The Leavitt Ours tape is being pressed as we speak, and will be available approximately mid-June. Holding the cassette will be a handmade case and artwork by our good friend Evan Lindorff-Ellery of Notice Recordings.
Vital Sound 1 is one song away from being completed, it's going to be a full-on psychedelic enslaught with the Atlanta side featuring All the Saints, Sovus Radio, The N.E.C., Sunny Muffdivers, Soft Opening, and Brainworlds. That side is full of ambient, driving psych, and some serious drone. The Chicago side features Rabble Rabble, Great Society Mind Destroyers, Killer Moon, and The Leavitt Ours thus far, along with one further guest on the way. Mind bending hard psych and no nonsense acid blues is the flavor of this side, with some eccentric aspects to boot.
Please feel free to inquire about either release at spectiveaudio [at] gmail [dot] com.
While you're at it, check out one of the most recent installments of A.V. Club Chicago's Tapes'N'Tapes series. Leor was nice enough to stop by and interview yours truly, and here's the result....enjoy!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
SPCTV6: The Leavitt Ours Quartered / Distance Audio
Beneath the shadows of Chicago's fuzzier and heavier psychedelic sounds, The Leavitt Ours perform experimental pop in the private press tradition. In order to develop and produce their own reflective spaces and musical statements, the trio embrace aggressive ambient soundscapes, synthetic guitar tones, eclectic percussion rhythms, and driving keyed bass and synthesizer backbones.
This release celebrates a return from hiatus that scattered the band members across the globe for a few months, with some factions hiding in Chicago, others engaging in experimental music projects across the United States, and another writing in exotic corners of the universe. After working on opening gigs around town for the latter half of 2009 and early 2010, the group recorded for the remaining months of 2010. The recordings for this cassette are drawn from those sessions, marking a transition from that raucous, scattered group you saw at Ronny's, to a more expansive, experimental, ambient future yet to be realized.
The audio from SPCTV6 (and a couple of other tracks) is now available on SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/leavitt-ours. Please feel free to enjoy the audio.
The Leavitt Ours will be appearing on WNUR May 7, early evening.
This release celebrates a return from hiatus that scattered the band members across the globe for a few months, with some factions hiding in Chicago, others engaging in experimental music projects across the United States, and another writing in exotic corners of the universe. After working on opening gigs around town for the latter half of 2009 and early 2010, the group recorded for the remaining months of 2010. The recordings for this cassette are drawn from those sessions, marking a transition from that raucous, scattered group you saw at Ronny's, to a more expansive, experimental, ambient future yet to be realized.
The audio from SPCTV6 (and a couple of other tracks) is now available on SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/leavitt-ours. Please feel free to enjoy the audio.
The Leavitt Ours will be appearing on WNUR May 7, early evening.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
The N.E.C. In Chicago!
April 23 and April 25, there are two events in Chicago with the N.E.C.:
April 23, Permanent Records
The N.E.C. in-store
5 PM, free
April 25, Beauty Bar
The N.E.C., D.J. Moniker
10 PM, free
This event features psych/rock group N.E.C., part of the rich Atlanta rock scene, and D.J. Moniker, of Moniker Records and Permanent Records. D.J. Moniker will be spinning psych, kraut, punk, and everything in-between, and the N.E.C. will be bringing their driving brand of smart, indulgent psych.
The N.E.C.
Double Phantom
Moniker Records
Permanent Records
April 23, Permanent Records
The N.E.C. in-store
5 PM, free
April 25, Beauty Bar
The N.E.C., D.J. Moniker
10 PM, free
This event features psych/rock group N.E.C., part of the rich Atlanta rock scene, and D.J. Moniker, of Moniker Records and Permanent Records. D.J. Moniker will be spinning psych, kraut, punk, and everything in-between, and the N.E.C. will be bringing their driving brand of smart, indulgent psych.
The N.E.C.
Double Phantom
Moniker Records
Permanent Records
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
What Lurks Beyond
(Review with spoilers)
For as long as I have known David Morris Kelly, I have had the distinct privilege of watching his eye for storytelling develop, often unfolding complex human emotions or relationships in a matter of minutes. David frequently accomplishes this without words, frequently turning the story towards the unexpected, thoroughly examining the fragile human psyche.
