You may have heard about And Suddenly Everything, Absolutely Everything, Was There, the Utech benefit compilation, this thing’s been makin the rounds this week, and rightfully so. Kim Utech, wife of Keith Utech, of the inimitable Utech Records, recently lost her battle with breast cancer, leaving Keith and their two children to mourn and deal with life sans an integral part of it.
Artist and all around awesome dude Chris Elmore pulled together this monumental 4.5 hour compilation in a matter of weeks. It features brand new and exclusive music from the noise/drone/metal/etc scene’s greatest, who also happen to have benefited in some way or another from Keith and his label. The comp is a digital pay what you want thing on Bandcamp and every bit of it goes to the Utech Family Fund.
This video, as you might’ve guessed, is for a song on the comp, and Mr. Kolodij allowed me to premier it. It’s a fuckin killer song, as is everything Oikos & High Aura’d do, “Eveningstar” a blissful walk through the drones of heaven, and the video by Omar Mashaal is a beautifully blurry slow-mo dream that I’m fairly certain is footage of someone washing the cover to Halfway To A Threeway.
Amazing work by amazing people for an amazing reason. Love to everyone involved with this, and especially to the Utechs. Support.
Background music: Rex Ilusivii – Moon Cage II (from In The Moon Cage)
00:00:00 Talk break
00:00:57 Evil Acidhead – Part 1: Invocation (from In The Name Of All That Is Unholy)
00:09:26 Prurient – Greenpoint (from Frozen Niagara Falls)
00:19:32 Moon Wheel – Ångermanälven (from Okänt Land)
00:28:58 Talk break
00:30:01 M.C. Schmidt – Lowland Side (from Batu Malablab: Suite For Prepared Piano, Flute And Electronics)
00:47:52 Earthly – Daemon (from Days)
00:52:15 Alessandro Cortini – Lotta (from Risveglio)
00:59:21 Talk break
01:00:17 Ashtray Navigations – Fog Bottle Morning (from A Shimmering Replica)
01:09:41 White Poppy – Arctic Rose (from Natural Phenomena)
01:15:07 Lonesome Wyatt & Rachel Brooke – If The Beasts Should Hunt Us (from Bad Omen)
01:19:13 Material Object – G/T_Y (from Artefacts Digitaux)
01:30:00 Talk break
01:31:13 Kawabata Makoto – Woman From Dream Island (from Astro Love & Infinite Kisses)
01:49:29 Mike Cooper – Secret Mexican Beach (from Fratello Mare)
01:52:47 Ricardo Donoso – Some Buy The Locks (from Machine To Machine)
01:59:10 Talk break
Background music: Lifted – Total Care Zero (from 1)
00:00:00 Talk break
00:01:07 Black Sun Roof! / Skullflower – Temple Seven: Of Obsidian (from Military Temples (For Coil))
00:14:56 James Welburn – Naught (from Hold)
00:24:45 Dang Olsen Dream Tape – Into The Illusion (from Just Roll)
00:29:17 Talk break
00:30:16 CFCF – Tethered In Dark (from Radiance And Submission)
00:37:08 Jeph Jerman & Tim Barnes – Bight (from Matterings)
00:55:58 Lee Bannon – DAW In The Sky For Pigs (from Pattern Of Excel)
01:00:27 Talk break
01:01:24 Hardworking Families – Bryantwood Road, Washington Street (from Worse Than A Stranger)
01:16:50 Maurizio Bianchi – The Achromatic Scale (from Tridecacofonia)
01:28:31 Talk break
01:29:26 Flying Saucer Attack – Instrumental 15 (from Instrumentals 2015)
01:39:01 Heitor Alvelos – The Way Of Malamat (from Faith)
01:49:01 Pleq & Giulio Aldinucci – The Joy Of Loneliness (from The Prelude To)
01:59:27 Talk break
Background music: Ulaan Passerine – Light In Dust (from Light In Dust)
00:00:00 Talk break
00:00:49 Our Love Will Destroy The World – Like Tambourines Before The Genius Of Plague ( Like Tambourines Before The Genius Of Plague )
00:20:03 Vampillia & The Body – Far Away From The Light (from xoroAHbin)
00:29:00 Talk break
00:30:00 Birchville Cat Motel – Driving Solar Collapse (from Fake Capricorn)
00:48:53 Rex Ilusivii – Moon Cage II (from In The Moon Cage)
00:59:44 Talk break
01:00:39 PBK & Jim O’Rourke – The Turning Night (from Unidentified Again)
01:17:20 Strategy – Awesome Piano (from Noise Tape Self)
01:23:40 Automat – EMT 140 (from Plusminus)
01:30:43 Talk break
01:31:25 Dag Rosenqvist – VIII (from The Forest Diaries)
01:39:19 Celer & Nicholas Szczepanik – II (from Here, For Now)
01:58:23 Talk break
Realized a week or two ago that I hadn’t played either of the new Type LPs (first two songs of the show). Shame on me. Also, who knew Chuck Johnson could make killer electronic drone?
