Browse by Label: MIASMAH (UK)

Artist:	ELEGI
Title:	Sistereis
Label:	MIASMAH (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	MIA 005CD

2009 repress, originally released on Miasmah in 2007. Since Knive from Svarte Greiner (Miasmah boss Erik Skodvin), the world has been waiting eagerly for the next addition to the acoustic doom canon. Maybe fitting then, that it should also come from Oslo, as we all know that Norway is home to everything that is dark and all that is desolate. Sistereis is the debut solo release from Tommy Jansen aka Elegi, a man who besides crafting effortlessly mysterious Lynchian soundscapes, takes time out of his everyday life to go wreck-diving. For those of you unfamiliar with this sport, it involves diving into the deep sea to explore shipwrecks; empty maritime museums of lost life and forgotten history. This deep obsession is reflected in the album's title "Sistereis" which is a word used for a ship's doomed final voyage, a theme which is followed closely throughout the recording. It is hardly surprising then that Jansen, an experienced studio engineer and classically-trained musician, took his love of sound into the deep seas and while diving, made reel upon reel of waterlogged recordings. These passages of sound, which Jansen believes capture the ghosts of the shipwrecks, formed the basis of many of the album's tracks, and if you listen very closely, you hear the deep seas rumbling around you. Within the haunted piano melodies and scraping of damp wood, there are much deeper, much more frightening sounds to be heard -- and using his personal knowledge of all things watery, Jansen has truly created the next chapter in the black book of acoustic doom. Where better to find influence for such music than the frightening world of forgotten souls that is the sea, and while the choppy blue expanse may have lent itself to many an album, there is something devastatingly original about Jansen's approach. Maybe it is down to his deep historical knowledge, or maybe it is down to simple compositional skill, but it is almost impossible to listen to Sistereis without being thrust into a blackened world of stormy waters and drifting bodies. A truly epic record which is sure to appeal to fans of Earth, Wolfmangler, Angelo Badalamenti and of course, Svarte Greiner, this is something for the darker nights. Turn the lights down low, make sure the windows are locked tightly and drift away -- just watch out for that rolling fog -- there's no telling what the seas might bring.

Artist:	GULTSKRA ARTIKLER
Title:	Kasha Iz Topora
Label:	MIASMAH (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	MIA 006CD

Last time we came across Russian pranksters Gultskra Artikler, they were a duo comprising of Alexey Devyanin and Dmitry Garin, but since the release of the haunting Pofigistka on the Lampse label in 2006, Garin has left the band leaving Devyanin to come up with the most definitive Gultskra Artikler statement to date; Kasha Iz Topora. The entire record, which plays continuously through its hour-long duration, is set to a fairytale written by a friend of Devayanin, detailing the adventures of a man with an axe that makes flying porridge (based on a traditional Russian tale). The macabre elements of the disc's storyline provides ample source material for Devayanin to weave his processed darkness in and out of folk-tinged guitar parts, knee-trembling vocals and all manner of other obscure instrumentation. Kasha Iz Topora is one of those records that truly sounds on its own in an overpopulated music scene, and Devyanin has truly developed his windswept sound stories over years of careful experimentation and fine-tuning. Hailing from Novosibirsk in Siberia, he has much to draw influence from -- wrapping up warm and constructing choppy experimental music on an archaic personal computer was only one way of keeping his mind off the intense world outside, drawing influence from such artists as Leafcutter John, Jackie-O Motherfucker and Tod Dockstader. This record is a new stage in the development of not only Gultskra Artikler, but in the ever-growing Miasmah label. If you give this album the time and let yourself fall into its cryptic story, you may find this the strangest and most involving record you'll hear this year.

