pan•american “cloud room, glass room” double long playing record set

• the cloud room
  
• fifth avenue 1960
  
• relays
  
• glass room at the airport
  
• laurel south
  
• project for an apartment building
  
• virginia waveform

pan•american “cloud room, glass room” compact disc

• the cloud room (7:37)
  
• fifth avenue 1960 (7:42)
  
• relays (7:13)
  
• glass room at the airport (6:58)
  
• laurel south (6:03)
  
• project for an apartment building (6:58)
  
• virginia waveform (7:37)

kranky press release...

artist: pan•american title: cloud room, glass room catalog #: krank175 formats available: cd release date: april 29, 2013 with percussionist extraordinaire steven hess now a full fledged member, mark nelson and pan•american deliver their first new album since white bird release from 2009. this collection of new sounds began with the duo rehearsing for a series of shows in southern europe in late 2011 and early 2012, the songs written together as a group to be played live. bobby donne (labradford, cristal) plays bass on multiple tracks, further emphasizing the live band feel. mark nelson's deft production touches abound, subtly mixing disparate elements into a fully integrated whole, while hess prominently displays a myriad of percussion techniques showing a mastery of understated rhythms. the resulting album is a resonant listen that ranks with the best of pan•american's catalog.

implodes “recurring dream” long playing record

• wendy 2
  
• scattered in the wind
  
• sleepyheads
  
• necronomics
  
• zombie regrets
  
• you wouldn't know it
  
  
• ex mass
  
• dream mirror
  
• melted candle
  
• prisms and the nature of light
  
• bottom of a well

implodes “recurring dream” compact disc

• wendy 2 (1:57)
  
• scattered in the wind (5:29)
  
• sleepyheads (3:05)
  
• zombie regrets (3:19)
  
• necronomics (4:25)
  
• you wouldn't know it (5:34)
  
• ex mass (5:49)
  
• dream mirror (2:14)
  
• melted candle (4:28)
  
• prisms and the nature of light (2:51)
  
• bottom of a well (6:19)

kranky press release...

artist: implodes title: recurring dream catalog #: krank174 formats available: cd release date: april 1, 2013 there are some musical traditions - ancient ones - that are grounded in the natural soundscape; the everyday sounds of life arranged into patterns, attempts at mimicking the whoosh of wind, the howls of an animal, the crack of thunder, the thump and scrape of a rice mortar. we emerge into the world having been exposed to these sounds, along with the vicissitudes of our mothers' heartbeats, and we connect to them as we grow. to the extent that we can train ourselves to remove subjective notions about music, we can find musical potential in virtually every sound. some prehistoric ancestor slithered out of the ocean and its perceptions of reality were changed forever. murky ribbons of light were replaced by the warm glow of the sun, rhythms dampened by seawater became sharp and brazen in the air. these sounds and images from eons ago stamped themselves indelibly into our consciousness and have remained there as we have evolved. the band implodes has, on their previous albums, tapped into the deep psychic recesses where our sonic memories first took shape. they have played the part of the ancient ancestor, lying submerged in the shallows, waiting to make its gambit onto dry land and into a new world. with their new album, recurring dream, implodes breathes fresh air. melodies that were once distant echoes are now suffused with energy and clarity of purpose, submerged rhythms now walk in the light of day. implodes does not, however, eschew its heritage. heaviness abounds. the band has not abandoned the crushing pressure of the deep, dark places. but recurring dream breaches the thin membrane that contained its previous efforts and preys unmolested in its new environment. there has always been an organic component to implodes' music, and not just because the band is comprised of humans. its music is tied to those very earliest of our sonic traditions, to the sounds of earth and space and deep water and simple machines. recurring dream is about waking up in the dark and witnessing the slow birth of consciousness, still tethered to fantasies and nightmares, and walking into the unknown.

ethernet “opus 2” compact disc

• monarch (7:52)
  
• correction (7:39)
  
• cubed suns (10:11)
  
• dog star (10:52)
  
• dodecahedron (7:25)
  
• pleroma (13:33)

kranky press release...

