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... happy spring everyone !!! to commemorate our favorite season (and to help get this place back to some sort of workable condition) we're having a "spring cleaning" sale !!! please visit the spring (2013) cleaning page to view a list of (recent, mostly 2012) releases that we're now offering at reduced prices (while supplies last, no rainchecks, etc) ...
previous artist:
 the skull defekts 
there are 11 titles featuring skullflower in stock.
they are listed below.
next artist:
 sky city 
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 $17.43

back in stock as of
november 28th, 2008

first in stock on
july 18th, 2007


threads:
harsh-noise
guitar-themed
electro-acoustic-composition
digital-musics
modern-psych
minimalism-drones

bottrop-boy (germany) #b-boy 029 cd

matthew bower / mattina new form of beauty (1975)” compact disc

  • a new form of beauty (1975) (48:26)
june 2007 release; a day in the lives of matthew bower (skullflower, hototogisu, total, pure, sunroof!) and mattin, specificially november 18th, 2006. the pair lay down one 50-minute piece utilizing mattin’s screeching gnu/linux computer feedback and bower’s... screeching guitar & effected vox-...-screech.

nice stuff, recalling bower’s much-earlier pure project (see the disc on freak animal) and any number of anti-copyright/all-screech mattin affairs. screechy.
bottrop-boy press release...
mattin & matthew bower
a new form of beauty (1975)
cd / b-boy 029

mattin: computer feedback
matthew bower: microphone/guitar

live to cassette.
thank you mick flower
recorded in leeds, 18th november 2006
anti copyright


with the release of a new form of beauty irish band virgin prunes placed themselves firmly on the map of experimental post-punk. this was the unprecedented cathartic musical experience of the early eighties. din glorious was the name of the breathtaking coda of this legendary prunes session. this type of harrowing noise is also evident on mattin & matthew bower’s a new form of beauty (1975). not a follow-up but a magnificent, searing chords of chords.

basque noise expert mattin has undoubtedly found his blood brother in matthew bower, the british godfather of noise-rock. in his theses on noise (2006) mattin wrote: “the old conception of noise was to believe in freedom; the new conception of noise is to achieve freedom”. this is noise with a higher aim, this is noise as utopian ideal.

using guitars and electronics, mattin and bower mould a relentlessly pounding tsunami of sound. no time to catch your breath in this long, thundering tornado of noise, feedback, distortion and screaming strings. a screeching guitar occasionally lifts its head above the whirling maelstrom. ghostlike sounds rise towards the surface of this sonic mass; is that a wailing, desolate violin or a radio i hear in the distance? am i hallucinating or is this indeed that new beauty?

mattin & bower far exceed the pain threshold. no need to prick up your ears; expect your eardrums to be pierced. just when you think calm has returned, the duo decides to increase the dose. at the end of their piece mattin & bower reveal an unparalleled vertiginous abyss of noise. the listener is transported from high to higher plateaus of sound. cries for help are suppressed as salvation comes nigh. this is white noise from the dark side. this is indeed a new form of beauty.

'a new form of beauty (1975)' is packed in beautiful new 'envelope' packaging designed and handprinted by jason dodge & christine roland.

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 $12.01

new to stock as of
november 15th, 2006


threads:
doom
guitar-themed
minimalism-drones
modern-psych

 best of 2006 !!! 
crucial blast (usa) #cbr 55 cd

skullflowertribulation” compact disc

  • lost in the blackened gardens of some vast star
  • black wind
  • saragossa
  • dying venice
  • tribulation
  • void of roses
  • dwarf thunderbolt
  • silver stars rot mindlessly...
  • in the depths of the stagnant pond
2nd (fall 2006) album by skullflower on crucial blast... bower’s totally on top of his game here folks; there are very few other musicians that have kept as relevant in the all-knowing eyes of the grand sphere. colossal guitar-based music that’s neither doom, ambient nor noise yet retains the best characteristics of all three...
crucial blast press release...
skullflower tribulation cd
cbr55

tribulation. the new emission from the uk trance-noise legends skullflower. a black-void beaming of utterly destroyed drone rock and crushing amplifier obliteration that rains down black ash and punishing blasts of feedback skree on the listener. a dynamic, bleary-eyed meditation. an avalanche of powerdrone that threatens to take your cranium apart and transport your grey matter into filthy new dimensions infested with melodic razor cuts and submerged mantras. a triumphant eruption of apocalyptic meta-metal and radioactive raga swarms, guaranteed to loosen eardrums. this album is one of the heaviest, harshest slabs of guitar armageddon from matt bower since the glory days of total, and bridges the void between the krautrock/celestial free drone influence of the last few skullflower albums, and the blackened molten death of his mirag material.

