Textura Returns

After a short period on the sidelines, the wonderful Textura monthly webzine has returned with a fanatastic issue featuring in-depth label profiles of the wonderful Dynamophone and the equally superb, Hidden Shoal. Furthermore, there are a number of reveiws that have featured here. As well as an extensive look at the latest Dynamophone releases, reviews of Explosions In The Sky, Tobias Lilja, Arc Lab, SubtractiveLAD and Ölvis can be found there.

But of particualr interest here, is the colourful descriptions and mp3's of Wes Willenbring, Slow Dancing Society and Sankt Otten from the Hidden Shoal catalogue. All three albums are strong contenders for my end of year list and are most definitely worth checking out. The following paragraphs and mp3's can be found at the excellent Textura, along with some samples from the likes of A Lily, Pornopop, Stars of the Lid and Pole:

Sankt Otten (Textura Review)

Sankt Otten's "Wir koennen ja Freunde bleiben" emerges from its dark opening moments, casts its gaze upon the open plains and ponders the surrounding expanse as guitars both sing a soft lullaby and build into slow-burning swells.

Sankt Otten: "Wir koennen ja Freunde bleiben"


Slow Dancing Society (Textura Review)

In "The Delicate Sound of Silence," Drew Sullivan coaxes a fragile and stately beauty from a modest collection of whistling tones, voice samples, and guitar flutter. Sullivan masterfully shapes the material into a captivating ambient setting that comes as close as possible to translating a most peaceful sleep state into aural form.

Slow Dancing Society: "The Delicate Sound of Silence"


Wes Willenbring (Textura Reveiw)

The San Francisco-based Willenbring generates alluring vignettes from a base palette of piano and guitars, blurring the lines between them until the reverberant product of their union drifts like a slow-motion plume of smoke through the quietude of an empty cathedral

Wes Willenbring: "Sometimes"

Wes Willenbring : "Somewhere Someone Else" (Hidden Shoal Recordings)

Walking to the train station one chilly Saturday afternoon, the previous night's excess ensured that my head felt as if it had been trampled on by an elephant. Such was my hangover, music was the last thing that I needed. However, the walk to the station is quite boring, so I decided to load Wes Willenbring's "Somewhere Someone Else" onto my Ipod and with seconds of album opener "Aperture" the pain in my head seemed to subside. It didn't matter that ferocious looking rain clouds were forming overhead, everything at that moment made perfect sense.

Wes Willenbring recently moved to San Francisco where he has created this gentle and multi-textured album of atmospheric piano and guitar based pieces. Percussive elements are completely eschewed in favour of soft piano tones, warm drones and beautiful guitar work. Bringing to mind artists such as The Dead Texan, Labradford and Eluvium, Willenbring has managed to add something new to this genre.

The music here slowly unfurls, while layers of differing melodies are carefully added. The shimmering beauty of "As You Fade Away" is a prime example of this, two or three drone-melodies float together while softly plucked guitar notes intertwine. It's an intriguing combination that seems to take its cues from the wall-of-sound approach of bands like My Bloody Valentine. "Small Reminders" helps to fill the gaping hole left by the absent Labradford. Dripping with melancholic guitar work, each note and tone is deliberately placed. You don't notice the lack of precussion, the hypnotic instrumentation ensures that.

It is hard to pinpoint exactly what places one ambient album over the next, but with "Somewhere Someone Else" you can make no mistake. The vast, luxuriant soundscapes transport you to another world. "Reverie", for example, starts with reverbed guitar work that soon meshes with unearthly drones. Within seconds you become immersed in its thick, liquid sounds. It becomes apparent that the only way to experience this album properly, is through your headphones and at full volume.

It's hard to pick a favourite track here, such is the quality of each composition. Every single track provides an alluring listen and Willenbring's meticulous attention to detail catapults this album ahead of its peers. At a push, I would pick penultimate track "Lost Illusions" as my favourite. It is four minutes of pure ambient joy. This cerebral effort features some of the nicest guitar plucking I have heard so far this year, it's brooding and nocturnal again recalling Labradford. It moves at almost glacial pace.

