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 youngsbower 		there are 22 titles featuring richard youngs in stock.
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 la monte young 
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$10.08

new to stock as of
october 12th, 2009

threads:
electro-acoustic-composition
modern-psych
minimalism-drones
experimental-instruments

digitalis recordings (usa) #digi031 cd

tirath singh nirmala “bluster, cragg, & awe” compact disc

  • nagg clef seatpoint
  • moor edge hush
  • the burning moon
  • ravine mists rising
  • sehaj
  • faleaflowstreem
  • rytsn 7.14
click the play button to hear an excerpt of "the burning moon"
may 2007 release ; believe this was the first “real” cd release from john clyde-evans under his nom de guerre tirath singh nirmala (after a stream of label-less home burns with titles like “birch clove burst,” “tattv-guna-mala,” “blossom dawn freckles,” etc ...)
digitalis recordings press release...
digi031: tirath singh nirmala "bluster, cragg, & awe" cd

not too long ago, john clyde-evans made a huge splash with his phenomenal solo lp on england's fisheye imprint. he also performed as an collaborator with the seminal uk group, hood. after taking a seven year hiatus and committing to the path of sikhism, he returned as tirath singh nirmala. his continually unfolding backstory is interesting enough, but it's his music where the real magic and mystery stretch their silver wings.

nirmala returned to making music after his close friend and collaborator, vibracathedral orchestra's neil campbell, gave him some free software and set him on his way. nirmala responded with nearly a dozen self-released, highly limited cdrs. the releases were filled to the brim with eastern-influenced, transcendental drones and uplifting spiritual sound explorations. his manipulation of sine waves and use of obscure asian instruments creates a wholly original and unique sound. as on his solo lp as john clyde-evans, nirmala's ability to concoct sprawling, majestic drones using such simple terms is unmatched.

"bluster, cragg, & awe," nirmala's first non-cdr release, is the perfect beginning. it collects the best tracks from those now impossible-to-find releases and adds two new songs and one collaborative piece with scottish guitar guru, richard youngs. it is a journey that lasts less than an hour, but contains a lifetime of aural experience, wrapped into one, shimmering golden package.

oh yes, tirath singh nirmala has returned.

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$19.85

back in stock as of
october 6th, 2009

first in stock on
february 12th, 2007

threads:
modern-psych
minimalism-drones

hp cycle (canada) #hp 284 lp

richard youngs / tirath singh nirmala “untitled” long playing record

  • untitled (1)

  • untitled (2)
click the play button to hear an excerpt of "(fifth piece)"
2007 release ; a superb set of eastern-tinged improvisations by richard youngs & tirath singh nirmala (aka john clyde-evans) ...

parts bring to mind sri brij bhusan kabra’s hindustani slide, other’s richard’s advent-era work...
hp cycle press release...
debut album from the duo of richard youngs and tirath singh nirmala (nee john clyde-evans) that has the pair creating a bucolic minimalist meditation.

side one interchangeably features hammered strings, gong / cymbal washes, droning vocals, and breathed shackuhachi / flutes. the second side leads with a melodious encounter before delving further into a glimmering psychedelia with sawed strings, fluttering reed organ and electronic drift.

the results resemble a non-western approach to traditional musics filtered through the personalized aesthetic that runs through each of the artist's prior works. the lp is enclosed in a full colour cover with suitable "of the earth" imagery.

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$13.26

back in stock as of
september 16th, 2008

first in stock on
june 12th, 2008

threads:
modern-psych
analogue-synth

jagjaguwar (usa) #jag 137 cd
insignificant (usa) #ins 016 cd

simon wickham-smith / richard youngs “veil (for greg)” compact disc

  • indiana spike dance
  • obese americans
  • apologetic
  • bars
  • land of lincoln
  • cleveland
  • angels from ct
  • ferris booth hall
click the play button to hear an excerpt of "obese americans"
june 2008 release ; what appears to be merely a re-stickering of the original 1997 insignificant-label disc by simon & richard, now branded as a jagjaguwar title. alongside the duo’s “enedkeg” & “knish” lps, this is at the core of their late-90s “experimental” activity ... completely weird synth-figures & clanking room-tone events ...
jagjaguwar press release...
simon wickham-smith & richard youngs - veil (for greg) cd (jag137)

originally released in 1997 and having sat in storage unit purgatory (growing finer) for the greater part of a decade, jagjaguwar proudly unearths and re-distributes this visceral british take on american outdoor spirituality.

"veil (for greg) is a carousel ride inside a digital rock tumbler, a battle between gnomes and mercury termites for a maple tree's soul, and the reflection of a pile of moog turtles in a bathroom mirror's swamp sweat. throbbing gristle reimagined as zen garden desk accessory." — william gass

compact disc is being made available in limited quantities.

