Ian Adcock of Second Family Band and Xavier Kraal of Rain Drinkers reunite to inspire and document a second drunken illusion of grandeur, this time on moonlit waters of the Wisconsin river and home to legendary horror novelist August Derleth. They are joined by bass guitarist and tube amp guru Jerry McDougal to open a 22 minute portal leading no one anywhere but therein another.
“le paradis c’est comme hier c’est une pierre qui tombe sans monde en dessous sans tombe et sans bombe le paradis c’est des mains sans personne sans retenue le paradis aboie et crie comme l’eau qui sort de la pierre comme une source qui s’étend partout”
“Shifting Sands Congregations offer a fascinating look into the depth of the musical chasm from which Burial Hex, Clay Ruby in person, draws his dark, illuminating power. This twenty minutes long ceremony blows out harrowing, ill bringing winds that blast through the dark corridor where he stands. ‘Will Kindly Old Lazarus Let me Back Out Again?’ is Ruby’s final solo performance as Burial Hex, so it says unfortunately, and to the outside listener like me it sounds as if Ruby summons the grand manifestation of his earlier music into the hall where he plays for one final and memorable time. I wish I could see this ritual myself, but at least I got a nice poster for that performance by mail later on. It’s not the same, but it’s something.
Fans of Burial Hex will find this release essential, other people who do not know this remarkable project should change their ways immediately, and ‘ Will Kindly Old Lazarus Let me Back Out Again?’ is a good place to start.”
Noxroy is the moniker of bizarro synth-head, guitarist, and sound-designer Andrew Fitzpatrick, who also plays with All Tiny Creatures. Crafting rippling, full-frequency waves that rise and crash with meticulous detail, Fitzpatrick is known for building massively expressive textures through blurry-handed multitasking behind a mountain of gear.
“Inside the wonderful packaging, so fitting with the rest of the beautiful releases by Shifting Sands Congregation, there is a delicate stream, or a brief glimpse, to Noxroy’s frozen realm of creation. This sixteen minutes long performance pack within itself brittle sadness and intelligent illumination through encoded language of textures and droning layers of sound. I think we are all pretty used to live performances that last fifteen minutes, sometimes less than that, and naturally many performances fail to make an impact during such brief existence. Noxroy however, does indeed make an impact. This performance hits the guts with pleasure, with pain and with piercing passion. Noxroy’s performance is a beautiful experience of an event that was probably a great one.”
“Troy Schafer’s approach to the violin ranges from cryptic elegance, with the avant-garde group Kinit Her, to outright scraping abuse at a recent Project Lodge solo set. His most recent release is the EP Scalping the Wraith, recorded with Portuguese multi-instrumentalist Paulo Chagas. The two came into contact when both were recording tracks for Italian composer Marco Lucchi’s compilation Broken Arpeggios (which Schafer calls “a contemporary investigation on the power of the arpeggio beyond its usual accompaniment role”).
Scalping the Wraith results from Chagas and Schafer’s trying to improvise despite the distance. “[We discussed] basic phrasing before simultaneously recording separate tracks without hearing one another, then slapping the takes together,” Schafer says.
The tracks, with titles like “Failed Wizardry and Drunken Mourning Over the Loss of a Pet Gerbil,” draw on both classical training and an extreme willingness to wander. Chagas’ assortment of woodwinds brings fluidity and melody to these experiments. Schafer’s violin produces a lot of groans and squeaks in contrast, but these are expertly controlled. Their separate parts may feel jarring, but Schafer and Chagas work themselves into an eerie kind of synch.”
“I once saw a short video of Troy Schafer performing solo with a violin, and what struck me the most was the degree of fury that was inflicted upon the wooden instrument, which almost collapsed under the pressure inflicted by Schafer. When I listen to this 3″CDr, and I have been listening to it for few months now, I can imagine the same fury happening there. This time he is accompanied by Paulo Chagas on flute and Bass Clarinet, and together they go from free Jazz improvisations into wreaking a complete sonic havoc which at times pierces my eardrums so deep with its sharp needles my brain almost bursts.
It might be interesting to witness the way in which these two artists work together, because as it sounds on this small E.P, they have a wonderful communication with each other. The sound is great, as well as the overall feel, and I can imagine them playing right here next to me. Automatically, as one of the tracks blasts through the room, I imagine Schafer on the verge of smashing his violin on the floor. I don’t know if he has ever done this, but maybe he should. Not an expensive one, a cheap one for practice, like the one I thought about buying for myself and never did.”
brazen warmth wove of remembrance shining. haunted blonde dust beast, crying. soothed transcendence. Ltd Ed 50 Galaxy Gold on Matte Blue Marble, foil, tied with brown leather.
Circulation Of Light is Nathaniel Ritter
Stevens Point, Wisconsin
2012
SOLD OUT
(excerpt)
“The names of the tracks, which are arranged as straight lines that are softly carved on
The gold colored card on the inside of this lovely packaging, look like the marks used for the practice of keeping progress with the flow of time, when no other devices are available. On the outside of this album, the resemblance is that of an old passport with deteriorating edges. There seem to be a long history, imagined or not, behind this small 3″ packaging, even though I am holding it in my hands for five minutes so far.
Inside it, as I play it, the magic begins. Through Circulation of Light, Nathaniel Ritter (who stands behind the label ‘Brave Mysteries’, the band ‘Kinit Her’ and other projects, offers a soft piano playing that sounds distant at moments, and more immediate at others. The music echoes into itself and creates small ripples of beautiful, touching vibrations, mending together a light aura that engulfs the music and give it a brilliant presence. Being a short mini album (19 minutes), I let it play over and over again, as I notice the spiraling effect it possess with each additional run. The music, emotional, minimal and inspiring, gains more presence and power with each time the album plays again. Ritter creates a long, mediating ceremony; capable of lasting for hours (a three hours run was my longest play for this album) with only less than 20 minutes of music. I think that this is where ‘Twilit Homeland’ has its power.
The circulation of this album ends as I open my eyes, stare at the album cover for another minute, and press Stop. There is a sense of emptiness and descent back into the hard chair I remember now that I am sitting on. ‘Twilit Homeland’ is indeed a long walk on a short, yet long lasting road. This is a great experience, well worthy for your time. Check it out!”