Artist:	SCOTT, SIMON
Title:	Navigare
Label:	MIASMAH (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	MIA 011CD

This is the debut full-length release by the UK's Simon Scott. Scott has had a notable musical past: in the early '90s he was the drummer for the renowned shoegaze band Slowdive. Upon leaving Slowdive, he formed the more electronic-based group Televise. He also set up his own label, Kesh Recordings, and has so far released titles by the likes of Hannu, Sebastian Roux, Aus and Mark Templeton. More recently, Scott has been involved in several diverse projects, including his work as a member of Seavault (with Antony Ryan from Isan), and collaborations with Machinefabriek, Jasper TX and Emanuele Errante. With Navigare, there are shades of Scott's previous output and musical interests, but as a whole, the album marks a bold new direction. Navigare opens with "Introduction Of Cambridge," a shimmering wall of sound, its ethereal tones and slow-burning drones gradually drawing closer and closer, creating gorgeous uplifting melodies and textures. The processed guitar combined with gentle swathes of interference and underlying rhythms echoes the processes of Chain Reaction's productions as much as it does the screeching, arcing feedback lines of Kevin Shield's guitar work. Navigare shares an affinity with the melodic content of Fennesz's work, the dark beauty of Tim Hecker's sound, and houses elements of the restraint found in Andrew Chalk's drone compositions. What really devastates here is Scott's ability to merge ambient passages with such memorable melodic cycles, taking the simplest of ideas and building on them, generating murky hooks and submerged "riffs." Scott explores textures using a variety of instruments including sitar, violin, cello, and flute, merging them with excerpts from field recordings; it all sounds so effortless. The looping rhythms and slow guitars rise and grow, at times approaching something oppressive; select pieces such as "Flood Inn" house an underlying weight, comparable to Justin K. Broderick's Jesu and Final projects. Perhaps the hazy drums, bass and guitar drift of "The ACC" presents the most recognizable of stylistic qualities from Scott's back catalog; a groove that recalls the Souvlaki-era sound in all its glory, re-imagined in a new, darker and more expansive form. Additionally, a guest appearance from label mate Jasper TX, a vocal contribution from Moskitoo, and a track co-written with Rafael Anton Irisarri, adds even more depth to Scott's already ambitious vision.

Artist:	FNS
Title:	FNS
Label:	MIASMAH (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	MIA 012CD

The latest addition to the Miasmah roster is Oslo-based musician FNS aka Fredrik Ness Sevendal. A veteran of the Oslo experimental scene, Sevendal has been associated with several bands over the years: DEL, Slowburn and Kobi. Additionally, his previous work has involved collaborations with Makoto Kawabata (Acid Mothers Temple), Mitsuru Tabata (Zeni Geva, Marble Sheep), Mark Francombe (ex-Cranes guitarist), and Bill Wood (1/3 Octave Band). For his Miasmah debut, FNS treats the listener to a spectacular excursion into the world of psych-folk instrumentals, with a collection of semi-improvised multi-layered pieces, primarily for acoustic and electric guitar and voice. These lo-fi home recordings capture a sense of astral travel, though explorations into drone, raga-styled melodies and layers of guitar feedback. The immediate allure of FNS' spectral sound is in the understated nature of the performances -- it recalls the magnetic interplay between Tom & Christina Carter's work in Charalambides, the playful free noise of Sunburned Hand Of The Man, the ethereal blues of Loren Connors, and a variety of subtle but undeniable influences from the '70s progressive UK folk scene. FNS' sound is a sorrowful sound -- a death-fuzz, a hazy, wailing wall of cavernous guitars, doom freak-out and swirling psychedelia, melded into one then drowned in echo and haze. FNS fires forth cosmic transmissions for the mind and spirit -- the result is nothing short of an aural treat. Audio mastered by Helge Sten aka Deathprod.

Artist:	FNS
Title:	FNS
Label:	MIASMAH (UK)
Format:	LP
Price:	$18.00
Catalog #:	MIA 012LP