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$13.13

back in stock as of
september 16th, 2008

first in stock on
november 7th, 2007

threads:
modern-psych
folk

jagjaguwar (usa) #jag 121 lp

richard youngs “autumn response” long playing record

  • i need the light
  • before we were here
  • low bay of sky
  • one hundred stranded horses
  • paths in the city
  • tinsel matrix
  • no edge
  • i am the weather
  • something like air
click the play button to hear an excerpt of "low bay of sky"
jagjaguwar press release...
richard youngs
autumn response cd / lp
(jag121, released: 11/06/07)

autumn response is a spartan folk-"pop" record filled with tinder-box intimacies, composed of some of the shortest songs ever recorded by richard youngs. the simplest form of trickery comes from richard youngs' restrained use of an acoustic guitar, bringing it back to youngs basics. twenty-six seconds into "i need the light", the first track off the album, the listener is confronted with the pivotal element of the record, the drawing line between the hardcore youngs purists and fairweather fans: the track, like others on the record, features youngs' double-tracked voice splitting in two - as one overlaid performance veers away from the other. while i have never personally been comfortable with the moniker "king of the progressive minimalists" - which is often used beside his name by critics - this gesture warrants such a title as the confident inclusion of such an effect grants it legitimacy. youngs' voices slipping away from one another is on par with other intense representations of singularity such as donald judd and malevich's suprematist composition: white on white. pop is a gesture, a stance, a pose.

autumn response is a singer-songwriter album, as youngs' fingers slip over the steel strings with little feet and whispery toes, his gently prophetic songs evoke roger waters and the folk phase play is sure to appeal to fans of animal collective's sung tongs.

-- william gass, st. louis, mo

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$12.36

back in stock as of
september 16th, 2008

first in stock on
november 7th, 2007

threads:
modern-psych
folk

jagjaguwar (usa) #jag 121 cd

richard youngs “autumn response” compact disc

  • i need the light
  • before we were here
  • low bay of sky
  • one hundred stranded horses
  • paths in the city
  • tinsel matrix
  • no edge
  • i am the weather
  • something like air
click the play button to hear an excerpt of "low bay of sky"
jagjaguwar press release...
richard youngs
autumn response cd / lp
(jag121, released: 11/06/07)

autumn response is a spartan folk-"pop" record filled with tinder-box intimacies, composed of some of the shortest songs ever recorded by richard youngs. the simplest form of trickery comes from richard youngs' restrained use of an acoustic guitar, bringing it back to youngs basics. twenty-six seconds into "i need the light", the first track off the album, the listener is confronted with the pivotal element of the record, the drawing line between the hardcore youngs purists and fairweather fans: the track, like others on the record, features youngs' double-tracked voice splitting in two - as one overlaid performance veers away from the other. while i have never personally been comfortable with the moniker "king of the progressive minimalists" - which is often used beside his name by critics - this gesture warrants such a title as the confident inclusion of such an effect grants it legitimacy. youngs' voices slipping away from one another is on par with other intense representations of singularity such as donald judd and malevich's suprematist composition: white on white. pop is a gesture, a stance, a pose.

autumn response is a singer-songwriter album, as youngs' fingers slip over the steel strings with little feet and whispery toes, his gently prophetic songs evoke roger waters and the folk phase play is sure to appeal to fans of animal collective's sung tongs.

-- william gass, st. louis, mo

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$14.28

back in stock as of
february 10th, 2009

first in stock on
october 10th, 2005

threads:
modern-psych

jagjaguwar (usa) #jag 071 lp

richard youngs “the naive shaman” long playing record

  • life on a beam
  • illumined land
  • sonar in my soul
  • once it was autumn
  • summer’s edge ii
click the play button to hear an excerpt of "sonar in my soul"
lp version; necessary...

fall 2005 album from mr. youngs, recently (finally) featured on the cover of the wire... of his solo records from the past few years this is easily my favorite; less intensely personal song-statements, more full-on sound research, moored by massive fuzz bass & minimal, looping structures. awesome...
jagjaguwar press release...
richard youngs has been making music for over two decades. the naive shaman, released in dual format (cd and lp), is a deeply personal work. created on a computer at home, it is a high density digital song cycle driven by heavy, heavy electric bass guitar.

