SOUND HOLES

REVIEW | KPLR - MAZCHINE MUZIK

2011-11-23T12:15:00.000-08:00

Jordan Anderson | Foxy Digitalis

This is a nice, very original collection of techno tracks, broken down into the basic structures of the acid form: each piece is made up of only a few interweaving bass and synth lines manipulated to form rhythms and accents at a rapid clip. It is a shame that more artists aren’t exploring this area of music in as interesting a way as KPLR; one drawback here, however, is that the musical components that make up “Mazchine Muzik” are so minimal that they seem to barely register with the listener: the tape seems more brief than it actually is, and would benefit from greater depth of production and development of ideas. Overall it is a worthwhile and engaging release.

FOXY DIGITALIS

REVIEW | ROADSIDE PICNIC

2011-10-02T12:55:00.000-07:00

Mark Barton | Losing Today

Roadside Picnic ‘s/t’ (sound holes). Essentially a sometime Justin Wiggan (DotB) solo venture sometime revolving door of guest appearances type project who I must admit appear to be something of a completists nightmare given they have this annoying knack of sneaking out all manner of releases often tastily decorated all manner of creatively acute forms - sometimes in mini knitted woollen quilts or hidden inside hulking packages that include a woman’s shirt and a note - indeed don’t ask - and always arriving in ultra limited editions without warning or fanfare on labels you’ve probably never heard of. This year alone there’s been adventures via ears to iowa, taardvaark trash tapes (which will incidentally feature late in this missive), a beard of snails and chocolate monk. Anyhow enough of that and back to the main event - this outing arrives in an unusually abundant numbered press run of 55 on the - previously unknown to us - Soundholes imprint - a tiny label who it seems specialise in melodic matters drone, out there and off the radar - who to date to their credit have put out nearly 50 releases by the likes of merit, tina turner tidal wave (whose name alone has us positively itching with curiosity), water lily jaguar and Duncan Harrison. Five stilled suites sit up this cassette release which as is typical of Wiggan’s more experimental sonic sculpturing persona explore and magnify the somewhat hidden realms and unmapped sub-strata’s of sounds micro verse and should appeal in the first instance to those who subscribed to that excellent noise and electronic multi volume anthology set via sub rosa a year or two ago for this release delves deep into the primitive processes of chamber-tronics. To trace elements informed by an industrial mindset Wiggan cuts a pathway that’s all at once unnerving, unsettling and uneasy, this is not the staple diet for party pop patrons instead much like his recent DotB and Geography of Nowhere involvements Roadside Picnic take the notion of sound as an atmosphere / a mood / a moment captured rather than a melodic configuration per se and via an intricate weaving of subterranean sonar, alien field recordings and wavering frequency manipulations. At times ’roadside picnic’ could be taken for an aborted and long since lost cult sci fi soundtrack it’s a point not lost on the ice cold desolation served up by the ominously disquieting ’grey wolf no pepsi’ which to the deathly ether shrouded procession of humming distress calls emerges something likened to a futuristic H R Giger design looms large from the darkened void whilst opening ambit ’milk teeth on the windowsill’ is cradled with an air of post apocalyptic ‘blade runner’ like finality whilst grimly tailed and traced to the slow turn of sludge slain motorik motifs which on first listening may appear darkly foreboding not unlike it should be said haunting underground rail track apparitions yet occasionally blossom effervescently into radiant sunbursts of shimmering skree avalanches. ‘chandelier in the bath’ is your quotient of ice sculptured sparsely equipped ambience fayre while odder still is the wallowing leviathan like whale cries immersed within ‘serve man’ which posits itself in what can only be described as arcane pre natural ritualistic rip tides while the delicate ice formed nocturnal purr of the hypnotically calming ‘candy tree’ playfully toys and pings to come across not unlike how you’d a troupe of Clangers on acid to sound. Recommended for closer investigation.

