mimaroglu music sales ☞ restocks & relistings

.home.	.artists.	.labels.	.new.	.restocks.	.best.	.faq.			.soon.
... 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) ...

mimaroglu music sales restocks & relistings

( - )

1 2 (3) 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

( + )

$12.61

back in stock as of
may 24th, 2013

first in stock on
march 6th, 2009

threads:
modern-psych
minimalism-drones
analogue-synth
free-improvisation

kranky (usa) #krank 121 cd

bird show “untitled” compact disc

two organs and dumbek
clouds and their shadows
brddrms
synthesizer solo
mbira, harp and voice
green vines
percussion and voice
pan pipe ensemble and voice
berimbau
wood flute, berimbau, mbira and voice

september 2008 release ; the third solo outing for kranky from town & country / singer / drmwpn member (and fellow nightcrawler) ben vida ...

largely cast in the shadows of his familiar ethno-improv style (as always, his languorous vocals add soporific texture throughout) with takes ranging from some lovely terry riley-lineage minimalist patternage to afro-beat-laced upper-neck guitar & castanet / hand-drum figures, to his first experiments with blending electronic timbres into the fray (the short but sweet “synthesizer solo” offers up an admirable microcosm of sun-ra lineage keyboard skronk - listen to the sound-sample) ...

... just how ben manages to offer up such a diverse measure of pan-genre sound so effortlessly is beyond my comprehension, but you don’t necessarily need a degree in ethnomusicology to appreciate what’s on offer here ...

kranky press release...

artist: bird show
title:
catalog #: krank121
formats available: cd
release date: september 1, 2008

ben vida: hammond xb-2, microkorg, moog voyager, gibson sg, berinbau, shona mbira, slit drum, pan pipes, shakers, vietnamese jaw harp, tambourines, ride cymbal, congas, wood flute, ring modulator, elephant bells, violin, qraqeb, zither, voice, ten string harp, frame drum, finger cymbals, triangle.
greg davis: gong, bells, field recordings and processing on track 2.
robert aa lowe: tambourine on track 3,voice on tracks 6 and 8.
adam vida: korg cx-3 on track 1, tambourine on track 3, ride cymbal on track 6.
michael zerang: dumbek on track 1.this is the third album by ben vida under his bird show moniker following his lightning ghost album from 2006 on kranky. recorded in chicago, il and burlington, vt 2007-2008.

$12.61

back in stock as of
may 24th, 2013

first in stock on
march 6th, 2009

threads:
modern-psych
folk
bedroom

kranky (usa) #krank 120 cd

boduf songs “how shadows chase the balance” compact disc

mission creep
things not to be done on the sabbath
i can't see a thing in here
quiet when group
pitiful shadow engulfed in darkness
a spirit harness
found on the bodies of fallen whales
last glimmer on a hill at dusk

september 2008 release ; the second from matt sweet & co ...

while i enjoyed the first boduf songs outing, it wasn’t until i caught their (a trio by that stage) performance at the 2008 brainwaves festival that it all started to make sense ; a borderline inaudibly quiet set of almost sea-shanty lineage “downer” material(s), entirely acoustic, sang barely above a breathy whisper in a near pitch-black theater to a dedicated crowd of several hundred on a blustery november afternoon (even a stray seasonal sniffle would have wiped them out, let alone a sneeze !) - easily one of my favorite musical moments of the year ...

the set in question was largely comprised of materials from this album, captured in full “bedroom” spec, with mat’s vocals mainly augmented by stray classical guitar strums & the occasional electronic ambience (listen to the tail-end of the sound-sample) ... really lovely album, especially as contemporary folk-based forms are starting to advance to showier plateaus ; this is straight black-cloud throughout ...

kranky press release...

artist: boduf songs
title: how shadows chase the balance
catalog #: krank120
formats available: cd

release date: september 29, 2008

on his second full length release, mathew sweet uses the same formula that he has employed previously; one microphone, one acoustic guitar, a few random instruments, a couple of field recordings, and a deft, understated touch with the mixing process. he locked himself away in his home studio (to be honest, his bedroom) and no one else heard a single note until he was finished.

this album is a further step away from the "folk" label, which never seemed all that appropriate to mathew's work in any case. if you record solo with an acoustic guitar the description is somewhat inevitable. but the results might more rightly be construed as "acoustic death metal" considering the themes of death, alienation, fear, hatred and isolation that are his forte, as well as his affinity for gothic imagery.

mathew states that the album was mostly recorded at night because there was less background noise to contend with in his neighborhood at that time of day. but if you listen closely you can still hears small bits of rain hitting the window, and cars sliding by on wet roads.

the final result is one of the most unassuming, and engaging recordings of the year. it is intimate, extremely personal, and spectral in presence.

the second full length release from this uk resident follows his lion devours the sun album from late 2006 on kranky. a lot of artists are described as "outsiders" or "underground", but with mathew sweet this is actually an apt description as he belongs to no 'scene' and is working on the farthest fringes of the 'music business'.

$12.61

back in stock as of
may 24th, 2013

first in stock on
march 6th, 2009

threads:
analogue-synth
modern-composition
machine-music
modern-psych
minimalism-drones

kranky (usa) #krank 119 cd

jonas reinhardt “jonas reinhardt” compact disc

lyre of david
modern by nature's reward
lord sleep monmouth
how to adjust people
fast blot declining
tentshow
every terminal evening
worm preach the struggling fire
tandem suns
blue cutaway/tore earth clinker
an upright fortune
crept idea for a mom
lucian lift

november 2008 release ; debut from former citay / current crime in choir member jesse reiner’s “synthesizer project” ...

love this one ; a convincing blend of “smooth” late-70s / early-80s berlin school patterns (specifically, klaus schulze’s score for lasse braun’s “body love”) and kind(s) of bleepy grids heard in the background(s) of era educational programming - halfway beetween the cosmic zones of emeralds and the syrupy arpeggiated-lines of oneohtrix point never ...

kranky press release...