the opening "life on a beam" combines a modal vocal line with throbbing sonics and non-linear percussion. elsewhere a plaintive voice threads itself through frosted atmospherics and we hear richard's first recorded kazoo work since 1992's new angloid sound. at the core of the album is "sonar in my soul", a bass loop on to which are collaged strangulated guitar, singing and more singing. the track climaxes in a hollered plea for "unity". the second half of the set contrasts "once it was autumn", a succintly crafted dub chant, with the epic "summer's edge ii", whose sprawling 16+ minutes anchor a floating vocal melody and free-flowing drums with fuzzed bass octaves.

at a time when he has increased his commitment to live performance, richard has--paradoxically--produced an album that explores recording technology as an instrument, a work where song is modulated by sound. by critics and true music fans everywhere, youngs has been deemed the king of the progressive minimalists. he has now released seven full-length records in addition to multiple collaborations with other artists such as makoto kawabata (of acid mothers temple fame), simon wickham-smith and neil campbell.

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$13.13

back in stock as of
september 16th, 2008

first in stock on
october 10th, 2005

threads:
modern-psych

jagjaguwar (usa) #jag 071 cd

richard youngs “the naive shaman” compact disc

  • life on a beam
  • illumined land
  • sonar in my soul
  • once it was autumn
  • summer’s edge ii
click the play button to hear an excerpt of "sonar in my soul"
2005 release from mr. youngs, recently (finally) featured on the cover of the wire... of his solo records from the past few years this is easily my favorite; less intensely personal song-statements, more full-on sound research, moored by massive fuzz bass & minimal, looping structures. awesome...
jagjaguwar press release...
richard youngs has been making music for over two decades. the naive shaman, released in dual format (cd and lp), is a deeply personal work. created on a computer at home, it is a high density digital song cycle driven by heavy, heavy electric bass guitar.

the opening "life on a beam" combines a modal vocal line with throbbing sonics and non-linear percussion. elsewhere a plaintive voice threads itself through frosted atmospherics and we hear richard's first recorded kazoo work since 1992's new angloid sound. at the core of the album is "sonar in my soul", a bass loop on to which are collaged strangulated guitar, singing and more singing. the track climaxes in a hollered plea for "unity". the second half of the set contrasts "once it was autumn", a succintly crafted dub chant, with the epic "summer's edge ii", whose sprawling 16+ minutes anchor a floating vocal melody and free-flowing drums with fuzzed bass octaves.

at a time when he has increased his commitment to live performance, richard has--paradoxically--produced an album that explores recording technology as an instrument, a work where song is modulated by sound. by critics and true music fans everywhere, youngs has been deemed the king of the progressive minimalists. he has now released seven full-length records in addition to multiple collaborations with other artists such as makoto kawabata (of acid mothers temple fame), simon wickham-smith and neil campbell.

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$13.13

back in stock as of
september 16th, 2008

first in stock on
january 24th, 2006

threads:
modern-psych

jagjaguwar (usa) #jag 068 cd

richard youngs “river through howling sky” compact disc

  • fountain of light
  • blossom
  • sky is upon you
  • red cloud singular
click the play button to hear an excerpt of "sky is upon you"
2004 release... has the faint veneer of prog throughout (is that... mellotron i hear?)
jagjaguwar press release...
if the "musical" real number line is infinitely dense, then the most recent work of richard youngs endeavors to fill in all of the holes on it. river through howling sky is youngs' latest full-length. it returns to the more meditative and drone-y side of his songcraft (circa sapphie (1998) and making paper (2001)), although this is no true devolution: all of his recordings to date have some measure of these qualities. so what is it that sets river through howling sky apart from its predecessors? it is the density on the recording, both intraspatial and otherworldly. the howling guitar that points unerringly to some imagined horizon line. throughout, youngs is the calm and steady wolf, chanting odes to infinity. expose the ancient brotherhood of pythagoras to river through howling sky, and you would find knowing nods, pursed lips, and secret incantations in caves. an unwitting acceptance that not everything is rational or conceptually circumnavigatable. our western tonal system relies on ratios, i.e. strings whacked at particular intervals. young's howling guitar and circular chants - with the help of a spartan amount of percussion and electronics - may just encompass all the possible ratios and, mystically, more.