Hidden Shoal are fast carving out a niche for themselves in the ambient/electronica market. Following on from Slow Dancing Society's "The Sound of Lights When Dim", Willenbring's "Somewhere Someone Else" is a tremendous affair of restrained, multi-layered and hypnotic soundscapes.

Rating - 87%

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Points of Interest

1. Mogwai, despite a prolific output in 2006 (Mr.Beast, Zidane, The Fountain), appear to be back in the studio according to their website.

2. Planet Mu have details on their 2007 release schedule.

3. 65 Days of Static have a few live dates up here, including a few at Scotland's wonderful Triptych Festival.

4. You can watch Arcade Fire perform "Intervention" on Saturday Night Live here.

5. Portishead previewed an unmaed song in a low-key performance in Bristol, according to Pitchfork

6. Hidden Shoal Recordings have pre-released Wes Willenbring's "Somewhere Someone Else", which should be of interest to fans of Eluvium, Stars of the Lid, The Dead Texan and Labradford.

7. The Strange Death of Liberal England recorded a session for the Steve Lamacq show on BBC Radio 1. Stream it here. Pre-order their forthcoming single here.

8. Kingbastard has remastered and uploaded another record, this time it is his "5" ep, download it for free here.

9. Pre-order Vessels forthcoming single "Yuki/Forever The Optimist" here.

10. SITE NEWS: in the coming week I will be posting exclusive mp3's from 4 up and coming artists in and round in electronica genre. I am hoping to now make this article a monthly event.

Sankt Otten : "Wir Koennen ja Freunde Bleiben" (Live)

SANKT OTTEN - Wir koennen ja Freunde bleiben

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Here is some hard evidence of Sankt Otten's (review below) awesome music, a live version of album title track "Wir koennen ja Freunde bleiben"

Sankt Otten : "Wir Koennen ja Fruende Bleiben" (Hidden Shoal Recordings)

Germany is really an under-rated nation, in terms of what it has contributed to the music world. Consider Tangerine Dream who, way back, in the early 70's laid out the blueprints for, what is now, contemporary electronica. Then Kraftwerk unleashed their "Man Machine" on an unsuspecting world, changing it forever. Even this side of the millenium, The Notwist proved, with "Neon Golden", German creativity is at an all time high. Sankt Otten's "Wir Koennen ja Freunde Bleiben" deserves to be held in the same esteem as those aforementioned albums.

Roughly translating as "Let's Remain Friends", this album from the Osnabruek quartet is an ultra-cool cinematic experiment, that should be soundtracking the atmospheres of smoke-filled jazz clubs in some futuristic world. The brainchild of percussionist Stephen Otten, one of the most alluring aspects of "Wir Koennen..." is the differing styles of rythmns, from trip-hop to jazz and electronica to straight barrelled rock. "Hoeneraush" contains a dirty hip-hop beat, its massive, clunking sound is warpped up with a melody with a dark heart. You can't help but nod your head along or tap your feet to this sinister track.

There is also a certain something about Oliver Klemm's guitar tone, on several tracks his work is simple, but devastatingly effective. On "Zum Schweigen Verdammt" his rich, swirling textures combine immensely with the washes of strings creating a noirish soundscape. The album, as a whole, is such an expansive effort, there are a number of reference points, but they are all presented in a unique Sankt Otten way. "Bluehende Landshaften", for example, recalls Massive Attack's "Angel", with its seductive undertones that are overlayed with guitar, piano and string parts. The brooding beat ensures "Bluehende.." builds tensely for over five minutes before simmering and then quietly dying out.

"Fandenscheing", meanwhile, would not feel out of place on a Miles Davis album and evokes those smoke-filled jazz club images again. While, "Fallen and Fangen", one of the few tracks that contains vocals, provides this album's most upbeat moment. The seductive female voice provides a respite from the darker tracks and ensures "Fallen and.." is one of the more optimistic sounding numbers on here.