artist: jonas reinhardt
title: jonas reinhardt
catalog #: krank119
formats available: cd
release date: november 10, 2008

drawing from traditions of 20th century instrumental synthesizer music, jonas reinhardt represents a love affair between analog electronics, sweeping atmospherics, and driving motorik beats. combined together, these elements bring the album's 13 pieces into focus as the soundtrack for an inner-eyelid space epic that never was.

inspired in equal measure by the natural beauty of his california coastal surroundings, continental european art-rock experimentation, and the freewheeling punk aesthetic of contemporary home studio recording, jonas reinhardt's music transcends it's influences to bring into being a work that's wholly new while referencing a celebrated aesthetic of the past.

armed with a battery of analog synthesizers and vintage drum machines, jonas writes music that is at times stark and spare and at others lush and all-encompassing; all the while keeping an underlying rhythmic pulse just beneath the surface.

jonas describes his technique as 'a spirited conversation between man, machines, and the ecstatic truth of the chaotic unknown.' with this album, jonas carefully constructs melodies and rhythmic foundations then pushes the limits of recording to the sonic fringes and beyond. the effect is a warm, hauntingly familiar sound bounded by unpredictability.

$12.61

back in stock as of
may 24th, 2013

first in stock on
march 6th, 2009

threads:
modern-composition
minimalism-drones
electro-acoustic-composition
digital-musics

kranky (usa) #krank 118 cd

christopher bissonnette “in between words” compact disc

provenance
a touch of heartbreak
orffyreus wheel
tempest
the colonnade
jour et nuit

april 2008 release ; gorgeous set of slowly drifting long-form pieces from christopher bissonnette, his second for kranky ...

in many ways, this is what i wish all contemporary releases of “drone music” were like ; impeccably assembled & orchestrated, with just a hair of dissonance hiding behind an otherwise tonal wash of warm timbres & hiss ... exemplary.

kranky press release...

artist: christopher bissonnette
title: in between words
catalog #: krank118
formats available: cd
release date: april 14, 2008

in between words is a collection of works that continue christopher bissonnette’s explorations into orchestral and spatial acoustics. cultivating an increasing interest in field recording and found sounds, bissonnette has woven spatial ambience into these new compositions, while still concentrating on moments of near empty space between 'instruments.'

inspired by the continuous din, the constant low-level hum of urban background noise, interspersed with all manner of mechanically created sounds, bissonnette finds in this a near-melodic soundtrack to his daily life. on the final track "jour et nuit," this seems most apparent as one can almost hear sparse traffic on a highway in the sweeping long tones.

using orchestral sound sources as well as recording his own sounds to manipulate and process, bissonnette has crafted a symphony of six movements, with melodies as ghostly apparitions that fade in and out of view. recorded as spontaneous mixes, these compositions maintain a sense of organic fluidity while creating passages of escalating tension.

the second album from this canadian composer follows his periphery album on kranky. bissonnete continues, in addition to his solo material, to work with the media collective thinkbox, of which he is a founding member. thinkbox is a project-based collective exploring material and technique to produce works that develop complex questions to simplified answers about art, technology, and the nature of multimedia creation.

$11.76

back in stock as of
may 24th, 2013

first in stock on
march 6th, 2009

kranky (usa) #krank 117 lp

cloudland canyon “lie in light” long playing record

krautwerk
white woman
you & i
scheiße schatzi, auf wiedersehen
heme
lie in light
mothlight part 1

april 2008 release ; debut full-length from the contemporary krautrock duo of kip ulhorn & simon wojan ...

these guys have clearly done their homewerk ; the motorik drum-machines & errant synth-arpeggio flare come straight out of the cluster playbook, and the occasional stretch of beat-less, cycling chord-changes (listen to the sound-sample) do remind of faust’s “läuft...heisst das es läuft oder es kommt bald...läuft” ...

kranky press release...

artist: cloudland canyon
title: lie in light
catalog #: krank117
formats available: cd / lp
release date: april 28, 2008

it appears there is a second "kosmische musik" period in full bloom around the world at the moment, not so much "kosmische" as in "krautrock" but instead "cosmic". just here at kranky we have the celestial symphonies of stars of the lid, the guitar circle prog-psych of white rainbow, the astral folk explorations of lichens, the cut and splice electro-motorik of andrew pekler, the alien space-blues of valet, and now the half german, half american duo cloudland canyon who actually bring the full-on "krautrock" on.

you can play pick the influences if you like, but you can do that with any group. cloudland certainly owe a debt to the german underground of the 70's, but they have also added flourishes of baroque pop and even a tinge of the 80's new zealand scene into their sound. that they have ingested these influences and then delivered something as dynamic as this album without sounding like rote imitation is what impresses. the album is anything but one-dimensional, as they traverse a wide swath of territory. from the lock down groove of the opening track "krautwerk," to the dense buzz of "white woman," through the pastoral pscyh of "heme" and on to the gentle wash of the closer "mothlight," cloudland canyon have created an eclectic and rewarding listen.

this new album follows the silver tongued sisyphus ep on kranky, and their exterminating angel collaboration with lichens on the holy mountain label. ezra buchla, whose father don builds the legendary buchla synthesizers, guests on viola and synth. simon wojan also plays trumpet and writes music for king khan & the shrines, while kip uhlhorn previously toiled in the red scare as well as panthers

$12.61

back in stock as of
may 24th, 2013

first in stock on
march 6th, 2009

threads:
modern-psych
analogue-synth
minimalism-drones

kranky (usa) #krank 117 cd

cloudland canyon “lie in light” compact disc

krautwerk
white woman
you & i
scheiße schatzi, auf wiedersehen
heme
lie in light
mothlight part 1

april 2008 release ; debut full-length from the contemporary krautrock duo of kip ulhorn & simon wojan ...

these guys have clearly done their homewerk ; the motorik drum-machines & errant synth-arpeggio flare (listen to the sound-sample) come straight out of the cluster playbook, and the occasional stretch of beat-less, cycling chord-changes do remind of faust’s “läuft...heisst das es läuft oder es kommt bald...läuft” ...

kranky press release...