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$13.13

back in stock as of
september 16th, 2008

first in stock on
december 2nd, 2004

threads:
modern-psych

jagjaguwar (usa) #jag 062 cd

richard youngs “advent” compact disc

  • part i
  • part ii
  • part iii
click the play button to hear an excerpt of "part iii"
october 2004 reissue of richard youngs’ debut solo lp, as released on his own no-fans label back in 1990. the previous cd reissue of this (on table of the elements in 1997, now deleted) was my introduction to his recorded work (this is after seeing simon wickham-smith and richard trance out several simultaneous cosmic divines opening for tony conrad in hartford, ct, back in 1995). its safe to say that this piece left something of an indelible impression on my musical psyche... and it hasn’t aged a day in 16 years.

listening to it now it’s no surprise... working a minimal pallete of distant piano (part i), squeaky clarinets (coming in on part ii), and warbly tape-manipulation noises (ditto part iii), this comes across like a terry riley / charlemagne palestine piano-drone 78, played back at 16rpm while someone in the room with you intones over the top...

a veritable classic of 90s home-recorded drone-sound, sounds just as amazing now...
jagjaguwar press release...
advent
electric guitars recorded on 14/12/1988 in harpenden.
piano recorded on 15/12/1988 in london.
oboes and vocals recorded on 16/12/1988 in harpenden.
this mix made on 24/12/1988 in harpenden.
most sounds by richard youngs.

jagjaguwar is excited to reissue richard youngs' advent, youngs' very first record originally released in 1990 in the vinyl format on youngs' own no fans label. only 300 lps were released initially. it was then later released on the table of the elements label and quickly went out of print. it became a true underground success story, a critical darling, with alan licht, for example, putting it on his "minimal top ten list" in the publication halana. simply put, it is essential.

excerpts from richard youngs' essay, accompanying the cd, provide the best backdrop to this very special record:

"there was no thought for the practicalities of what to do with 300 albums. it was vanity publishing. i would have laughed at the suggestion that original copies would come to exchange hands at inflated prices, that it would be re-released on cd, be performed at new york's knitting factory, gain celebrity endorsements and be the start of some kind of recording career."

"it is a record by an intense young man. at the time the tempo seemed perilously slow; now it strikes me as quite racy. the vocals are pretty strident, now i sing less forcefully. i would also play the oboe and guitar differently these days. traditionally, advent is a season of hope; with the apocalyptic outlook of a 22 year old, i never saw it like that back then. but much came out of advent. it feels like the real start of my music making and the end of doing maths."

richard youngs has since become the king of the progressive minimalists and his output has remained prolific. since 2000, he has released five full-length records on jagjaguwar alone, in addition to multiple collaborations with other artists such as makoto kawabata (of acid mothers temple fame), simon wickham-smith and neil campbell.

"a three-part composition for piano, voice, and ultra-nasty oboe and electric guitar, advent indicated signs of life in a genre long dormant in the 80s 'experimental' scene. it continues the tradition from [terry riley's] reed streams on down with gusto."-alan licht's "minimal top ten list", halana

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$12.36

back in stock as of
september 16th, 2008

first in stock on
january 24th, 2006

threads:
modern-psych

jagjaguwar (usa) #jag 059 cd

richard youngs “airs of the ear” compact disc

  • life on the stream
  • oh my stars
  • fire horse rising
  • halifax amore
  • machaut's dream
2003 release.
jagjaguwar press release...
richard youngs' impressive body of work continues to mount. it resembles, unwittingly for sure, a slow zig zag march towards some hegelian musical ideal in the distant horizon. youngs, the leading wizard of droney and minimal psychedelic folk, has unleashed airs of the ear, his new opus invoking new magic looking for new ears to ensnare. building on his esteemed recordings advent (1990), sapphie (1998), making paper (2001) and may (2002), airs of the ear goes beyond merely residing in what is the essential ecology of richard youngs--the spiritual nexus between the oft disparate realms of traditional folk and the avant-garde; it now embodies this ecology. acoustic instruments coexist perfectly with electric ones, while neither class of instrumentation is ever trumped by the other contraptions on the record, namely ring modulation, the square wave or the theremin. perfect balance is almost achieved. there is harmony, true emotional resonance, even on what is youngs' most captivating work on the record, "fire horse rising". despite the ever-escalating nature of this song, where youngs powerfully and repeatedly invokes "...and i don't understand, ...and i don't want to know...", the listener is never allowed to feel overwhelmed or be pushed out of that special meditative and trance-like space. the spell is never broken.

english born and bred, but residing in glasgow, scotland (where airs of the ear was recorded), richard youngs has remained busy over the last two years. in addition to his recent jagjaguwar offerings, youngs has remained a very active collaborator. he has released wonderful albums with makoto kawabata (of acid mothers temple fame), simon wickham-smith, neil campbell, as well as with sunroof! & vibracathedral orchestra. he is also featured on the latest damon & naomi live album song to the siren on the bonus dvd where his live performance in glasgow, scotland is documented.