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 $12.01

back in stock as of
november 15th, 2006

first in stock on
june 1st, 2005


threads:
guitar-themed
minimalism-drones
doom
harsh-noise
modern-psych

file under:
lo-fi
rock-etc...
sound-research
guitar-themed
 best of 2005 !!! 
crucial blast (usa) #cbr 45 cd

skullflowerorange canyon mind” compact disc

  • starry wisdom
  • orange canyon mind
  • annihilating angel
  • vampires breath
  • ghosts ice aliens
  • goat of a thousand young
  • star hill
  • forked lightning
brilliant, space-frozen overload from matt bower (with mick flower on occasional drums, mark burns on occasional guitar)... sounds like “iiird gatekeeper” era, only with much more studio post-prod. trickery and (*gasp*) electronic manipulation.

the same chugging, monolithic riffs that have fueled the band since xaman are there in droves... much to rejoice over. as of right now, one of my records of the year... if you love hazed-out gutbucket blasts of white noise guitar... look no further.
crucial blast press release...
skullflower orange canyon mind cd
cbr45

the new full length from the legendary uk free/drone/psych outfit skullflower, featuring some of the most searing, synapse scorching droneworks that matthew bower (the man behind skullflower, as well as sunroof! and the hototogisu) has unleashed to date, in our humble opinion. orange canyon mind is the follow up to 2002's awesome exquisite fucking boredom (tumult records), and continues that albums utter mutation of stoned out riffs pulled taffy-like into eternity/oblivion and star-rupturing blasts of sonic white light. over the 8 tracks/60 minute running time, bower and cohorts build massive horizontal drones and melodic supernovas. superb, beautiful, brain melting stuff.

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 $11.76

back in stock as of
february 18th, 2009

first in stock on
march 5th, 2008


threads:
modern-psych
guitar-themed
minimalism-drones
lo-fi
harsh-noise
concert-recordings

heavy blossom (uk) #hb 15 cd

hototogisusculpture built upon the graves” compact disc-recordable

  • storm (7:42)
  • tropical malady (13:09)
  • paris, no harm (13:43)
  • vanished beams (9:37)
... essentially a tour-only disc (i picked one up myself last year when they hit pa’s lounge on a particularly cold/unfriendly night ...) by the hototogisu duo of matt bower & marcia bassett ... the instants chavires live track is particularly mist-worn ; their guitar signals barely breaking the surface ...
heavy blossom press release...
2006 cdr, recorded in bradford england, except for live track paris, noharm recorded at instants chavires, paris, spring 2006. a four movement midnight symphony of haunted electricity.

one of the most evocative and strange hototogisu recordings.

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 $11.76

back in stock as of
february 18th, 2009

first in stock on
march 5th, 2008


threads:
modern-psych
guitar-themed
minimalism-drones
lo-fi
harsh-noise
concert-recordings

heavy blossom (uk) #hb 09 cd

hototogisuprayer rug exorcism” compact disc

  • untitled (1) (18:01)
  • untitled (2) (7:49)
  • untitled (3) (15:23)
  • untitled (4) (18:52
december 2005 cd release from hototogisu ; the last properly replicated one (housed in a nice full-color gatefold / pocket-sleeve - detail below) before they switched to cdr-only shortly thereafter ... four extended blowouts, recorded in leeds & glasgow as the lights went out o’er the land ... dusted.
heavy blossom press release...

most barbaric installment yet in the blood n groan saga initiated with ghost from the sun; prayer rug exorcism is a monolithic single disc in four parts.

opening with a brooding nocturnal labyrinth, and ascending through a dark power-drone into sky-high ribbons of blasphemous feedback traceries, and the annihilating ghostly machine clank of part 4, like tgs old analog set up, running freeform and haunted in a hermetically sealed bunker. 

recorded: the black chapel, leeds; cca, glasgow; holy trinity church, leeds, and brudenell social club, leeds in 2005. 

full color deluxe artwork delineates the unusual arcana, and some new clues for the pictorially fetishistic.  edition of 1000 copies.