LOSING TODAY

2011-09-30T14:34:00.000-07:00

5 NEW RELEASES

+ DEVELOPER - #049
+ LUST FOR YOUTH - WHITE SKIN
+ INNERCITY - DAEDALUS
+ ROADSIDE PICNIC
+ GOLDEN OAKS THREE BILLION - CRYSTAL MIST ON MANGO MOUNTAIN

ORDERING/DESCRIPTIONS/EXCERPTS: WWW.SNDHLS.COM

REVIEW | WATER LILY JAGUAR - VOYAGE OF HOPE / VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

2011-08-10T12:46:00.000-07:00

Crawford Philleo | Foxy Digitalis

This might be my first and last chance at reviewing a Water Lily Jaguar release. This is because the dude I e-mailed from the package (whom I now know as MAX CHILL) is currently focusing on another (much weirder) project called DJ Ecto Cooler . So read/listen close: It’d be a damned shame for him to quit this stuff.

I’m getting ahead of myself here. Before Water Lily Jaguar, there was Dream Safari. Between the deep, dank, and darkly whooshy ambience of that project and the tripped-out slo-mo, gauzy ‘n’gooey beats of DJ Ecto Cooler, we have this: This gorgeous, compelling and calming, relaxing and soothing, tape-blissy wonder of a release that gently rubs those super-sensitive spots like behind the temples or at the small of the back; exactly where you want a massage, but never do for yourself (either because you can’t reach or you just didn’t realize you wanted it). I have to admit, this is probably the best work MAX CHILL has dedicated his time to (that I’ve had the chance to hear thus far). Not to say the other projects weren’t worthy of exploration by any means (in fact, both are fantastic)—WLJ is just a lot different, more instantly-pleasing to the ears, accessible, and these drones here are just too damned pretty in general.

Both “Voyage of Hope” (tape 1) and “Voyage of Discovery” (tape 2) don’t actually feel very much like voyages. These don’t travel forward linearly as much as they sit stationary while you sink into them. Slowly and softly, the music surrounds you as each of the four pieces starts with a synth droplet smack-dab in the middle of an electronic lake, letting simple motifs ebb outward in micro ripples as the listener begins to submerge into a deeper, warmer environment. It doesn’t seem like many new sounds, save for some effervescent bubbling on occasion, are added to the mix after the music has been initiated. Rather, the bare-boned beginnings morph, tones smooth out or bunch up over short periods of time that seem to stretch for eons, eventually painting vivid, naturalistic imagery—crickets, small animals…?—living things at home in their oceanic habitats of silky drones and shimmering vistas.

Water Lily Jaguar fits in nicely with other like-minded cassette-mongering ambient artists like Sparkling Wide Pressure or Sean McCann. The first tape’s first side runs a little short on the cassette, making for a small flipping nuisance. Easily forgivable. I actually thought a 2x cassette would be a lot of work for some reason. It’s not. This tape is easily the most beautiful music on any format I’ve had the chance to review yet in 2011, and it’s always a joy when one tape clicks to stop… because it’s just time to put the next one in. Great for the last thing of the night or the first thing at dawn’s break. A gleaming, glittery gem that comes complete in a beautiful package from the UK’s Soundholes imprint. 1 of the 52 copies available for this release is sitting in my tape deck and probably won’t be leaving any time soon. Read: grab one now.

FOXY DIGITALIS

REVIEW | RALE/3 HEADED MONSTER - SPLIT

2011-08-10T12:43:00.000-07:00

Mike | Norman Records

On this limited cassette release we see the return of Bill Hutson under his Rale moniker. His side of this tape is a solitary track with a load of warm, pulsing low-end bass tones, gradually being swallowed up by distortion and decay to quite unsettling effect after a few minutes. I've got to admit the crunch and flutter of the distortion might go on a bit longer than necessary, though. I could've lived with more of the tasty synth drone at the start and less of that at the end, but that's nitpicking, isn't it. The 3 Headed Monster side is very different indeed, real unpleasant, faster paced, in-your-face noise, which seems to be based around manipulating feedback. It's quite busy. Apparently there's four tracks on this side but it's not all that easy figuring out where one ends and the next begins, and I don't suppose it matters really. It's not so frantic that the squall doesn't find interesting places, with the the screeching noises laid over one another until it sounds like a steam train screeching to a halt or, if you're Phil, "like your life falling down beneath you until you're lying in a pile of rubble". I thought my steam train analogy was a bit less bleak, though. This is a really interesting and uncompromising release from two very different but genuinely skilled makers of noise.