Background music: Matt Valentine – Free Again (from Midden Mound)
00:00:00 Talk break
00:00:50 Retribution Body – Sea Of Trees (from Aokigahara)
00:21:28 High Aura’d & Mike Shiflet – Parlour Games (from Awake)
00:28:44 Talk break
00:30:33 Medroxy Progesterone Acetate – I Saw The Light Come Shining (from On The Sunny Side Of The Skull)
00:48:55 Amy Annelle – Grey Funnel Line (from Surgery)
00:53:24 Barnett & Coloccia – Healer (from Weld)
00:59:31 Talk break
01:00:34 Petrels – We Are Falling Into The Heart Of The Sun (from Flailing Tomb)
01:09:32 William Basinski & Richard Chartier – Divertissement Pt. 2 (from Divertissement)
01:31:00 Talk break
01:31:38 C. Spencer Yeh – Solo Voice VII (from Solo Voice I-X)
01:37:02 W00DY – The Sky (from RNBW)
01:42:18 Nocht The Only Ghouls – Herman Ratzel (from Zodiac Chord)
01:47:58 Chuck Johnson – Thorn Filaments (from CJ-1)
01:57:37 Talk break
Sunshine Ltd. is dead. As sad as that is, the world is a better place because of what it bestowed upon us: 31 killer fucking records. I’m sure I would have done a Label Spotlight on Sunshine at some point, but its demise made me get my shit together. So I asked Josh Mason (drone extraordinaire and Sunshine monarch) to elaborate on his intentions. I read his obituary for Sunshine on air, but there’s also a transcript of it below.
There are still a handful of items left in the Sunshine shop (not just the 3 that I mentioned on air) that are on sale and wholly worth your cash. And even though the Sunshine site says Mason’s Alone In The Kingdom is out of stock, you can nab a copy on his personal Bandcamp page. Again, highly recommended.
I mistakenly mentioned on air that Sunshine had a Bandcamp page where you could still stream everything. This is not the case. You can stream one song from each release on the official Sunshine Ltd. page, and Josh has some of his work streaming on his Bandcamp, but that’s it. Sorry for leading you astray.
Update on Mason’s next book/download release: It’s called Hellified Irie? and it’ll be out on FET Press, hopefully within a month or two. It’s a “black and white art book made of found images, my own photography and writings/musings made while recording [the music].” The book is the physical component of the release, the music will only be available digitally.
If Sunshine Ltd. is new to you, you’re in for a fucking treat. And if you’re already familiar, then this will serve as a sweet swan song.
Rest in peace, Sunshine Ltd.
The reason I decided to halt Sunshine activities was two fold. 1) It had a little bit to do with money but mainly (2) it had a lot to do with time and energy (or lack thereof).
I came up in a time when you could (try to) order records from randos by sending cash inside of birthday cards to an address in the back of a magazine and praying that you actually got something in return. On a rare and awesome occasion you’d get a personal note back from the artist(s) and that made it even more important because the whole thing wasn’t instantly gratifying and you made a connection. Sunshine was something I felt very passionately about, and I wanted to try and make something that was of good quality and value that people would connect with in a similar and important way. I told myself when I started that if I could reach just one person with what I was doing it would be worth it.
Unfortunately, times have changed and at the end of the day, I just did not have the mental energy to keep up with all the people/things/places I needed to know in order to move this kind of physical art in a digital world. All along I have been working full time and treating SLTD as a part time thing (but with full time ambition). Little by little I felt overwhelmed by this idea that people don’t really want to sit down, physically, with records (albums) and their concepts anymore. The people (bless ’em) who write about music have to have eyes in the back of their skulls and 4 arms in order to cover it all. I’m not sure how many times I answered the question “Does the tape/record come with a download?” At some point, it all collided and I just decided that the world didn’t need another label… and more importantly, it didn’t need another one that was operating at less than full capacity. There are a lot of great labels out there run by people with great visions who are going at it 110%, which is more than I could offer.
