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

It was nearly 4 a.m. when the phone rang, and I feared the worst.  I was long past the phase in my life when drunken college buddies or ex-girlfriends called in the wee hours of the morning.  These days, if the phone rings after 10pm, it’s usually because someone is dead.  Or worse.

I fumbled to turn on the lamp, knocking over a glass of water and waking my wife.  ”What’s wrong?” she slurred, rubbing her eyes.  “I don’t know,” I responded, worried about whatever horrific news awaited me.  My voice warbled slightly as I gave a soft greeting of “hello”.  There was a long pause on the other end of the line

Finally a husky, heavily accented female voice (Russian? German?) responded back:  “Eez deez Jhay Blon-kard?” she hissed.

“Yes,” I responded, “yes this Jay Blanchard.  Who is this?”

“Deez eez Sahrin.  I handles all meedya affair for ze lee doo oh.  Meestah Lee Doo would likes to meet wif yoo for your eenterview immediately.  We will sendza cah.  Come ahlone.”

The phone clicked.  My hands still shaking, I hung up the receiver and stood up.  ”I….I have to go,” I whispered to my wife, and grabbed the pre-packed duffel bag that leaned against the doorframe to our bedroom.  She nodded, knowingly, as I rushed out the door.

Less than five minutes later, a black limousine pulled up to my house.  It was long enough to take up the entire driveway and then some, the back doors spilling out over the curb and into the street.  I entered through these doors, and realized that the driver and myself were the only inhabitants.

“Uh, hi, I’m going to see Mister L……..”

The driver rolled up the electric back window and I rode the 45 minutes to The Le Duo compound in silent, nervous anticipation.  It was only at this point that I realized all of the windows had been blacked out.

We arrived as we left—in total darkness.  Almost immediately as the car came to a stop, I was pulled out into a large, cold, dark room (I can only assume it was an underground bunker of some sort) and blindfolded by a large, shadowy figure.  I stumbled awkwardly, my arms held on either side by a bent bicep that was larger than my waistline. After my encounter with the driver, I assumed it would be better to just remain silent and listen.  I can remember the sounds of echoing footsteps, the hum of a large industrial elevator, and then the heavy moan of a large hardwood door being opened (I can’t be sure, but I remember it smelled of mahogany).

Once the door was opened, I felt a blast of warmer, drier air & the sounds of a baroque score mingling with the scent of musk and tropical fruits attacked my senses.  The blindfold was removed and I found that I had been left, alone, in a palatial room adorned with the finest Louis XVI furniture in deep tones of maroon and purple, the color of congealed blood.

Within seconds, a well-dressed female assistant entered the room with an ornate silver tray, piled high with Almas caviar and Knipschildt truffles.  Without a word, she waved her arm to motion toward the back of the room where a well-stocked bar resided.  On its mirrored surface laid three large mounds of white powder, a couple razor blades, and a large stack of handrolled cigarettes.  I poured myself a liberal glass of 30-year old Macallan, but decided to forgo the powders, which contained secret pleasures of which I can only imagine.  Had to keep a straight head—I’d never get an interview opportunity like this in my lifetime again, that much was for sure.  I sank down in a plush armchair and lit one of the Cuban Cohibas, large as a baby’s forearm, that sat in a box to my right.

About an hour later, the huge entranceway to the room opened, and my stomach dropped.  The artist himself had entered the room and immediately drew to himself all of its energies. Draped in a flowing silk kimono, he exuded an extreme presence, yet still appeared to float gracefully above the proceedings, like a sedated swan. I knew immediately I was in the presence of a great artist—but also a very powerful and dangerous man.

What follows is my interview. At least what I remember of it. I mysterious blacked out at one point and woke up in a dark limousine, my tape recordings erased.

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How did the idea for the le duo project come about?

-after my former band, nest material, broke up in 2006 i was looking for a musical outlet.  i envisioned a project that was completely free and that would allow me to play whatever i wanted- however loud or fast or rock&roll like or jazzy or whatever.

What are the greatest challenges and rewards in making improvisational music?

- well, the obvious answer is this:  the greatest challenge is getting everybody on the same page and creating something good.  the reward is that moment when everything comes together & everyone is cooking.  you kinda look around and think ‘yeah man, this is it’

It seems like the le duo is somewhat of a “supergroup” (incorporating top musicians from several bands) which in music history have been notorious failures.  What is different about the le duo that makes it work?

