Showing posts with label recording. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recording. Show all posts
Friday, January 16, 2015
More Irene Moon Titles on FMA
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Hal Harmon of Musique Machine Review of new Pod Blotz/Auk Theater split
Pod Blotz/ Auk Theater - Split LP [Nihilist Records - 2013]
This new LP from Nihilist Recordings features the pairing of sonic oddities, Pod Blotz and Auk Theater. Pod Blotz is the solo project of multi-media artist and photographer Suzy Poling. Auk Theater is the brainchild of longtime experimentalist and professional entomologist, Irene Moon. I will be upfront in admitting from the outset that I have a penchant for weird split records. The stranger the pairing, the better (at least in my mind). Of course, I’ve been burned before by artist pairings that sound good on paper, but in actuality were a pretty terrible idea. With both hope and trepidation I proceed.
On side A, titled Volcano, LA artist sound and visual artist Pod Blotz offers 5 eerie synth driven compositions with fittingly haunting vocals. Stylistically, the tracks that make up Volcano hold a certain kinship with bands like Prince Rama and Pocahaunted, however with aggressive synth pulses and static flourishes. Dare I say industrial sounding at times. Add to the mix some chilling Moog organ and you’ve got a real creepshow on your hands.
Auk Theater offers a single 22 minute track for their side, however broken up into several digestible “phases” as is announced before each new section of sound commences. On this recording, founder Irene Moon is joined by Trevor Tremaine of Hair Police and other musicians to present listeners with an auditory iteration of her self-described absurdist theatre. While I’m somewhat familiar with Moon’s work, her being active in the experimental music scene since the late 90’s, this was my first foray into Auk Theater. Their side is a wild trip consisting of: chimes, spoken word, wind instruments, keys, maracas, percussion, and minimal synth. The minimal, yet effective use of instrumentation really highlights the poetry of Moon’s vocal stylings. Along with Moon, Tremaine adds some of his own singing toward the end of the track over a repetitive percussive beat. The mixture of spoken word and various instruments reminds me of Jane LeCroy at times and early Cerberus Shoal at others. I’m not sure to what degree the recording was planned or improvised, though I’m guessing the latter as the piece sounds very spontaneous and whimsy. While the end product might be a little schizophrenic to some, pretentious to others, I quite enjoyed the variety of the endeavor. I bet this would be quite a spectacle to see live.
This album was quite a surprise. While I enjoyed the parts on their own, the sum really elevated the project into something special. This is definitely an album that needs to be heard and enjoyed in totality. No need to cherry pick your sides on this one.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Irene Moon, Zaimph, Bod Blotz & Uumans. Public Assembly, May 27, 2013
PRACTICE!
presented by Diamond Terrifier, MV Carbon, Uumans, and Public Assembly
Monday May 27, 2013
FREE! | Doors 8pm | Show 8:30pm
RECORD RELEASE SHOW for POD BLOTZ and IRENE MOON's Split LP on Nihilist Records! http://
Also TAPE RELEASE SHOW for ZAIMPH and POD BLOTZ on NY/New Zealand Label Dungeon Taxis! http://
_/|\_/|\_/|\_/|\_/|\___ Zaimph
_/|\_/|\_/|\_/|\___ Pod Blotz
_/|\_/|\_/|\___ Irene Moon
_/|\_/|\___ Uumans
_/|\___ Coitus Mayfield (DJ)
Zaïmph is the solo project of ambient noise artist Marcia Bassett. Although legendary for white-hot guitar and vocal brutality, Zaimph's recent recordings and performances infuse cracked-raga song structures with dense electronic and synthesizer drones to create soundscapes where a lurking apocalypse is eclipsed by shimmering, meditative beauty. Zaïmph CDs, LPs and tapes have appeared on independent labels such as Gift Tapes, Hospital Productions, W.M.O.r, Utech Records, Gypsy Sphinx, Volcanic Tongue and No Fun records. Bassett has released numerous Zaïmph recordings on her own Heavy Blossom imprint. In 2012, Bassett retired Heavy Blossom and started Yew, a label showcasing Zaïmph and other aesthetically allied projects. Pod Blotz has presented specific multi-dimensional performances with sound and video that address hypnosis, geometry, natural phenomenon and psychic transportations. Her music is often accompanied by film, video, shattered mirrors and light art in experiential environments. Her work has been shown at the Berkeley Art Museum, Machine Projects, Cal Poly University, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco Electronic Music Festival, 23five Incorporated, The Lab, Queen's Nails Projects, Southern Exposure, San Jose Museum of Art, Transmodern Festival and Portland Institute of Art. She has performed throughout the US and in Europe, and has played many festivals such as No Fun, Colour Out of Space, INC, and Neon Marshmellow Fest. http://suzypoling.com/ Scientifically Speaking with Irene Moon developed around 1997 to elevate entomology as a rock genre. Under the name we have proceeded in creating multimedia environments, organizations, happenings, and music about or inspired by insects. The natural sciences are a perfect art; idealized and often misinterpreted by the public. The Begonia Society installations, presentations, and films introduces factual topics with the creative fascination and detail that could only come out of the intimate relationship a scientist has with his or her subject. Moon herself is a working entomologist presently employed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. She has the duel focus to advance appreciation of art in the halls of science; as a means of connecting the public to entomology and increasing awareness of the art and creativity intrinsic to the scientific process. "Uumans is the new project from Matt Mehlan of Skeleton$ & Congotronics Vs Rockers."http://shinkoyo.com/ http://www.zaimph.org/ http://www.sfemf.org/ http:// http://uumans.com/ http://soundcloud.com/ -- http:// http://mvcarbon.com/ http:// |
Friday, March 1, 2013
Daniel Blumin's The Thirteenth Letter
WFMU's 2013 Marathon: March 4th - 17th!
