Council Meeting Memo #094 — Five for Friday
Various Artists: Bblisss (Bblisss, Compilation)
The best ambient compilation ever made….srsly. Originally came out on cassette back in 2016 and has been repressed on wax twice since then. Needless to say, this really is something special. The welcoming embrace of ‘Moon’ by Ulla Anona (aka Ulla Strauss) french kisses you with blue sky tones and snatches of live strings. And whilst the selection works as a whole, the calling card really is the epic ‘Ssumo’ by DJ Paradise. Trying to describe with words would be plain insulting (plus I can’t, I don’t have the chops). Just get the vinyl so we can be friends, yeah? SA 🇵🇸
Alex Mein Smith: Necessity’s Flame (Self-released, Album)
Dance music you can noise to, or is it the other way around? Whichever way you approach this, it’s one hell of a mosh. Reissued and remastered from its original inception way back in 2007, this still sounds urgent and direct. Opener ‘The Crush Room’ shears thru waves of noise to allow distant western guitar to creep through. Love the creepy Aphex vibes on ‘Fever of oscillations’ too and the crunchy stomp of ‘Wild Flower’ evokes that Speedy J album where he went all industrial (’A Shocking Hobby’). Also totally respectful of the concise running time of the whole thing. This really does deserve a bigger audience. SA 🇵🇸
New Corroded: Past Lightly (Vast Habitat, Album)
One half of New Corroded is Carrier, whose rise to ascendance as the king of moody halftime is remarkable. Here, paired with LA-based producer Daniel Lee, have crafted an album of cinematic electronic despair. After bringing the Carpenter-esque darkness on the opening ‘Terminal’, things pick up on the junglist-inducing ‘Chromosphere’. But its the outgoing ‘Rusted Shore’ that made the most impact. I mean, It’s all very well done (impeccable production), just doesn’t have anything new to say. SA 🇵🇸
ex_libris: ex_libris 001, ex_libris 002 (ex_libris, EP)
ex_libris is Dave Huismans, he of 2562 (I still love the first two 2562 records), A Made Up Sound and… nothing for the last six years. This new work comprises slow moving layers, a new sense of spatiality, depth and even greater intensity. Next level shit. Welcome back! CB 🇵🇸
Amosphère: Cosmogonical Ears (Hallowed Ground, Album)
|| Land of Eternal Delight: || meditative calm tired droning it could go on forever perhaps it is forever a passage from \\ Teleportation // patiently keening reaching outwards forwards muffled sonar signals mournful meditative varying // Black Hole In White Hole Out \\ conjures distant cities in the mind’s eye calling out to the departing traveller. CB 🇵🇸
