Taking It In His Stygian Stride (Thrill Jockey Update #4)

The Thrill Jockey juggernaut continues to roll forth. This synth-driven release is the eponymous debut of Stygian Stride AKA Jimy SeiTang (Psychic Ills/Rhyton), eschewing tradition rock formations and templates in favour of electronic music that nevertheless adopts the improvisational style he has honed his craft in for such a long period of time. These stylings are further hued by the usage of vintage analog synthesizers. Therefore the atmosphere that cloaks Stygian Stride comes across as a metallic, metronomic heartbeat, the score of a hallucinogenic dystopian desolation that still invokes creeping dread beyond the horrors that already exist on the surface. It isn't all fearful anxiety and despair - the pun 'Fade Into Bolivian' hovers on the edge of inebriatic bliss, an ecstasy of glacial glitch - but SeiTang's insistence on cyclical elongation and distortion of tones within these undulating rhythms means that nothing on these tracks can be taken at face value - for better or worse, you need to allow yourself to be submerged by the bubbling white noise. And like all true classic brainwashings, it won't be long before you are proclaiming, "I love Stygian Stride".

You can buy Stygian Stride here.

Stygian Stride - Drift
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Video Vacuum - Dan Melchior, Rhyton, Jason Urick, Sennen

Who needs a break? I can hear your shouts from here! I do too, although people may not guess it - my increasingly accurate physical resemblance to an elegant hobo is raising eyebrows and rashes both. So here are some choice cuts from Thrill Jockey, who look to have us covered once more in 2012...

But before we get there, if you remember, I really enjoyed Dan Melchior's Assemblage Blues record last year. The man is nothing if not prolific, and he has some good stuff coming out soon. This vid has been available for a little while, but its a fair summation of how Melchior does his shtick (it's also on a 7" put out by SDZ Records). Love him or hate him, he is true to his idiosyncrasies... (NB - I love him).

Dan Melchior "Red Nylon Valance" from max dembo on Vimeo.

Here is one band I had never heard of until TR sent me this clip. Rhyton are aiming to liquify your bones inside you so you become quivering bags of mush. Their bass played is from Psychic Ills for Chrissakes! Their self-titled debut sounds pretty killer, by the way - grab it here. And while I'm at it, here is a track you can have on top of the vid - happy Friday yo!

Rhyton - Shank Raids

Rhyton - Stone Colored from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo.

Jason Urick has melded dub and drone into a delectable tapestry on his latest, I Love You. Here he has pared the static noise to create something otherworldly, something akin to High Wolf in some respects, which is always welcomed, but there is something...warm about this record that is great. Anyway, here is the clip. Bliss out folks...

Jason Urick - Ageless Isms from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo.

To finish off today, let's veer out of the Thrill Jockey stables, but not too far. Sennen sound like they would fit right at home, so I'm placing them in the meadow adjacent. The UK band are releasing their Vultures 7" in March, which will be on heavenly white vinyl - pre-order here. Their upcoming album Lost Harmony looks to be a sweaty palms kinda release - I'm itching for it already.



NOW GET BACK TO WORK!!