NORMAN RECORDS

REVIEW | HAIRMAIDEN OF THE TOTEM ROBE - DRAWS THE OF BYGONE

2011-07-04T14:43:00.000-07:00

Byron Hayes | Foxy Digitalis

This collaborative project between Floridian sound manglers Xiphiidae and Royallen has birthed a handful of barely-there cassette artifacts for labels such as Cloud Valley and Slime City Tapes, along with Xiphiidae’s own Housecraft imprint. I say “barely there,” because they appear to be available in editions that are sub-microscopic. You have to be nimble to get your hands on a copy. And once again, we have an all-too-limited reel, available in an edition of 61 – another tape for the “now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t” department. Act now!

The description from the label as “free-form electronic clatter” is certainly spot-on. Drop this beast into your deck and you’re treated to a couple of 10-minute brain-guzzlers that appear to be melted beyond oblivion. When a funnel cloud touches down in a trailer park, some react with dread. Hairmaiden of the Totem Robe, on the other hand, reach for their recording devices. I can almost imagine these guys looking at each other with shit-eating grins on their faces, telepathically telling themselves to “set phasers to ‘mind-fuck’!” Very intriguing, but if you’re looking for something soothing, cast your ears elsewhere.

FOXY DIGITALIS

NEW RELEASES: HIDDEN UNDERNEATH

2011-04-17T14:03:00.000-07:00

SOON...

2011-04-08T15:21:00.000-07:00

Coming soon:

#041 WATER LILY JAGUAR
#042 TINA TURNER TIDAL WAVE
#043 KPLR
#044 MERIT

REVIEW | WAND. AND PRINCESS - FUNERAL FLOWERS

2011-03-09T13:30:00.000-08:00

Frans de Waard | Vital Weekly

A twenty minute tape from tis duo from Greece of whom we reviewed stuff before. They dwell on obscurity I guess, with lo-fi covers and lo-fi music. Lo-fi in that sense that we don't know how this music is made, recorded with low means but with an overall nice impact. 'Ice' on side one seems to be recorded with a bunch of cymbals being played with bows, all at the same time, along with perhaps a bunch of delay pedals. That gives us a somewhat crude and atmospheric sound, ringing aloud in the world of overtones. 'Fauda 2' is on the b-side and its a crashing event of distorted sound - of the wall of noise type of thing, but actually this one is pretty good, I think. It certainly has, at nine minutes, the right length.

VITAL WEEKLY

REVIEW | ENDLESS TIME - PATIENCE

2011-03-02T14:27:00.000-08:00

Matt Blackall | Foxy Digitalis

Kevin McEleney (aka Droughter) returns with another release under his Endless Time moniker. For “Patience,” he stretches two slabs of blasting electronics across a twenty-minute cassette. It’s plenty noisy, but doesn’t go much beyond that.

The A-side piece, “The Clock Ends,” is full of bass-heavy electronic blats and buzzes with a few other sounds creeping in as the track unfolds. “Just After Sunset,” the B-side track kicks things into a higher frequency, pushing the bass of the first track into the background. It’s a lot more abrasive too, with peals of electronic squall and distortion filling out the mix.

In the end, “Patience” offers up a few interesting blaps and bloops, but I can’t say it was terribly memorable or exciting. For most of the tape, it comes across like listening to a set of blown speakers pushed into the red while someone twiddles with the stereo knobs. If that’s your thing, check this out.

