Recently local music weekly Seven Days published a review of The Le Duo’s latest offering snwstrm saying:

“The surround instrumentation is too cacophonous for the listener to make out any kind of harmonic phrasing, experimental or otherwise. Whatever interesting improvisational creations might be happening here, they’re hard to grasp.”

“Even in the widely cast, anything-goes spectrum of experimental noise, this snwstrm never truly develops from the percussive din of its “Pt. 1.” A few scant clarinet phrases pipe up, and there are sometimes audible tape loops and seconds of barely discernable electric guitar.”

In his response SD’s staff blogger Will came out strongly in favor of The Le Duo (and Burlington’s flourishing experimental scene) stating in his article “The Art of Noise”

“To me, the le duo is the current genuine voice of whatever scene Burlington experimental music has created. The ever-evolving free-improv group could be seen as more of a collective. Started in 2006 by former Nest Material drummer and percussionist JB Ledoux, it has since comprised a fluid cast of folks from the area. The group’s forte is an elementary sense of musical freedom focused into a shifting complexity of textures and sounds, fused and scattered by JB’s percussion.”

“The solidified direction of the album’s two tracks weave different emotional tones throughout the whole piece as its slight, yet dramatic shifts carry the experience along at a meditative pace. It’s a soundtrack to someone on the verge of dreams, running through the confusion of vertigo.”

Quite differing opinions wouldn’t you agree?
Care to take the pepsi challenge?

Aether Everywhere is proud to announce the release of The Le Duo’s Second LP, Snwstrm!

Download it here! / Comment here

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Aether everywhere has been popping up all over lately with a series of new releases and  it’s artists playing shows at the monkey and the bakery, including a killer line-up this weekend at The Bakery featuring Nuda Veritas & The Le Duo, (who’s latest release “snwstrm” can be downloaded via the Aether Everywhere Label Section, or using the link above)  and a special appearance by The Pawlet Performance Project. (for more information, click here.)

Speaking of Nuda Veritas aka Rebecca Kopycinski – Dan Bolles at SevenDays recently wrote a great review of both her albums saying,

“the album is the musical manifestation of its handmade cover art. Each copy’s jacket was sewn together from pieces of recycled LP covers — mine: Robert Plant’s Shaken & Stirred. Not for the faint of ears, Kopycinski’s sonic abstractions — vocal and otherwise — challenge the listener to pay attention. But those who do will be rewarded with a glimpse into the stirring creative soul of a visionary local artist.” (read the rest)

Beyond that the label is gearing up for a split tape release between label stalwart VIKOMT (formerly Von Cosel)  & England’s Coldstream. Fans of Noise and harsh ambient should keep their ears open and eyes pealed for the limited edition release coming soon.

Arklight – “Aphasia” ( Grimeology Records/GRM012)

One of Grimeology Records latest releases comes from Arklight, a four-piece noise rock group from Queens, NY.  The 50-minute album is named “Aphasia” a term referring to “the loss of the ability to produce and/or comprehend language”.

The album opens with a track called “Killing My Name, I Cannot Go Forth”, a noise-rock jam that is reminiscent of early Sonic Youth, back in their grittier No-Wave days.  The track takes a bit to hit its stride, meandering around some warm up riffs mingling with lo-fi tape hiss.  About two minutes in, the guitar and drums start to meld into a coherent, if monotonous, rhythm.   The track seems excessively long (a lack of editing is this album’s greatest downfall), though it has its moments.

The next track, “By Dint of the Sun’s Plastic Attack”, takes on a very different feel.  Opening with some heavy rhythmic drumming (almost black metal beats), the track takes on a sense of cohesion must faster than the opener, introducing a phased guitar and some noise textures early on.  Chanted vocals also make a presence, though they could have been a bit more prominent in the mix. Again, this track suffers from a lack of editing, sounding more like a practice session than a true composition.  It’s a shame too, because when this track hits its stride (namely the 7:00-8:00 section), it shows tremendous potential.

