SONIC MASALA: Digitizing Guitar Ground Sounds On This Day Of Birth

Wednesday, 4 February 2015

Digitizing Guitar Ground Sounds On This Day Of Birth - Geoff & Cloudsound

So it's my birthday today. I wasn't really sure what to write about - there are heaps of good bands that I wanted to have as my 'birthday post' - but then I haven't been listening to that stuff. Today is a hellish day at work, so I needed something that could help me hit the slipstream of cruise control, take me on some cerebral flights of fantasy, and just get me the fuck to 5pm so I can get home to my girlfriend, a bucketload of spicy buffalo wings, some beers and party times. And the two albums that are allowing me to stay chilled in the midst of a adolescent shitstorm of a day?

Cloudsound and Geoff.

Have you heard of either of these dudes? Geoff is the musical pseudonym of one of the founders of eclectic musical outlier label Teflon Beast (responsible for last year's great Point of Being release). His latest effort is a 30+ retrospective (the dude may be under the radar, but that means he is prolific as fuck) called Searching For The Sound: 2011-2014, which delves into everything from contemplative, Western-esque drone that Dylan Carlson has loved of late ('Earth Surf'), found sound in the idiot box of the sports world ('Fanfare/Victory') and a guitar odyssey of noise ('Guitar #1-3'). There are improvisations and electronic extrapolations as well - this is an expansive journey of the mind and soul. In other words, Geoff is great.

And then we have the 18th release to come out of Heligator Records, and this one is a longplayer as opposed to the normal single or short form fare the charity based label is known for. Cloudsound is the languid guitar-and-gauze explorations of American-in-Sweden Lee Boyd and II is a meditative journey into hidden inner realms. It's the type of contemplative tapestry that could fit snugly into a New Age therapy session as it could a blissed-out expedition into the unknown, and it's this nebulous grandeur that, rather than detract from its intent, augments it. II will take you wherever you want it to, incrementally, in ephemeral moments that melt into each other just like the cover art's sun melts over the horizon...

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About

It was early on a Sunday morning at ATP - A Nightmare Before Christmas 2009. After downing a fair few, at 4am we decided to cook a curry. It was during the consumption of this drunkenly delicious breakfast treat that we decided to actually do something about the music we talk about all the time.

So we started a blog – and Sonic Masala was born. Now into its seventh year, the blog has spread out to call both Australia and the UK its home (and the rest of the world), and has expanded to include gigs, festivals and a record label under its black umbrella. Come on, eat the noize.

If an mp3 is up here, it's because we have been talking about it, and think the whole world needs to know more. It's there to give you a little taste. Then, if you like, check out the band live and spend all your hard earned cash on their records. If we've posted up an mp3 of your stuff and you're not too keen on the idea, let us know and we'll happily take it down pronto.