-chamber hybrid is probably a little too misleading, though elements of both are obviously present. Anyone expecting Kid 606 meets Brahms is going to be severely disappointed. It is, however, a highly impressionistic record that utilizes modern techniques in small doses for maxium effect. The album’s freeform aesthetic also happens to be its biggest flaw. The record develops naturally and smoothly, something that fits its demeanor perfectly, but as a result there are portions of the record that drag on a little too long. “The Life and Death of Anne Zimmerman,” while very pretty, could’ve benefitted from some editing. It’s epic scope is impressive, but the lack of instrumental diversity makes it a bit tedious at times. Were the album to have a little more propulsion behind it, it would be far easier to pick up and enjoy. As it stands, listening to Over All of Spain… requires a little bit of patience. This isn’t likely to register on many ultra-hip radars because it’s almost completely divorced from all the stylings that make for an ultra-popular record. But, that’s just one of Interbellum’s strengths. Over All of Spain… is 100% unique and free from any preoccupations with familiar techniques or tired fads. Based on this record alone, Interbellum is a project like few others I can name.

Over All of Spain the Sky Is Clear is available on Flingco Sound
Samples available at Brainwashed.com

Review: James Blackshaw, “The Glass Bead Game”

James Blackshaw has released a number of introspective and genre-defying records since his debut on Digitalis Recordings. He has, however, saved his best work for his debut on Young God. With a couple of familiar Current 93 faces behind it, The Glass Bead Game exhibits Blackshaw’s experimental preferences, but also showcases his strength as an emotive and able songwriter.

Why Blackshaw named his album after a Herman Hesse novel is anyone’s guess. Strong religious and romantic allusions aside, Blackshaw’s music is simply and strikingly hypnotic. Its mantra-like quality is perhaps the only qualification required to share a name with Hesse’s meditation on the intellectual and mystical. But, this hypnotic color is something every Blackshaw record has featured; his love for the likes of Terry Riley and Erik Satie is not hard to discern and his guitar-playing style lends itself to adjectives like “rolling” and “kaleidoscopic.” He has flirted with American folk music and toed the line between classical and modern guitar performances. At a young age he has explored more musical territory than many bands do over the course of an entire career. What differentiates this album from his previous efforts is the quality of the voices added to the arrangements. Accompanying him throughout are Joolie Wood, John Contreras, and Lavinia Blackwall. Flutes, clarinets, violins, pianos, and a stellar vocal performance all support and deepen Blackshaw’s already sophisticated and intense approach to composition and performance. It’s as if this is the band he has always wanted with him. Together with their talents, Blackshaw sounds more spectral and colorful than ever.

“Cross,” the opening song, immediately communicates that Blackshaw and company are out to impress. With all pistons firing, Blackshaw paints a dramatic, but meditative melodic picture with his guitar. His strings are seemingly caught in a never-ending upward movement, each note intent on elevating the song to a higher and more introspective level. In the background, violins and cellos radiate a steady current of calm hums and ghostly utterances. Then, with just a brief pause, the band begins to weave their disparate melodic and harmonic patterns together, further enrichening the song’s lively character. Each member bends their instrument, wringing from it more emotion than was present the moment before. This pattern continues until Lavinia Blackwall adds her voice to the mix. Wordlessly, she accentuates the song’s beauty with eruptions of melody and effortless soul. Her voice seems to steam off of the music, occuring as a natural result of all the activity already churning beneath it. It’s a stunning way to start a record and, after hearing it for the first time, I was uncertain that anything could live up to it. Smartly, Blackshaw goes into deep meditation with both “Bled” and “Fix.” His nimble fingers create a ton of sound in both cases, but both songs are less showy than “Cross” and both find Blackshaw focusing on simple and direct arrangements. The latter is a brief and lovely piano-based song fleshed out by understated and cinematic string accompaniments. “Key” bridges the gap between all the previous songs and the concluding “Arc,” which is as epic as anything Blackshaw has attempted before. It’s moderate pace and gentle dynamics pave the way for the epic conclusion that follows.