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$22.45

new to stock as of
august 23rd, 2007

threads:
modern-psych
free-improvisation
minimalism-drones
electro-acoustic-improvisation

time-lag records (usa) #lag 034 lp

alaistair galbraith / alexander neilson / richard youngs “belsayer time” long playing record

  • side one

  • side two
time-lag records press release...
galbraith / neilson / youngs ~ belsayer time ~ lp (time-lag 034)

fully mind-blowing dream collaboration from alastair galbraith, alex neilson & richard youngs. all serious international underground sound weavers in their own right, this trio collaboration lifts things ever higher…

for the last 20 years or so alastair galbraith has quietly been releasing some of the most stunning outsider/psych/folk/drone work to ever come out of his new zealand homeland, and we couldn't be more thrilled to have him back on the scene. richard youngs makes a nice uk parallel with a vast and equally impressive catalog of sub-underground avant/drone/folk wonderment to his name. and while alex neilson's name might be a bit new, he's been bending many a mind under his directing hand solo guise, as well as collaboration with mv & ee, taurpis tula and others. oh yeah, and that small fact that alex & richard backed jandek at his first ever live performance is pretty cool too…

musically, things are way fucking deep in the zone here folks. side one glides along in slo-mo dream state hover with richard's beautiful and unmistakable vocals soaring and refracting in to echoes, quietly fluttering and droning electronics, otherworldly sounding synth melodies, rolling splashes of free percussion, backwards effects, and syrupy sound pools of acoustic strings. beautifully lulling and deeply psychedelic… but the second you flip the lp the bottom drops right out with with a real electro jammer, blasted with throbbingly heavy free drumming, vibrating walls of synth, and yowling bird-of-prey electronic squeal… and things just get more abstract from there…

really amazing stuff for those who dig a headspinningly deep listen… packaged in a stark but beautiful full color offset printed & debossed heavy art board cover, with debossed insert. 180 gram virgin vinyl.

numbered edition of 900 copies.

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$15.61

back in stock as of
january 26th, 2010

first in stock on
april 29th, 2008

threads:
guitar-themed
free-improvisation
modern-psych

vhf (usa) #vhf 103 lp

richard youngs / alexander neilson “electric lotus • lotus edition” long playing record and compact disc set

  • electric lotus (lp)

    teeth
    kickin' thru glass
    mute action
    electric lotus

  • lotus edition (cd)

    glass teeth
    mute kestrel
    sepia tear
    lotus edition
    kick vent
click the play button to hear an excerpt of "electric lotus"
vhf press release...
vhf#103 richard youngs & alexander neilson electric lotus lp + lotus edition cd

epic double set from the duo, combining an lp of all-electric rock mayhem with a cd (in its own color card sleeve) of subtle drum/shakuhachi duos. electric lotus is the boys’ self-proclaimed “rock” album, and it is a mind-boggling clutch of guitar/bass/drums demolition. coming off like an amphetamine-fueled guru guru, the music tumbles out in a crazy quilt of stun-level attack zonage, especially on the side-long “electric lotus.” neilson’s staggering free-drumming hits a new peak here, stepping beyond his laudable work with jandek, bonny prince billy, etc into new realms. youngs lights it up with raging guitar and bass action, including some deeply psychedelic leads, and on “kickin’ the glass,” some killer “heavy” riffing.

lotus edition is a companion cd of restrained and completely live duos for drums and shakuhachi. youngs had previously issued a disc of shakuhachi solos with dense delay and layering effects, but here his untrained but highly musical output on the ancient instrument is in deep conversation with neilson’s drum set. a couple of the tracks feature the kind of long notes, bowed cymbals, and other droneage heard on previous releases like “partick rain dance,” but in a stripped down live setting.

like partick rain dance, this is sleeved in artwork by the children of vhf hq! the lp was expertly cut by john golden and pressed in the u.s.s.a. by rti on audiophile vinyl.

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$13.42

back in stock as of
january 26th, 2010

first in stock on
april 29th, 2008

threads:
modern-psych
minimalism-drones
electro-acoustic-improvisation

vhf (usa) #vhf 099 cd

richard youngs / simon wickham-smith “5 years” compact disc

  • 2002
  • 2003
  • 2004
  • 2005
  • 2006
click the play button to hear an excerpt of "2003"
vhf press release...
vhf#99 richard youngs / simon wickham-smith 5 years cd

“5 years” is the venerable duo’s first release since “lammergeier” (vhf#58) in 2000. after recording and releasing nearly 20 albums between 1990 and 2000, richard and simon decided to try a novel and opposite approach to music making – they met once each year to record a solitary 10 minute track. the results show the duo remarkably unaffected by the half decade that elapsed - the tracks on “5 years“ reflect their long established signature mix of “real human” instrumental expression and explosive musique concrete sensibility.

