Students of Decay

Luis Nanook // “Luis”

New project featuring Chihei Hatakeyama, debut available now on Flyrec.

Jasper TX // “A Voice from Dead Radio” (Under the Spire, 2010)

Due out soon on UK’s superb Under the Spire imprint is this double CD by Sweden’s Jasper TX, a project with which I’m very pleased to be involved. The release culls together some out of print Jasper TX recordings on the first disc, while the second disc contains remixes by a superb assortment of artists, as listed below. The album should be available to purchase soon. Don’t miss out!

01: Harrisburg Pt.1 remix by Pillowdiver
02: Harrisburg Pt.2 cover by Zelienople
03: D remix by Jefre Cantu-Ledesma
04: A remix by Xela
05: A Beacon To Lead Us There remix by Peter Broderick
06: The Glow Of Minerals remix by Simon Scott
07: Through Dusk…And Falling Leaves remix by Steinbruchel
08: Our Way Through The Field remix by Aaron Martin
09: A Quiet Gloom remix by Alex Cobb
10: A Voice From Dead Radio assembly by Seaworthy

Alex Cobb // “Lamina”

Sneak peak from my upcoming full-length CD due out later this year on the stellar Slow Flow Records label out of Japan. Photo by Dani Long.

ryonkt // “Clear Air”

“Clear Air” appears on ryonkt’s Past Memory and Image full length, due out later this month in an edition of 150. Ordering info will be posted in the next week or so.

Jefre Cantu-Ledesma & Paul Clipson // “Within Mirrors” Art

I thought I’d give you guys a sneak peak at the artwork for the “Within Mirrors” DVD, which is presently being authored by Spencer Yeh, slated for release sometime in March if all goes according to plan. We still have a few of the special editions (which includes a bonus 3″ of music by Jefre) available; contact me if you’re interested. For those who might have missed it, clips of some of the films may be found here. Thanks again to all the pre-orderers!

On the Horizon // En: “Mother of Thousands”

En is a relatively new duo comprised of San Francisco musicians Maxwell August Croy (Root Strata) and James Devane (Bremsstrahlung). The pair have been hard at work for some time now crafting their debut album, due out on Root Strata later this year. “Mother of Thousands” offers a peak into the duo’s sound, in which all manner of bowed strings are run through various custom processing systems and filters to yield a surging, resplendent ur-drone that is rife with brilliant detail. Be sure to also check out James’ superb debut solo offering, available for free download via the Bremsstrahlung site linked above.

Minor Changes

Some of you may have noticed that SOD splash page now redirects you here. In short, due to a recent computer crash and losing much software (and music), I’ll be operating the label from here now, in conjunction with the blog. There will be individual pages for each release and such added in the next few days. Hopefully this will mean a more frequently updated site and a better all around interface.

In label news, Asuna + Opitope’s “Sunroom” is due back from the plant any day now, pre-orderers will get copies first, then I’ll be making it available to purchase again here. Due out at the same time is a new ryonkt full-length disc entitled “Past Memory and Image.” It is, in my mind, the best of his recent offerings, a mix of crystalline drones and pulses, also featuring a wondrous Celer remix.  The Cantu/Clipson “Within Mirrors” DVD will be going into production within the month, with a targeted release date of late March. Thanks to pre-orderers for your support of the release; it will be well worth the wait!

Emily Victoria Porsch // “Birchwood Series”

UK folks, check out Emily Porsch’s stunning “Birchwood Series” exhibit. Emily is a wonderful photographer (and sound artist), concerned principally with natural decay and the way it can be made to interact with both visual and aural works. Some of the images from this series will be featured as album art for the upcoming Taiga Remains retrospective CD on Phaserprone. More info about Emily’s work here.

Juana Molina & Gareth Dickson // “Two Trains”

Danny Paul Grody // “Fountain” (Root Strata, 2010)

“Fountain” is the debut solo album by San Francisco multi-instrumentalist and Tarentel member Danny Grody, and is a splendid initial public offering indeed. Grody’s compositions are primarily guitar based, with languid finger-picked melodies rippling over one another, occasionally imbued with sounds from other sources, such as keyboards, bowed strings, location recordings and melodica.

The record begins with “Dawn,” a short piece in which reverent acoustic guitar chords are afforded the space to ring out and decay before fading into what is perhaps my favorite track, the beautiful, pastoral “Four Years.” Grody’s playing here is particularly exquisite, as he develops an evocative, joyous theme which remains adrift in my ears long after the piece’s final note is plucked. “Well Wisher” is similar in construction but considerably more plaintive, as slow clusters of picked notes flicker and fade, augmented by a subtle, ghostly chiming.

On “Hungry/Haunted,” Grody situates the listener in front of a window on a rainy morning, as field recordings cast a veritable patina of nostalgia onto the devotional guitar melodies which accompany them. The album’s longest track, “Eve,” finds Grody merging mantra-like guitar figures with coiling, droning wisps of sound. It feels like the record’s apex, synthesizing in one long piece the various melodic and textural elements which cohere so well throughout the album’s duration. It is a peak that is buttressed by beautiful, sparse acoustic guitar pieces, the eponymous track and “Night Blooms.”

“Fountain” feels like an album that’s been long in coming. Grody’s playing is assured, focused and completely engrossing. I’d be remiss also if I didn’t mention the simply superb mastering job done by Greg Davis. This is wonderful, life affirming stuff, and an early entry in my barely nascent best of 2010 list (my god, this already?). Out January 15 (ish) on the always impeccable Root Strata. Clips and such available here.