Daniel Blumin's The Thirteenth Letter
Meniscus Man, Machiavelli's Forklift, Maids of the Marsh?
Imaginary bands one and all, but perhaps not for long!
In the year 2013, some intrepid members of Blumin's Honorary Letter Preservation Outernational set out to celebrate the thirteenth letter of the English alphabet. Inspired by "M" (Fritz Lang's or Robin Scott's, but most likely neither), each artist heeded the call to form a one-time project that starts with the visionary letter. As with the last two premiums, all tracks are exclusive to this compilation!
Who's onboard this time? The choice morsels may or may not originate with an all-star cast of Wishbone Ash, Schneider TM, Dollops of Velcro, Andrew Liles, Caspian Curlicues, Matmos, Melancholy Flowerpot, Machinefabriek, Irene Moon, Geranium Warfare, Sudden Infant, and a magnificent multitude of others!
A few contributors' identities will be revealed during the fundraising marathon in March, but those receiving the premium will be provided with all the creators' true identities. M-tastic!
Daniel Blumin's The Thirteenth Letter
WFMU's 2013 Marathon: March 4th - 17th!
Daniel Blumin's The Thirteenth Letter
Meniscus Man, Machiavelli's Forklift, Maids of the Marsh?
Imaginary bands one and all, but perhaps not for long!
In the year 2013, some intrepid members of Blumin's Honorary Letter Preservation Outernational set out to celebrate the thirteenth letter of the English alphabet. Inspired by "M" (Fritz Lang's or Robin Scott's, but most likely neither), each artist heeded the call to form a one-time project that starts with the visionary letter. As with the last two premiums, all tracks are exclusive to this compilation!
Who's onboard this time? The choice morsels may or may not originate with an all-star cast of Wishbone Ash, Schneider TM, Dollops of Velcro, Andrew Liles, Caspian Curlicues, Matmos, Melancholy Flowerpot, Machinefabriek, Irene Moon, Geranium Warfare, Sudden Infant, and a magnificent multitude of others!
A few contributors' identities will be revealed during the fundraising marathon in March, but those receiving the premium will be provided with all the creators' true identities. M-tastic!
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Recording of Hurricane Sandy for Touch Radio
Last night, October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy landed upon New York City. I recorded sounds of the wind and rain out of my Bed Stuy apartment window for Touch Radio 86.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Beasts for A While Review from Gumshoe Grove
Another interesting review of Beasts for a While from Gumshoe Grove with extra plugs for Matt Minters artwork, our love for inexpensive synths, and a few extra Collection mp3s if you visit the real blog post and not just my reposting below...
"First, before you read another WORD, listen to that first MP3 up there ^^^ … this is the unintentional sequel to “April Showers” (by Grove longtimers Tonstartssbandht), a vocal smash-terpiece as intruiging as lie detector tests are faulty. If some of you have lamented this site is too weird/obscure/out-there, check out “Pitter Patter Treat” and hear the exact point where (potential) popular appeal and small-run weirdness intersect. Smashing.
Now that we have that out of the way, allow me to unveil my first 11-inch LP (and it’s red, to boot): Beasts for While, by Collection Of The Late Howell Bend (who also have a split with old warlords Warmer Milks notching their collective belt), a band with one of those names you just have to investigate (just did a Wiki search and found nada).