artist: ethernet title: opus 2 catalog #: krank173 formats available: cd release date: january 7, 2013 developing on the trance-induction and brainwave entrainment techniques explored on the first ethernet album 144 pulsations of light, opus 2 moves into deeper, more introspective and emotive territory. a stronger focus on melody and harmonic structure results in pieces that almost approach, but never quite arrive at, traditional song forms, while still leaving much to the imagination of the listener, evading mental categorization and revealing new sonic experiences with each listen. the bulk of recording took place during the darkest months of winter in the pacific northwest, between late-night shifts providing technical support for hospital operating rooms. the pieces on the album each formed gradually and spontaneously during extended improvised sonic meditations as part of the composer's own trancework (or self-hypnosis) practice, this in an effort to remove specific compositional intention from the process, instead just allowing them to "happen". if 144 pulsations... was about expansion of awareness and opening to the light that surrounds us, opus 2 is intended to induce inner contemplation and internalized focus on the light within us. it is also a statement on the gradual darkening and inexorable decay of our modern world, and the need to look within to find true support and sustenance from one's own energetic source. patience and perseverance.

steve hauschildt “sequitur” long playing record

• interconnected
  
• accelerated yearning
  
• constant reminders
  
• sequitur
  
  
• mixed messages
  
• vegas mode
  
• kept
  
• steep decline

steve hauschildt “sequitur” compact disc

• interconnected (5:13)
  
• accelerated yearning (3:55)
  
• constant reminders (4:57)
  
• sequitur (4:31)
  
• mixed messages (5:06)
  
• vegas mode (4:17)
  
• kept (5:03)
  
• steep decline (5:29)

kranky press release...

artist: steve hauschildt title: sequitur catalog #: krank172 formats available: cd release date: november 12, 2012 exactly one year on from his last album, steve hauschildt returns with his most commanding work to date. dense and lush arrangements conjure introspective atmospheres that reveal not only his contribution to the band emeralds, but his ever-evolving strengths as a solo artist. recorded in vancouver and cleveland, nearly 20 different instruments were culled from the 1960s to the present. this lends the album a much wider palette than its predecessor, tragedy & geometry. it is still, however, a logical follow-up to that work as the title sequitur subtly implies. because of its rich instrumentation, there are classic yet cutting-edge soundscapes fashioned out of the idiosyncrasies innate to the copious synthesizers, drum machines, and vocal processing used on the album. a substantial work, hauschildt hones in on the place of voice and androgyny in music. from steve hauschildt: i was very interested in the artificiality of vocal or choir-like sounds that emulate a person or group singing, and how this has evolved with the advancement of musical technology over the decades. i also sang myself and used a vocoder. this was not to sound robotic or to auto-tune notes, but instead used to remove the connotations of gender inherent in the vocal formants that define how we naturally assign gender qualities to sounds, particularly the human voice. it was interesting to discover that certain replicable sounds become 'androgynous' when they carry both masculine and feminine characteristics. i was inspired to carry this idea into music mainly because of the work of camille paglia, rosalind picard and donna haraway. in a sense, the album treads the imaginary boundary between nature and artifice. of course it is within a postmodern trajectory, but not necessarily a statement on cyborg theory or feminism. rather, sequitur is a musical domain where these ideas freely collide and coalesce to form emotive states for the listener.

loscil “sketches from new brighton” double long playing record set

• khanahmoot
  
• hastings sunrise
  
  
• second narrows
  
• container ships
  
  
• coyote
  
• collision of the pacific gatherer
  
• cascadia terminal
  
  
• fifth anchor span
  
• prairie trains

kranky press release...

artist: loscil title: sketches from new brighton catalog #: krank171 formats available: 2xlp release date: september 10, 2012 from scott morgan: this album gets its name from an odd little ocean side park that borders industry and the vancouver port authority and lays claim to being the birthplace of the city. in a way, sketches from new brighton it is a continuation of a dialogue with my environment that started with first narrows (kranky 2004) and continued with the strathcona variations ep (ghostly international 2009). it is not a rigorous "study" per se, but more a series of sketches, loose interpretations of the spaces i inhabit as well as an acknowledgement of their influence on my practice. these are my impressions, a kind of sketch of new brighton and the surrounding area in an abstract form. this sixth full length album from kranky mainstay scott morgan sees his pulsing compositions gently unfolding in the understated fashion that has become his trademark. he designs a sonic architecture, slowly constructing, making subtle additions and subtractions, until an almost tactile virtual space is formed. inside these spaces an aural feng shui is achieved, where less is more, where every element is in its place, and where maximum harmony is attained through the masterly placement of sound.