It’s possible that I might do something else in the future, but for now there are other creative things I want to explore and learn. Over the years Sunshine provided me with the ability to meet all kind of listeners and artists from around the world… and therefore I accomplished everything I set out to do. I learned a great deal and I have nothing but gratitude for all who bought records, those who recorded them, and those who sang their praises. Thanks to everyone for being excellent.
Background music: Spires That In The Sunset Rise – Bitchin (For Suma) (from Beasts In The Garden)
00:00:00 Talk break
00:00:41 Cinchel – A Light Crack In The Wall (from Worry)
00:22:59 Kill West – Signs (from Smoke Beach)
00:31:26 Talk break
00:32:16 Helm – Outerzone 2015 (from Olympic Mess)
00:44:23 Dommengang – Everybody’s Boogie (from Everybody’s Boogie)
00:49:39 Marie Davidson – Kidnap You In The Desert (from Un Autre Voyage)
00:58:17 Talk break
00:59:16 High Wolf – Wild At Heart (from Growing Wild)
01:07:55 Bong – Time Regained (from We Are, We Were And We Will Have Been)
01:25:04 Atrium Carceri – Decrepit City (from Metropolis)
01:28:45 Talk break
01:29:50 You’re Smiling Now But We’ll All Turn Into Demons – Psychic Driving Part I (from Population IV)
01:47:13 BOAN – Boan Acid (from Mentiras)
01:58:04 Talk break
So fucking psyched about the new Jannick Schou record. No it’s not the mega drone from his last record but this technoise direction is fuckin killer. Also, Walks On The Beach is Mike Shiflet & Jerry David DeCicca, self described “Appalachian noise folk,” so yeah, that’s the fuckin best.
Background music: Funerary Call – Untitled MMXIV (from Apex Codex: The Apex Fest VI Compilation)
00:00:00 Talk break
00:00:37 Ryan Huber – Merchant Deceit (from Astor)
00:06:13 Walks On The Beach – Colorization (from Adoption Tapes)
00:18:02 Black Dirt Oak – Fjordside (from Presage)
00:27:32 Talk break
00:29:01 Jerusalem In My Heart – A Granular Buzuk (from If He Dies, If If If If If If)
00:36:03 Circuit Des Yeux – Dream Of TV (from In Plain Speech)
00:43:42 Jeremy Young & Aaron Martin – Berceaux (from A Pulse Passes From Hand To Hand)
00:58:20 Talk break
01:00:16 Bamboo Stilts – Porthole (from Beneath The Bark)
01:04:11 Kara Lis Coverdale & LXV – Informant (from Sirens)
01:11:14 Spheruleus And Friends – For The Salvation Of The World (from William Barber)
01:16:39 Vito Ricci – Deep Felt Music (from I Was Crossing A Bridge)
01:29:17 Talk break
01:31:01 Blanck Mass – Detritus (from Dumb Flesh)
01:39:06 Alio Die & Lorenzo Montanà – Silent Rumon (from Holographic Codex)
01:54:03 Jannick Schou – Pansermusling (from Fabrik)
01:59:37 Talk break
Yup, it’s really happening. I created another human with Elise. One of the things I swore I’d never do is now being done. So fucking psyched about this!
And in case you haven’t noticed, I’ve only reviewed 2 records in 6 months. I’ve had hard time getting back into the review game after the winter break and I guess I should officially acknowledge that now.
Other than having a baby on the way (never thought I’d be saying that), I’ve also got tons of other huge stuff going on, like I’m also looking for a new job and a new home, so, very tumultuous times (in the best possible way), and I don’t see myself jumping back into record reviews any time soon. I’m still having a blast with Anti-Gravity Bunny Radio on BFF.fm and will definitely keep that up for a while.
So what I’m saying isn’t much of anything. Over the past 7+ years of running AGB, I’ve finally realized I shouldn’t try to make any declarations of what I think it should be or what direction I’ll be going in, because it always just ends up stressing me out. I’ll just be letting it go wherever, doing the radio thing, maybe a review every now and then, who knows. I just wanted to let you know I don’t plan on dropping AGB entirely right now but I’ll definitely be way more busy in the upcoming months.