“2002” starts with several minutes of looped snippets building up subtle patterns as they slide in and out of phase, leading to a change to a tremulous chord organ driven section. “2003” starts with a drastically filtered base of hand drumming, with full-on hand-on-the-knob tweaking, before giving way to an over the top fuzz organ solo that sounds like mike ratledge on 200 rpm. “2004” is a throwback of ululating noise as heard on 90’s efforts such as “metallic sonatas.” “2005” is based on electronically treated percussion, the sparest and most minimal track of the bunch. recorded mere weeks ago, “2006” finishes where we started, with a baffling electronic test pattern drone that segues into a section of beautiful, weird ambience.

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$13.42

back in stock as of
january 26th, 2010

first in stock on
april 26th, 2007

threads:
modern-psych

vhf (usa) #vhf 087 cd

ilk “canticle” compact disc

  • a guiding principle (9:09)
  • landsong (walking) (6:20)
  • honour's prospect (4:07)
  • the weight of stars (5:54)
  • tilling (5:41)
  • outward & homeward (7:55)
  • of souls (a pantomime) (2:29)
click the play button to hear an excerpt of "landsong (walking)"
vhf press release...
vhf#87 ilk canticle cd

outrageous cd of prog rock from richard youngs and andrew paine's ilk. canticle is a long promised follow-up to the group's 1998 cd zenith, which was released on richard's no fans label. unlike richard's more "minimalist" solo records, ilk drapes his songs and voice in thick layers of heavy jams, and then piles on the production tricks, vocal layers, steve howe-style leads, synth bleeps, and other racket in beautifully intricate arrangements. canticle is clearly influenced by the classic uk progressives but unmistakably contemporary.

"a guiding principle" and "landsong" marry richard and andrew's multi-tracked voices with over the top full rock-band arrangements. "honour's prospect" mixes mystical narration with some searing fuzz-guitar leads, and is followed by the bass-heavy march of "the weight of stars." "tilling" shimmers and echoes, leading into the spacey and cosmic "outward & homeward." the folky "of souls" serves as a fittingly simple epilogue to the suite. veronica rennie's cover art (in card folio printed by stumptown) completes the package in highly appropriate style.

7 tracks, 50 mins.

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$13.42

back in stock as of
january 26th, 2010

first in stock on
april 26th, 2007

threads:
modern-psych
minimalism-drones

vhf (usa) #vhf 072 cd

youngsbower “relayer” compact disc

  • eagle like a fly (5:59)
  • pink sky blossom (3:17)
  • iridescent hosedown (5:49)
  • welding the sea (3:23)
  • moonlight ice rink (4:29)
  • stream entrant (3:29)
  • new martian sun tunnel (5:10)
  • helicopter kachina (3:39)
  • hoedown modulation (2:32)
  • opaline retrieval (3:17)
  • fly like an eagle (7:26)
click the play button to hear an excerpt of "eagle like a fly"
vhf press release...
vhf#72 youngsbower relayer cd

second collaboration between these two stalwart titans of the true uk underground, coming 8 years after their first pairing on the site/realm lp. relayer (the title no doubt a nod to the odd resemblance of 7 year old rosalie bower's cover art to another lp of the same title) throws out the live methodology of the lp for a dense set of layered studio recordings.

like the music of bower's sunroof! group, the tracks are rainbows of colors and textures with string drone, percussion, bleeps, and the unidentifiable competing in a mix devoid of the traditional "lead with backing" schema. many tracks have the kind of welcoming electronic bed seldom heard since the demise of harmonia, with ring modulated fuzz bleeping away over a chugging, but non-oppressive beat. elsewhere, there's youngs' riley-style organ ping-pong, a little virtuoso kalimba, thick wads of analog synth....you know where this is going.

so tightly edited and accessible that this would be the perfect summer top-down cd, but what with it being released in november, you'll have to keep it safe until the thaw.

10 tracks, 48 minutes.

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$13.42

back in stock as of
january 26th, 2010

first in stock on
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threads:
modern-psych
minimalism-drones

vhf (usa) #vhf 064 cd

makoto kawabata / richard youngs “makoto kawabata & richard youngs” compact disc

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
click the play button to hear an excerpt of "3"
vhf press release...
vhf#64 kawabata makoto / richard youngs s/t cd

the untitled cd of duets by the nowadays unavoidable acid mothers temple leader kawabata makoto and the somewhat less available glasgow librarian richard youngs shows the pair in a relaxed, yet psychedelic mood. the five untitled tracks here play simple modal melodies performed on acoustic guitar, autoharp, organ, voice etc against swirling production and layers of shifting audio haze.

track 1 has richard's immediately identifiable voice, guitar, and autoharp against kawabata's spacey echo treatments - track 3 reverses the process with richard's minor key picking cutting against kawabata's thick, visceral bowed drones. tracks 2, 4, and 5 all use a base of lovely fingerpicked guitar melodies, layering on organ, synth, tape effects, and echo until a suitably mellow cosmic vibe is achieved.

all in all, some of the most beautiful sounds ever issued by either of these two gents, best known for their edgy experimental work - and support of pro wrestling and antique hunting, respectively.