Both installments of David's What Lurks Beyond project portray his talented eye and devotion to the story-at-hand. By utilizing basic, immediately recognizable human relationships -- husband and wife, longterm couple sharing an apartment -- David provides a clear, undistorted foundation onto which he builds the otherworldly. Parallel to the earnest human relationships, even the otherworldly appears to be woven intricately into our everyday experience. A rogue radio/cellular signal transmitter on the roof of an apartment building in the first installment, and the bogeyman in the second.
In the first installment, we are introduced to a bored couple of relative newlyweds, celebrating an anniversary with dinner and drinks that just cannot capture the romance and exotic experiences of years past. The husband, in this case, poisons his wife, but cannot effectively kill her due to that pesky transmitter tower; the radio waves penetrate their bodies, and after a couple of brutal fights, both husband and wife awaken to their reality as strangely undead creatures, certainly doomed for a lifetime shared in their peculiar fate.
In the second installment, an eager and excited boyfriend finds an armoire for his girlfriend, a beautiful antique that she is stunned to see again. She recognizes it from her past, as the home of a bogeyman, and immediately requests that it be returned; he does not believe her and notes that he had to pay the delivery men a handsome tip to get that thing delivered to the apartment. After a night of restless sleep, during which she battles the armoire and eventually is taken by the bogeyman, he discovers the frightening truth that there is such a thing as the bogeyman -- and of course, the bogeyman taunts him with his own disbelief -- "there is no such thing."
Both installments feature their share of tasteful gore and psychological suspense, placing What Lurks Beyond in a clear tradition of horror that is built from within the viewer's mind, playing on the viewer's fears and expectations, rather than preying on the viewer with base violence and extreme gore. Perhaps David's best accomplishment is his portrayal of monstrous human relationships in both installments; on one level, it certainly is the otherworldly that is responsible for the deaths of those involved, but on another level, the otherworldly is penetrated by poor human relationships.
In the first case, the couple's lack of communication and interaction results in a marriage that is void of any real feeling develops from the romantic idealization of years past and innocent love. In the second case, a severe lack of trust and empathy pierces the relationship, and in many ways that first act of disbelief -- "there's no such thing as the bogeyman" -- ensures that the relationship will be over before the bogeyman even gets his say in the matter.
Monsters, in David's intense psychological shorts, are as metaphysical as they are visual; if you are expecting that the otherworldly succeeds in his series, lurking beneath human relationships waiting to wreak havoc, you might be surprised when you find that the monsters are complacent humans going through the motions of their lives and relationships, and what lurks beneath their calm surface is otherworldly mistrust and communication breakdowns.
For as long as I have known David Morris Kelly, I have had the distinct privilege of watching his eye for storytelling develop, often unfolding complex human emotions or relationships in a matter of minutes. David frequently accomplishes this without words, frequently turning the story towards the unexpected, thoroughly examining the fragile human psyche.
Both installments of David's What Lurks Beyond project portray his talented eye and devotion to the story-at-hand. By utilizing basic, immediately recognizable human relationships -- husband and wife, longterm couple sharing an apartment -- David provides a clear, undistorted foundation onto which he builds the otherworldly. Parallel to the earnest human relationships, even the otherworldly appears to be woven intricately into our everyday experience. A rogue radio/cellular signal transmitter on the roof of an apartment building in the first installment, and the bogeyman in the second.
In the first installment, we are introduced to a bored couple of relative newlyweds, celebrating an anniversary with dinner and drinks that just cannot capture the romance and exotic experiences of years past. The husband, in this case, poisons his wife, but cannot effectively kill her due to that pesky transmitter tower; the radio waves penetrate their bodies, and after a couple of brutal fights, both husband and wife awaken to their reality as strangely undead creatures, certainly doomed for a lifetime shared in their peculiar fate.
In the second installment, an eager and excited boyfriend finds an armoire for his girlfriend, a beautiful antique that she is stunned to see again. She recognizes it from her past, as the home of a bogeyman, and immediately requests that it be returned; he does not believe her and notes that he had to pay the delivery men a handsome tip to get that thing delivered to the apartment. After a night of restless sleep, during which she battles the armoire and eventually is taken by the bogeyman, he discovers the frightening truth that there is such a thing as the bogeyman -- and of course, the bogeyman taunts him with his own disbelief -- "there is no such thing."