“Campbell’s Militia” follows, with grinding, crumbling drum beats and punkish guitar riffs opening the track. It’s a simple piece, but one of the most balanced on the album.  There is some really solid drumming on this track, but it is unfortunately downplayed by the lo-fi production, an aesthetic choice that unfortunately hurts “Aphasia” more than it helps it.   A slow-down transition around the four-minute mark takes on an almost Fugazi-esque feel, and the track closes with the first proper track ending on the album.

The fourth track, “Daguerrotype”, is by far the stand-out.  A nice blending of heavily reverbed industrial sounds, dark ambient guitar tones & heartbeat-like staccato drumming, “Daguerrotype” is the most restrained and masterful selection on “Aphasia”.  The higher production values on this track lend a greater degree of clarity, and could have been helpful if applied to the rest of the album.  The track shows a good sense of atmosphere, build-up & composition, and the whispered vocals add a primitive and haunting touch. Very reminiscent of early Einsturzende Neubauten & good enough that I can forgive the rushed ending.

“Daguerrotype” is followed up by the unfortunately named track “The Language Of War Is Victims”.   Sounding like a free-jazz band in a washing machine, the track takes on a narcotic dirge over ten minutes, ranging from moments of brilliance (the feedback squalls around 4:00 min; the loops at 9:00) to clichéd experiments that should have been edited out (the twangy guitar at the 6:30 mark).  Despite its flaws, it’s still a unique piece that shows a lot of potential.

The album ends strangely with “Luxuriating In a Bath of Adjacent Strings”, an extremely out-of-place harsh techno piece that sounds like an Acid Loops track outputted through a distortion pedal.  While the track takes on moments of PE brilliance (particularly towards the end), it suffers from generic techno beats and concepts, reaching its worst around the 6:30 mark, where it sounds like a cheesy homage to The Prodigy.  This said, the track has some great moments, but it sounds completely out of context with the rest of this album.

While uneven in its production and schizophrenic in style, Arklight’s “Aphasia” still shows moments of great potential.  Coming in at over 50 minutes, “Aphasia” could have been much more effective if it been substantially shorter (this could have been a really tight 20+ minute EP).  If the group is able to spend more time with editing on their next release, finding the diamonds and throwing out the dirt, they could have some really promising material.

Artklight’s “Aphasia” is available for purchase at www.grimeology.com/store

id m theft able “shh portal of bleh-shh gobs do” c90 (tape recordings from Europe 4/07)

Did you know that we only use ten percent of our brains? We’ve all heard this myth, but I think we should explore the idea that we only use ten percent of our vocal cords. My theory is based on a tape made by id m theft able. This audio document is a demonstration of an untapped resource that resides in all of us.

Id m pulls out an amazing array of gurgles, spurts, yelps, hollers, grunts, pops, and squeals from his throat. It was amazing to witness this live and it also works at home on your hi-fi system. Mr. theft able also accompanies himself with various objects and noise makers that are hooked up to contact microphones allowing him to draw out both worldly and otherworldly sounds from a table sitting in front of him. These range from toy squeaks to amplified screeches that can strip the paint off the wall. We’re accustomed to hearing the human voice create recognizable sounds using words and sometimes we set those words to a melody creating a song. Using the voice as a sound instrument can have a disorienting result. You may cringe, laugh, or sit and wonder how one man is creating this sound. It’s sometimes difficult to discern between the man and the machines on this tape.

This cassette contains about ten different recordings. They do a wonderful job at bringing the id m live sound to your living room. The tape also captures spontaneous jams with Euro drunks and even a fight and verbal argument that ensue at one show. The altercation doesn’t sound out of place at all. The sound is raw and crude and gives you the feeling of sitting in a small bar listening to a live performance. Shuffling feet and glasses clinking are all part of the soundscape. The foreign chatter that occurs between and during sets also adds to the dizzying effect of the music.

It’s a real treat getting to hear sound-poetry performed in front of a modern day audience. It continues a wonderful tradition that may or may not have had its start with the Fluxus and Dada movements along with such pioneers and Henri Chopin and Francois Dufrene. If you’re interested at all in this world, you should check ubu.com for tons of sights and sounds.

This is my first introduction to id m theft able and I looked forward to future transmissions from this bearded poet. For more sound and information you can check the man’s website at http://www.kraag.org

DISCUSS IT.