Saturday, May 09, 2009
mossy throats
leaves of the mind c41
[2008, young tapes]
this cassette, put out on peter friel's post-jk tapes imprint, is from one
of several projects involving ferndale, michigan's dan dlugosielski (pictured alongside suzette smith as haunted castle).
leaves of the mind begins with the grotesque murmur of vocals, which are slowed down to an inhuman degree. after a minute of only that, they'll be replaced by a wash of subtly mixed white noise that rolls in like the tide (and continues to do so, projecting a serene oceanic soundscape). immediately following that initial breaker is some beautiful, yet distinctly somber, synth playing, which sounds a little submerged, though that ties in ideally with the watery vibe, and that's joined by occasional wind chimes. all of this is happening, primarily, in the right channel. the tape hiss in my left ear ends up serving as a useful environmental companion to the ebb in the other. an understated humming drone will be added on later, but it'll be displaced by a slightly different variant, shortly thereafter, although the general feel of it, stammering and droney, stays the same. once that's synced up with a higher chirping, which shadows its every quiver, the track increases in amplitude, thankfully, bringing the synth up with it, since it was beginning to lose its definition amidst the other layers. speaking of which, those will quickly fade away, allowing for elongated squeals that will turn into high-pitched drones.
the remaining track on the first side starts off with two and a half more minutes of weirdo vocal manipulations before unexpectedly shifting into a blaring drone. after that passes, it's back to the vocals, but there will be one more noisy interjection. then, when the next piercing drones are added, they'll work in cooperation with the vocals, though they are mixed down pretty low. that will yield to a shrill buzzing that slowly manages to claw its way into the track's forefront (and then precedes to ascend way beyond that). i find that there's somewhat of an unnerving quality produced by the combination of the vocals and that loud drone, but once it seems like it's all going to be too much, the noise fades out for ephemeral heli-sputter. following that, it's back to that buzzing drone, but, in its renewed form, it's more centrally located in correlation with everything else. just before the side ends, the synth from the first track replaces the vocals.
side b opens with continual sweeps of loudly arcing (eerie) synth(?) drone that, after a couple of minutes, subsides to a wavy, droning undercurrent, briefly, before returning, slower and affected. the normal loop will then overlap that, and be treated with delay, so that it rings out endlessly. the echo of that is overdubbed by even more of the same looping layers. even when dan manages to break out of this incestuous cycle, he'll continue to sporadically use that main loop (or at least partial sounds from it) in a mutated manner. as he was transitioning out of that, he introduced a solid droning foundation, out of which surfaces the wavy drone that briefly occurred earlier. awesome. and it's even better once it becomes the focal point. eventually, he'll bring in low-end rumbling and a stuttering, mildly distorted foundation (that randomly emits pops and crackles which make me think the tape's about to disintegrate; intentional or not, it works). unexpectedly, out of the muffled noise arise slow, entrancing synth waves. those will soon transform into the melody from side a, and it's great now having it equally represented in both speakers. i also like that the more sonically intrusive of the two drones has dropped out, since the relationship between the synth and that rad fluctuating drone is excellent and deserves to be heard clearly. the last few minutes will do away with the synth in favor of shrill, drawn out tones, gusty ambiance and low, rhythmically undulating noises, which i believe to be a looped excerpt of the murmuring vocals.
i'm liking the hell out of this tape right now. (sparingly used) melody, noise, repetition, memorable droning, recurring themes... leaves of the mind definitely speaks to me. currently, it looks like there are still copies available at animal psi and dnt records.