loscil “sketches from new brighton” compact disc

• khanahmoot (7:48)
  
• hastings sunrise (5:51)
  
• second narrows (6:00)
  
• container ships (5:11)
  
• coyote (5:02)
  
• collision of the pacific gatherer (4:50)
  
• cascadia terminal (8:37)
  
• fifth anchor span (6:52)
  
• prairie trains (5:10)

kranky press release...

artist: loscil title: sketches from new brighton catalog #: krank171 formats available: cd release date: september 10, 2012 from scott morgan: this album gets its name from an odd little ocean side park that borders industry and the vancouver port authority and lays claim to being the birthplace of the city. in a way, sketches from new brighton it is a continuation of a dialogue with my environment that started with first narrows (kranky 2004) and continued with the strathcona variations ep (ghostly international 2009). it is not a rigorous "study" per se, but more a series of sketches, loose interpretations of the spaces i inhabit as well as an acknowledgement of their influence on my practice. these are my impressions, a kind of sketch of new brighton and the surrounding area in an abstract form. this sixth full length album from kranky mainstay scott morgan sees his pulsing compositions gently unfolding in the understated fashion that has become his trademark. he designs a sonic architecture, slowly constructing, making subtle additions and subtractions, until an almost tactile virtual space is formed. inside these spaces an aural feng shui is achieved, where less is more, where every element is in its place, and where maximum harmony is attained through the masterly placement of sound.

jessica bailiff “at the down-turned jagged rim of the sky” long playing record

• your ghost is not enough
  
• take me to the sun
  
• sanguine
  
• if you say it
  
• violets & roses
  
  
• this is real
  
• goodnight
  
• slowly
  
• firefly

jessica bailiff “at the down-turned jagged rim of the sky” compact disc

• your ghost is not enough (3:29)
  
• take me to the sun (3:22)
  
• sanguine (5:15)
  
• if you say it (3:33)
  
• violets & roses (3:34)
  
• this is real (4:31)
  
• goodnight (4:54)
  
• slowly (5:32)
  
• firefly (5:57)

kranky press release...

artist: jessica bailiff title: at the down-turned jagged rim of the sky catalog #: krank170 formats available: cd release date: october 01, 2012 kranky was a bit surprised earlier this year when jessica bailiff contacted us and asked if we wanted to preview her new album for possible release. we had no idea she had even been working on an album, let alone had completed one, and we were rewarded with a listen to her most compelling album to date. after being in europe for 5 weeks as a touring member of boduf songs, jessica bailiff spent much of 2011, writing and recording at the down-turned jagged rim of the sky in her spartan home studio. sequestering herself through the hot summer months until finished, she then passed the tracks on to her friend odd nosdam for final mixing. down-tuned, distorted bass guitar adds a new color to her palette, but familiar ones also come into play: fuzzed and delayed electric guitar, organ, piano, cello, and drums. noisy pop-tinged love songs nestle slyly in a bed of off-kilter lullabies and dark, metallic waltzes. no need to recycle descriptives like "lo-fi" or "hushed vocals" - these are spurious words. this is another intimate collection of songs recorded entirely by jessica at home, in a room next to where she sleeps. if you listen carefully, you might hear her dreaming.

oren ambarchi / robin fox “connected” long playing record

• standing mandala
  
• game of two
  
  
• connected
  
• trios
  
• invigilation

oren ambarchi / robin fox “connected” compact disc

• standing mandala (9:03)
  
• game of two (8:07)
  
• connected (8:47)
  
• trios (5:52)
  
• invigilation (5:59)

kranky press release...

artist: oren ambarchi & robin fox title: connected catalog #: krank169 formats available: cd release date: october 22, 2012 presenting a new collaboration featuring oren ambarchi on guitar, the electronics of robin fox, and both performing on various other instruments. the music on this album came about as the result of the two being asked to co-compose the soundtrack for a new production by renowned australian contemporary dance company chunky move for their connected production. chunky move's artistic director gideon obarzanek was drawn to the organic and deeply musical qualities of ambarchi's work and the digital, almost scientific quality of fox's sound. over a process of many weeks these two aesthetics were merged. working both in the chunky move studio and head-gap studio in melbourne, new works were forged from both digital and analog sources. this release brings together two of the most extraordinary artist / musicians working in australia today. both are renowned internationally for their individual practices, and here they join forces to produce powerful music that fuses ambarchi's legendary guitar sound with fox's mathematically rigorous tones and textures. this fusion results in sound works that stretch in scope from the sublime and spacious to the intensely dense and foreboding. treading a precarious line between music and abstract sound, between organic and inorganic tones, this collaboration is a must listen for anyone interested in contemporary soundworks.

