Frolicking In Field Hymns

I don't talk about them as much as I should, but one of my favourite labels of the last couple of years is the outre electronic bathysphere that is Field Hymns, constantly finding outlier synthetic sonics to stroke the brain and stimulate the soul. This morning I am enamoured by the 8-bit via cerebral ambient malaise that is Three Fourths Tigers' Indoor Voice.

The title track opens up proceedings, and somehow manages to be cavernous and intricate in synapse-frying scope. But its the dial-tone (both regular and irregular) that permeates the nebulous cryogenic lagoon that is 'Line Connector' where we realise something unique is happening here; it is a psychotropic mind melt in the first half, before holding a note like a cut-off tone before surreptitiously dipping into ambient analogue modulation. 'Windows Excel' is a more "traditional" kosmiche undulation, taking tantric synth into wide, spacious realms - an oddly soothing psychedelic suspension. 'Petrifloral' is almost pastoral in its ebullient waves, both synthetic language and organ epiphany. 'Rainbow Russ' is the score to a existential point-and-click emotive adventure, all VGA colours and vivid imaginations. 'Visitor Sphere' takes the bubbling brook motif that a lot of naturalistic sound collagers use as a carpet foundation to build more expansive, mindbending constructions, but here is allowed to complement a somewhat simplistic sonics to energise an otherworldly terrain - both field recording and satellite sound capture. The wonky buzz and hum that opens 'Other Landings' evokes the ascent/descent of extra-dimensional craft, before a bell rings off and silence, other than an oscillating permutation and a ringing presence persists - a fluttering middle-ground, a floating stasis within the mind, everything out of sync, focus, weightless ambiguity. Finishing with the slow-building amalgam of electro-futurist pioneers that is 'Ensphynx', Indoor Voice is a stunning piece of work.

But I feel remiss if I don't mention some of the other recent releases the label has pushed, especially after my post on Brisbane fringe dwellers FEET TEETH yesterday. There is Murmurs and Echoes from Norway's Andreas Brandal, which somehow manages to inhabit the iconic realm of the Spaghetti Western score made famous by Ennio Morricone, and make it a mechanised Other, with flourishes from introspective, ancient Japanese folk, immolating tape, scraping metal on deserted concrete floors, and latter-day Earth-esque meandering sunburnt instrumentals. I actually love this release more than Indoor Voice - but came to it later. Seriously though, it is bloody breathtaking.


Then there are these two - the Krautrock-via-Pink Floyd dream that is The Snowfields' new album How To Get Good Sound From A Dead Ear; and The Man Who Drank God, the truly warped parallel universe lost recordings of a death cult that is Ak'chamel The Giver Of Illness.



Field Hymns are always pushing the boundaries, confronting and consuming, and will always be worth your time.

Yves Malone Triple

Yves Malone has two distinct pleasures in life - genre film, and synthesisers. His first few releases were fake scores to non-existent B-Grade VHS films, complete with retro cover art. You can feel the fingerprints of Carpenter, Vangelis, Moroder, Carlos, Harrison, the Barrons (their score for Forbidden Planet is one of the best, hands down, then there is the story behind it - they are geniuses)... There are plenty more. Genre cinema of the 50s to the 80s was truly innovative for its adherence to electronic experimentation, and Malone continues in this trend. His latest release, Last Angeles, is a split cassette with Adderall Canyonly, and it is deliciously retro futuristc, sleek, seductive, and dark (the meltdown at the end of 'Blackest Ever Was' in particular), but it's all great. Take your pick below - you won't be disappointed. (And be quick - all cassette releases are in single digit availability, so snap up one of the last copies now!)

Too Many Cassettes For This Sad Horse Town

I was not expecting to hear an album like Purple On Purple Makes Purple come out of the Field Hymns stable, but then again the label aim to surprise, forever throwing curveballs at the ears. Sad Horse may not fit the nebulous electronic weirdnik mold that Field Hymns often champion - this kind of slacker punk maelstrom is more suited to angular destructions than 8-bit eargasms - but on the strength of this album anyone would be stupid not to have put this out... The Portland duo have been compared to some heavyweights such as The Stooges, Pavement and Sleater-Kinney - all with misnomers of course (on Ritalin, with a sense of humo(u)r, etc etc), but the label itself gets the one-two punch combo right by saying that Purple On Purple Makes Purple has shades of Pussy Galore in its garish DNA, exploding in a "controlled sense of fuckall and abandon." Now before you start to throw the lazy writing what the bio states flag at me, I will say this - Sad Horse slay me, with fourteen sub-two minute slabs of barb(ed)iturate wails and loose-limbed flailing and laughing - on the inside and in your face. 'You Are Idiots' is probably my favourite slice of Sad Horse pie, but it is all delicious, if somewhat destructive to your health and sense of well-being. I'm heading back for seconds.