$12.61

back in stock as of
may 24th, 2013

first in stock on
march 6th, 2009

threads:
modern-psych
minimalism-drones

kranky (usa) #krank 116 cd

valet “naked acid” compact disc

we went there
drum movie
kehaar
fuck it
babylon
fire
streets

march 2008 release ; second solo set from jackie-o motherfucker’s honey owens ...

while i love the lazy-days west-coast feel of the opener (rife with acidic backwards guitar lines) it’s the blissed out vocal-cloud & synth-ripples of “drum movie” that take the cake (listen to the sound-sample) ... great stuff !!!

kranky press release...

artist: valet
title: naked acid
catalog #: krank116
formats available: cd
release date: march 3, 2008

naked acid is the second solo release from portland artist valet, aka honey owens. she states: "these songs were inspired by the pacific northwest landscape, semi-conscious dream states and the idea of one's dna code being accessed as eternal memory. i started off with the idea to make a 'songs' record but it really didn't turn out that way. instead the record became it's own story. track one is a static beach journey duet with adrian orange, and tracks 3, 4 and 5 are collaborations with mark evan burden (silentist) on drums."

from the gentle narcotic haze of the album opener "we went there," which is dissected by honey's trademark incendiary guitar work, to the lazy alien country blues of "fuck it," and through the hyperventilating rhythmic distortion of the closer "streets," naked acid is a fever dream of ghostly incantation and smudged psychedelia.

honey owens follows up her widely lauded blood is clean album from early 2007 with another trip through the fertile garden of her imagination. she will be touring starting in mid-february to support the album.

$12.61

back in stock as of
may 24th, 2013

first in stock on
march 6th, 2009

threads:
modern-composition
modern-psych
electro-acoustic-improvisation

kranky (usa) #krank 115 cd

autistic daughters “uneasy flowers” compact disc

rehana's theme (5:35)
uneasy flower (5:30)
liquid and starch (4:32)
gin over sour milk (5:05)
bird in the curtain (3:05)
richest woman in the world (6:18)
hotel exter dining room (6:02)

march 2008 release ; second title from this trio led by dean roberts, featuring electro-acoustic improvisers werner dafeldecker & martin brandlmayr ...

slow, languorous songs, rife with impressionistic flair ; these guys are on island rarely visited by most, but the isolation has yield some very unique music ...

kranky press release...

artist: autistic daughters
title: uneasy flowers
catalog #: krank115
formats available: cd
release date: march 3, 2008

uneasy flowers is the second album by autistic daughters, the intercontinental trio of dean roberts (guitar, vocals), martin brandlmayr (percussion, computer) and werner dafeldecker (guitar, bass). it is also the fourth in a series of records in which roberts, having begun in more abstract territory in new zealand's mid-1990s 'free noise' ferment, has embraced song, lyric and voice as vessels for topographic and psychoanalytic tracings of the impacts of territory and nomadism on the subject. this is reflected by the shape-shifting nature of the outfit: while autistic daughters, whose name comes from a lyric from their first record jealousy and diamond, are resolutely a trio, they also work in cinematic format, with ancillary players - in this instance, chris abrahams of the necks, martin siewert and valerio tricoli - as part of both cast and crew, foley artists behind the trio’s complex, worm-turning arrangements.

with uneasy flowers, roberts traces the internal and external workings of one protagonist: or, rather, a protagonist who 'contains multitudes,' a figure that dissolves the unified self. rather, this character, rehana, embodies multiplicity and fragmentation in order to both a) address loss and b) aim toward transfiguration, transcendence. there are traces in the lyrics - traces of addiction and desire, myth and transformation - that are obliquely reflected in the music’s structure, its uneasy tension between the pop song (the 'moment') and experiment (the 'process'). in some ways, it reminds of the structural, loop-based cinema of figures like malcolm legrice: taking one moment and stretching it, the better to capture its nuances and to draw out all the repressed material caught in the mise-en-scene, the hidden, cloaked content that erupts when your world spirals out of your own control and gets caught in webs of interpersonal politic. the move from intimacy to capture of the 'greater picture' enacted by both lyric and music here resembles a camera dollying out, a shift of perspective unsettling for its vertigo-inducing qualities.

- jon dale

a long time in coming, this new album continues the group's development of their literate sonic architecture, touching on elements of jazz within the skeletal, open spaces of minimalist composition.

$15.12

back in stock as of
may 24th, 2013

first in stock on
march 6th, 2009

kranky (usa) #krank 114 lp

atlas sound “let the blind lead those who can see but cannot feel” double long playing record set

a ghost story
recent bedroom
river card
quarantined
on guard
winter vacation
cold as ice
scraping past
small horror
ready, set, glow
bite marks
after class
ativan
let the blind lead those who can see but cannot feel
another bedroom
it rained
stained glass swan
the abandoned closet
spring break
abc glasgow

february 2008 release ; first solo set from deerhunter frontman bradford cox ...

kranky press release...

artist: atlas sound
title: let the blind lead those who can see but cannot feel
catalog #: krank114
formats available: cd / 2lp
release date: february 18, 2008

one of the latest "true queer art punks" to emerge from the cracked pavement of southern suburban sprawl, atlas sound is the solo moniker of deerhunter frontman / provocateur bradford cox. here on his debut album, cox / sound moves out of dank nightclubs filled with eternal existential drone punk, and relaxes at home in his grant park, atlanta bedroom. and this is, essentially, a bedroom album, a collage, mixing the garage rock and ambient electronic influences previously explored with deerhunter in a new context, with newly explored recording techniques, mainly laptop-based, learned with guidance from kranky artist nudge's brian foote. the result is 14 songs of melancholy and mania.

this is a true solo album, entirely created and produced by a single person. that is certainly not unique, especially in the contemporary scene. but bradford cox's unusual talent is the ability to take a wide variety of seemingly incongruous sound elements, and seamlessly meld them into a cohesive pop narrative. a sunken 4/4 techno beat underpinning "winter vacation"? perfect. mbira loops running over the top of "quarantined"? just what it needed. an insistent, clipped drum roll carrying "river card"? masterful. and ultimately it is this innate ability to combine all these disparate elements into a singular whole that makes this album such an enjoyable, and unique listen.

this album is for my best friend lockett. it has a lot to do with childhood. i wanted to make an album that was uplifting but honest, which is why it seems sad a lot of the time. i want to make music that could be 'healing' or therapeutic to people who relate to it.