grouper “a | a • dream loss • alien observer” double compact disc set

• dragging the streets (6:20)
  
• i saw a ray (4:56)
  
• soul eraser (8:00)
  
• atone (4:55)
  
• no other (3:46)
  
• wind return (5:55)
  
• a lie (5:13)
  
  
• moon is sharp (6:48)
  
• alien observer (3:56)
  
• vapor trails (9:04)
  
• she loves me that way (8:34)
  
• mary, on the wall (for bette jackson) (6:07)
  
• come softly (for daniel dalzell) (4:34)

kranky press release...

artist: grouper title: a i a catalog #: krank168 formats available: 2xcd release date: april 16, 2012 this is the first cd issue of grouper’s 2011 self released two part album subtitled dream loss and alien observer, comprised of songs written and recorded over the last four years. a chronological order informs the thematic trajectory of the dual release. dream loss is the first album and is a collection of older songs, while alien observer is mostly made of newer songs. each is meant to stand solidly on it's own, and also as a satellite in the other's system, subjects on either side of the water's surface, on either side of a trick mirror; at times reflecting one back to the other, at times looking straight through to the other. enough has been written about grouper in the past few years that there is no need to wax poetic here. suffice it to say that liz harris has created an exquisite sonic universe where she is the sole inhabitant, and we should consider it a privilege to listen in.

dreamscape “la-di-da recordings” long playing record

• separate sense
  
• greater than god
  
• finally through
  
• soft fists
  
• so far from belief
  
  
• cradle
  
• nine times to die
  
• dreamsleep eternal
  
• no more but thought

kranky press release...

artist: dreamscape title: la-di-da recordings catalog #: krank167 formats available: lp release date: august 20, 2012 scant information exists in the historical record for early 1990 s bristol, england trio dreamscape. internet searches reveal almost nothing, and their entire discography consists of one 7” single and a four song ep, with a second four song ep having been recorded but never released. the group s members were rebecca rawlings, scott purnell and jamie gingell, the latter two also being the driving force behind the sarah label stalwarts secret shine. the first four songs on this album comprise the unreleased ep that was to be named “greater than god”, a title that was used later by secret shine for a sarah extended play. tracks five through eight come from their only 12” release, the cradle ep on the la-di-da label. as a bonus, the final track is the only remaining demo of what was to be a series of new recordings, which never came to fruition. there are a few small glitches from the original source tape on this last track, but it was decided to leave it as is when mastering instead of fudging corrections. the songs are perfectly constructed pop vignettes, soaring, atmospheric confections that are wholly in tune with the current wave of shoegaze revivalists. the group had no drummer, instead opting for an alesis sr16 drum machine. but rather being a shortcoming, this was certainly a strength as the solid, unwavering repetition lets the guitars and vocals radiate in the stratosphere above. that aural pleasures such as these could not gain any wider attention in their own time is a shame. hopefully this reissue will garner some of the praise the group should have received then.

dreamscape “la-di-da recordings” compact disc

• separate sense (4:43)
  
• greater than god (3:23)
  
• finally through (3:50)
  
• soft fists (3:11)
  
• so far from belief (3:30)
  
• cradle (6:32)
  
• nine times to die (4:20)
  
• dreamsleep eternal (7:09)
  
• no more but thought (3:18)

kranky press release...