FOXY DIGITALIS

REVIEW | RALE/3 HEADED MONSTER - SPLIT

2011-02-24T12:24:00.000-08:00

Matt Blackall | Foxy Digitalis

This short-but-sweet split between Bill Hutson’s Rale and William VanGorder’s 3 Headed Monster does pretty much everything a good split release should do. Each artist is different enough to make their respective tape sides stand out, yet there is still a powerful, nearly ethereal, link between the sounds that they create, lending a strong sense of cohesion to the tape as a whole.

Rale’s contribution is the sidelong track “Someday a Gentle God Will Grant Me Ignorance.” The track opens with a serene chord tone that continues on for some time, until some some aural storm clouds gather on the horizon, that is. At first, you can only detect a low rumble, but eventually, the sound is broken up by thundering distortion. (To be honest, on first listen I was convinced for a moment that my cassette player was eating the tape.) Still, small patches of the original sound continue to escape as a reminder of where the piece began.

3 Headed Monster takes a considerably different approach, yet his four tracks of screeching distortion and fuzz manage to lock in nicely with the music from the previous side. The majority of the work here is extremely loud, yet there are moments that seem to hearken back to the restrained minimalism demonstrated at the beginning of Rale’s track, albeit in a much more abrasive fashion. Maybe this comparison is bit of a stretch, but as I mentioned before, both sides of the tape seemed to go quite well together, so it seems appropriate to highlight the artists’ similarities rather than their differences. Altogether, this tape is an excellent showcase for the talents of both Rale and 3 Headed Monster.

FOXY DIGITALIS

NEW RELEASES: OUT OF CHAOS COMES REASON

2011-01-28T14:16:00.000-08:00

3 NEW RELEASES

+ DUNCAN HARRISON
+ WAND. AND PRINCESS
+ HAIRMAIDEN OF THE TOTEM ROBE

DESCRIPTIONS/EXCERPTS: SOUND HOLES

2010

2011-01-27T14:29:00.000-08:00

RECORDED:

WORK/DEATH | TENDER COMRADES / TO THE HILLS OF ALTADENA
LUST FOR YOUTH | BODIES IN BARRELS / SPLIT w/WHITE / UNTITLED / SPLIT 7"
DIAPHRAGM | GAUZE
COWARDS | FORGOTTEN RESONANCE
PERISPIRIT/BRENDAN MURRAY | CASSETTE + LP
PERISPIRIT | ABYSMAL PENETRATIONS
MIGRATIONS IN RUST | VEILED JEWEL
TOWARD AWAY TOUR: MALE UNDERSTANDING
RAW NERVE | RAW NERVE
SEWER ELECTION | VIDOPPNA SAR / KVAVD / BRISTNING / SANKT
STREET DRINKERS/SKEPPET | SPLIT LP
A SNAKE IN THE GARDEN | TUNNEL OF BLINDING LIGHT / LIVE AT THE ENCHANTED FOREST
ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER | RETURNAL
THE RITA | PREDATORS
AIRWAY/HIJOKAIDAN | SPLIT
KEVIN GREENSPON | COMMON OBJECTS
ALBERICH | OF MAN OF GENIUS / MOIST NATURE
VIRGIN SPRING | EXCELSIOR
OVMN | II / III / VERSION

LABELS:

NARCOLEPSIA
THREE SONGS OF LENIN
NNA
POSH ISOLATION
PAN

LIVE:

LOWEST FORM OF MUSIC | BEACONSFIELD ARTS CENTRE
BBBLOOD, OSCILLATING INNARDS | THE OTHERS

NEW RELEASES: MEN'S EYES SEE MORE THAN LENSES DO...