Leaves of the Mind A2
Mossy Throats @ The Fact House (Part One); Lexington, KY 2/21/2009
(Part Two)
[2008, young tapes]
this cassette, put out on peter friel's post-jk tapes imprint, is from one
of several projects involving ferndale, michigan's dan dlugosielski (pictured alongside suzette smith as haunted castle).leaves of the mind begins with the grotesque murmur of vocals, which are slowed down to an inhuman degree. after a minute of only that, they'll be replaced by a wash of subtly mixed white noise that rolls in like the tide (and continues to do so, projecting a serene oceanic soundscape). immediately following that initial breaker is some beautiful, yet distinctly somber, synth playing, which sounds a little submerged, though that ties in ideally with the watery vibe, and that's joined by occasional wind chimes. all of this is happening, primarily, in the right channel. the tape hiss in my left ear ends up serving as a useful environmental companion to the ebb in the other. an understated humming drone will be added on later, but it'll be displaced by a slightly different variant, shortly thereafter, although the general feel of it, stammering and droney, stays the same. once that's synced up with a higher chirping, which shadows its every quiver, the track increases in amplitude, thankfully, bringing the synth up with it, since it was beginning to lose its definition amidst the other layers. speaking of which, those will quickly fade away, allowing for elongated squeals that will turn into high-pitched drones.
the remaining track on the first side starts off with two and a half more minutes of weirdo vocal manipulations before unexpectedly shifting into a blaring drone. after that passes, it's back to the vocals, but there will be one more noisy interjection. then, when the next piercing drones are added, they'll work in cooperation with the vocals, though they are mixed down pretty low. that will yield to a shrill buzzing that slowly manages to claw its way into the track's forefront (and then precedes to ascend way beyond that). i find that there's somewhat of an unnerving quality produced by the combination of the vocals and that loud drone, but once it seems like it's all going to be too much, the noise fades out for ephemeral heli-sputter. following that, it's back to that buzzing drone, but, in its renewed form, it's more centrally located in correlation with everything else. just before the side ends, the synth from the first track replaces the vocals.
side b opens with continual sweeps of loudly arcing (eerie) synth(?) drone that, after a couple of minutes, subsides to a wavy, droning undercurrent, briefly, before returning, slower and affected. the normal loop will then overlap that, and be treated with delay, so that it rings out endlessly. the echo of that is overdubbed by even more of the same looping layers. even when dan manages to break out of this incestuous cycle, he'll continue to sporadically use that main loop (or at least partial sounds from it) in a mutated manner. as he was transitioning out of that, he introduced a solid droning foundation, out of which surfaces the wavy drone that briefly occurred earlier. awesome. and it's even better once it becomes the focal point. eventually, he'll bring in low-end rumbling and a stuttering, mildly distorted foundation (that randomly emits pops and crackles which make me think the tape's about to disintegrate; intentional or not, it works). unexpectedly, out of the muffled noise arise slow, entrancing synth waves. those will soon transform into the melody from side a, and it's great now having it equally represented in both speakers. i also like that the more sonically intrusive of the two drones has dropped out, since the relationship between the synth and that rad fluctuating drone is excellent and deserves to be heard clearly. the last few minutes will do away with the synth in favor of shrill, drawn out tones, gusty ambiance and low, rhythmically undulating noises, which i believe to be a looped excerpt of the murmuring vocals.
i'm liking the hell out of this tape right now. (sparingly used) melody, noise, repetition, memorable droning, recurring themes... leaves of the mind definitely speaks to me. currently, it looks like there are still copies available at animal psi and dnt records.Leaves of the Mind A2
(Part Two)
:: posted by avant gardening, 6:42 PM
5 Comments:
get off your fat ass and write some reviews.
and dont give me that "i have a life outside the internet" bullshit alright i don't care.
and dont give me that "i have a life outside the internet" bullshit alright i don't care.
Apologies for not figuring out a better means by which to ask, but I was wondering how I could go about sending some records your way?
Cheers,
Rory
ownness@ownness.org
Cheers,
Rory
ownness@ownness.org
get off your fat ass and write some reviews.
ha. stop talking about my ass!
anyway, i'll be back when i find a new job. hopefully in july.
anyway, i'll be back when i find a new job. hopefully in july.
Wow. How'd I not know about this lovely place. Great work....