LP version. The latest addition to the Miasmah roster is Oslo-based musician FNS aka Fredrik Ness Sevendal. A veteran of the Oslo experimental scene, Sevendal has been associated with several bands over the years: DEL, Slowburn and Kobi. Additionally, his previous work has involved collaborations with Makoto Kawabata (Acid Mothers Temple), Mitsuru Tabata (Zeni Geva, Marble Sheep), Mark Francombe (ex-Cranes guitarist), and Bill Wood (1/3 Octave Band). For his Miasmah debut, FNS treats the listener to a spectacular excursion into the world of psych-folk instrumentals, with a collection of semi-improvised multi-layered pieces, primarily for acoustic and electric guitar and voice. These lo-fi home recordings capture a sense of astral travel, though explorations into drone, raga-styled melodies and layers of guitar feedback. The immediate allure of FNS' spectral sound is in the understated nature of the performances -- it recalls the magnetic interplay between Tom & Christina Carter's work in Charalambides, the playful free noise of Sunburned Hand Of The Man, the ethereal blues of Loren Connors, and a variety of subtle but undeniable influences from the '70s progressive UK folk scene. FNS' sound is a sorrowful sound -- a death-fuzz, a hazy, wailing wall of cavernous guitars, doom freak-out and swirling psychedelia, melded into one then drowned in echo and haze. FNS fires forth cosmic transmissions for the mind and spirit -- the result is nothing short of an aural treat. Audio mastered by Helge Sten aka Deathprod.

Artist:	FJELLSTROM, MARCUS
Title:	Schattenspieler
Label:	MIASMAH (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	MIA 013CD

Swedish composer and multimedia artist Marcus Fjellstr�m's debut Miasmah release follows two critically-acclaimed full length albums on Lampse. In addition, Marcus has had several commissioned works requested, leading to him working with, among others, the Swedish Royal Ballet, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, numerous ensembles, soloists and filmmakers. Currently based in Berlin, Fjellstr�m's compositions often combine aspects of modern classical composition and arrangement and more avant forms of music, be that acoustic or electronic. Schattenspieler (which translates as "Shadowplayer") takes the form of eleven compositions which explore ambience and melody, texture and silence. Haunting synth and orchestral, instrument-based audio constructions flow from one moment to the next -- the fleeting ghosts of Fjellstr�m's melodies rise, only to be buried under a claustrophobic clutter of percussion and creaking background noise. These pieces do indeed feel like you're listening to something more implied than obviously stated, as if Fjellstr�m wants only to expose his listeners to the shadow of the music -- the implication being perhaps a more terrifying experience than to be confronted outright. The undeniably Angelo Badalamenti-esque descending synth strings of opening track "The Disjointed" lay the foundations for this album; music resting somewhere between the unsettling horror soundtracks of Jerry Goldsmith, the elevating melodies of Cliff Martinez, and the subtle audio constructions of Miasmah label-mates Kreng and Jacaszek. Marcus' wide-ranging abilities in composition and his willingness to let go of accepted form and function makes Schattenspieler a perfect choice of release for the Miasmah label. The suspense-laden "Antichrist Architect Management," with its harrowing and tense undertones, weaving synth lines and washes of static hiss and flicker, is a particular stand-out track. Schattenspieler also includes a four-part suite "House Without A Door," which was originally commissioned for the Bernd Behr film of the same name. "Uncanny Valleys," reflective in some ways of the opening track, is a haze of descending synth and organ tones. The imperfections in these often scratchy recordings makes for an alluring, almost drug-induced state of mind where all that is real is unreal.

Artist:	FJELLSTROM, MARCUS
Title:	Schattenspieler
Label:	MIASMAH (UK)
Format:	LP
Price:	$18.00
Catalog #:	MIA 013LP