5 tracks, 45 mins

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$14.98

back in stock as of
january 26th, 2010

first in stock on
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threads:
modern-psych
minimalism-drones

vhf (usa) #vhf 060 cd

sunroof! “bliss” double compact disc set

  • gold carnation legacy

  • columbine kisses 1 (5:44)
  • columbine kisses 2 (5:47)
  • chirrups of certain being (18:10)
  • gold carnation legacy (6:13)
  • star sound (4:03)
  • distoria (5:03)
  • bells (4:44)
  • cloud generator in the blue sky of china 1 (7:35)
  • cloud generator in the blue sky of china 2 (8:25)
  • * (6:52)

  • embroidered birdsong nearly meadows

  • dirty joke from outer space (14:23)
  • dance of the blessed spirits (4:14)
  • her peacocks fly amain (10:53)
  • djfos 2 (6:06)
  • bitterne storm over minfield (9:40)
click the play button to hear an excerpt of "columbine kisses 1"
vhf press release...
vhf#60 sunroof! bliss dbl cd

somewhat delayed yet unstoppable annual collection from long in the tooth uk viber matthew bower and friends (who here include neil campbell, young rosalie bower, richard youngs, and jazzfinger). the atmosphere here is mostly spaced and buzzing with instruments and voices hovering and floating in the dense mix, the tunes all running together like some sort of alien shortwave broadcast. disc 1 takes off from where last year's found star sound left us, with a mix of fuzzy guitar and organ rhythms jousting with voice, bowed strings, and unidentifiable percussion in a dense fog. disc 2 is a headlong rush into newish territory, with analog synth vs. birdsong, child's voice vs. sawing violin, chug vs. fizz, etc. there are many tracks on both discs that have subtle (and overt) melodic and rhythmic undercurrents that suggest some sort of alternate fuzz/hiss-dominated universe version of say, harmonia or richter band. probably a coincidence, but very, very appealing.

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$13.42

back in stock as of
january 26th, 2010

first in stock on
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threads:
minimalism-drones
modern-composition
experimental-instruments
electro-acoustic-improvisation

vhf (usa) #vhf 058 cd

richard youngs / simon wickham-smith “lammergeier” compact disc

  • untitled (1)
  • untitled (2)
  • untitled (3)
  • untitled (4)
  • untitled (5)
  • untitled (6)
  • untitled (7)
  • untitled (8)
  • untitled (9)
click the play button to hear an excerpt of "untitled (2)"
vhf press release...
vhf#58 richard youngs / simon wickham-smith lammergeier cd

lammergeier is the first new recording by richard and simon since metallic sonatas recorded way way back in the spring of 1998. following closely on the heels of the vhf reissue of the duo’s classic 1990 debut lake, lammergeier finds the duo continuing to pursue the head-scratching assortment and range of outer sound in a somewhat more contemporary style. lammergeier makes use of all sorts of exotic instruments, but like metallic sonatas, many of the pieces have undergone electronic transformation, adding an extra layer of ??? to the tunes. some of the sounds show the influence of simon’s laptop work over the last couple of years, tho' the duo now claim that this is an all analog deal. laptops aside, the layers of microscopic detail on lammergeier should give listeners plenty of practice in differentiating sounds that are produced by complicated software or tape loops or whatever, and sounds that are produced by a guy whacking a baking tray with a stick.

9 tracks, 39 minutes.

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$13.42

back in stock as of
january 26th, 2010

first in stock on
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threads:
modern-psych
minimalism-drones

vhf (usa) #vhf 052 cd

r!!!s!!! “lake” compact disc

  • lake (3:12)
  • anti - social behaviour (0:59)
  • anti - social behaviour in iceland (0:59)
  • penal animals (1:22)
  • ricardo ibarruri (2:38)
  • loss (1:23)
  • art and literature (1:24)
  • hymn (2:14)

  • let them eat records (7:17)
  • dance: help the aged (give them a heart attack) (9:24)
  • wasp (3:44)

  • chord (19:17)

  • bells (3:57)
  • redenhall (4:05)
  • goat (12:04)
click the play button to hear an excerpt of "(lake part 2)"
vhf press release...
vhf#52 r!!!s!!! lake cd

originally issued in an edition of 300 on their no fans label and for all intents and purposes unavailable and unheard for a decade, the 10th anniversary cd-ification of richard and simon's classic debut double-lp still sounds as revelatory and alien as it did when it was released.

tracks like the immortal collage freak-out "dance: help the aged (give them a heart attack)," the minimal pulse epic "chord" and the psych-fuzz rock mania of "goat" have been undiluted in their majesty by the unbearable decade that has elapsed between then and now. highest rating. remastered from the original 1/4" analog reels, sounding much improved over the original pressing. new liner notes by simon.

