Woodsman Are On Far From Rare Form

I have been mightily excited about Woodsman's Rare Forms album since midway through last year, when I stumbled across their EP Mystery Tapes and systematically lost my shit. And before I say "I told you so" - and I will - I found it absolutely infuriating (and a little ironic seeing as I had just reviewed Toro Y Moi's newie Underneath The Pine - see that review here) that some of the initial thoughts labelled the sound of the new LP as chillwave.

Chill-fucking-wave?!?!

Im sorry - maybe Ive been confused all this time about what that supposed "genre" was all about (and yes, its in past tense, because the fucking thing is DEAD. The best bands and artists that spawned out of that sound have grown exponentially since then and have invariable spurned the genre, whilst the rest died from internal haemorraging after participating in a 24hr bumming circle with themselves). Shouldnt there be sampling, effects, loops, and hypnagogic bullshit as opposed to live instrumentation and inventive percussion that swirls into a psychedelic haze that only strengthens as it stretches taut? Sure, there are shoegaze and psych elements in most of today's music scenes, but generally those who are labeled 'chillwave' come across as trite, self-involved and...well, shit. Or its incredibly lazy journalism. Or both. Usually both.

Wow. Talk about angsty...

But back to the review. I cant say that Rare Forms is an original album in the sense that some of the tracks have more than a couple of Animal Collective's fingerprints molded into the amber, especially the middle pair of tracks 'I Cant Move' and 'Future Pulls' - melded as one it is like hearing a rustic hoedown cover of 'Banshee Beat'. Even 'Beat The Heat' cant escape this comparison, despite the haunting harmonics and tribal drumming that swirls to the forefront of the track - and this is solely due to the new vocal additions by band member Mark Demolar. But that should not be a bad thing - and the rest of the album justifies this momentary aping, as the Denver trio endeavour to capitalise on the gruff axe-wielding haziness that Mystery Tape intimated. The dark 'No Dialogue' is an Earth-esque desolate instrumental with Branca-esque dissonance, whilst on 'Burial Ground' the percussion rises into a cacophonous maelstrom ridden by soaring choral vocals. Opener 'Insects' retains much of the sound inherent in their earlier stuff, and remains just as exciting, enhanced by Demolar's off-kilter vocals.

So even though this was not the instrumental psychedelic blitkrieg I had envisioned, it is an utterly beguiling album nonetheless, and should not be hindered by its adherence to certain AC traits. It is a tightly wound yet surreal sonic journey, and heralds an exciting band that will surely flourish in the next 12 months.

And they aren't fucking chillwave.

Rare Forms is out on Lefse Records - buy it here.

Woodsman - Insects
Woodsman - Beat The Heat

Fidhaws? Fictions? Impressions? Branca!

Just thought Id give a deserving mention to the artist fydhws - yes, fydhws...

fydhws is a solo project from Prilep, Republic of Macedonia. All the tracks on albums Impresii (Impressions) and Fikcii (Fictions) are home recordings, taken without any special equipment, one electric guitar, a digital processor, FL Studio program (for drum sections), and a MIDI controller in some parts of Fikcii. Impresii wears its influences wholeheartedly on its sleeve, but this is no bad thing, when said influences include Sonic Youth, Spaceman 3, and Glenn Branca...

Fikcii is recorded with the opposite approach, not trying to build some predefined "rock" structure but letting the drones flow.

Its all quite lovely, and deserved of your time - head over to fydhws' Bandcamp to pick these two disparate soundscape albums up, pronto!

fydhws - =7+1 (from Impresii)
fydhws - Part 02 (from Fikcii)

Escape From Napa Asylum

I have two experiences that I can highlight about Sic Alps. One was earlier in the year when around at Paul's place, playing records while we drank at 2 in the afternoon, one eye on the incredibly uninteresting FA Cup final and the other on new design issues with the blog. We'd been listening to Glenn Branca and Women's first album, then I decided to throw on U.S. E.Z., an album Id listened to in fits and bursts but not for a while - and I just about drenched Paul's turntable with spat beer. What have I been doing with my life? Why had I neglected these San Franciscans all my life (well, the last couple years) from destroying whats left of my hearing and my mind? I felt ashamed.

