Herb News

Here's a couple of points from Herb Recordings latest mailing list update:








Rubens

The U.S release date for the Rubens CD is the 13th April 2007. Fans in the U.S can pre-order the CD now for $14.96 from

www.ear-rational.com

As from next week the Rubens (Review) CD will also be available from Norman Records for £7.95

www.normanrecords.com

~ism from Rubens has also released his "Surface Life" Ep which you can get for free here.


Engine7

The fantastic debut album release by Glasgow's Engine7 is imminent. This album will be released in digital format first and then on CD shortly afterwards. We'll keep you updated with the progress on both formats.



Solipsism "Free Ep" & "No Entry Ep"

Both of these are free downloads that Solipsism have kindly made available. The Free EP is a collection of 4 ambient tracks that were recorded during the "Electricity Flows In Squares" (Review) sessions and the No Entry EP is basically just a collection of 7 tracks that they've recorded over the past two years and not used in any other projects. Please feel free to download and share these out. You can download both eps including artwork here.


Kingbastard

Kingbastard has released a free ep under his "myheadisaballoon" alias. The ep is titled "Hello-Fi" and can be downloaded for free from his artist page at the herb site.

Points of Interest...

1. Engine7 will be performing at Glasgow's Rio Cafe tomorrow night from 8pm. Those excellent visuals will be on show, courtesy of These Are Ideals, while a live bassist will also be added to add extra weight to the overall sound. I have heard the forthcoming album, "Me, But Perfect" and it is a scorcher. More info and a map of how to get to the venue, for those who are unfamiliar with Glasgow's West End, can be found here.


2. Rubens' forthcoming album, "Carnivalesque" (review) has a release date (Feb 10th). It will be available via digital download and CD via Herb Recordings. Pre-order it here. Furthermore, Kingbastard has a limited edition Ep available on CD form Herb too. Get the "Bastardize" Ep here now.

3. Hot on the heels of Sigur Ros' latest album new, My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields has declared that he "still intends to record" another MBV album, according to Magnet.


4. Mogwai have been asked to play at this ATP festival, with a decision expected very soon (source), while Slint will be once again dusting down those vintage guitars to play the influential "Spiderland" in its entirity at the Primavera Sound Festival.


5. The collaboration between Solipsism and Neil Carlill of Vedette, will now be going under the name shoosh. There are more new tracks for you to digest here.


6 My Formica Table, the project run by Strap The Button's Jack Hunter has posted a few of the upcoming ventures. This project is partcularly interested in the "swapping of music". Get in contact with him, if you would like to do this here

7 Some interesting news(to say the least) coming from Radiohead fansite At Ease. Korn are expected to release a cover of "Creep" on their forthcoming Unplugged album. The album will also feature The Cure's Robert Smith. Jonny Greenwood, meanwhile, will oversee his own Reggae compilation in conjunction with Trojan Records. Tracklisiting and details here.

Rubens : "Carnivalesque" (Herb Recordings)

Barely one year old and Scottish record label, Herb Recordings, finds itself at the forefront of cutting edge electronica and ambient music. 2006 saw an remarkable amount of releases from compilations featuring Herb's roster to individual albums from the likes of Solipsism, BitBin and Cheju. 2007 promises to be even better for Herb, not only will their releases be available on CD, but some of their strongest artists will be unleashing new material into the music world.

Glasgow-based duo, Rubens, fall into this catergory having been with Herb almost from the outset. They have been locked away in their studio for most of 2006, honing their album "Carnivalesque", on occasions completely re-working tracks from scratch. It is this sort of attention to detail that makes this a triumphant debut.

At their best, Rubens truly connects with some outstanding slices of uptempo electronica. "Bank Holiday", for example, makes use of snappy, incessant beats reminiscent of "Crystal"-era Autechre. But much like the album title suggests, there is a playful nature to the music and "Bank Holiday" draws on a wonderful, infectious melody too. The duo themselves claim the album is a balance of upbeat, head-nodding melodic electronic sounds and sombre downtempo music. They are most defintely at their strongest when they let loose with their uptempo, innovative beat patterns. "Breaking Into A Smile" reinforces the attention to deatil aspects of the various production techniques on "Carnivalesque" (believe me, there is a staggering amount of programmes used here). A driving rhythm , forcefully propels this song forward as a festival style melody plays away in the background. The duo's long slog in the studio has paid off, with the subtle production nuances very apparent here.

The anthemic, 10-minute long "Ferris Wheel" provides another highlight and brings things down several notches for a couple of minutes. But more inventive drum pattenrs are introduced, becoming a real hallmark on "Carnivalesque". Again it recalls early Autechre, but they never produced anything as sweet-sounding as this.

The moodily infectious "Giraffe" shows Rubens from a different angle, with dulcet tones that have an immediate calming effect. This track represents the best of the downtempo, sombre work. I can imagine putting "Giraffe" on in the early hours of the morning, soaking in its laid-back grooves and ambient cloud .

But again it’s those more upbeat numbers that really hit home. “Puggies” (Scottish slang for a fruit machine) seems to capture the excitement of being at a carnival. It recalls, all of the attributes of a festival atmosphere. The flashing lights, the pounding music, the noise from the machines and the joyous expressions on people’s faces. It drives forward from the word go and refuses to let go.

The penultimate track, “Winter Broth” seems to blend both Rubens’ upbeat nature and their and their laid-back leanings and this massive sounding track provides a satisfying end to the album.

“Carnivalesque” was intended to be an album of “ head-nodding melodic electronic music”, every box is checked with regards to that statement, making this a fine debut from the Rubens team and another goal for Herb Recordings.

Rating = 80%

"Carnivalesque" will be available from early February and can be obtained from Herb.

Rubens (Herb Recordings) - "Electronic Braindance"

Rubens have been with Herb Recordings almost from its inception in January of this year. But while Herb has been releasing a plethora of albums, Rubens have been locked away working purposefully on their album.

Rubens is made up of Mark Flanagan (formerly known as ~ism) and Gordan MacDermid and represent another one of Herb's homegrown Scottish talent. Their influences are varied, from the usual (Autechre, Boards Of Canada), through to the less usual (Arovane, Caribou) and the very unusual (Neu!).

Rubens sound places "emphasis on fun filled electronic melodies and a blend of electro and acoustic drum beats", with the primary aim of creating feelgood electronica. Having gained a reputation as remixers, the duo are hoping to hone their live experience bringing in a drummer and bassist

Their forthcoming 10 track album, "Carnivalesque" will not appear utnil next year. So Herb have granted yet another exclusive, this time in the shape of "Blue Bells Burn Slowly". This track has an off-kilter melody and a downtempo beat that gradually becomes more dense as the song progresses.

"Blue Bells Burning Slowly" - Rubens