“Arc” begins as though it were meant to be played at a funeral. Although the tones pulled from the piano are largely major and bright, they eminate an evocative quietude that only remembrance and yearning can accompany. After a short time Blackshaw’s piano erupts into glissandi, as though an epiphany hit him mid-song. As the piano fluctuates between high and low notes, the song and all of its parts develop a crystalline texture. Each of the instruments begin to blend into one another. “Arc” eventually becomes a mass of glowing sound with different elements peaking their heads above the cascade of music that’s been created. The song completely destroys all sense of time and place. Instruments bleed into one another and become disassociated from their source. Whenever a particular sound rises above the others, whether its being made by a voice, an instrument, or a combination thereof can be difficult to determine. Played at loud volumes, it’s an absolutely transfixing and ecstatic piece of music capable of procuring an emotional response from the listener. After I heard it for the first time, I found myself with my jaw agape and my breath left short. Something very magical happened when these musicians came together. I can only hope it won’t be the last time we see Blackshaw collaborating in such a fashion. It’s hard not to talk in a superlative manner about this record; it is majestic and deserving of more accolades and praise than I can possibly write.

The Glass Bead Game is available on Young God Records
Samples available at Brainwashed.com

5/17: A Fistful of Songs

I think of mixes shared over the internet as tapes you give to all of your friends in hopes that they’ll find something they like and then buy it. I made countless tapes for just that reason before MP3s were a big deal and so did virtually everyone else in the world. Not everyone sees it that way, though, so if any of the artists featured on this little mix want it removed, just say so and I’ll remove the link.

A friend of mine asked that I put together some good music for her summer listening pleasure. I think she may have wanted a lot of new music, but this is the mix I ended up sending her way. It’s mostly music I love with a predominantly country/rock theme. There’s some new and some old music on the mix; some of it is like what you’d expect to hear on my show and some of it is not. Either way, hopefully you find something here you enjoy. Expect to see more of these mixes over the summer.

There is a slot at WZBC that may be open to me for some summer programming, but I’ve not confirmed that, yet. As soon as I know for sure what times I’ll be playing, it’ll be posted right here.

Thanks for coming by and enjoy the music.

DOWNLOAD: A FISTFUL OF SONGS

# – Artist – “Song” – Album - (Year) – [Notes]

01. Ennio Morricone – “A Fisful of Dollars” – The Very Best Of… (1964)

02. Comets on Fire – “Jaybird” – Avatar (2006)

03. Gram Parsons – “Ooh Las Vegas” – Grevious Angel (1974)

04. Electrelane – “I’m On Fire” – On Parade (2003) [original by Bruce Springsteen]

05. Low – “Hatchet” – Drums and Guns (2007)

06. Akron/Family & The Angels of Light – “I Pity the Poor Immigrant” – The Angels of Light & Akron/Family (2005) [original by Bob Dylan]

07. Juana Molina – “El Vestido” – Un Dia (2008)

08. Gary Higgins – “Thicker Than A Smokey” – Red Hash (1973)

09. Aerial M – “Last Caress” – October (1998) [original by The Misfits]

10. Timber Timbre – “Trouble comes Knocking” – Timber Timbre (2009)

11. Corb Lund – “Horse Soldier, Horse Soldier” – Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier! (2007)

12. Palace Music – “Horses” – Lost Blues and Other Songs (1997)

13. Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound – “The Slumbering Ones” – When Sweet Sleep Returned (2009)

14. Arbouretum – “Pale Rider Blues” – Rites of Uncovering (2007)

15. Calexico – “El Gatillo (Trigger Revisted)” – Carried to Dust (2008)

16. Neil Young – “Revolution Blues (Acoustic)” – Live in NY: May 16th (1974) [bootleg,  from On the Beach]

17. Magnolia Electric Co. – “Hammer Down” – Nashville Moon (2007) [from Sojourner box set, alternate version, originally from What Comes After the Blues?]

5/12: final regular show of the summer

Magnolia Electric Co.

This week’s show is  the last regular broadcast of the summer from me. Responsibilities outside the studio are beginning to take over my life and I simply can’t be in the studio every week. That doesn’t mean you won’t find content being published to this site. I’ll be uploading mixes, reviews, interviews, photos, and news as often as my schedule allows.