Both installments feature their share of tasteful gore and psychological suspense, placing What Lurks Beyond in a clear tradition of horror that is built from within the viewer's mind, playing on the viewer's fears and expectations, rather than preying on the viewer with base violence and extreme gore. Perhaps David's best accomplishment is his portrayal of monstrous human relationships in both installments; on one level, it certainly is the otherworldly that is responsible for the deaths of those involved, but on another level, the otherworldly is penetrated by poor human relationships.
In the first case, the couple's lack of communication and interaction results in a marriage that is void of any real feeling develops from the romantic idealization of years past and innocent love. In the second case, a severe lack of trust and empathy pierces the relationship, and in many ways that first act of disbelief -- "there's no such thing as the bogeyman" -- ensures that the relationship will be over before the bogeyman even gets his say in the matter.
Monsters, in David's intense psychological shorts, are as metaphysical as they are visual; if you are expecting that the otherworldly succeeds in his series, lurking beneath human relationships waiting to wreak havoc, you might be surprised when you find that the monsters are complacent humans going through the motions of their lives and relationships, and what lurks beneath their calm surface is otherworldly mistrust and communication breakdowns.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Cinchel at Tomentosa
I know it's been a while, but there is going to be an excellent cassette on the way, and in the meantime, Cinchel tapes remain at Tomentosa. Check it out:
Tomentosa 'Spective Audio
I am definitely sold out of Cinchel tapes. There are copies remaining at a couple Reckless stores, Permanent Records, Tomentosa, and I believe the artist himself still has a few....
Tomentosa 'Spective Audio
I am definitely sold out of Cinchel tapes. There are copies remaining at a couple Reckless stores, Permanent Records, Tomentosa, and I believe the artist himself still has a few....
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Spirit Smoke / White Noise Sound
One of the valuable results of the recent embrace of psychedelic culture in independent music is the residual focus on 1980s and 1990s trends in psychedelic music. Behind the outbreak of punk and alternative recording and songwriting trends in those decades, psychedelic influences were played down somewhat; perhaps they were hiding in plain sight at the time, but the development of heavier aesthetics in recording and songwriting kept whimsical, wet, and repetitive sounds to a minimum. Those sources of psychedelic sounds in the 1980s and 1990s are receiving their due during the last few years, providing listeners with a library of sounds to dive into, in order that listeners might understand the skeleton of contemporary psychedelic music somewhat better.
***
I have absolutely no idea how I missed White Noise Sound when their debut record was released in the United States last September, but I am making up for that now by wearing down the wax of their United Kingdom release in 2011. Hailing from the U.K. themselves, this group combines heavy and driving sounds from the Jesus and Mary Chain revival with symphonic or progressive elements from Echo and the Bunnymen (at their most symphonic). That heavy revivalist sound results in exceptional industrial distortion tones, completely distinct from the usual germanium fuzz attacks of psychedelic acts. Resulting from this sound, along with heavy dancey beats is a group attack that is not unlike the Welcome to the Monkey House Dandy Warhols, with the teeth of A Place to Bury Strangers.
On each side, the band starts with a fast and heavy rocker, retreating to introspective songs immediately thereafter. Here the listener has the privilege of diverse instrumentation that is executed in a sufficiently dark and reflective manner; from here the songs meander to their eventual conclusion, and the album itself is completed with one of the best symphonic psychedelic passages of recent years. Not unlike the swells that accompany Darker My Love's "All the Hurry and Wait" suite on their second album, White Noise Sound execute their symphonic passages with more dissonance and less logical conclusions, allowing for heavily emotional involvement in the closing moments.
This is obviously a record that I love because I enjoy the repetition of the Jesus and Mary Chain's fuzz cycles, and their logical conclusion in The Raveonettes and A Place to Bury Strangers, and I have a soft spot for bombastic progressive psychedelic sounds to boot. Needless to say, this disc executes progressive sounds with a succinct vision, and even though I feel like this disc could be twice as long, I appreciate that it is a release that leaves me wanting more. Overall, this is one of the best contemporary releases I have heard that includes psychedelic and progressive elements.
***
Not too long ago, I sent PayPal to a nice man in Belgium who happens to run a cassette label. Yesterday I received my copy of Great Society Mind Destroyers Spirit Smoke in the mail, and was immediately driven to a land of blistering fuzztones, stomping rhythms, and ethereal vocals. Having my mind sufficiently blown the first time I watched these guys play live over a year ago, and following the progression of their live demos and Dark Fog split 7", my mind was yet unprepared for the comprehensive attack of this new cassette.