-well, i think lack of ego is a main difference.  everyone i play with is only in it to play, ya know?  its an opportunity for the musicians to get together with people they maybe havent played with before and have some fun.  you can basically bring whatever instruments or noise makers you want and just go.  its a great environment for creativity

Where do you feel the le duo fits in with the whole of the Burlington music scene?  What other acts, if any, are exploring the same type of sonic territory?

-i dont really know if this kind of music has a place here in burlington.  other than ensemble V (arthur brooks and michael chorneys free improv group) i cant think of any other groups doing this thing.  nest material used to bring a kinda free/experimental rock sound, and at the time there were a few like minded groups around, like aquadora & magic sparkle, but i’m not sure any more.

What were your influences for the le duo?  This can be musical or other sources.

- american and european free jazz from the 60’s and early 70’s are a big influence, especially later coltrane, don cherry, pharoah sanders, han bennink & peter brotzman & misha mengleberg, the black artists group etc etc.  also things like the dead and frank zappa and fusion miles, and CAN and on and on

If you could play with any musician, living or dead, who would it be and why?

- i would love to play drums with elvin jones.  he was powerful and subtle and dynamic and just a really beautiful player.

Do you consider the le duo to be a “jazz” project? Is jazz really “dead” in your opinion?

-  i would say no, we are not a jazz group.  i for one do not have the chops to be considered a jazz player and most of the rest of the musicians come from an experimental and drone place. wheter jazz is dead or not, i’m not sure.  seems like nothing really new has come around since the mid 70’s but maybe i’m biased

The musicians you work with come from many different musical backgrounds and genres, ranging from jazz to rock to harsh noise to drone.  How does this melding of musical ideas help or hinder the creative process in the le duo?

-  having people from different backgrounds is what the le duo is all about.  taking people away from what they are used to and throwing them into this messy musical stew is great- maybe you try something you’ve never thought of before, maybe it works, maybe it doesnt, but you tried it and thats awesome.

Where does the name of your EP come from?

-  i was reading alot of doestoevsky this past winter and i think its a quote from ‘notes from the underground’

Translating a live improve piece to a physical recording can be difficult.  What is your personal philosophy on recordings?  Is the goal to capture the live performance “as is” or create a sound of how you think it “should be”?

-  how it is IS how i think it should be.  the changes we made to the recordings werent made cause i wasnt happy about the uncut live show, they were made to just try different things out.  maybe my next ep i’ll just release as is, no editing.

What are your future goals for the le duo project?

-  i’d like to continue to play 3 or 4 gigs a year with as many different people as possible.  next time, tho, i dont think i’m gonna play the full drum set, maybe i’ll just throw my bag of small percussion instruments on the floor and just go to town

The MXR M-169 Carbon Copy Analog Delay
Review by Jay Blanchard (Spitting Out Teeth)

It wasn’t really my intention to buy an MXR Carbon Copy analog delay. I had been reading a lot about the new Boss RE-20 Space Echo pedal, and I was convinced that I needed one so I went to Daddy’s music shop to try it out. While I was there, I noticed the Carbon Copy and thought it wouldn’t hurt to have another delay/echo unit to compare it to.

While I didn’t dislike the RE-20 (it’s actually a really cool pedal; Boss is doing some amazing stuff with COSM), it just didn’t compare with the lush, warm analog tones of the Carbon Copy. I thought the RE-20 was going to sell me with the weird tones, but the Carbon Copy is a fine pedal for experimental music in its own right, with some wicked self-oscillation (more on this later).

After playing around with both pedals for an hour (and severely freaking out the rock dudes at Daddy’s with my spacey noise & drones), my decision was made—the RE-20 stays, the Carbon Copy is going home with me.

I’ve had the pedal for a couple of weeks now & I’ve been able to test it out pretty thoroughly with everything from clean guitar slap delays to doom metal riffage to running an analog synth through it & a half-dozen other pedals. As a result, I think I’ve discovered most of its strengths and limitations.