"Wir Koennen..." is a melting pot of influences and sounds. A grandiose statement that touches the cornerstones of noir film soundtrack, atmospheric rock, jazz and Trip-hop. At times it matches the brilliance of Portishead's "Dummy" or Massive Attack's "Mezzanine" and should certainly be considered by fans of those albums. The differing sounds will guarentee that this will be an alluring listen every single time you hit the play button.



Rating = 85%

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My Majestic Star : "Fining" Ep Preview (Hidden Shoal Recordings)

My Majestic Star -

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Finding Perth, Australia-based label Hidden Shoal Recordings could rightly claim to be in the top 10 best things that ever happened to me, such is the qulaity and diversity of their roster. Barely a year old, they have already unleashed the stunning "The Sound of Lights When Dim" by Slow Dancing Society (review), the intelligent jazz/post-rock of Dilatazione (review), the up-beat indie rock stylings of The Hero Cycle (review) and the expansive, cinematic rock/electronic fusion of Sankt Otten (review to follow).

My Majestic Star's "Fining Ep" is Hidden Shoal's latest release and is the solo project of Glassacre's Chris Mason, himself a Perth native. Using just a guitar, piano and computer, Mason has created a sound that encompasses the structures of Eno and the dynamics of the famous Shoegazer acts.

"It is the subtle narrative crafting that makes “Fining” so special. Songs, turn so gently as to make you unaware that you have been left somewhere far different from where you started. Structures are allowed to fall into themselves then pick up again with new binding and direction." <-- Press Release

I have a friend who travelled to Perth a year ago or so, to visit his girlfriend who was travelling the world at the time. He came back raving about the city, saying it was such a different way of life, everyone was so nice to one another. The video above doesn't feature on "Fining", but I reckon, without having actually visited the city, it reflects the calming nature of Perth perfectly. There's not much else to say really... just watch this video.

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Dilatazione : "Too Emotional For Maths" (Hidden Shoal Recordings)

Post-rock is fast becoming a tired and bloated genre with most releases these days sounding like a bad copy of the hundreds of acts who have gone before them. Even Explosions In The Sky aren't safe from plagarism accusations anymore, even though they are one of the bands that initially blew the barriers down. It does take something truly special to stand-out in the mire of mediorcity. Recently, the Italians are having a right go at this with a handful of acts such as Port-Royal, Larsen and Vanessa Van Basten creating some challenging music.

What stand's out about Prato-based, Dilatazione, is the impeccable percussion courtesy of drummer, Alessio Graffedi, who performs admirably throughout the 38 minutes of "Too Emotional For Maths". It comes as no surprise, that Graffedi has since became a member of Ulan Bator, as his incredible timing is perfectly suited to the sound of the French experimentalists.

That's not to say this album is for percussion enthusiasts only. On "Solo in una Strada Afollata", chiming guitars and a driving rythmn combine brilliantly with a horn section, that brings to mind former post-hardcore heroes, Bob Tilton. "Cendre In", meanwhile, employs breathy vocals in a similar vein to contemporaries Ulan Bator, only the Italian dialect sounds so much cooler.

The real challenge with "Too Emotional For Maths" is, that to fully enjoy the subtleties of this album, you must first find the key to unlock the rewards. When the key is found, the treasures available are a joy to behold. There are so many intricate intertwining guitar parts, twisted chord structures, illusive percussion touches and smatterings of electronics. This album, unlike many lesser post-rock efforts, is not an instant quick-fix of quiet-loud dynamics, it's an intelligent effort, that requires a certain degree of concentraition. Most importantly, though, this album is guarenteed to grow on you after repeated listens. Thinking about my record collection, some of my most cherished albums pan out this way.

Using the foundations laid by Chicago veterans, Tortoise, gives Dilatazione the canvas to truly express themselves. As the album progresses the sound slowly starts to become more dense and there is a sense that these Italians like to let loose too. "Ivano Marchetti" launches into a furious jam complete with phaser-laced drums, while "Cendre In" expands on these themes, proving Dilatzione aren't all about intricate guitar lines and technical proficeny, there's plenty of passion too.