You’ll find new music from Iron & Wine, Tara Jane O’Neil, James Blackshaw, Envenomist, and William Basinski on this show, as well as stand-out songs from Magnolia Electric Co., Corb Lund, Thomas Leer & Robert Rental, Asa Chang & Junray, and Nudge.

Magnolia Electric Co. is one of my favorite bands, but I rarely feature them or Songs: Ohia on the show for the same reason that I try to avoid playing Coil or Current 93 too often: I’m afraid I’d end up playing them every show. They’ve recently released a new 7″ and a new album is on the horizon. Their last proper album was 2006’s Fading Trails. In 2007 they released a box set with three records, one EP, and a DVD called Sojourner. Each disc featured new studio cuts, many of which had been performed on the road at some time or another. All of the Fading Trails songs were scattered across each disc, which provided a little insight into how Jason Molina arranged his records. As nice as it was to have that much new music from Molina, I’ve been waiting for the next Magnolia Electric Co. record to drop for too long! According to that link, Steve Albini is once more behind the mixing board and the album is tentatively titled A Map of the Falling Stars. It should be available sometime this year (I hope).

The band doesn’t have a ton of official videos out there, but you can check them out here and here. That second link is actually a Songs: Ohia song, but I’m not going to provide you with links to their music and not toss in one of their best songs. Lots of live footage is available on Youtube, too. Free bootlegs are also archived at their official website. You can hear me yelling approvingly (and drunkenly) on one or two of those, but I’m not saying on which one or two. Lets just say I was very excited to hear “I’ve Been Riding with the Ghost.” Many of those shows were recorded and then compressed to FLAC and many of them feature very high audio quality. Downloading those shows is a great way to get familiar with the band.

Thank you for listening these last couple of months; I hope to keep posting new and unusual music for you in the future. Check back for reviews, mixes, and interviews, as well as photographs and random bits of news as they come my way.

Talk to you soon.

DOWNLOAD HOUR ONE

DOWNLOAD HOUR TWO

01. Asa Chang & Junray “Hana” from Song Chang (2003) on Leaf

02. Tara Jane O’Neil “A Vertiginous One” from A Ways Away (2009) on K

03. Tinariwen “Toumast” from Aman Iman: Water Is Life (2007) on World Village

04. Fire on Fire “Haystack” from The Orchard (2008) on Young God

05. James Blackshaw “Key” from The Glass Bead Game (2009) on Young God

06. Iron & Wine “Love Vigilantes” from Around the Well (2009) on Sub Pop —  original by New Order

07. Wovenhand “Sparrow Falls” from Consider the Birds (2004) on Sounds Familyre

08. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds “The Weeping Song” from The Best Of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (1998) on Mute

09. Calexico “Red Blooms” from carried to dust (2008) on Quarterstick Records

10. Magnolia Electric Co. “What Comes After the Blues” from Nashville Moon (2007) on Secretly Canadian — part of the Sojourner box set

11. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy “I Don’t Belong To Anyone” from Beware (2009) on Drag City

12. Corb Lund “Horse Soldier, Horse Soldier!” from Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier! (2007) on Stony Plain

13. Christina Carter “Dream Mother” from Living Contact (2004) on Kranky

14. Loren Chasse & Michael Northam “The Spectral Harvest” from The Otolith (2008) on The Helen Scarsdale Agency

15. Thomas Leer & Robert Rental “Connotations” from The Bridge (1979) on Industiral Records

16. Envenomist “Bestowal” from The Helix (2009) on Killer Pimp

17. Nudge “Idiolect” from Trick Doubt (2002) on Outward Music Company

18. Terminal Sound System “Firefly Butoh” from Constructing Towers (2008) on Extreme

19. John Bender “35B1” from I Don’t Remember Now / I Don’t Want To Talk About It (1980) on Record Sluts

20. William Basinski “92982.1 (Excerpt)” from 92982 (2009) on 2062 / Musex — recorded in 1982

5/5: bleak music for happy people

At some point I was convinced that Low wanted to be Black Sabbath turned all the way down, but then they released Trust. Ever since that album I’ve thought that Low and Swans were made for each other. They set the tone for this week’s show, which stayed pretty low-key from start to finish. Akron/Family and Fire on Fire provided some light-hearted relief. Speaking of which, the new Akron/Family is a fairly bizarre record. I’ve heard complaints from several fans about their live shows as of late, mostly because their new sound resembles certain jam bands, like Phish. Just check out that video for “Last Year” and you’ll get the idea. It sounds like Ryan Vanderhoof’s input is very, very missed. “Everyone is Guilty” sounds more like the Akron/Family of yore, but I sense a great backlash on the horizon and cries of “hippy” filling the air. There’s a fine line between folk/blues-influenced rock and masturbatory jam band junk.