I’m back! 6 weeks is a long time to be away from the radio. Even though I did the live show with Andrew Weathers at BFF.fm filling in for The Feelies (which I should be posting soon!), I still feel like I’m way behind. Remedying that stat. Tons of awesome shit this time around and lots more in the cue.
Background music: Richard Youngs – Revolution, Again (from No Fans Compendium – Somerled/No Home Like Place)
00:00:00 Talk break
00:01:14 Andrew Weathers Ensemble – We Will Never See A Cloud Again (from Fuck Everybody, You Can Do Anything)
00:10:17 Jahiliyya Fields – Chance Life Moon Dance (from Chance Life Moon Dance)
00:20:54 Nochexxx – Last Club On Da Left (from Plot Defender)
00:26:32 Disasterpeace – Greg (from It Follows Soundtrack)
00:29:55 Talk break
00:32:11 Bell Witch – Somniloquy (The Distance Of Forever) (from Four Phantoms)
00:55:06 Rachel Grimes – The Air At Night (from The Clearing)
01:01:37 Talk break
01:03:42 Mamaleek – Already There (from Via Dolorosa)
01:09:37 Tom Carter & Pat Murano – Kawnyarna Pt. 2 (from Kawnyarna)
01:32:27 Talk break
01:33:17 Drowse – Something (from Soon Asleep)
01:39:04 Zomes – Beckoning Breeze (from Near Unison)
01:43:32 Giovanni Fontana – Pomeridiana (from Voooxing Poooêtre)
01:47:27 Nils Frahm – Immerse! (from Solo)
01:58:06 Talk break
I just turned 30. I’ll have completed my Master’s Degree in a week. My wife & I have approval from both of our workplaces. We’re going on a month-long cross-country road trip for the whole month of May. Starting in Salem, MA, headed to Texas by way of Nashville and a dude ranch in Arkansas, all along the southwest, up the coast of California, through Yellowstone, the Black Hills, and the Badlands, and back home, visiting friends and crazy places along the way.
I only mention this because we’ll be keeping anyone interested updated over at Snows On The Go (our last name is Snow). Feel free to follow along. I’ll be sharing stuff on the regular Twitter, Instagram, etc, but mostly just this travel blog, and hopefully not like every day or anything, gonna try to enjoy shit sans-technology if that’s even possible nowadays.
Also, more relevant to you, this means that AGB Radio will be re-runs for all of May. I’m sure you have some catching up to do anyway. See you in June.
Background music: Drombeg – Girl From The Rewrite (from Notes From The Ocean Floor EP)
00:00:00 Talk break
00:00:45 The Body – I Would For You (from The Tears Of Job)
00:22:14 William Ryan Fritch – Emergent (from Music For Film Vol. 1)
00:26:33 Talk break
00:27:31 Jim Haynes – Racine To Vermillion (from Scarlet)
00:40:21 Former Selves – Tension Against The Stream (from Three Wells)
01:00:24 Talk break
01:01:11 Quittinirpaaq – Lifestyles Ussa (from Dead September)
01:12:12 Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe & Ariel Kalma – Miracle Mile (from We Know Each Other Somehow)
01:30:58 Talk break
01:31:49 Aidan Baker – Then Came The Storm (from Half Lives: As I Walked On Death Earth)
01:40:30 Kyle Landstra – Upon A Field Of Suspended Orbs (from Skyward Territories)
01:58:55 Talk break
I’m not really the kind of site that does premieres or news or anything “breaking,” which should be pretty obvious to regular readers. But when Jenks Miller contacted me asking if I wanted to premiere the stream of his new project’s debut record, I fucking jumped at the chance. So, thanks x10000 for this, Jenks.
Jenks is the main dude behind Horseback, the drone turned black psych band that’s now on Relapse, and he’s done plenty of other shit too, like Mount Moriah and various solo things and collaborations. This new one, Jenks Miller & Rose Cross NC, is “kind of a semi-solo project,” having performed live in his hometown North Carolina area with an assortment of helping hands. But on this debut, it’s just Jenks and his partner Elysse Thebner making a holy transcendent sound. Music For Snowdrifts is some megachill drone psych folk that’s hazy as fuck, sounding like the musical embodiment of a daydream, mostly just a wobbly guitar accompanied by some tender percussion, subtle synths, and soft vocals. Jenks is always upping his game, even when he’s shifting gears, and Snowdrifts is no different, it’s just absolutely fucking killer, zoning out into the shimmering golden sky, a sweet serene bliss obscured by gauze & fuzz, more or less a straightforward sound that’s executed perfectly, I can’t recommend this one enough, regardless of your familiarity with Jenks’ previous material or your fondness towards psych, this is fucking magnificent on every level.
