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Album Premiere: Boduf Songs – Stench of Exist
January 28, 2015
Here are the first words on Mat Sweet’s sixth album as Boduf Songs: “The rain against the window in the morning woke us up. We lay there for a while. And then you said, ‘It’s time to get things moving.’ We named the days and watched them flying by.” This is not the…Dreampeter – Snakes Eating Snakes
January 27, 2015
Back in the day when Decoder was both Foxy Digitalis and Get Off the Coast, Zen Tapes was a favorite home team blog, run by a crew of now Portals contributing humans who met and incorporated at the University of Michigan. Elements of that group, including Berlin based Cory Levinson — familiar perhaps…Premiere: Nils Quak – “Tidal Magnification”
January 26, 2015
If one thing is certain, it’s that Nils Quak knows drone. The Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany-based producer has reveled in sustained suites of tonal beauty for over a decade now on various recordings both self-released and issued by the likes of Audiobulb, SicSic, Distance and Umor Rex. Quak now…Sloan – “Brick”
January 26, 2015
Just now I learned a couple of Russian words. Let’s go over them. 1. Привет – The title of the e-mail subject I received from this Russian artist. It means, “Hello.” 2. Слоан – The first of three words in the e-mail I received from this Russian artist. It is…Week in Review #53
January 24, 2015
We’re beginning this Week in Review with a couple exciting announcements. From now on, Free Form Freakout’s exceptional, ongoing FFFoxy Podcast will be co-hosted every weekend in the Week in Review, heading up alternate installments. The FFFoxy Podcast was born out of the free range approach…
Stillsuit – Blue Sixteen
January 23, 2015
The release of the 16th edition from the UK’s Blue Tapes is imminent, and if the track streaming below is any indication, we’re all in for one of the more nefarious punk plots of our time. Sharp, angular stabs of treble that jab the jugular and temples, poking and prodding your ear holes…
Persona Mercure – La Marche, Le Discours, Le Souper
January 23, 2015
La Marche, Le Discours, Le Souper — ‘The Walk, the Speech, the Supper,’ as near as my caveman Gallic can gather — is the debut from Canadian composer Samuel Mercure, released quietly late last fall on Montreal’s finest, Hobo Cult Records, under the name Persona Mercure. Production…Steve Mizek’s Ruff N Ready Mix
January 22, 2015
Little White Earbuds has always been a great authority for me when it comes to experimental club music. The amount of high-quality podcasts and interviews they routinely deliver is almost unfathomable. That’s why I felt really honoured when I asked Steve Mizek, editor-in-chief of the Chicago-based…Greg Gorlen – Gray
January 22, 2015
Greg Gorlen is to the cassette tape what Jackson Pollock was to paint. Plundering a bland, meaningless, slightly toxic substance and reconfiguring it until some inexplicable, hideous beauty is found, Gorlen’s relentless experimentation keeps me metaphorically panting at his door and lapping up every…Algiers – “But She Was Not Flying”
January 22, 2015
This morning, Matador Records announced their signing of ALGIERS, and premiered a new track from their forthcoming, self-titled debut. “But She Was Not Flying” showcases new territory for the intense, spiritual ensemble, as the group add slick piano breaks that slice the tension of the vocal-driven,…Ekin Fil – Wind is Near
January 21, 2015
It would be impossible for me not to mention Liz Harris, or Grouper, in writing about Ekin Fil (aka Ekin Üzeltüzenci). Harris was the one who brought Ekin Fil on tour with her through Europe, and then subsequently tipped off Alex Cobb of Students of Decay to pay attention. And it makes sense because…
Zarabatana – Fogo na Carne
January 21, 2015
Zarabatana are a Portuguese trio based in Lisbon and their stellar debut, Fogo na Carne, is among the first 2015 releases from their countryman at A Giant Fern, probably one of the most visually interesting tape imprints to spring into some measure of “prominence” last year; after devouring…Total Improvisation Troop – Man of War
January 20, 2015
In the late 1960s, a number of pioneering ensembles sprouted up in England, focused around the notion of free improvisation. AMM and the Spontaneous Music Ensemble are probably the most notable, yet it was the less conspicuous People Band that really took to the idea of total freedom in music, and pushed…Week in Review #52
January 17, 2015
#1 – 1/11/2015 – Say it ain’t so. Volcanic Tongue, the U.K.’s premiere outhouse and distributor for experimental sounds, announced plans to shut its doors. In a heartfelt note posted to the shop’s news section, founder David Keenan expressed gratitude to the shop’s…Radiant Husk – “Wend”
January 16, 2015
Deflation Basin, the latest work issued by Sudden Oak-affiliate Matt Erickson as Radiant Husk, is, for all intents and purposes, the project’s nihilistic master work. Issued alongside Rick Weaver’s manically genius The Perfect Man cassette by Bezoar Formations, which has led a slow and…Pan•American – Sketch for Winter II: Rue Corridor
January 16, 2015
Mark Nelson has been releasing music since 1997 under the Pan•American name. Through his lengthy discography there have been some relatively consistent sonic elements—namely rich, pillow-soft synth textures and lots and lots of dub-inflected low-end. Past releases have shifted between hazy, languid…Noah Wall – Music For Resolutions
January 16, 2015
Brooklyn’s Noah Wall marked this latest transiting of years with a return to one of the things he does best: the noble mixtape, delivering a two-hour companion billed “for Resolutions” and still sure to help shore up flagging commitments even a couple weeks into the game. Opening with…Volunteer Dad – “Manson”
January 15, 2015
Paisley Shirt Records’ latest release arrived in the mail the other day (with a plastic triceratops) and I haven’t listened to much else since. The album, Fake British Accent by Volunteer Dad, was hinted at back in September when two of the tracks appeared on the label compilation Paisley…Ruth Garbus – Joule EP
January 15, 2015
There’s no escaping Ruth Garbus‘ charm. From the opening bars of the Brattleboro, Vt songstress’ recent Joule EP, released simultaneously alongside a baffling array of sounds by OSR Tapes, you can’t help but get sucked in by the calm cool, the intimate lo-fi, and genuine, effortless…Subscribe
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