- bradford cox, oct 20, 2007, harlem, new york

$12.61

back in stock as of
may 24th, 2013

first in stock on
march 6th, 2009

threads:
beat-research
digital-musics
bedroom
minimalism-drones
modern-psych

kranky (usa) #krank 114 cd

atlas sound “let the blind lead those who can see but cannot feel” compact disc

a ghost story
recent bedroom
river card
quarantined
on guard
winter vacation
cold as ice
scraping past
small horror
ready, set, glow
bite marks
after class
ativan
let the blind lead those who can see but cannot feel

february 2008 release ; first solo set from deerhunter frontman bradford cox ...

kranky press release...

$12.61

back in stock as of
may 24th, 2013

first in stock on
november 1st, 2007

threads:
modern-psych

kranky (usa) #krank 113 cd

charalambides “likeness” compact disc

uncloudy day (11:02)
do you see? (7:21)
figs and oranges (5:51)
memory takes hold (13:24)
the good life (4:35)
saddle up the pony (7:15)
feather in the air (7:15)
walking through the graveyard (3:35)
what you do for money (8:56)

kranky press release...

artist: charalambides
title: likeness
catalog #: krank113
formats available: cd
release date: october 29, 2007

likeness is the newest release from the duo of tom and christina carter. recorded over a period of several weeks during the spring of 2006, the album is a return to the spontaneous composition of previous charalambides records such as houston and union. with the exception of "the good life", which appeared in a primitive version on the wholly other cdr home, all of the tracks on this release sprung forth after 'record' was pressed, and were fleshed out via overdubs, editing, and a malfunctioning space echo over the course of the next few months.

lyrical content largely derives from public domain american popular song from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, edited, rearranged, and largely deconstructed by christina into abstract 'protest' songs for the century at hand. musically, the album departs from the warm psych of a vintage burden in favor of the lush and layered vocal strata of christina's later solo works, and a chillier, more abrasive guitar sound that favors the velvets over the byrds.

though containing much of the compositional concision that gave a vintage burden much of its appeal, the sound here just as frequently turns the corner into the abstract echoing spaces that characterize the more discordant sounds of charalambides at the dawn of their kranky residency.

$12.61

back in stock as of
may 24th, 2013

first in stock on
november 1st, 2007

threads:
digital-musics
modern-psych

kranky (usa) #krank 112 cd

to kill a petty bourgeoisie “the patron” compact disc

the patron (5:48)
the man with the shovel, is the man i'm going to marry (8:00)
lovers & liars (6:10)
long arm (7:51)
dedicated secretary, liason, passionate mother (2:01)
i box twenty (4:20)
you guys talk, we'll spill our guts (7:06)
with brass songs they'll descend (3:57)
very lovely (7:38)
window shopping (3:14)

kranky press release...

artist: to kill a petty bourgeoisie
title: the patron
catalog #: krank112
formats available: cd
release date: october 15, 2007

the patron is the debut full length release by to kill a petty bourgeoisie. the songs center around an underlying love story between two merging corporations that manage to capture the raw sentiment of isolation, profound discovery, and morbid betrayal. the patron is about the corruption of an idea that is at first welcomed and later destroyed.

the recording process typically began with a basic vocal and guitar structure which was then slowy developed by adding electronics and manipulating sounds, until the orignal outline is blurred yet still identifiable. the steady passing of sounds and samples are most important to tkapb's recording process, and they rely heavily on the loss of translation between each pass.

but the importance of the technical details of any sound recording should be considered infinitesimally small when measured against the end result. many sound artists have read both the pop and noise manifestoes and tried to join the two seemingly opposed theories into a cohesive whole, yet few have succeeded. invariably, the artist makes a conscious or subconscious decision to stand firmly in the one camp where their beliefs truly lie and to occasionally tip the cap to the other to remind both themselves and the listener of their original intent. what tkapb have produced however, is a near perfect storm of structure and chaos, melody and noise, the precise and the random, fused into their own unified musical theory of everything that at times soothes while simultaneously grabbing your throat.

$8.41

back in stock as of
may 24th, 2013

first in stock on
november 1st, 2007

threads:
modern-psych
minimalism-drones

kranky (usa) #krank 111 cd

cloudland canyon “silver tongued sisyphus” compact disc

dambala
silver tongued sisyphus

second release from the german/american krautrock duo, fixated on all-things moebius/roedelius (right down to their near-perfect execution of era instrumentation & fidelity)

as a card-carrying member of the c/kluster fanclub i say yes; bring us more of this (a lot more) ...

kranky press release...

artist: cloudland canyon
title: silver tongued sisyphus
catalog #: krank111
formats available: cdep
release date: september 17, 2007

the first cloudland canyon release for kranky was recorded in brooklyn, germany and memphis. it follows on the heels of the well received "requiems der natur 2002-2004" album released on the tee pee label. silver tongued sisyphus is a secular call to prayer with humming, looping and loping ambient passages interspersed with bursting rhythmic energy and agitated guitar lines. recent live shows have sounded like an unauthorized soundtrack to netherworld versions of the swimmer or the scorceror. pulling influences from the foggy ether of generations past, cloudland canyon has staked their claim to the shadows of cult musical culture of the late 1960's and early 1970's german underground scene.