So stream the whole thing here and then stop by Ba Da Bing because this is available as of today. Get on it.
Background music: Jeremy Bible vs. Mousecop – Initiation Well (from Jeremy Bible vs. Mousecop)
00:00:00 Talk break
00:00:38 Alessandro Cortini – Macchia (from Forse 3)
00:09:56 Andrew Weathers – Susquehanna River (from Littlefield)
00:18:13 Biosphere – Baud (from Stator)
00:25:30 Nico Niquo – Epitaph (from Epitaph)
00:29:43 Talk break
00:30:51 Saffron – Petra I (from Petra I)
00:36:37 Caught In The Wake Forever – Wreaths (from The Places Where I Worship You)
00:43:56 Sakana Hosomi & Chihei Hatakeyama – Collapsing Huge Glaciers And The Sun (from Frozen Silence)
00:55:16 The OO-Ray – Hunting Song (from Empty Orchestra)
01:00:20 Talk break
01:01:28 Chester Hawkins – Mass/Easter (from Apostasy Suite)
01:08:37 Shit & Shine – Egg Mm-Muffin / Pimp Different (from 54 Synth-Brass, 35 Metal Guitar, 65 Cathedral)
01:18:01 Naturkunde Museum Ostkreuz – Zaragoza Variations (from Tropicalyptic Excursions)
01:25:48 Afraid – Visions From The Holy Cross Cemetery (from Sinister Vibes)
01:30:24 Talk break
01:31:49 Teresa Winter – How Strange Are Bodies? (from Oh Tina, No Tina)
01:36:49 Christopher Hipgrave – As Warmly As Possible (from No Greater Hero Than The Least Plant That Grows)
01:42:36 Pines – Like Felled Ghosts Beneath Depthless Grey Skies (from The Field Journal EP)
01:48:48 Desolate Horizons – Deep, Quiet, And Alone (from Wide As The Golden Ocean)
01:58:34 Talk break
Not that Students Of Decay is technically underrated, I mean they’ve got over 100 releases in 10 years and were just featured as Label Of The Month in Resident Advisor, but I still feel like Alex Cobb’s label generally hasn’t gotten enough love. But maybe that’s changing, some of the last few releases have been super successful, so perhaps SoD will be the next Important. Either way, this label is the fucking best. Here’s some of my favorite records they’ve put out, in roughly chronological order, starting way back in 2006.
Background music: Skeletons Out – In Remembrance Of Me (from In Remembrance Of Me)
00:00:00 Talk break
00:00:59 Taiga Remains – Ribbons Of Dust Part 2 (from Ribbons Of Dust)
00:10:40 Jefre Cantu-Ledesma – The First Time I Saw Your Face I Thought It Was A Dying Star (from Shining Skull Breath)
00:17:32 Cloaks – Improvisation For Guitar And Piano (from Serene)
00:22:33 Natural Snow Buildings – Salt Signs (from The Snowbringer Cult)
00:30:42 Talk break
00:32:11 Caboladies – Limestone Nightlife (from Earth Canal)
00:36:19 Aquarelle – The Blue Light Was My Baby (from Sung In Broken Symmetry)
00:43:41 Bryter Layter – First Light (from Two Lenses)
00:49:38 En – Marble Steppe (from Already Gone)
00:55:50 Marielle V. Jakobsons – Shale Hollows (from Glass Canyon)
01:00:47 Talk break
01:01:54 Alex Cobb – Bewildered By Its Blue (from Passage To Morning)
01:10:51 Ekin Fil – Father (from Ekin Fil)
01:15:55 Secret Pyramid – Move Through Night (from Movements Of Night)
01:23:28 Anne Guthrie – Unlike More Slender And Graceful (from Codiaeum Variegatum)
01:28:39 Talk break
01:29:32 Maxwell August Croy & Sean McCann – Column Of Mirror (from I)
01:34:11 Kyle Bobby Dunn – Confessions Of The Mildly Miserable (from …And The Infinite Sadness)
01:39:11 Duane Pitre & Cory Allen – The Healer (excerpt) (from The Seeker & The Healer)
01:51:05 Sarah Davachi – Ruislip (from Barons Court)
01:58:32 Talk break