Proof that playing “old” music on the air is worthwhile comes every time someone calls into the show asking about a record released sometime in the past. I figured that Matmos were universally known by this point, having been covered by everyone from Pitchfork to NPR. But, someone called in at the end of the show asking about “Hashish Master.” It’s from Supreme Balloon, arguably Matmos’ best record. You can read a ton about it right here, at the Brainwashed homepage. I had mentioned that I thought Terry Riley was featured on that song. I was right. Here’s a little bit of background info, again from the site:

We met Terry Riley at a concert in his honor in which we played our piece entitled “For Terry Riley”, which was itself built out of samples of the Kronos Quartet playing his early composition “Sunrise of the Planetary Dream Collector.” A few years later, after getting to know him a bit through friends in common we finally got up the courage to ask him if he would play some keyboards for our synthesizer album and he generously invited us to visit him at Sri Moonshine Ranch, his rural seat in Northern California. We brought our ARP 2600 along and set it up in his studio and he played some wickedly fast improvisations for us on an ARP patch that Martin created on the fly that had a weird, tangy tuning. As soon as a quasi-Arabic melodic figure emerged, Terry suggested that we were “channeling the Hashish Master of Skunk Hollow” and the song title seemed inevitable. We then chopped up and manipulated Terry’s solo and built it into a song which we often play live in a more “heavy metal” arrangement for synths and guitars. Given the slightly ominous heaviness of the resulting song M. C. felt that it didn’t quite fit the overall mood of the album. Drew pouted and made it into a vinyl only song and a downloadable track available online so that listeners can choose for themselves whether or not it fits. The Master stands alone. There is in fact a neat historical association between hash and the enjoyment of keyboard playing, as evidenced by Theophile Gautier’s pen and ink drawing of J. J. Moreau de Tours playing the piano inside the infamous Parisian gentleman’s haunt Le Club de Hachichins, drawn under the influence of hashish.

You can find plenty of videos of Matmos doing their thing over at Youtube. Here’s a great video for “Exciter Lamp and the Variable Band” from Supreme Balloon. If you don’t know your Matmos, now is a good time to start. They also happen to put on a great live show. Do not miss them if you see them coming your way.

Also featured this week was Interbellum. His 2008 record, available on Flingco Sound, will be reviewed in the coming weeks. Check out Flingco Sound while you wait; the label is fairly new but has already released an impressive series of records, including music from one of Bohren and Der Club of Gore’s principle influences: GORE.

DOWNLOAD: THEE HOUR 1

DOWNLOAD: HOUR 2 for You

01. Low “Pretty People” from Drums and Guns (2007) on Sub Pop

02. Swans “The Sound” from Soundtracks for The Blind (1996) on Young God

03. Valet “Drum Movie” from Naked Acid (2008) on Kranky

04. Akron/Family “Everyone Is Guilty” from Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free (2009) on Dead Oceans