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 $18.33

new to stock as of
january 26th, 2010


threads:
doom
modern-psych
guitar-themed
harsh-noise
minimalism-drones

neurot (usa) #nr 067 cd

skullflowerstrange keys to untune gods' firmament” double compact disc set

  • shivering aurora (9:19)
  • starlit mire (9:27)
  • enochian tapestries (8:09)
  • city of dis (8:07)
  • gateway to blasphemous light (14:20)
  • basement of an impure universe (11:07)

  • nibelungen (7:38)
  • blood mirror streams (7:02)
  • blackened angelwings scythe the billowing void (8:37)
  • chaotic demons fly in to my eyes (8:41)
  • skar konstellation (9:14)
  • rheingold (7:33)
february 2010 release ; entirely impressive double-disc wall of ür-drone from matthew bower, trading in hototogisu’s black-metal leaning excesses for a pure exploration of tonal voids sourced back only to bower’s guitar/amp wail ...

makes just so many anemicsafety-doom” records sound like the line 6 guitar-pod utilizing “bedroom warrior” sides that they are ...

all must bow before the pagan wall of drone..." ; highly recommended !!!
neurot press release...

skullflower / strange keys to untune gods' firmament
neurot recordings
2xcd

nr067
street date: february 2nd, 2010

all must bow before the pagan wall of drone..."

 so reads the opening line of skullflower's website. hearing their tortured, distorted, and eerily shamanic sounds emanate from the stereo for the first time in the early '90s was truly a revelation. iiird gatekeeper and obsidian shaking codex are two of my all-time favorite albums and have been extremely influential on the way my brothers and i approach guitar-based heavy music. to grab an instrument, drive a loud amplifier to its physical limit, and ride the drone into oblivion is ecstasy, and matthew bower has been showing us all how it is done for 20-odd years.

 strange keys to untune gods' firmament evokes wagnerian sonic bombast, a nietzchean worldview, and a warlike cry of rebellion against the false, encased in a whirlwind both psychotropic and psychoacoustic. each spin brings new themes to the forefront. not easy listening by anyone's standards, strange keys is not for the faint of heart--but those willing to submit and immerse themselves in the deep, thick waters of self-transformation will be greatly rewarded.

 -- steve von till (neurosis / neurot recordings)
  • new double-album features some of the band's most intensely dark music to date
  • follows up where orange canyon mind and tribulation leave off
  • mastering by james plotkin brings psychoacoustics into three-dimensional experience

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 $7.98

back in stock as of
july 1st, 2011

first in stock on
november 10th, 2006


threads:
analogue-synth
guitar-themed
modern-psych

rrrecords (usa) #rrr 011 cd

skullflowerobsidian shaking codex” compact disc-recordable

  • sir bendalot (9:12)
  • circular temple (12:37)
  • crashing silver ghost phallus (11:15)
  • diamond bullet (15:34)
  • smoke jaguar (24:56)
note: - i had previously listed this as a compact disc - it is in fact a compact disc recordable. not that it should matter...

classic, crushing skullflower outing, peaking with the titanic 25-minute “smoke jaguar” - i, like many others, tried to ape these moves in my own mid-late 90s drone-rock bands... bower & dennison were about 10 years ahead/behind; let’s appreciate them now.
rrrecords press release...
drums, violin, tapes, bells - stuart dennison
guitar, bass, banjo, cymbal - matthew bower

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 $15.61

back in stock as of
january 4th, 2010

first in stock on
may 20th, 2009


threads:
modern-psych
guitar-themed
doom
minimalism-drones
lo-fi
black-metal

second layer (uk) #slr 002 cd

skullflowermalediction” compact disc

  • a'arab zaraq - ravens of the burning of god (24:16)
  • ghost bitch of black flame (10:02)
  • drenched in moonsblood (waxing gibbous) (17:45)
may 2009 release ; quartet gristle from a yet-again re-configured skullflower, here re-uniting matt bower with original 90s - era drummer stuart dennison, with leeculverstokoe & samantha davies fleshing out the ranks ...

this is about as close as i’ve heard skullflowerproper” get to straight black metal (bower’s hototogisu, on the other hand, have been skirting the line from day one) ; the coffin-scratch wailings of (i’m assuming) samantha & matt barely break the wood, instead allowing the tidal surge of demonic guitar (a largely static blaze of electricity) & stuart’s free-limb flail take centre-stage ...

awesome stuff ; these new(er) iterations of skullflower just keep getting better & better ... highly recommended !!!
second layer press release...
skullflower - malediction (second layer records) cd

 brand new skullflower studio recording featuring the line-up of matthew bower, samantha davies (voltigeurs), lee stokoe (culver) and stuart dennison (ramleh, original skullflower) back on drums. three long tracks of blackened guitar wall.

comes in 6-panel digipack with artwork by matthew bower. limited to 1000 copies.