In complete contrast to the White Noise Sound review above, this release accentuates certain aspects 1990s psychedelic production (some of the moments remind me of the heaviest and most psychedelic elements of the Smashing Pumpkins when they are at their very best), but the group itself sits more firmly in the traditional stream of psychedelic music originating from the 1960s (especially San Francisco's acid rock). This traditional slant includes organization of events that promote psychedelic culture in Chicago, promote independent psychedelic bands in the city, and also embraces the spiritual possibilities latent in psychedelia (not unlike The Pyschedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators).
When Great Society Mind Destroyers are at their best, they remind me of the complex instrumental arrangements of the original Big Brother and the Holding Company, and the disgusting, saturated tones of that classic acid blues (think "Ball and Chain"). Riffs are at the center of most songs on this release, rather than repetitive, meandering passages, and the execution of these hooks is perfect, bathed in effects, with varied rhythmic approaches from the bass and drums. Typically, the rhythmic section drives the songs in a rather subtle manner, clearing the way for the up-front guitar sound and dreamlike vocal sound. At various points the songs are raving-up or completely controlled, providing the release with diverse sounds and approaches.
One of my favorite things about psychedelic music is the basic template that allows groups to work within familiar conventions while presenting their own unique vision and their own attempt at providing spaces for the mind to reflect and explore. In this regard, Great Society Mind Destroyers pay homage to tradition while commenting on it with relentless, saturated passages.
Even if you're not into psychedelic tomes, this tape straight up rocks. Part of me wondered how this new release would relate to the development of the Chicago sound, and the group turned in a striking statement.
***
I have absolutely no idea how I missed White Noise Sound when their debut record was released in the United States last September, but I am making up for that now by wearing down the wax of their United Kingdom release in 2011. Hailing from the U.K. themselves, this group combines heavy and driving sounds from the Jesus and Mary Chain revival with symphonic or progressive elements from Echo and the Bunnymen (at their most symphonic). That heavy revivalist sound results in exceptional industrial distortion tones, completely distinct from the usual germanium fuzz attacks of psychedelic acts. Resulting from this sound, along with heavy dancey beats is a group attack that is not unlike the Welcome to the Monkey House Dandy Warhols, with the teeth of A Place to Bury Strangers.
On each side, the band starts with a fast and heavy rocker, retreating to introspective songs immediately thereafter. Here the listener has the privilege of diverse instrumentation that is executed in a sufficiently dark and reflective manner; from here the songs meander to their eventual conclusion, and the album itself is completed with one of the best symphonic psychedelic passages of recent years. Not unlike the swells that accompany Darker My Love's "All the Hurry and Wait" suite on their second album, White Noise Sound execute their symphonic passages with more dissonance and less logical conclusions, allowing for heavily emotional involvement in the closing moments.
This is obviously a record that I love because I enjoy the repetition of the Jesus and Mary Chain's fuzz cycles, and their logical conclusion in The Raveonettes and A Place to Bury Strangers, and I have a soft spot for bombastic progressive psychedelic sounds to boot. Needless to say, this disc executes progressive sounds with a succinct vision, and even though I feel like this disc could be twice as long, I appreciate that it is a release that leaves me wanting more. Overall, this is one of the best contemporary releases I have heard that includes psychedelic and progressive elements.
***
Not too long ago, I sent PayPal to a nice man in Belgium who happens to run a cassette label. Yesterday I received my copy of Great Society Mind Destroyers Spirit Smoke in the mail, and was immediately driven to a land of blistering fuzztones, stomping rhythms, and ethereal vocals. Having my mind sufficiently blown the first time I watched these guys play live over a year ago, and following the progression of their live demos and Dark Fog split 7", my mind was yet unprepared for the comprehensive attack of this new cassette.
In complete contrast to the White Noise Sound review above, this release accentuates certain aspects 1990s psychedelic production (some of the moments remind me of the heaviest and most psychedelic elements of the Smashing Pumpkins when they are at their very best), but the group itself sits more firmly in the traditional stream of psychedelic music originating from the 1960s (especially San Francisco's acid rock). This traditional slant includes organization of events that promote psychedelic culture in Chicago, promote independent psychedelic bands in the city, and also embraces the spiritual possibilities latent in psychedelia (not unlike The Pyschedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators).