LP version. Swedish composer and multimedia artist Marcus Fjellstr�m's debut Miasmah release follows two critically-acclaimed full length albums on Lampse. In addition, Marcus has had several commissioned works requested, leading to him working with, among others, the Swedish Royal Ballet, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, numerous ensembles, soloists and filmmakers. Currently based in Berlin, Fjellstr�m's compositions often combine aspects of modern classical composition and arrangement and more avant forms of music, be that acoustic or electronic. Schattenspieler (which translates as "Shadowplayer") takes the form of eleven compositions which explore ambience and melody, texture and silence. Haunting synth and orchestral, instrument-based audio constructions flow from one moment to the next -- the fleeting ghosts of Fjellstr�m's melodies rise, only to be buried under a claustrophobic clutter of percussion and creaking background noise. These pieces do indeed feel like you're listening to something more implied than obviously stated, as if Fjellstr�m wants only to expose his listeners to the shadow of the music -- the implication being perhaps a more terrifying experience than to be confronted outright. The undeniably Angelo Badalamenti-esque descending synth strings of opening track "The Disjointed" lay the foundations for this album; music resting somewhere between the unsettling horror soundtracks of Jerry Goldsmith, the elevating melodies of Cliff Martinez, and the subtle audio constructions of Miasmah label-mates Kreng and Jacaszek. Marcus' wide-ranging abilities in composition and his willingness to let go of accepted form and function makes Schattenspieler a perfect choice of release for the Miasmah label. The suspense-laden "Antichrist Architect Management," with its harrowing and tense undertones, weaving synth lines and washes of static hiss and flicker, is a particular stand-out track. Schattenspieler also includes a four-part suite "House Without A Door," which was originally commissioned for the Bernd Behr film of the same name. "Uncanny Valleys," reflective in some ways of the opening track, is a haze of descending synth and organ tones. The imperfections in these often scratchy recordings makes for an alluring, almost drug-induced state of mind where all that is real is unreal.

Artist:	JUV
Title:	Juv
Label:	MIASMAH (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	MIA 014CD

Hailing from Norway, the duo Juv is comprised of members Are Mokkelbost and Maruis Von Der Fehr. They recorded these tracks in Norway between 1996 and 1998 and Erik Skodvin's Miasmah imprint finally gives this lost gem its first official release. According to the band, "Juv" is similar to the English word "abyss" -- it means a sort of bottomless hole, that deep space between two mountain walls or inside a deep underground cave. It also brings to mind the echoing and reverberation of sound. From its icy opening tones, something at once familiar and unsettling rises from this sound; the stark, doom-laden ambience of Juv's desolate sonic landscapes transport the listener to an altogether darker world. Soon after recording these tracks, however, the pair's friendship abruptly ended and the planned Juv album was never finished. Only recently did the duo return to complete the work, dissecting and selecting pieces and excerpts from the recordings, finally bringing closure to the project, and in the process rekindling their friendship. Juv create a stunning sound of desolation -- not so much melancholy, but more a sinister, oppressive undertone. It seems to communicate some form of approaching menace, via transmissions (or warning signals perhaps), from another bleak dimension. A combination of instruments were used, treated and mutated from their former recognizable sounds, added to which were excerpts from hours of field recordings made throughout Europe, completing the body of the work. The pieces were recorded with a multi-tracker and sampler, mixed down straight to tape, with little in the way of additional finessing. Sombre tones flow like lifeblood through Juv's work; underlying squeals of pain, abrasive bursts of metallic guitar drones, atonal lo-fi meanderings, the occasional cosmic chant, all blurred by a rumbling dirge of noise. The coldness of the recordings do indeed recall the approaches of Norway's most controversial musical export, black metal. Other reference points brought to mind (which Juv's work either predates, ignores, or at least without acknowledgement, runs in parallel with), might be the New York no-wave noise of Carlos Giffoni's solo outbursts, the guitar mangling of GOWN (Sunburned/Bark Haze), the experimentation of Sunn O))), and as always, the suitably understated musical narrative which flows throughout Miasmah releases to date. The stark front cover image of a mountain on the Lofoten islands in the far north of Norway, in the process of being eclipsed by another mountain, conveys the weight and perhaps the intent of Juv in creating these tracks. Given part of the album was recorded on location here, the music certainly seems reflective of this environment -- monolithic and enshrouded in black.