$12.61

back in stock as of
may 24th, 2013

first in stock on
november 1st, 2007

threads:
modern-psych
minimalism-drones
bedroom

best of 2007 !!!

kranky (usa) #krank 110 cd

white rainbow “prism of eternal now” compact disc

pulses
middle
for terry
mystic prism
april 25th 11:14pm
warm clicked fruit
guitars
waves
awakening

finally in stock !!! cd version (lp on marriage) of this serious grower; one of the most-listened-to albums around the mms offices here for the past few months & one of my contenders for album-of-the-year...

the second album by adam forkner’s white rainbow, following the heels of his epic “white rainbow box” ... listen to the sound sample (to your left) - this is just the sort of summer-fades-into-autumn armchair ethno drone-psych that i can get behind; entirely spaced-out & always joyous washes of upper-register guitar scrabble & synth ostinato... with those darbukas & casio beeps all but buried in the mix...

really great stuff; highly recommended.

kranky press release...

artist: white rainbow
title: prism of eternal now
catalog #: krank110
formats available: cd
release date: october 01, 2007

after years of outer space exploration in yume bitsu and surface of eceyon, as well as stints as a hired gun for a multitude of artists including dirty projectors, jackie-o motherfucker and devendra banhart, adam forkner decided to turn his focus inward and began to record solo material. and focus he did, working at a dizzying pace that culminated in the production of the 5cd/1dvd white rainbow box (2006 marriage records). the remarkable thing about that album was not that it was 4.5 hours long, but that the overwhelming majority of it was of extraordinary quality and not mere filler.

with the release of ...eternal now, white rainbow has surpassed typical solo project territory and is now a virtual elemental force. at a somewhat brief 71 minutes, his kranky debut pulses and flows with mantric chants, clattering percussions, sighing sustains and guitar leads unashamed of their scorching transcendence. he breathes new life into archaic sub-genres such as progrock, new age, and hippie folk incantations, while never stooping to the negative aspects of any of them, and at the same time remaining a step ahead of the technologically crippled and virtuoso-less looper pedal scene. prism of eternal now leaves behind the bounds of gravity for a free floating meditational headtrip of inner space exploration.

$12.61

back in stock as of
may 24th, 2013

first in stock on
november 1st, 2007

threads:
modern-psych

kranky (usa) #krank 109 cd

andrew pekler “cue” compact disc

on (6:30)
roomsound (4:08)
pensive boogie (1:57)
steady state (4:11)
rockslide (4:57)
dust mite (1:24)
vertical gardes (3:42)
dim star (3:47)
contact (4:44)
mote (1:07)
floating tone (8:16)
untitled (0:30)
untitled (3:28)

kranky press release...

artist: andrew pekler
title: cue
catalog #: krank109
formats available: cd
release date: may 21, 2007

from andrew pekler:

“typically, library music albums were not available to the general public but were marketed directly to film, tv and commercial production companies. judging by the information provided on the record sleeves, these consumers of library music were assumed to have little interest in the identities of the individuals who actually wrote and played the music, the musicians' names often being relegated to the very small print. instead, it appears that the functional aspects of the product were of foremost importance; the persistently generic names of the tracks and their descriptions, durations and suggestions for their usage are the ubiquitous features of library album packaging. at the same time, the name of the production studio itself is given the kind of front cover top-billing usually reserved for a performer or composer (or to brand names on boxes of corn flakes).

a picture emerges of near-anonymous composers, musicians and arrangers going to work 9 to 5, producing music according to functional-aesthetic guidelines for a never to be seen customer, further removed than even the session players at motown or studio one ever were from the glamour of pop or the pretense of individual artistry. this sort of faceless assembly line production runs counter to the conventional (western) practice of connecting creative works with individuals deemed to be their authors.

on the other hand, this apparent anonymity and subordination to quasi-utilitarian determinants does have its own liberating potential. freed of the obligations of personal expression, one can simply work with the material at hand, concentrating on discrete aesthetic objectives without being unduly concerned for the overall "meaning" of the work. to paraphrase john cage, the artist is free to have nothing to say and to say it.”

with this in mind andrew pekler conceived and produced cue. starting from short expository phrases setting forth a track's instrumentation, mood and development (reproduced on the back cover), pekler attempted to construct pieces to fit these specific criteria. during the process of assembly a track would more often than not evolve beyond its prescribed limits (in these cases, the descriptive blurbs have been updated to reflect the changes). this "dog walking man" method turned out to be a fertile middle ground between the micro-managed jazz miniatures of nocturnes, false dawns & breakdowns (2004) and the expansive improvisations of strings + feedback (2005) and may help to explain why cue sounds very little like its predecessors.

on the whole it is a vibrant, playful album with the occasional somber passage providing some contrast to the predominantly ebullient tone. piano and analog synthesizer sounds abound while percussion (when used) is typically reduced to a minimum of tom toms, bells and unidentified noises. feedback can be heard in almost every track but taking on more subtle textural roles, guitars get the occasional spotlight and men are wearing pastels again this spring.

it should be noted that cue is not an attempt to re-create, re-imagine or re-contextualize library music of past eras. it is not a post-modern exercise in citation, juxtaposition or collage. the attempt to re-create the "style" of library music would be pointless anyway as the music found on library records does not adhere to any distinct stylistic or aesthetic formula. instead, library music can be defined by the formal constraints pertaining to its mode of production and it is the appropriation and application of these same constraints that have enabled and inspired andrew pekler to produce the music for this album.

andrew pekler has previous releases on scape and staubgold, is one third of the kosmischer pitch live band, and is part of an as yet unnamed project with jan jelenik and hanno leichtmann.