When Great Society Mind Destroyers are at their best, they remind me of the complex instrumental arrangements of the original Big Brother and the Holding Company, and the disgusting, saturated tones of that classic acid blues (think "Ball and Chain"). Riffs are at the center of most songs on this release, rather than repetitive, meandering passages, and the execution of these hooks is perfect, bathed in effects, with varied rhythmic approaches from the bass and drums. Typically, the rhythmic section drives the songs in a rather subtle manner, clearing the way for the up-front guitar sound and dreamlike vocal sound. At various points the songs are raving-up or completely controlled, providing the release with diverse sounds and approaches.
One of my favorite things about psychedelic music is the basic template that allows groups to work within familiar conventions while presenting their own unique vision and their own attempt at providing spaces for the mind to reflect and explore. In this regard, Great Society Mind Destroyers pay homage to tradition while commenting on it with relentless, saturated passages.
Even if you're not into psychedelic tomes, this tape straight up rocks. Part of me wondered how this new release would relate to the development of the Chicago sound, and the group turned in a striking statement.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Featured release at Permanent!
Our releases are now on sale at Permanent Records, and the gang over there is featuring The N.E.C. and Sunny Muffdivers in their updates this week!
Cinchel's drone.dump is on sale for $5.99 over there, and Sunny Muffdivers and The N.E.C. are $4.99.
Check it out!
From the Permanent Records email update:
Tape - Sunny Muffdivers - All Half Evil (C26, Translucent Neon)
Pay no attention to the silly band name, this tape totally rips. Sunny Muffdivers is from Hotlanta and according to their Myspace page they "are here to send you somewhere you may not want to go". Maybe some people don't want to go to this place, but we absolutely do. The place they're speaking of is the homeland of repetitive, noisy psychedelic ROCK! We imagine that most of you would also like to go to there. Spective Audio is off to a great start as a recently established tape label. Here's what they told us about this one:
"Psych sludge doom. Pure sonic assult from Atlanta, inverting relationships between fuzz and rhythms throughout the four pieces on this cassette. Unrelenting drums and blistering fuzz create spaces for your mind to hide - this one is equally psychological and psychedelic."
We'll agree with that completely. Fans of repetitive dirges and krauty psych will totally love this tape. It's one of the most vinyl-ready tapes we've heard in a while.
Tape - NEC - B-Sides (C45, Tinted Red)
Spective Audio has another hit on their hands with this NEC tape. Here's the scoop from the label:
"The N.E.C. split the difference between the ambient and heavy sides of Atlanta's Psychedelic scene. Between their driving fuz and soul sensibilities, the band drone, meander, and layer their journey, offering signposts that are equal parts noise and pop."
Yet again, Spective is totally right on. This tape also rules!
A big thank you to Permanent for putting these on their site, and a big thank you for carrying these tapes. Go check 'em out!
Cinchel's drone.dump is on sale for $5.99 over there, and Sunny Muffdivers and The N.E.C. are $4.99.
Check it out!
From the Permanent Records email update:
Tape - Sunny Muffdivers - All Half Evil (C26, Translucent Neon)
Pay no attention to the silly band name, this tape totally rips. Sunny Muffdivers is from Hotlanta and according to their Myspace page they "are here to send you somewhere you may not want to go". Maybe some people don't want to go to this place, but we absolutely do. The place they're speaking of is the homeland of repetitive, noisy psychedelic ROCK! We imagine that most of you would also like to go to there. Spective Audio is off to a great start as a recently established tape label. Here's what they told us about this one:
"Psych sludge doom. Pure sonic assult from Atlanta, inverting relationships between fuzz and rhythms throughout the four pieces on this cassette. Unrelenting drums and blistering fuzz create spaces for your mind to hide - this one is equally psychological and psychedelic."
We'll agree with that completely. Fans of repetitive dirges and krauty psych will totally love this tape. It's one of the most vinyl-ready tapes we've heard in a while.
Tape - NEC - B-Sides (C45, Tinted Red)
Spective Audio has another hit on their hands with this NEC tape. Here's the scoop from the label:
"The N.E.C. split the difference between the ambient and heavy sides of Atlanta's Psychedelic scene. Between their driving fuz and soul sensibilities, the band drone, meander, and layer their journey, offering signposts that are equal parts noise and pop."
Yet again, Spective is totally right on. This tape also rules!
A big thank you to Permanent for putting these on their site, and a big thank you for carrying these tapes. Go check 'em out!
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