PROS:

Gorgeous analog tone
Incredibly simple to use
Small footprint
Plays well with others

CONS:

Hard to access modulation controls
Blinding LEDs
Quality control issues
Not “true” bypass

I’ll go into a bit more depth on each of these, staring with the pros:

TONE: For a $150 pedal, this thing sounds damn good. I never really considered buying an analog delay before because A) they were too expensive (AD-999, Moogerfooger) and B) I already had my DD-20 Giga Delay. After five minutes with the Carbon Copy, I realized that my DD-20 would be relegated to only effects work and looping from now on. The DD-20 just sounds so sterile now compared to the CC.

EASE OF USE: Three knobs and a button. You have controls for mix (wet/dry signal), regen (number of delay repeats) and delay (timing of delay, from 1-600ms; most analog delays only go to 300ms). There is also a small button to activate the modulation, which adds a nice, subtle chorusy sound to the repeats. The only noobie issue may be with learning the limitations of the settings before the pedal goes into wild self-oscillation. You’ll learn quickly though on the first time you set the Regen to max and the Delay to min—it’s LOUD! That said, once you learn the boundaries of the oscillation, you can play around them to create some really cool spacey sound effects, great for experimental ambient/drone recordings.

SMALL FOOTPRINT: Most analog delays (such as the previously mentioned AD-999 and Moogerfooger) are large pedals that take up a lot of space on the pedalboard. The Carbon Copy is anorexic by comparison—it’s the same size an MXR Phase 90, which is about 75% of the size of an average Boss pedal. The CC also looks nice too—an eye-catching dark green paintjob with blue sparkles mixed in.

PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS: I ran the Carbon Copy in the second spot of a pedal chain which included an Effector 13 Synth Mangler, the DD-20 and a Holy Grail reverb. I was expecting to have all of the analog sucked dry by having it in a chain with a bunch of non-true bypass digital pedals, but surprisingly most of the nice warm attributes of the CC’s tone were retained.

Sounds pretty great so far, huh? Well, here are a few of the cons:

MODULATION: While the Carbon Copy offers modulation, it probably would have been better if MXR just left it off completely & saved a few bucks. While the modulation on/off switch is conveniently located on the front of the pedal, the controls to set the modulation amount are housed INSIDE of the pedal (one of the payoffs of such a small pedal is limited real estate). You can adjust the amount/rate of modulation by adjusting the internal trim pots with a jeweler’s screwdriver. Kind of a pain, especially for experimental music where you may want to adjust modulation on the fly.

Also, even once you crank the modulation to max, it’s still really subtle—nowhere near the nice warbly effects you get with, say, an Earthquaker Devices Disaster Transport. You can always remedy this by just adding a pitch shifter and chorus pedal into your mix though.

LEDs: Ok, this isn’t necessarily a con for some people, but the blue LEDs (there are two of them) on the Carbon Copy are bright. No, not “bright”, BRIGHT. Blindingly bright, to the point that they will light up a small darkened room. Like I said, for some performers this may be a plus, as it gives you a better view of your board at shows. But for performers who rely on a dark ambience for their shows (or just don’t like to be blinded while tweaking the pedal during rehearsals/recording) might find it annoying; I know I sure do. My solution—just put some small pieces of masking tape over the LEDs. You can still see that they’re on, but it tones down the brightness quite a bit.

QUALITY CONTROL: Apparently a lot of users have had to return their CC’s due to issues with the Regen control—it goes from a single repeat to 6 or 7, instead of a gradual increase. This wasn’t a problem with mine, but I figured I’d mention it as it seems common. A good way to avoid this is to demo & buy your pedal at a local music store instead of online. I haven’t really found the price on this pedal to be much better on Musician’s Friend or Amazon anyhow.

BYPASS: There’s a lot of controversy as to whether this pedal is “true bypass” (i.e hard-wired so that you don’t lose tone). MXR apparently claims it is, while all the tech geeks out there are saying that it isn’t—while it uses a bypass method it isn’t “true” true bypass. Whatever. It sounds damn good to me and I don’t notice any tone loss at all, especially when compared to my DD-20, which is a real tone sucker.

So that’s it. The cons really aren’t that bad in my opinion, and the syrupy analog sounds more than make up for it. And it’s great for all types of music, from doing cheesy U2/Edge covers to Floydian echoes to spacey experimental soundscapes. If you’re looking for a true bucket-brigade analog delay pedal at a relatively low price, you can’t go wrong with the MXR Carbon Copy. Any questions or comments can be followed up in the forums here

MSRP $149.