$12.61

back in stock as of
may 24th, 2013

first in stock on
november 1st, 2007

threads:
beat-research

kranky (usa) #krank 108 cd

strategy “future rock” compact disc

can't roll back (6:20)
future rock (9:07)
running on empty (8:59)
windswept (interlude) (2:15)
stops spinning (5:34)
phantom powered (6:43)
sunfall (interlude) (2:59)
red screen (8:24)
i have to do this thing (planete sauvage mix) (7:02)

kranky press release...

artist: strategy
title: future rock
catalog #: krank108
formats available: cd
release date: may 21, 2007

this is paul dickow's second full length for kranky and third as strategy. he is extremely busy running the community library label, which will be releasing a 12" version of this album's title track, while also collaborating in the trio nudge, and recording and performing solo work.

three years have passed since drumsolo's delight, and strategy finally comes forward with a new full-length. his third album to date, future rock focuses strategy's diverse interests into a single point, while still drawing directly from the dense, shimmering sonic language established on delight.

based on a refined studio process that incorporates multi-tracked live instrumentation, archaic synthesizer equipment, archived recordings of improvisations and band practices, digital sound design, and sound of non-musical origin, the album is a polyglot solution of genres. musical quotations, discrete sonic jokes, and skewed musicological impressions are blended into a dream-like, impressionistic musical composite which confounds and compounds music's past, present, and future. a gauzy, vibrating curtain of sound, much like the one that made drumsolo’s so distinctive, ties together all the songs as do the signature wurlitzer electric piano and old-school spring reverb.

incorporating compositions that have taken years to develop, a handful of close collaborators (including his cohorts from the band nudge), and using source material that dates as far back as 2000, future rock is easily strategy's most complex, narrative, ambitious and overtly "pop" record to date; as well, it's practically a thesis statement for his vision of a genre-free musical world. to date you've heard strategy dabble in everything from headphone-oriented ambient music to house and dub; this is the work that brings it all together.

$7.56

back in stock as of
may 24th, 2013

first in stock on
april 13th, 2007

threads:
modern-psych

kranky (usa) #krank 107 cd

deerhunter “fluorescent gray” compact disc single

fluorescent grey
dr. glass
like new
wash off
bonus: video for "strange lights" from cryptograms directed by james sumner

april 2007 release; a post-album e.p. by this gang of atlantian miscreants.

i’m a fan. sue me...

kranky press release...

artist: deerhunter
title: fluorescent grey
catalog #: krank107
formats available: cd ep
release date: april 16, 2007

four new songs recorded while mixing cryptograms. a snapshot of what direction the band might explore next? probably not.

this ep arrives on the heels of a well received sophomore lp, cryptograms. while exploring themes not especially dissimilar, the ep functions in many ways as an epilogue to both the lp and the accompanying well-reported anxiety surrounding it's creation. the band now has a clean slate to explore something entirely new in the future.

$15.12

back in stock as of
may 24th, 2013

first in stock on
november 1st, 2007

threads:
modern-psych
minimalism-drones
guitar-themed

kranky (usa) #krank 106 cd

lichens “omns” digital versatile disc and compact disc set

vever of agassou (4:57)
faeries (8:19)
bune (8:46)
m st r ng w tchcr ft l v ng n sp r t (18:41)
sighns (2:27)
dvd: live at chicago's empty bottle

kranky press release...

artist: lichens
title: omns
catalog #: krank106
formats available: cd+dvd
release date: may 7, 2007

the second long player from lichens, like his first, the largely improvised the psychic nature of being, is an ascent to a higher plane. rob lowe's sound recordings are of a distinctly personal nature, works turned inward as much as they are projected outward.

this new album was conceived with the idea of it being a continuation of the first, while using slightly different techniques in recording and editing; from multitracking individual passes, and pulling single tracks in and out of the mix ("vevor of agassou" "faeries"), to opening up into a completely different process by overdubbing multiple tracks ("m st r ng w tchcr ft l v ng n sp r t"). all this while remaining firmly within the realm of improvisation, augmented with the use of skeletal frameworks.

the accompanying dvd video contains a single live 28 minute performance from chicago's empty bottle that was recorded in 2006. all lichens live shows are individual events and are not mere duplications of previous performances. thus, the performance here is a unique snapshot of the lichens live experience. the film was directed and produced by mary scherer and edited by todd mattei.

$12.61

back in stock as of
may 24th, 2013

first in stock on
april 13th, 2007

threads:
modern-psych

kranky (usa) #krank 105 cd

valet “blood is clean” compact disc

april 6
blood is clean
burmajuana
tame all the lions
mystic flood
my volcano
sade 4 bri
north

kranky’s mass-market reissue of this previously cdr-only title by jackie-o motherfucker / nudge member honey owens. the original press-blurb went something like :

"blood is clean: is her first solo full length cd. sounds like jon hassell, haitian voodoo drums and chants, sade ice cream melt, dream-time feedback loop, psychedelic paint spill, acid-fried guitar, hand drum, ambient blues raga. covers are hand silkscreened. deep psychedelic tribal blues.”

this is a good one; glad to have back in print, esp. as the original yarnlazer version sold out before anyone had to chance to check it out...

kranky press release...

artist: valet
title: blood is clean
catalog #: krank105
formats available: cd
release date: april 16, 2007

blood is clean is the debut release by honey owens under the name valet. the songs were formed out of a natural and spontaneous process as separate incidents of recording over a 5 month period from january to may of 2006. they were recorded by and large in single, live takes with minor additional tracking added here and there. the results are at once spare and expansive; exploratory, yet deceptively simple.

honey wanted to make music that was not neccessarily of her, but rather "to be a medium channeling sounds from an unknown place, opening up and spilling out onto the computer-tape." the cryptic, mesmerizing sound pallete was inspired by "lucid dreams and physical artifacts that appeared to me daily that hinted at a sound-world of haitian voodoo drumming, various shamanic dreamtime musics, the velvet underground, and the 'fourth-world' concepts of jon hassell". we will just say that these are some of the most inspiring alien-psychedelic-blues-jams that we have heard in ages. and check out the absolutely fried guitar work from the outer edge of the galaxy on the title cut.

