| $14.98
back in stock as of january 26th, 2010
first in stock on may 5th, 2008
threads: modern-psych minimalism-drones doom electro-acoustic-composition electro-acoustic-improvisation
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| | | vhf (usa) #vhf 111 lp æthenor “betimes black cloudmasses” long playing record - side i (17:13)
- side ii (17:04)
| may 2008 release ; the second album from the trio of stephen o’malley, daniel o’sullivan, and vincent de roguin ... to my ears infinitely more pleasing than the group’s debut, mainly due to the extended sound-palette involving some nice dual drum-kit action (echoes of “church of anthrax” ?) hedged with the group’s guitar / synth / mystery-instrument droning ...
i’m hearing a distinct organum influence (esp. the eddie prevost / jackman collaborations ; always a good sign) - and in fact this music much more to do with electro-acoustic improvisation than the grand scheme of o’malley influenced/involved doom-drone excess (the sounds, for the most part, are quite light / airy - plenty of space in the lower registers) ...
excellent stuff, the best thing i’ve heard from o’malley in a good while (as much as i loved the first ktl disc they’ve kind of been on autopilot ...) & i need to re-visit those guapo records ... highly recommended !!! |
| | vhf#111 æthenor betimes black cloudmasses lp
highly-anticipated second album from the trio of vincent de roguin (shora), stephen o'malley (sunn0))), ktl) and daniel o'sullivan (guapo). like their genre and audience-confounding debut “deep in ocean sunk the lamp of light,” “betimes” is an atmospheric, constantly changing piece that encompasses a mind-boggling array of different performance and processing techniques. the deeply psychedelic and affecting results present a soundstage that is continually evolving, with new elements entering and leaving the fray every couple of seconds. betimes includes significant contributions from free percussionists nicolas field and alex babel, who sprinkle the sound field with an almost fmp-style rush of splattering drum sound, raising the intensity of the music (without resorting to bashing). betimes also features effects and vocals from ulver mastermind kristoffer rygg, who will make his first live appearance in over a decade when æthenor plays the roadburn festival in april 2008. æthenor’s third lp, featuring vocals and lyrics by david tibet, will be released in autumn 2008.
cover design by swiss designer nicola todeschini. cd is in a letterpress card folio, printed by stumptown. lp is matte offset print.
“musically, æthenor summon the most somnolent examples of bernard parmegiani, organum, nurse with wound, klaus schulze, igor wakhevitch, coil, iancu dumitrescu and charlemagne palestine. acousmatic drones ebb and flow into crackling and bubbling sonic clusters. lulling piano motifs and lamenting chants shimmer into distant lunar horizons while oscillators spin and drove serenely into unchartered audial regions. sometimes as calm as a silvery sea, so that every gentle cat's-paw and lapping wave is deafening. sometimes as tempestuous as a fuming lava beach, spitting and popping at the surface.” - daniel o'sullivan |
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