Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Growing


Growing is just getting prettier and prettier these days. Their upcoming Social Registry LP debut, 'Lateral' (Feb. 19th) presents four new pieces whose range of expression and dynamics is even more subtle and nuanced than their previous Vision Swim. On a whole it seems that Growing is working towards a more sparse, more withdrawn type of interplay, and in doing so is moving further away from the loud drones of 'Sky's Run into the See' or 'Soul of the Rainbow', and into a more rhythmic territory.

The album opens with the warm-feeling 'Swell', which sets a reflective and sober tone that's echoed throughout the rest of the album. The title track sounds more like an electronic piece, combining Nobukazu Takemura-esque CD skipping sounds and glacial sonic environments similar to the work of Axel Welner. Check it:

Growing - Swell
Growing - Lateral

Growing @ Death by Audio 1/24/08


Sunday, January 20, 2008

Avey Tare & Kria Brekkin & Deakin, Rings




Sunday night I went to glasslands to see avey tare & kria brekken + deakin. With just dave portner singing along with two electric guitars and samplers, it sounded a lot more like animal collective than it did the quiet acoustic duo I saw play last year at Tonic(rip). Still a very enjoyable performance that made much use of the rhythmically-repetitive loopy vibe that ac has been digging lately. I wonder if this was just a one time thing or if they plan to continue doing stuff as a trio?








Headlining the show was 'Rings'. The first time I'd seen this band was when they came to my town last year to play a benefit show for my high school. They were called First Nation then, but have since changed their name. I think 'Rings' actually kind of works better..less potentially problematic and more fitting with their feminine sound. I'm digging their new stuff, especially 'is he handsome'. My camera died before they played but here are some tracks from their new paw tracks release, 'Black Habit':


Rings - 'Mom Dance'
Rings - 'Is he Handsome?'

David Lynch on iPhone

One of the funniest things I've seen in awhile:

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Music For the Gift/Bird of Paradise



It's a surprise and a shame that there isn't more written about Terry Riley's early tape works, 'Music for the Gift' and 'Bird of Paradise'. Both were released in the first half of the 60's, a good 4 or 5 years before 'Come Out' and 'It's Gonna Rain', and are both just as groundbreaking as Reich's tape experiments. Why these aren't grouped alongside Riley's more popular works ('In C', 'Rainbow in Curved Air'), is a mystery to me.

The most interesting thing about listening to these pieces today is how relevant they still sound. The expressive, improvisatory, skronky noises of 'Birds of Paradise' stand up to the work of any modern day social registry/ecstatic peace knob twiddler. There are moments in there that sound as if they came straight out of Creature Comforts--but like, 40+ years ahead of time:


Terry Riley - 'Music for the Gift part 2'
Terry Riley - 'Music for the Gift part 3'
Terry Riley - 'Music for the Gift part 5'
Terry Riley - 'Bird of Paradise part 1'
Terry Riley - 'Bird of Paradise part 2'
Terry Riley - 'Bird of Paradise part 5'