2010-09-04T03:54:00.000-07:00

CASSETTES FROM:

+ RELENTLESS CORPSE
+ ENDLESS TIME
+ BBBLOOD
+ NO GOD RITUAL

DESCRIPTIONS/EXCERPTS: SOUND HOLES

REVIEW | RALE/3HEADED MONSTER - SPLIT

2010-07-29T13:58:00.000-07:00

The One True Dead Angel

I picked up this 24-minute tape at a recent noise show at Trailer Space Records and that's about all I know on the subject; I'm not even sure which of these two bands I actually witnessed. Rale (aka solo dude Bill Hutson) opens the first side with one long track bearing the brilliant title "Someday A Gentle God Will Grant Me Ignorance" (a title Harvey Milk wishes they had thought of first, I'm sure), a floating and vibrating slice of minimalist drone / hum that burbles along in gentle, soothing fashion without ever really going anywhere. But "going somewhere" isn't the point; this is the kind of sound designed to let you zone out, and zone out you will, believe me. The sound is sort of vaguely reminiscent of early Organum; there is some variation in the sound, especially toward the end, when the floating hum gradually evolves into a gritty kind of sandpaper noise, but otherwise it's all subtle and highly enigmatic. On the flip side, 3 Headed Monster (featuring William VanGorder, of Other People's Children and Weak Sisters) lays down four tracks of screeching, hellish feedback and white noise that frequently sounds like the heavily distorted sound of someone screaming in a sonic whiteout. Actually, after the initial burst of violence, subsequent tracks are more about variations on harsh noise than exercises in pinning your ears back; on each new track VanGorder takes a different route to sonic punishment. Just when you think he's gone soft, though, he brings back the howling and screeching, significantly upping the intimidation factor at choice intervals. The decision to pair two wildly different artists on one cassette turns out to be a good one -- there's plenty of prime drone / noise meat here. Limited to 102 copies.

THE ONE TRUE DEAD ANGEL

KK / KK

2010-06-05T14:21:00.000-07:00

KK / KK Live at The Windmill 2009

1:

2:

KK / KK

LOOKING THROUGH NEW EYES...

2010-05-08T13:30:00.000-07:00

VERY PROUD TO ANNOUNCE 3 NEW RELEASES ON SOUND HOLES:

LUST FOR YOUTH / STREET DRINKERS - SPLIT C34

PASCAL NICHOLS - ONE STONE TAKEN FROM EVERY MONUMENT TO FORM A WALL OF SILENCE C20

RALE / 3 HEADED MONSTER - SPLIT C24

INFORMATION/SOUND SAMPLES AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE

ALSO AVAILABLE:

NEW SH T-SHIRT

THANK YOU

VIDEOS

2010-03-03T13:02:00.000-08:00

BUDWEISER SPRITE

SKIN GRAFT

PAX TITANIA

2009

2010-01-02T05:18:00.000-08:00

Recorded:

Yellow Tears | Don't Cry
Hands Rendered Useless/Pharmakon/Throat | Inside and Out
Pissed Jeans | King of Jeans
Halflings | Self Esteem
Cult Ritual | LP 1
Marble Sky | The Sad Return/Sway/Some Laughing Afterwards/No Matter How Close
Weak Sisters | One Way Doors
The Rita | Snorkel/Skate
Terrors | Inequipoise
Earn/Secret Abuse | Split
Secret Abuse | The Immeasurable Gift
Earn | Their Simple Nature
Oneohtrix Point Never | Zones Without People
Skin Graft | Blackout
Pedestrian Deposit | Austere
Mirror to Mirror | Rerest

Live:

Bill Orcutt | Colour Out Of Space
Grouper | Luminaire
Sex Vid | Grosvenor
Cold Cave/Prurient (Last 5 minutes) | Luminaire
Slow Listener | Cafe Oto
Mark McGuire | Cafe Oto

Thank you to all who supported Sound Holes in 2009.

LIVE IN THE GLASSHOUSE

2009-12-01T14:50:00.000-08:00

GLASSHOUSE SHOW. SPRING '08.

ABYSS WHISPERS

FIRST PERFORMANCE. IRONING OUT THE CREASES.

NOMA

EARLY INTENTIONS, LATER REALISED.

NACKT INSECTEN

SPIRIT OF THE DESERT WIND

ALL VIDEO/EDITING BY JON REID

2009-10-04T13:16:00.000-07:00