artist: dreamscape title: la-di-da recordings catalog #: krank167 formats available: cd release date: august 20, 2012 scant information exists in the historical record for early 1990 s bristol, england trio dreamscape. internet searches reveal almost nothing, and their entire discography consists of one 7” single and a four song ep, with a second four song ep having been recorded but never released. the group s members were rebecca rawlings, scott purnell and jamie gingell, the latter two also being the driving force behind the sarah label stalwarts secret shine. the first four songs on this album comprise the unreleased ep that was to be named “greater than god”, a title that was used later by secret shine for a sarah extended play. tracks five through eight come from their only 12” release, the cradle ep on the la-di-da label. as a bonus, the final track is the only remaining demo of what was to be a series of new recordings, which never came to fruition. there are a few small glitches from the original source tape on this last track, but it was decided to leave it as is when mastering instead of fudging corrections. the songs are perfectly constructed pop vignettes, soaring, atmospheric confections that are wholly in tune with the current wave of shoegaze revivalists. the group had no drummer, instead opting for an alesis sr16 drum machine. but rather being a shortcoming, this was certainly a strength as the solid, unwavering repetition lets the guitars and vocals radiate in the stratosphere above. that aural pleasures such as these could not gain any wider attention in their own time is a shame. hopefully this reissue will garner some of the praise the group should have received then.

lotus plaza “spooky action at a distance” long playing record

• untitled
  
• strangers
  
• out of touch
  
• dusty rhodes
  
• white galactic one
  
• monoliths
  
  
• jet out of the tundra
  
• eveningness
  
• remember our days
  
• black buzz

lotus plaza “spooky action at a distance” compact disc

• untitled (1:26)
  
• strangers (4:31)
  
• out of touch (4:33)
  
• dusty rhodes (3:39)
  
• white galactic one (4:06)
  
• monoliths (3:35)
  
• jet out of the tundra (6:33)
  
• eveningness (5:05)
  
• remember our days (5:08)
  
• black buzz (5:31)

kranky press release...

artist: lotus plaza title: spooky action at a distance catalog #: krank166 formats available: cd / lp release date: april 02, 2012 this is the second album from lotus plaza, the solo nom de plume of lockett pundt, better known as the guitarist in deerhunter. pundt has penned a number of the best songs on the last two deerhunter albums, and his first album, the floodlight collective was a tour de force of guitar pop smarts. he has the uncanny ability to build soaring, melodic gems from simple musical phrases; a möbius strip of a guitar line and repeating clipped drum roll in "strangers"; a tribal drum beat holding down the foundation on "out of touch"; two acoustic guitar chords and a slight bit of snare as the basis for "dusty rhodes"; a series of slowly descending piano chord scales on "jet out of the tundra". there is a wide variety of songs and moods here, from unabashed rockers such as "white galactic one" and "monoliths", acoustic laced introspection on "dusty rhodes" and "black buzz", to the lysergic electronics of "remember our days". spooky action at a distance is a wide angle view of what should be the zeitgeist of contemporary guitar pop.

felix “oh holy molar” long playing record

• the bells
  
• sunday night
  
• oh thee 73
  
• don't look back (it's too sad)
  
• hate song
  
• oh holy molar
  
  
• blessing part i
  
• blessing part ii
  
• rites
  
• who will pity the poor fool ?
  
• pretty girls
  
• practising magic
  
• little biscuit

felix “oh holy molar” compact disc

• the bells (2:29)
  
• sunday night (2:58)
  
• oh thee 73 (3:24)
  
• don't look back (it's too sad) (3:20)
  
• hate song (2:56)
  
• oh holy molar (2:23)
  
• blessing part i (2:23)
  
• blessing part ii (2:40)
  
• rites (2:50)
  
• who will pity the poor fool ? (3:40)
  
• pretty girls (3:06)
  
• practising magic (3:48)
  
• little biscuit (3:44)

kranky press release...

artist: felix title: oh holy molar catalog #: krank165 formats available: cd release date: april 23, 2012 oh holy molar is the second album from uk trio felix. the group produces a bewitching, minimal chamber pop that works as the perfect framework for singer/songwriter lucinda chua's oblique and emotionally immediate stories of superstition and searching for protection against bad omens. as a follow up to their debut you are the one i pick, the band return with a collection of songs with a sound stripped back to its very core. something is said to have "teeth" when it has the ability to make an impact. this record certainly has "teeth", and sharp ones at that. the album was recorded in a vast, spooky 1940s cinema in nottingham, england, now converted into a studio. after recording was completed the band discovered that underneath the live room lay an abandoned dental laboratory. "oh holy molar" indeed. since the release of the first felix album, pianist/vocalist lucinda chua, also an accomplished photographer, has been working on a number of projects, most recently with wallpaper* in detroit. guitarist chris summerlin has been recording and touring with his new band kogumaza. the group is completed with the recent addition of drummer neil turpin who, when not performing with felix, can also be found touring the world with french composer yann tiersen.