Then they supported Pavement. I was massively pumped. Then I got pissed at the Rest Is Noise, and ended up seen half of their final song - which was ace - and once again I was left ruing what might have been a life-affirming - nay, changing - experience. When Pavement came on, I didnt care anymore. I let myself down, and no amount of heyday slackerdom was going to rise me to the heady highs that I should have been on.

So Im not missing this opportunity. Although it doesnt come out til January, I have in my clammy lil hands Napa Asylum, Sic Alps' new LP on Drag City. At 22 tracks, this is a sprawling and yet succinct record of woozy psych noise, suitably recorded as if in the bottom of a very deep rusted out coffee tin, with the occasional fresh production shining through on tracks like 'Meter Man'. Its warped, its scratchy and fidgety, its as schizophrenic as ever, like a guitar pop band of the 60s stuck in a three decade long trip, with various generational tics seeping in over time. Or like Deerhunter if they just turned it up and didnt get all elegiac on us (actually, not a bad thing, but I still occasionally miss the early days). These guys dont know how to play in any other way - and why should we want them to? The first album to look forward in 2011, I assure you.

Napa Asylum is out January 25th. They are pushing for a European tour around April/May, so keep you eyes peeled, and your trigger fingers over your wallet pockets - its gonna be a wild ride.

Sic Alps - Meter Man

Sic Alps - The First White Man To Touch Californian Soil

Women - A Sight For Sore Eyes

Paul has just posted about the September release of Women's sophomore LP Public Strain. I still remember when I got into the debut album proper - it was only a couple months ago! Id listened to it sporadically, but went over to Paul's to work on the blog, before going to see that infamous Double Dagger @ The Rest Is Noise gig... Anyway, amidst listening to DD's More, Glenn Branca's The Ascension and Sic Alps, I decided to throw Women on - and it raced straight back up the top of my playlist. I still think that Paul's being in the dark about the new album is a travesty - but there is my travesty.

Im more than making amends this Sunday morning however - I have my sweaty mitts on the first taste of Public Strain! Its called 'Eyesore', its the final track of the album, and apparently it is the 'uplifting ballad' that ties the whole thing together...hmm. I think I like that. If this is the positive 'Wind Beneath My Wings' belter, then the rest of the album should be stellar...

Women - Eyesore

Glenn Branca The Ascension reissue

Today yet another 12" shaped parcel arrived at my doorstep. Naturally I'm giddy as a school boy when record shaped parcels come my way but this particular parcel really did have me ripping at the packing tape like a 5 year old on Christmas day. The parcel in question contained the 12" reissue of Glenn Branca's 1981 The Ascension.

Now I have to be honest, I haven't been a disciple of the great man's work for long, in fact only a few short years, but lucky for me Fortissimo Records (Action Beat's label) have taken the massively commendable step of re-releasing this influential record. I'm not going into an essay length history of Glenn Branca's life work, I'd only end retyping wikipedia - but to my mind this peculiar record has always signalled the birth of noise driven minimalist guitar rock. It's 40 minutes of "Chiming, ringing, chugging guitar bliss". In fact I couldn't of put it any better than Fortissimo Records themselves:

"Glenn Branca's The Ascension was one of those rare records that managed to change things. Maybe not right away, but as time has passed, its importance and influence has become more and more clear. Branca's idea was to marry the repetition and process of minimalism with the energy and aesthetic of rock music. The Ascension's predecessor Lesson No. 1 showed this in a simple and refined manor but on The Ascension, everything was turned up to 11."

As a better man than me once said "no Glenn Branca, no Sonic Youth" - and in my book that's enough of a reason to dig deep in those pockets. Out on Fortissimo Records since last month (I'm late again as useal) on 180gm white vinyl, limited to only 900 copies, this in my book is a must purchase. Buy here, Myspace here.

Glenn Branca - Lesson No. 2