Closer, "Tutto si Dimentica" is undoubtedly the best track, it is as if the band were slowly buliding their way to this moment. Towards the end, for three euphoric minutes a glorious sound is amassed using slightly off-kilter percussion and slabs of reverbed guitar. Then it all ends abruptly, just about the point it should erupt into a post-rock cliche. It's a confusing end, but then, Dilatazione prove throughout "Too Emotional.." that they like to keep the listener thinking.

Or perhaps they felt we have been rewarded enough?.

Order it here.
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Rating = 75%

The Hero Cycle : "Lakes and Ponds Ep" (Hidden Shoal Recordings)

Burlington, Vermont collective, The Hero Cycle, are a 14-legged outfit and recent signings to the ever-expanding (and impressive) Hidden Shoal roster. Musically, this collective mix contemporary influences with some of the best bands from the past 15-20 years. There's a touch of Arcade Fire, a dollop of Broken Social Scene, while some of the tracks are peppered with experimental guitar work, reminscent of Sonic Youth. However, with the "Lakes and Ponds Ep", The Hero Cycle have created an ambitious little release that should be able to stand proudly, shoulder to shoulder, with the current indie darlings.

"Breathing In" gets this, short but sweet, Ep underway and gives a perfect introduction to this band, encompassing all of the key elements of their sound. The swirling Sonic Youth style introduction is augmented by drumming that is paying homage to Steve Shelley, while the vocals recall Lee Ranaldo's familiar tones too. However, it is the band's energy that shines through the most here, with the monolithic wails of feedback resembling a huge storm accumulating on the horizon.

"Lovers Crime" is a more optimistic number and displays The Hero Cycle's love of the subtle minor chord. The Broken Social Scene comparisons are most apparent here, with syrupy female vocals taking the verse, while swapping with male singing for the chorus. This is all soundtracked with jagged guitars and fast-paced drums. Its upbeat nature and excellent delivery makes this a classic example of an indie-pop song.

While next track, "American Proxy" doesn't quite hit the heights of the opening two tracks. "A New Love For Lakes and Ponds" immediately intrigues with its Arcade Fire style introduction. The fuzzy organ sounds, along with a driving rythmn soon pushes this instrumental into a massive, over-blown indie-rock explosion.

"You Vs Them" wraps things up on "Lakes and Ponds" and has being picking up a fair bit of radio airplay. It is not hard to see why, with a chorus that easily bores its way into your head, while the guitar interplay is mesmerising. It all ends fittingly, with a detonation of shoegazer guitars, as that catchy chorus blends itself into the music.

The "Lakes and Ponds Ep" brings together many influences, past and present. The Hero Cycle, however, have a knack of bringing their own unqiue burst of energy to the table, proving they have a superb handle of euphoric indie-rock theatrics. Get it here.

Rating = 72%

Points Of Interest

1. A Hawk and A Hacksaw have confirmed dates for a UK tour that will encompass most major cities in Britain. The Alburqurque, New Mexico duo will be augmented by The Hun Hangár Ensemble, a Hungarian collective. The show will feature several mind-boggling instruments, re-workings of traditional European folk songs and a collection of tracks from AHAAH's back catalogue. They will be supported by Jack Rose, details can be viewed here.

2.Our Sleepless Forest have posted, what sounds like, a finished mix of "Aircastles" from their forthcoming debut album, which will be released on Type Records later in 2007. Listen here.

3. Hidden Shoal Recordings have kindly posted a free download of Slow Dancing Society's magnificent "How Life Was Meant To Be Lived". . But this is my favourite release of 2007 thus far, and "How Life.." is possibly the first classic track of the year. Download it here. The album, "The Sound of Lights When Dim" (Review) was also officially released today.

4. Longshot here, but if anyone can sort me out with a ticket for Arcade Fire's upcoming shows at The Barrowlands, it would be greatly appreciated. I was at work when they went on sale and had no access to a telephone. Safe to say they sold out almost instantly and I was left rather disappointed.