Where to begin? Side A of Beasts is executed perfectly. This is music you didn’t know you needed to hear, but did. Launching with an Andy Ortmann, science-lab feel, the marble slab of psych sprawls out like bushy-blonde hair from there. Soft-lens, post-Cocorosie, pre-Espers, micro-Spires That From The Sunset Rise, Lou Reed-style ghost-folk with cheapo synths scratched out from a cave studio?
YES, more please! Spreading this one, super-specific idea over an entire LP side might seem like a stretch, literally, but it’s more than enough to diddle your dreams. It’s like 39 Clocks hijacked a sinking ship and started shooting off guns and letting Wesley Willis play synths.
Side B is almost as ripe. Nimble, tip-toeing strings dance about as — you didn’t forget! — SYNTHS yip and yap, lapping up the open spaces of the composition and contrasting interestingly with the rhythmic bow swipes. Some more of those dead-mouth vocals slip out of the mix like the squeak of a balloon emptying or a dolphin “a-gha-gha-gha”-ing, and those will determine the extent of your enjoyment of Side Deaux.
That AND a last-minute change-up into repetitive, murky drone-synth territory that only helps Beasts for While make its case for your time and space. Very different from the rest of the LP; a drifting glacier makes its way through salty waters ever so slowly, staying cool even as the rest of the earth heats. Oneohtrix Point Never, Mudboy, Editions Mego alumni et al; you get the drill before I even tell you any more, right?
Don’t let life, or good limited-run records, pass-ass-ass you by, brother."
"First, before you read another WORD, listen to that first MP3 up there ^^^ … this is the unintentional sequel to “April Showers” (by Grove longtimers Tonstartssbandht), a vocal smash-terpiece as intruiging as lie detector tests are faulty. If some of you have lamented this site is too weird/obscure/out-there, check out “Pitter Patter Treat” and hear the exact point where (potential) popular appeal and small-run weirdness intersect. Smashing.
Now that we have that out of the way, allow me to unveil my first 11-inch LP (and it’s red, to boot): Beasts for While, by Collection Of The Late Howell Bend (who also have a split with old warlords Warmer Milks notching their collective belt), a band with one of those names you just have to investigate (just did a Wiki search and found nada).
Where to begin? Side A of Beasts is executed perfectly. This is music you didn’t know you needed to hear, but did. Launching with an Andy Ortmann, science-lab feel, the marble slab of psych sprawls out like bushy-blonde hair from there. Soft-lens, post-Cocorosie, pre-Espers, micro-Spires That From The Sunset Rise, Lou Reed-style ghost-folk with cheapo synths scratched out from a cave studio?
YES, more please! Spreading this one, super-specific idea over an entire LP side might seem like a stretch, literally, but it’s more than enough to diddle your dreams. It’s like 39 Clocks hijacked a sinking ship and started shooting off guns and letting Wesley Willis play synths.
Side B is almost as ripe. Nimble, tip-toeing strings dance about as — you didn’t forget! — SYNTHS yip and yap, lapping up the open spaces of the composition and contrasting interestingly with the rhythmic bow swipes. Some more of those dead-mouth vocals slip out of the mix like the squeak of a balloon emptying or a dolphin “a-gha-gha-gha”-ing, and those will determine the extent of your enjoyment of Side Deaux.
That AND a last-minute change-up into repetitive, murky drone-synth territory that only helps Beasts for While make its case for your time and space. Very different from the rest of the LP; a drifting glacier makes its way through salty waters ever so slowly, staying cool even as the rest of the earth heats. Oneohtrix Point Never, Mudboy, Editions Mego alumni et al; you get the drill before I even tell you any more, right?
Don’t let life, or good limited-run records, pass-ass-ass you by, brother."
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Women Are Magic
"From the nasty rattle of the opening bass riff to the tortured, lethargic keyboards that close "Birthday Deer," Nine Fingered Thug's debut cassette is a purposefully abrasive outing. About as far removed from modern, joy-buzzing noise pop as possible, these songs quake with the low-end dumpster rock of the keys, drums and bass instrumentation and snarl with Samuel Mintu's demented, rabid yap."
A fantastic description of a review. No doubt. However, I would choose different language. For me, words like 'beautiful' and 'pretty' come to mind. Nine Fingered Thug as metal, noisy, and full of minor chords as it might be, follows many interesting modes. Many of the song structures actually follow the principles of ballroom dancing and easy listening...including waltzes, marches, and a fox trot. Polka is definitely in the future. Sure there is lots of low end with the instrumentation being bass, drums and a hacked organ. But to whales, elephants, lions, or many other power forces from the animal kingdom low end is sexy. High end is reserved for screams of panic and terror emitted by prey animals.
