Review: Using a variety of tape stocks, Black Swan creates a haunting atmosphere that evokes the sensation of uncovering long-lost, sacred recordings hidden in time on his ninth album, Ghost. The New York-based artist reveals that he was inspired by musique concrete and ambient while making the record, which is made up of 20 pieces that all form a continuous suite. Each track varies in length and complexity from short and sweet sketches to more elongated studies and that are made from intense layering and harmonic surges using an array of tape stocks. The result is a haunting, unearthly atmosphere that sounds perfect in this cassette format.
Review: Meg Mulhearn and Belly Full of Stars come together for this split release on which the former takes care of the first four tunes and the latter the other five. For her part, Mulhearn harnesses the power of fire and ice, sunshine and torrential rain in tracks that are occasionally gentle and sometimes harsh. The textures are fuzzy and grainy but synths and strings bring light and hope. Kim Rueger's Belly Full of Stars alias finds her going deep into subterranean worlds of cavernous sound detailed with the finest of wispy melodies on' Ebon Flow' while 'Perihelia' has a more organic and summery feel desire being so pressurised and tense. These are enchanting sounds for sure.
Review: Minneapolis' Chris Bartels aka Blurstem, and Philadelphia's Andrew Tasselmyer of the likes of Hotel Neon and Gray Acres have hooked up once more for a second collaborative album Midnight Letters. This album's starting point was original concepts played out on guitar which were then processed and experimented with through an ages-old analog tape machine. Add in an array of iPad audio processing apps, samplers, and Ableton software and you have a perfect mix of tools to serve up a sonic journey that perfectly merges the old with the new. The resulting ambient soundscapes are immersive and sparse but packed with subtle details that convey all manner of emotions.
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