Steven R. Smith picks up where he left off in March with eight more untitled tracks of ceremonial guitar to storm the gates. Where Smiths first release under this pseudonym featured hints of delicate folk acoustics, possible held over from his work in Halana Strana or Owl, another release this year under his own name, II is more about darker electric noise. Most tracks yowl with layers of distorted guitar that enfold one central psychedelic line as it dodges the branches of noise. Occasional drums and organ further enshroud the pathways or lift off like dark mist to reveal what lies beneath. These gyring tracks compare favourably to Alexander Tuckers occasionally dense experiments with guitar stratification. As with I, each track is fairly brief, dispensing with build up and after effects and just burning from beginning to end. In this way they appear as chemically smeared snapshots that hold more blurred detail than can be immediately absorbed, only poured over repeatedly to unlock hidden truths. (Soft Abuse)
Joe Danger 5507 Super Mario and Zelda may have gotten more attention, but for those who grew up on Nintendo's original NES console, ExciteBike was equally iconic. Racing a motocross over jumps was awesome — but the ability to create your own tracks, even without being saveable on such a...Full Review
Frazey Ford - Obadiah 279
Frazey Ford's soulful voice has always been a highlight of the Be Good Tanyas. For her solo debut, she quiets the twang just enough to drench her vocal quaver in warm tones of soul, gospel and R&B. Twenty years in the making, Obadiah fulfils Ford's long-cherished vision of crafting songs...
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The Warm Spirit of the Mountains & the Trees
People say it's very earnest. I'm not quite sure what that means," laughs Jon Janes. Whatever it means, Janes certainly knows that it connects with people. As the force behind the morphing cast of musicians known as the Mountains & the Trees, Janes is winning hearts nationwide with his delicately upbeat indie folk....
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Super Mario and Zelda may have gotten more attention, but for those who grew up on Nintendo's original NES console, ExciteBike was equally iconic. Racing a motocross over jumps was awesome — but the ability to create your own tracks, even without being saveable on such a...
Frazey Ford's soulful voice has always been a highlight of the Be Good Tanyas. For her solo debut, she quiets the twang just enough to drench her vocal quaver in warm tones of soul, gospel and R&B. Twenty years in the making, Obadiah fulfils Ford's long-cherished vision of crafting songs...
People say it's very earnest. I'm not quite sure what that means," laughs Jon Janes. Whatever it means, Janes certainly knows that it connects with people. As the force behind the morphing cast of musicians known as the Mountains & the Trees, Janes is winning hearts nationwide with his delicately upbeat indie folk....
