kark - the hermit - hp cycle – lp - $15
Debut album from this massive free ensemble from Louisville which features a revolving cast of over 50 musicians including members of Sapat, Valley of Ashes, Virgin Eye Blood Brothers, Son of Earth, Taiwan Death and the Belgian Waffles. The Hermit consists of three extended pieces that offer spaciously abstract atmospheres as well as moments of righteous cacophony. Utilizing a multitude of brass, reeds and percussion the album careens through numerous passages where intricate harmonics are created from the densely layered sounds. When the full force of the ensemble is unleashed individual elements appear and quickly recede into the squall. As the music nearly becomes unhinged, the sound disintegrates into a godzilla-like rockist thud propelled by the rhythm section and soaring horns before drifting to a sparse conclusion. The LP comes in a full colour jacket with homespun artifacts gracing the cover.
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ceylon mange - the maiming path - hp cycle – lp -$15
Ceylon Mange is the trio of Dylan Nyoukis (Chocolate Monk proprietor and sound molder in Blood Stereo, Decaer Pinga), Karen Constance (Blood Stereo, Smack Music 7) and Bill Nace (X.O.4, Vampire Belt). The Maiming Path extends from the group's previous mind melts with two side long (de)constructions that are assembled from a variety of mangled loops and electronics, guitar feedback/slaughter and cromagnon vocals. The results are a murky stew, as each emerging sound creeps upon the listener like a blackened sloth nightmare. It's the type of organic brain tangle that is rarely unleashed by the spirits these days. The LP is pressed in an edition of 650 and housed in a full-colour printed sleeve featuring Karen's outsider artwork.
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avarus - II - hp cycle – lp -15$sold out
Here is your introduction to phase two. While there is a certain degree of continuity in the approach, II is a noticeable extrapolation of the Avarus SOUND. The album's six tracks span collage-esque pieces of audio junk to deconstructed song forms to subtly dense instrumentals. Waves of stretched electronics, distorted clank and warbling bass throb create layers of chaotic wreckage until a sudden collapse reveals an underlying stasis. Unnoticed patterns now conscious pull the listener into another time/mind continuum. Step into the g-a-p. The LP is presented in a full cover printed sleeve with suitable "found" photo art...for you to figure out what it's all about.
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boots/c.c./remus - box - hp cycle – 3xlp -35$sold out
These three LPs were originally privately pressed by the artist(s) in minuscule editions sometime in this new century. It appears that very few copies were circulated outside a close circle of acquaintances and it was only by chance/luck that they found their way to us. Each LP contained no information whatsoever, the only hint was the name stamped on the plain white jacket. Clouding matters even further was the fact that each of the three albums bore a different moniker. Musically the LPs share a consistent solitary vision, one that treads an inward-looking path that leads to far-reaching psychedelic excursions. "Boots" is a prime example of the range of these albums. Side one features five tracks of acoustic guitar and raw vocal accompaniment heavy on the loner vibes. The flip changes directions entirely, offering a wild ride of percussion and electronics. Likewise, "C.C - Live at Rainbows End" follows a similar course, although the mood is somewhat less solemn (though no less introspective) on the tracks featuring voice and guitar. The counterpoint here is the near side-long track of barely audible field recordings from an unrecognizable location. "Snake & Remus - No Tape Outside" is a continuation of sound and thought. Interchangeably piano, electronics and percussion supplement the songwriter, adding a haunting layer to the already subdued mood. The final side contains instrumental passages of processed guitar strum that weave delicate waves. The LPs are presented in a box, its own cryptic coffin perhaps, with individual stamped jackets consistent with the original LPs. As it says, "It's just a box man".
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richard youngs & tirath singh nirmala - hp cycle – lp -15$sold out
Debut album from the duo of Richard Youngs and Tirath Singh Nirmala (nee John Clyde-Evans) that has the pair creating a bucolic minimalist meditation. Side one interchangeably features hammered strings, gong/cymbal washes, droning vocals, and breathed shackuhachi/flutes. The second side leads with a melodious encounter before delving further into a glimmering psychedelia with sawed strings, fluttering reed organ and electronic drift. The results resemble a non-western approach to traditional musics filtered through the personalized aesthetic that runs through each of the artist's prior works. The LP is enclosed in a full colour cover with suitable "of the earth" imagery.
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