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 $10.49

back in stock as of
april 27th, 2009

first in stock on
april 22nd, 2008


threads:
modern-psych
minimalism-drones
doom
guitar-themed

 best of 2008 !!! 
turgid animal (uk) #ta309 cd

skullflowerpure imperial reform” compact disc

  • pure imperial reform (42:06)
april 2008 release ; brand spanking new full-length from skullflower, here pared down to the core-duo of matthew bower & the vastly under-rated english dronesmith lee “culver” stokoe (whose work you can find in altering combinations above/below) ... this is only the second release by the duo-lineup & i must say it smokes - a single 42-minute “wall” of chugging guitar colossus; incomparable ...

theoretically expensive u.k. import whittled down to a reasonable price due to my dilligent hoarding ; i honestly doubt you’ll find this for a better price pretty much anywhere out there in the world. skullflower fans, casual or completist, you need this ... highly recommended !!!

ps. you’ve all prob. gathered that i’ve been on something of a skullflower kick for, oh, the past 12 years ... let’s face it; bower’s been the titan of straddling the metal/psych/doom/drone divide for just about as long as i’ve been aware of it (full disclosure; my first “real” band el-ron was formed with the clear intent of merging skullflower and free jazz) ... much more in the pipeline from bower’s axis over the coming weeks ...
turgid animal press release...

skullflower - "pure imperial reform" cd

new skullflower cd now available on turgid animal records. recorded last year live on an antwerpen radio station comes this new guitar wall "composition" from matthew bower and lee stokoe. this is a real cd (a first for turgid animal) limited to 1000 copies with artwork desinged by mb himself and pro-printed on quality grey paper in standard jewel cases. this is a seriously solid release and is for fans of modern skullflower recordings and anyone who just loves a good harsh racket!

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 $14.04

back in stock as of
may 24th, 2010

first in stock on
april 25th, 2008


threads:
guitar-themed
minimalism-drones
modern-psych
doom

 best of 2008 !!! 
utech (usa) #ur cd015 cd
stephen kasner (usa) #ursk1 cd

skullflowerdesire for a holy war” compact disc

  • your cities, your tombs (7:01)
  • moses conjured a blood niagra (7:26)
  • eves dream (8:26)
  • frozen spectres (7:08)
  • serbonian bog (9:42)
  • unholy inhuman (8:06)divinus deus (7:28)
april 2008 release ; white-hot drum-machine & guitar-shrapnel from matt bower’s skullflower ... on par w/the recent “tribulation” release on crucial blast in terms of its rhythmic forward-propulsion & on a different trajectory entirely as the recent “pure imperial reform” set on turgid animal (which forgoes the rhythm/pulse in favor of pure twin-guitar bleed) ...
utech press release...

skullflower > desire for a holy war > ursk1

desire for a holy war is mayhem piled on top of mayhem piled on top of squalls of caustic feedback. furies spitting oaths of shrouded vengeance from ancient tongues. plague riders dealing death on mounts of venomous ether, hooves pounding the wild earth. matthew bower may have reached a watershed with last year's abyssic lowland hiss (heavy blossom) but it is with desire for a holy war that he has come to conquer. never has skullflower sounded so severe or remorseless.

utech records and stephen kasner collaborate on fine art series

utech records will invoke a connate soul next year in visual artist stephen kasner to develop a second fine art series of cd releases for the label. the series, as yet unnamed, will comprise nine volumes of 750 copies each over the course of 2008 beginning in april. kasner has committed the bulk of his next year's output to painting original and exclusive canvases. his subject matter has yet to be disclosed, but the artist has spoken in general terms of a new direction he wants to explore in his work. a package unique to the series has been designed to highlight kasner's residuum and the accompanying music.

the foundation of the series is the belief that a visual device can bind a disparate body of music in a meaningful way. the genesis of this idea was first explored with photographer max aguilera-hellweg in 2007 and the result was utech record's acclaimed arc series. fruit borne from that venture has led to this stab at further examination. kasner immediately saw value in the theory and agreed to help cultivate and refine it.

artistic study aside, the guts of this series is the music and the conviction that it alone will give rise to its life. utech and kasner discussed at length the curatorial undertaking and a virulent battery of musicians was selected. skullflower, heavensore, runhild gammelsaeter, fuyuki yamakawa, aluk todolo and final with more to be announced at a later date.

sure to be an archetype for the music/art proposition in the coming year, the series has been intentionally left open ended. the two have agreed to let ideas evolve naturally and it will remain to be seen just how far things will go. there is a lot on the table and not all of it is being revealed at this point.

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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

youngsbowerrelayer” 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)
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.

previous artist:
 the skull defekts 
...and that's everything in stock featuring skullflower.
(why not take a look at the previous and next artists?)
next artist:
 sky city 
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... this page was last updated on sunday, may 19th, 2013 @ 8:14 pm