$18.48

back in stock as of
may 24th, 2013

first in stock on
april 13th, 2007

threads:
modern-psych

kranky (usa) #krank 104 lp

deerhunter “cryptograms / fluorescent grey” double long playing record set

intro
cryptograms
white ink
lake somerset
providence
octet
red ink
spring hall convert
strange lights
hazel st.
tape hiss orchid
heatherwood
fluorescent grey
dr. glass
like new
wash off

april 2007 release; a double-lp containing both the “cryptograms” album and the successive “fluorescent grey” ep ...

kranky press release...

artist: deerhunter
title: cryptograms / fluorescent grey
catalog #: krank104
formats available: dlp
release date: april 16, 2007

cryptograms :

cryptograms is the second full-length offering from deerhunter, and their first for kranky. the album took almost two years to finish and was the product of emotional, physical, and financial strain on the group. the result is an album that finds the band shifting from discordant catharsis, and forming a sonic identity that completely expresses the place from which they have arrived.

the album functions in part as a study in duality and the concept of the same experiences seen from two angles, present and past. the most obvious manifestation of this is in the chronological sequencing. the first half of the album was recorded first unsuccessfully in 2005. these recordings were a blur at best, wordless and bordering on psychological atrophy. the sessions failed to provide anything tangible, and were racked with technical and personal problems, including out-of-tune pianos, panic attacks, and a tape machine that seemed to fail to capture the full spectrum of ambience the band was exploring. the band returned home, having failed, and considered giving up.

the idea arose to give it one last shot and exactly one year from the date of the recording of their first self-titled lp at a small studio in rural ga, they returned to that same studio and plugged in. the session resulted in the first half of the record which was recorded in one day and completely filled the reel of tape they brought with them.

cryptograms' first side begins with an introduction leading to the title track, and ends with the tape literally spinning off the end of the reel in the middle of a drone layered with bells and accordion ("red ink"). the second half of the record, also recorded in one day, in the november of 2005, represents the band in an entirely different state. "spring hall convert" opens with the line, "...so i woke up..." and introduces a set of focused psyche-pop songs fixating on adolescence, illness, and failing connections.

fluorescent grey :

four new songs recorded while mixing cryptograms. a snapshot of what direction the band might explore next? probably not.

this ep arrives on the heels of a well received sophomore lp, cryptograms. while exploring themes not especially dissimilar, the ep functions in many ways as an epilogue to both the lp and the accompanying well-reported anxiety surrounding it's creation. the band now has a clean slate to explore something entirely new in the future.

$12.61

back in stock as of
may 24th, 2013

first in stock on
april 13th, 2007

threads:
modern-psych

kranky (usa) #krank 104 cd

deerhunter “cryptograms” compact disc

intro (2:50)
cryptograms (4:17)
white ink (4:59)
lake somerset (3:49)
providence (4:08)
octet (7:50)
red ink (3:40)
spring hall convert (4:29)
strange lights (3:38)
hazel st. (3:48)
tape hiss orchid (1:12)
heatherwood (3:37)

kranky press release...

artist: deerhunter
title: cryptograms
catalog #: krank104
formats available: cd
release date: january 29, 2007

cryptograms is the second full-length offering from deerhunter, and their first for kranky. the album took almost two years to finish and was the product of emotional, physical, and financial strain on the group. the result is an album that finds the band shifting from discordant catharsis, and forming a sonic identity that completely expresses the place from which they have arrived.

the album functions in part as a study in duality and the concept of the same experiences seen from two angles, present and past. the most obvious manifestation of this is in the chronological sequencing. the first half of the album was recorded first unsuccessfully in 2005. these recordings were a blur at best, wordless and bordering on psychological atrophy. the sessions failed to provide anything tangible, and were racked with technical and personal problems, including out-of-tune pianos, panic attacks, and a tape machine that seemed to fail to capture the full spectrum of ambience the band was exploring. the band returned home, having failed, and considered giving up.

the idea arose to give it one last shot and exactly one year from the date of the recording of their first self-titled lp at a small studio in rural ga, they returned to that same studio and plugged in. the session resulted in the first half of the record which was recorded in one day and completely filled the reel of tape they brought with them.

cryptograms' first side begins with an introduction leading to the title track, and ends with the tape literally spinning off the end of the reel in the middle of a drone layered with bells and accordion ("red ink"). the second half of the record, also recorded in one day, in the november of 2005, represents the band in an entirely different state. "spring hall convert" opens with the line, "...so i woke up..." and introduces a set of focused psyche-pop songs fixating on adolescence, illness, and failing connections.

$12.61

back in stock as of
may 24th, 2013

first in stock on
april 13th, 2007

threads:
modern-psych
minimalism-drones
guitar-themed

kranky (usa) #krank 103 cd

christina carter “electrice” compact disc

second death (10:36)
moving intercepted (8:26)
yellow pine (8:47)
words are not my own (12:29)

kranky press release...

artist: christina carter
title: electrice
catalog #: krank103
formats available: cd
release date: september 18, 2006

christina carter approached her new solo album with the specific idea of recording all of the songs in the same key and using the same guitar tuning. while some artists would be hampered by such self-imposed constraints, christina uses it to her advantage by exploring seemingly innumerable ways to twist and turn the same basic notes into new shapes, creating just as much a mood as a song cycle.

when asked to give her thoughts regarding this new album, christina carter responded with fragments rather than linear composition:

"continuing with subterranean song writing eliminating excess elements, at the same time expansive because the 'mixing' of the record doesn't mimic the sound of a 'live' band more cinematic or sculptural, feeling of being a human body... piano-like guitar... two personal songs, two universal songs idealization and memory... songs created instantly, not knowing what i was going to sing about until i sang, but i have a few ideas that i carry around with me for extended periods until they find a place natural and artificial are two sides of the same coin... often, it is best to do the opposite of what you think you should do... inspired by 60's album art and band photos of floating heads, slight physical 'defects' and skeletal uncoordination, anachronistic futurisms, the idea of 'drone' (4 different songs from the same basic musical elements), dance choreography, and living with chronic pain..."

with electrice, christina has created the most cohesive and fully realized version of her unique musical vision to date.

electrice is the first widely available album from christina carter since the reissue of her living contact album by kranky in 2004. the album was recorded, mixed and edited entirely by her. one of the two core members of charalambides, christina carter has been making her own path in both that ensemble as well as with her solo releases for almost 15 years.