05. The Sea and Cake “There You Are” from The Fawn (1997) on Thrill Jockey

06. Tortoise “The Taut and Tame” from Millions Now Living Will Never Die (1996) on Thrill Jockey

07. This Heat “Makeshift” from Made Available – John Peel Sessions (1999) on These — recorded 26 October 1977

08. Stars of The Lid “JPRIP” from Carte-De-Visite (2007) on Self Released

09. Fridge “Tone Guitar and Drum Noise” from Happiness (2000) on Brainwashed/Temporary Residence

10. Swans “Love Will Save You” from White Light from the Mouth of Infinity (1991) on Young God

11. Fire on Fire “Amnesia” from Fire on Fire EP (2008) on Young God

12. Sun Kil Moon “Floating” from Ghosts of the Great Highway(2003) on Jet Set Records

13. Interbellum “6EQUJ5” from Over All of Spain the Sky is Clear (2008) on Flingco Sound

14. Ghost “Images of April / Lhasa Lhasa” from Tune In, Turn On, Free Tibet (1999) on Drag City

15. Rivulets “Barreling Towards Nowhere Like There’s No Tomorrow” from Rivulets (2002) on Chair Kickers Union

16. Songs: Ohia “Two Blue Lights / Blue Chicago Moon” from Didn’t It Rain (2002) on Secretly Canadian

17. Cat Power “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” from The Covers Record (2000) on Matador

18. Bohren & Der Club of Gore “Der Maggot Tango” from Gore Motel (1994) on Epistrophy

19. Matmos “Hashish Master” from Supreme Balloon (2008) on Matador

4/28: Swans to Reform?

I waited to update the blog so that I could post a link to the Brainwashed feature I wrote about Michael Gira’s performance at the Oxfam Cafe on the 26th of April. The show was amazing, but even more amazing was Gira’s thoughts about getting Swans back together. I only had the chance to talk to him briefly, but he gave Brainwashed the go-ahead to start the rumor mill that Swans might one day reunite. As he was leaving, he mentioned in a leisurely way that one day an Angels of Light/Swans tour could happen; at least, he said, he thought it sounded like a good idea.

I’d say so.

You can read the concert report over at Brainwashed. He played six new songs, two of them were performed for the first time.

Windy & Carl, Benoit Pioulard, and Lambs Laughter came through town last week, too. Their shows were unbelievable, with Lambs Laughter pulling a Buffalo Springfield cover out of their hat and Benoit Pioulard playing a haunting, lovely set. Windy & Carl played a nice, long, dreamy set and let loose some truly ethereal guitar work. Last time I saw Windy & Carl, they played “The Dream House” at Brainwaves 2006. This time around I got to see some of Carl’s chops close up. That guy can rip a guitar up like no other. As a result, I haven’t been able to keep Drawing of Sound out of my CD player.

I picked up a couple of new records when they came to town and I’ll be reviewing those shortly.

I’ll talk to all of you, tomorrow. Expect to hear some SWANS.

DOWNLOAD: THIS HOUR GOES FIRST

DOWNLOAD: THIS HOUR DOESN’T

01. Michael Gira “Destroyer” from I Am Singing To You From My Room (2004) on Young God

02. Wovenhand “Ain’t No Sunshine” from Wovenhand (2003) on Sounds Familyre

03. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy “Champion” from Chijimi (2009) on Royal Stable Music

04. Animal Hospital “2nd Anniversary” from Memory (2009) on Barge

05. Benoit Pioulard “Sundown, Sundown” from Lee (2009) on Hall of Owls

06. Windy & Carl “I Won’t” from Instrumentals for the Broken Hearted (2009) on Blue Flea

07. Boards of Canda “Skyliner” from Trans Canada Highway (2006) on Warp

08. Oneohtrix Point Never “Zones Without People” from Zones Without People (2009) on Arbor

09. Pas Chic Chic “Vous Comprenez Pourquoi” from Au Contraire (2008) on Semprini

10. Aidan Baker “Twenty-Four Hours” from Gathering Blue (2009) on Equation Records — original by Joy Division

11. Älgarnas Trägård “Rings of Saturn” from Framtiden Ar Ett Svavande Skepp, Forankrat I Forntiden (1995) on Silence Records — originally recorded and released in 1972

12. Angels of Light “Jackie’s Spine” from We Are Him (2007) on Young God

13. Mogwai “A Cheery Wave from Stranded Youngsters” from Young Team (1997) on Chemikal Underground

14. Emeralds “Living Room” from What Happened (2009) on No Fun Productions

15. Jonas Reinhardt “Blue Cutawaty / Tore Earth Clinker” from Jonas Reinhardt (2008) on Kranky

16. Benoit Pioulard “Maginot” from Flocks (2009) on Blue Flea

17. Rapoon “After the Storm” from Dark Rivers (2009) on Lens Records

18. Venetian Snares “Mongoloid Alien” from Filth (2009) on Planet Mu —