disappears “pre language” long playing record

• replicate
  
• pre language
  
• hibernation sickness
  
• minor patterns
  
• all gone white
  
  
• joa
  
• fear of darkness
  
• love drug
  
• brother joliene
  

kranky press release...

artist: disappears title: pre language catalog #: krank164 formats available: lp release date: february 27, 2012 right on cue, the third annual report from chicago's disappears is submitted for your consideration. following up on the acclaimed guider album released just over a year ago, and with new drummer steve shelley now fully integrated into the group, these songs were again forged into proper shape during live shows before heading to the studio and the tape machine. never ones to dither or be indecisive, it's a full-bore assault from the opening track to the last as disappears attack these new songs with their usual relentless determination. it's a sinister proceeding - debut lux was preoccupied with death and endings while follow up ,  with protection - but pre language finds the band speaking on, of all things, love. direct allusions to philip k. dick, james baldwin, and joan of arc sit side by side with songs about the lows of life and the characters that permeate it. recorded in hoboken new jersey at sonic youth's echo canyon west studio and mixed with john congleton, pre language finds disappears at their most potent and focused. the band has finally stepped into their own world and the results are thrilling.

disappears “pre language” compact disc

• replicate (4:20)
  
• pre language (2:13)
  
• hibernation sickness (3:22)
  
• minor patterns (4:24)
  
• all gone white (3:00)
  
• joa (5:53)
  
• fear of darkness (2:58)
  
• love drug (5:24)
  
• brother joliene (4:09)

kranky press release...

artist: disappears title: pre language catalog #: krank164 formats available: cd release date: february 27, 2012 right on cue, the third annual report from chicago's disappears is submitted for your consideration. following up on the acclaimed guider album released just over a year ago, and with new drummer steve shelley now fully integrated into the group, these songs were again forged into proper shape during live shows before heading to the studio and the tape machine. never ones to dither or be indecisive, it's a full-bore assault from the opening track to the last as disappears attack these new songs with their usual relentless determination. it's a sinister proceeding - debut lux was preoccupied with death and endings while follow up ,  with protection - but pre language finds the band speaking on, of all things, love. direct allusions to philip k. dick, james baldwin, and joan of arc sit side by side with songs about the lows of life and the characters that permeate it. recorded in hoboken new jersey at sonic youth's echo canyon west studio and mixed with john congleton, pre language finds disappears at their most potent and focused. the band has finally stepped into their own world and the results are thrilling.

windy & carl “we will always be” double long playing record set

• for rosa
  
• remember
  
• spires
  
  
• the frost in winter
  
• looking glass
  
  
• nature of memory
  
• the smell of old books
  
  
• fainting in the presence of the lord

kranky press release...

artist: windy & carl title: we will always be catalog #: krank163 formats available: 2xlp release date: february 13, 2012 the first new recordings from windy & carl in more than three years.

windy & carl “we will always be” compact disc

• for rosa (3:01)
  
• remember (6:04)
  
• spires (6:55)
  
• the frost in winter (3:59)
  
• looking glass (12:04)
  
• nature of memory (8:49)
  
• the smell of old books (7:24)
  
• fainting in the presence of the lord (18:55)

kranky press release...

artist: windy & carl title: we will always be catalog #: krank163 formats available: cd release date: february 13, 2012 the first new recordings from windy & carl in more than three years.

mirrorring “foreign body” long playing record

• fell sound
  
• silent from above
  
• cliffs
  
  
• drowning the call
  
• mine
  
• mirror of our sleeping

kranky press release...

artist: mirrorring title: foreign body catalog #: krank162 formats available: lp release date: march 19, 2012 mirrorring is jesy fortino, who has recorded under the tiny vipers moniker, and liz harris, better known as grouper. the recordings on this album came about through a songwriting session in portland, oregon. the resulting sounds are contemplative, reflective, and introspective, creating a feeling as much as a song, a mood as much as a tune. one could try to assess what part of the album each artist was responsible for, but that would prevent one from seeing the proverbial forest for the trees. foreign body was recorded and produced in 2011.