$16.81

back in stock as of
may 24th, 2013

first in stock on
august 31st, 2009

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

kranky (usa) #krank 102 lp

tim hecker “harmony in ultraviolet” double long playing record set

rainbow blood (1:52)
stags, aircraft, kings and secretaries (4:30)
palimpsest i (0:35)
chimeras (3:13)
dungeoneering (5:24)
palimpsest ii (0:38)
spring heeled jack flies tonight (3:11)
harmony in blue i (1:31)
harmony in blue ii (1:52)
harmony in blue iii (2:41)
harmony in blue iv (2:02)
radio spiricom (4:52)
whitecaps of white noise i (7:29)
whitecaps of white noise ii (5:57)
blood rainbow (4:06)

may 2009 release ; double-lp pressing of tim’s classic kranky debut, pressed at 45 rpm (ala the recent metallica reissues) for maximum impact ...

goddamn this such a great album... in my mind there’s no one out there working such an effective mix of loud guitar sonics, ice-cool reverb-baths & a kind of de-constructed doom as tim hecker; not now, not ever...

i’m kind of embarrassed that i’m only getting around to stocking this now; if you missed this album late last year, or were mildly turned off by the wall of (frankly, warranted) hype surrounding its release, seriously, don’t let it slip you by... it’s one of the more unique & consistently rewarding albums in the canon of “big-sounding” computer/guitar music.

i’ve revisited this album more times in the past 6 months than i have the entire fennesz discography combined. highest recommendation.

kranky press release...

artist: tim hecker
title: harmony in ultraviolet
catalog #: krank102
formats available: cd
release date: october 16, 2006

harmony in ultraviolet is tim hecker's sixth album. it is a continuation of hecker's interest in spectral communications, noise, impressionist musics, thresholds of listening pleasure/pain, and the limits of digital composition. this album is a significant development of his song-craft, challenging the usefulness of descriptors such as ambient, drone, metal, noise and even electronic music. if references are necessary it could be described as a sonata for the elements, songs of crackling embers, tidal pools, spruce skylines and autumn winds. gerhard richter's abstract paintings are also a fair orientation.

materially speaking, it is a record of whirring drones, whispering fissures, dense disintegrating chords, late-night noise and truth-telling harmonics. yet this record follows no overarching process, no underlying narrative. it is both a homage for the italian partigiani and also not at all. it is songs about ghost writing and midnight whispers but then again it isn't. in many ways this album can be viewed as a work of total destruction, embracing indeterminacy as an aesthetic ideal.

$12.61

back in stock as of
may 24th, 2013

first in stock on
april 13th, 2007

threads:
guitar-themed
minimalism-drones
digital-musics
electro-acoustic-composition

best of 2007 !!!

kranky (usa) #krank 102 cd

tim hecker “harmony in ultraviolet” compact disc

rainbow blood (1:52)
stags, aircraft, kings and secretaries (4:30)
palimpsest i (0:35)
chimeras (3:13)
dungeoneering (5:24)
palimpsest ii (0:38)
spring heeled jack flies tonight (3:11)
harmony in blue i (1:31)
harmony in blue ii (1:52)
harmony in blue iii (2:41)
harmony in blue iv (2:02)
radio spiricom (4:52)
whitecaps of white noise i (7:29)
whitecaps of white noise ii (5:57)
blood rainbow (4:06)

goddamn this such a great album... in my mind there’s no one out there working such an effective mix of loud guitar sonics, ice-cool reverb-baths & a kind of de-constructed doom as tim hecker; not now, not ever...

i’m kind of embarrased that i’m only getting around to stocking this now; if you missed this album late last year, or were mildly turned off by the wall of (frankly, warranted) hype surrounding its release, seriously, don’t let it slip you by... it’s one of the more unique & consistently rewarding albums in the canon of “big-sounding” computer/guitar music.

i’ve revisited this album more times in the past 6 months than i have the entire fennesz discography combined. highest recommendation.

kranky press release...

$12.61

back in stock as of
may 24th, 2013

first in stock on
april 13th, 2007

threads:
electro-acoustic-composition
minimalism-drones
lo-fi

kranky (usa) #krank 101 cd

chris herbert “mezzotint” compact disc

stab city (7:50)
elisa (6:14)
untitled #1 (1:25)
chlorophyll (6:21)
untitled #2 (1:46)
suashi (6:37)
untitled #3 (1:42)
horse latitudes (7:50)
untitled #4 (1:37)
cassino (10:05)
let's get boring! (7:58)
untitled #5 (1:55)

kranky press release...

artist: chris herbert
title: mezzotint
catalog #: krank101
formats available: cd
release date: september 18, 2006

mezzotint is a collection of digital, textured pieces assembled through the extensive manipulation of found sounds and environmental sources. a dedicated non-musician, chris herbert has a long-standing interest in intuitive composition and the elastic nature of sound as a resource, influenced by the collage ethic and the instantaneous capture of performance.

working with decidedly low-tech methods (chris uses minidiscs, a battle-worn desktop pc and a badly-behaved delay pedal), many of the tracks came into being through guerrilla sessions during his day job. the pieces are essentially improvisations created by extended rehearsal and juxtaposition.

mezzotint is the consequence of a continual process of subtraction and composting, leaving just a trace of melody or the implication of rhythm. the result is a spontaneous, embracing the mystery of faraway broadcasts and the internal experience: a clouded, busy music of vertical activity and blended, indistinct color as opposed to narrative uni-direction.

chris' signature swampy, gaseous, and even dirty, crumpled sound is a welcome contrast to the clean, edgeless granular cloud aesthetic employed by an increasing number of artists.

( - )

1 2 (3) 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

( + )

mimaroglu music sales restocks & relistings

.home.

.artists.

.labels.

.new.

.restocks.

.best.

.faq.

.soon.