I would say we are in the genre of folk metal or ballad metal if there is one. The best folk songs tend to be tragic including teachings of fables and folklore for the young ones just entering the world. Metal because of the overdrive.
They are tapes, get them while they are hot.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Collection of the Late Howell Bend Review
Beasts for a While was reviewed by Brandon at Olive Music. This is a re-posting of that review.
"When I was first mailed this disc, I couldn't have been more excited to put it on, based entirely on the artwork. I was expecting something maniacal, evil, and disgusting. And while some may argue that is exactly what I got, I was definitely surprised when the needle dropped. What I soon found out is that The Collection Of The Late Howell Bend is not a black metal band, a wall noise project, or even some type of witch house act, but some type of next-level piano/synth/vocals post-neofolk meandering. AWESOME.
While I was initially intrigued by the strings, pianos, and vocals, I do want to use this opportunity to call out the cheese factor on some of the tracks. The synth lines often sound (and feel) like they were pulled out of a discarded Legend Of Zelda game for the Super Nintendo, which, although not entirely un-enjoyable, almost don't fit in with the feel of Beasts For A While. However, as much as that synth doesn't fit in with the album, it also fits perfectly. Along with the piano and cello, you are transported to a screened in porch, cramped tight with good friends, warmed by cheap wine, and the smells of summer are fresh in your breath. At least, that's what I got out of my first few listens.
Perhaps the more I listen to this album, the more places I will be transported to. Perhaps not, but that's not going to stop me from trying because the moment you lift the needle from the silent locked groove, you'll just want to flip the record and start it all over again. Oh, and if that's not enough to get you to buy this, tell me how many 11" records you have ever seen."
Beasts for A While is still available from Ownness Records!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Another fantastic comp
I must say I have enjoyed fully every comp I have been fortunate enough to be included. So much of a good comp is about the person who selects the music, and puts the tracks in a pleasing order. This comp is no exception. It is just FANTASTIC!Ordering details are on the Delirious Insomniac Blog
==Below is a reposting from the Delirious Insomniac Blog===
The Delirious Insomniac Freeform Radio Show has haunted the airwaves of WLUW into the wee hours of dreary Monday Nights since 2008. Host Arvo Fingers uses his lengthy experience as a sleepless madman to wield surrealistic songs and sounds into a slithering swath for 4 hours a week. Presently, "Delirious Insomniac" is also syndicated on RadioKL.Hr in Croatia, with occasional interviews, virtual guest installations, ghost hosts, and radio art. On September 9th, 2011, Arvo Fingers and WLUW will be celebrating the 4th Anniversary of the Delirious Insomniac Freeform Radio Show as well as the release of the first volume of "Delirious Music For Delirious People", a compilation featuring Jarboe, Controlled Bleeding, Zola Jesus, Boyd Rice and Friends, Gary Wilson, BeNe GeSSeRiT, Big City Orchestra, Hans Grusel's Krankenkabinet, and others.
The Delirious Insomniac Freeform Radio Show has haunted the airwaves of WLUW into the wee hours of dreary Monday Nights since 2008. Host Arvo Fingers uses his lengthy experience as a sleepless madman to wield surrealistic songs and sounds into a slithering swath for 4 hours a week. Presently, "Delirious Insomniac" is also syndicated on RadioKL.Hr in Croatia, with occasional interviews, virtual guest installations, ghost hosts, and radio art. On September 9th, 2011, Arvo Fingers and WLUW will be celebrating the 4th Anniversary of the Delirious Insomniac Freeform Radio Show as well as the release of the first volume of "Delirious Music For Delirious People", a compilation featuring Jarboe, Controlled Bleeding, Zola Jesus, Boyd Rice and Friends, Gary Wilson, BeNe GeSSeRiT, Big City Orchestra, Hans Grusel's Krankenkabinet, and others.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
From the Radio Archives: Insect Corner on DO or DIY
Irene Moon and friends with Insect Corner on WFMU in 2009 featured on DO or DIY hosted by People Like Us. Below are the links to the archives right to the insect corner selections (not in any particular order)!
1. Pat and Ellen. A rebroadcast of Questions from Pat and Ellen about Spider Mites.
2. Leafhoppers and Frass
3. Insect Diversity
4. Heinz tells tales of New Jersey Insects
5. Heinz tells tales of WWII insects
6. Introduction to Insects from Curator Bill with a Social Insect Focus
7. Aunty Pat and Aunty Ellen fill in for Ken: Insect Corner Branches out on the Phylogenetic Tree with Tapeworms.
The podcasts use the WFMU popup flash audio player...
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