Slow Dancing Society : "The Sound of Lights When Dim" (Hidden Shoal Recordings)

Music is all about moments like this. Moments when you are, unexpectedly, knocked over and stunned into submission by an album that has, quite literally, came from nowhere. Washington based producer, Drue Sullivan has managed to do just that, under his Slow Dancing Society moniker. “The Sound of Lights When Dim” is a deeply affecting, consistently excellent effort of stunning tranquillity and beautiful ambience, that demands repeated listening.

There is a fabulous quote from Brian Eno on Slow Dancing Society’s biography, it reads: “Ambient music must be able to accommodate many levels of listening without enforcing on in particular…” These sentiments are executed with a degree of perfection on “Sounds of Lights…” in all eight compositions.

It all starts off with “Be There”, a hazy ambient passage featuring reverbed guitar that reflects the calmness of those early hours of the morning, just when the sun starts to creep its way across the sky. “Radiance” follows and makes use of excellent glacial notes and distantly soft beats, while soothing acoustic guitar work evokes images of a flower blooming in Spring-time.

There are plenty of influences throughout “The Sound of Lights..”, I can hear bits and pieces of Pink Floyd, Explosions In The Sky, Hammock and various IDM artists. Although it is now over-used, to the point of annoyance, when describing ambient music. There are subtle hints of Sigur Ros too. “The Delicate Sounds of Silence” recalls that “Untitled” ep from a few years ago, although this time there are no Hopelandish lyrics or ice-cool e-bowed guitars. Instead, it’s warm, sun-kissed ambience, twinkling notes and tantalising waves of soft distortion. It really is magical stuff.

A number of song titles hint at regrets or the loss of someone close. “ A Song That Will Help You Forget”, for example, combines resplendent guitar harmonics and an echoed click-beat. By now you realise Sullivan is a superbly talented musician. One of the key components I look out for in music, these days, is restraint and Sullivan understands this concept clearly. He knows when to direct a track, ascending with distortion and clearer programming, but equally he knows when to let a song cascade back to sedate atmospheres too.

“How Life Was Meant To Be Lived”, simply put, is this album's showpiece. Imagine “Wish You Were Here” era Floyd remixed by a contemporary electronic artist. The atmospheric slide guitar melds with intelligent and crisp programming to devastating effect. It’s a perfect piece of emotional ambience.

Slow Dancing Society employs velvety synths that wash all over you and intricate guitar playing that tugs at your heart-strings. “The Sound of Lights When Dim” feels like the soundtrack for that moment when you are supposed to arrive at the gates of heaven. When I finally succumb, I hope I hear the opening strains of this album. That way, I’ll know I’ve made it. Hidden Shoal Recordings have a masterpiece on their hands. Order it here.


Rating = 90%

Points of Interest...

1. If there any aspiring writers or anyone with some opinions on musical, political or artistic issues. Ask for a inivite to the Hidden Shoal Recordings project FluxusTV. There is an ever-growing band of like-minded individuals posting their thoughs and sharing their interests at this intriguing venture. I've joined up and it looks very good fun.

2. Arclight Communications have confirmed that they will release Romance of Young Tigers self-titled ep via 10" vinyl this year and it will feature a bonus track. It will be limited to just 400 copies.

3. Mark 6/02/07 in your diaries, because n5md will issue their latest batch of "emotional experiments in music". Albums by Sweden's Tobias Lilja and Canadians SubtractiveLAD and Arc Lab will be released on this day.

4. Two of my tips for 2007 will be releasing new material very soon. iLiKETRAiNS will have a new single, "Spencer Perceval" out on 26/03/07. While, Slow Dancing Society officially releases "The Sound of Lights When Turned Dim" this coming Monday. Order it here

5. Keser will return to Glasgow on 23/01/07 to play a free gig at everyone's favourite late night bar, Bloc. ÅsA are also due to play at what should be an excellent night for contemporary Scottish music.