Purple On Purple Makes Purple is cassette only - put out for Cassette Store Day - and limited to 100, which is frankly dumb - this should be littering everyone's bedroom floor, preferably by the thousands. Get it here while you can - and put it out on vinyl already.

Hits From The Box #50 - Half Century Blues

And they said it wouldn't last...but here we are, two and a third years into the bizniz and fifty Hits From The Box later. Lots have gone down since we thunk up this bloody thing over booze, drugs and a broiling broth of curry, but one thing is certain - music is everything. So before we start getting all misty-eyed, let's have at it, shall we? And let's get as eclectic as ever...


Remember that night that Hawkwind and Can made out and mutated babies and their progeny formed a band too? No? That's because it never happened. But if it had happened, said band would be Eyes. A Candle In The Crown Of The Dawn is a frenetic release, relentless with its rhythmic assault (seriously, the drummer doesn't quit!), 'Far & Away', the opening track, is a parallel ancient Greek soundtrack - with V shaped guitars and bongs! It rocks and is a hell of a lot of fun. The groove slows down, but the intent to snuggle inside the 70s stoner prog afterbirth remains. It's out now through excellent Portland label Field Hymns, grab it here. NB - this is actually TWO YEARS OLD! They have two other releases out, Ill aim to do a follow up shortly!)

EYES - Far & Away
EYES - Grey Moss


Coming from the same label stable, Susurrus is a Portland electronic noise outfit that offer some serious nose-exploding industrial drone. Starting off with two minutes of dead air, 'Mvt. 1' winds up the tension. It ebbs and flows, offering orchestral flourishes amongst the artificial squalls and screeches. 'Mvt.2' is just as synthetic, yet is creepier in a fashion, utilising the silences between musical stages and incorporating sounds like mobile phones and frog croaks. It's techno horror, yet somehow beautifully rendered, an incredibly interesting listen. Great headphone music - but not whilst walking alone at night...perfect 21st century horror soundtrack right here, something like The Signal or Pulse... Susurrus is out here.

Susurrus - Mvt.2


Offering a change of pace, the alluring Ariel Starling is a 20 year old Austinite (IE lives in Austin Texas). Starling claims to spend most of her time in the closet recording weirdly thoughtful pop songs about vultures and dead babies on cassette. Sounds fair to me. Her debut EP Black Dust is sparse, mostly Starling and her electric guitar, and is equal parts melancholic, introspective, yet on 'Armadillo' we see her rock side. Overall, a lovely introduction. Time to get out of the closet and onto the street.

Ariel Starling - Celeritas
Ariel Starling - Armadillo


Who wants some backwards music? Lucky that we have Edward Korft in the back pocket, then. The Brooklyn musician has created some excellent sinuous ambient grooves here. You can grab it, and his new track 'I've Got The Shit To Pull This Off', here.

Edward Korft - modnaromem
Edward Korft - enola


Funny/Not Funny Records have helped to put out No Jams, the second record for North Carolina band Naked Gods (and 1st on the label). It's jam-packed full of short guitar pop numbers that love their guitars and whimsical lyricism (listen to the excellent 'Shaq & Diane' for evidence - oh, the pun there, zing!). There is an element of White Denim in the schizophrenic nature of these tracks, which is a great thing. Grab No Jams here.

Naked Gods - Shaq & DianeNaked Gods - Soft Drugs


And because we can never have enough raucous punk rock from New Zealand, we will finish off this 50th HFTB with Raplh. The duo played in band FATANGRYMAN that I spoke about last year here, whilst Jessica went on to Kitsunegari and Ary was in Onesie. Both bands have unfortunately broken up, so they started Ralph together. It's similar discordant snotty grungey punk to their initial times shackled together in the dustbins of rock, a bit like current faves Fever Fever and Bitches, but with more rabies, which is more than fine with me. Hopefully we can hear more from them in the near future.

Ralph - Broley Westenra
Ralph - Reek

Happy Wednesday!