4 (really 15) tracks, 73 mins.

“we're listening to lake close on a decade since we recorded it. just as it sounds odd now, what we do today would've sounded bizarre then. we couldn't make this record now. it's like a ghost - so long ago. we've moved on. our label name, no fans, was a statement of fact; the record was a dare to ourselves - who in their right mind would ever release anything like this? with no fans, no distribution and no prospect of either, spending over 1,000 pounds on a vanity project when most of our peers were doing sensible things smacked of arrogance. in an ironic bid to launch lake, a goat evening was held in nottingham at the home of neil campbell and jim plaistow. though everyone had a good time, by the end of the evening no-one had bought the album, so we gave away copies to the three people who had shown any interest. which left 297 copies. the situation was more ridiculous than ever.” -- simon wickham-smith

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$14.98

back in stock as of
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threads:
modern-psych
minimalism-drones
guitar-themed

vhf (usa) #vhf 041 cd

sunroof! “delicate autobahn under construction” double compact disc set

  • misty spring morning
  • valentine
  • stately metal trees
  • jacking off making airplane noises
  • silver pennies
  • the last lemur

  • schooner trapped in ice
  • grey felt village
  • prince of thieves #2
  • drive by #1
  • shiney tunnel
  • cleopatra's wedding gift
  • twilight theme park
  • drive by #2
click the play button to hear an excerpt of "the last lemur"
vhf press release...
vhf#41 sunroof! delicate autobahn under construction 2xcd

first release from new matthew bower group, following the retirement of skullflower and total. working mostly as a trio with bower, john godbert and neil cambell, sunroof mines territory similar to total but with a more group-oriented, communal trance orientation. taking cues from minimalist composers, indian music, and assorted folk musics, sunroof uses guitar, violin, hand percussion, and reeds to build up layer upon layer of stratospheric bliss. the unhurried and slowly unfolding delivery of most of the music makes it suitable for both foreground and background uses. on top of the layers of sound floats bower’s unmistakable, sometimes gentle, sometimes excoriating electric guitar.

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$13.42

back in stock as of
january 26th, 2010

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threads:
modern-psych
folk

vhf (usa) #vhf 027 cd

richard youngs / simon wickham-smith “red and blue bear” compact disc

  • untitled (1)
  • untitled (2)
  • untitled (3)
click the play button to hear an excerpt of "untitled (3)"
vhf press release...
vhf#27 richard youngs and simon wickham-smith red and blue bear cd

red and blue bear is a simple but charming children's story written by simon and illustrated by richard. the story is included in the 20 page color booklet. the cd is r!!! & s!!!'s demented "performance" of the story. there's anglo-folky laments, bizarre improv, casio madness, found sounds, etc, etc. the breadth of material is similar to lake.

"i consider red and blue bear to be inappropriate for my kids, the bear is too trusting." - matthew bower.

3 tracks, 45 mins.

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january 26th, 2010

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threads:
modern-psych
free-improvisation
experimental-instruments

vhf (usa) #vhf 022 cd

richard youngs / stephen todd “georgians” compact disc

  • bananas 'n' muffins
  • granite eye
  • sixteen 00
  • higher grit
  • ladies of staines
  • techno won ton
  • hannibal
  • perranuthruoe
  • berry
click the play button to hear an excerpt of "granite eye"
vhf press release...
vhf #22 richard youngs and stephen todd georgians cd

an unorthodox and lovely bunch of tracks- a theoretical version of some incredible indigenous music from a culture that doesn’t exist. exotic and beautiful sounds from a variety of instruments both acoustic and electronic. the cd’s two centerpieces are “sixteen oo,” a simple melody which spirals into the ether, and “perrannthnoe,” a track with an atmosphere much like a crinkling sheet of cellophane. i have no idea what that means. surrounding these two are several short tracks, including the immortally titled “techno won ton.” a surprising and charming record suitable for many uses. richard and steven also recorded a couple of other cd's worth of material, but aside from the "st helena" 7" on insample, this is all that was released.

9 tracks, 42 minutes.

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... this page was last updated on monday, february 8th, 2010 @ 5:26 pm