Artist:	JUV
Title:	Juv
Label:	MIASMAH (UK)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$21.00
Catalog #:	MIA 014LP

2LP version. Hailing from Norway, the duo Juv is comprised of members Are Mokkelbost and Maruis Von Der Fehr. They recorded these tracks in Norway between 1996 and 1998 and Erik Skodvin's Miasmah imprint finally gives this lost gem its first official release. According to the band, "Juv" is similar to the English word "abyss" -- it means a sort of bottomless hole, that deep space between two mountain walls or inside a deep underground cave. It also brings to mind the echoing and reverberation of sound. From its icy opening tones, something at once familiar and unsettling rises from this sound; the stark, doom-laden ambience of Juv's desolate sonic landscapes transport the listener to an altogether darker world. Soon after recording these tracks, however, the pair's friendship abruptly ended and the planned Juv album was never finished. Only recently did the duo return to complete the work, dissecting and selecting pieces and excerpts from the recordings, finally bringing closure to the project, and in the process rekindling their friendship. Juv create a stunning sound of desolation -- not so much melancholy, but more a sinister, oppressive undertone. It seems to communicate some form of approaching menace, via transmissions (or warning signals perhaps), from another bleak dimension. A combination of instruments were used, treated and mutated from their former recognizable sounds, added to which were excerpts from hours of field recordings made throughout Europe, completing the body of the work. The pieces were recorded with a multi-tracker and sampler, mixed down straight to tape, with little in the way of additional finessing. Sombre tones flow like lifeblood through Juv's work; underlying squeals of pain, abrasive bursts of metallic guitar drones, atonal lo-fi meanderings, the occasional cosmic chant, all blurred by a rumbling dirge of noise. The coldness of the recordings do indeed recall the approaches of Norway's most controversial musical export, black metal. Other reference points brought to mind (which Juv's work either predates, ignores, or at least without acknowledgement, runs in parallel with), might be the New York no-wave noise of Carlos Giffoni's solo outbursts, the guitar mangling of GOWN (Sunburned/Bark Haze), the experimentation of Sunn O))), and as always, the suitably understated musical narrative which flows throughout Miasmah releases to date. The stark front cover image of a mountain on the Lofoten islands in the far north of Norway, in the process of being eclipsed by another mountain, conveys the weight and perhaps the intent of Juv in creating these tracks. Given part of the album was recorded on location here, the music certainly seems reflective of this environment -- monolithic and enshrouded in black. Includes a free MP3 download coupon of the album, plus a double-sided printed with artist's interview.

Artist:	KABOOM KARAVAN
Title:	Barra Barra
Label:	MIASMAH (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	MIA 015CD

This is the debut full-length release on Miasmah from Kaboom Karavan -- the Belgian collective led by Bram Bosteels. Kaboom Karavan has a history in theater, film and contemporary dance, but that doesn't really help shine a light on their music. They have collaborated with musicians all over the world including Miasmah's very own Kreng, and released a debut album on Mexico's Umor Rex imprint, but again, this probably only gives a small indicator of what the collective actually sound like. There is something effortlessly surreal about the band, and surrealism is an aspect of art often attempted and very rarely perfected. Here, Bosteels abuses his choice of instruments (and players) to the point where the listener would barely be able to place which instruments were being used at all, in fact at times you'd be hard pressed even to place what sort of music it was. Through a haze of pizzicato strings, clouds of sullen reverberation and clamorous percussion, you get the feeling that you have been catapulted into a universe just outside of perception. Jazz and Dadaism might be the cornerstones of Barra Barra but these disparate influences are twisted and melted beyond recognition, leaving only remnants on the finished product. Barra Barra is a complex album which takes patience to navigate through; you could hear the German clanking pre-industrialism of Einst�rzende Neubauten, the slow, brooding doom of Bohren & Der Club Of Gore and the stuttering abstraction of Black To Comm, yet it still feels fresh and distinctly current. Unusually, the most fitting comparison might be the work of The Brothers Quay, as the ticking, creaking, stuttering songs feel perfectly matched with these flickering, haunted images. This is what makes the album such an appropriate addition to the Miasmah canon, and one that will haunt your dreams (and nightmares) for months to come.

Artist:	KABOOM KARAVAN
Title:	Barra Barra
Label:	MIASMAH (UK)
Format:	LP
Price:	$18.00
Catalog #:	MIA 015LP

LP version. This is the debut full-length release on Miasmah from Kaboom Karavan -- the Belgian collective led by Bram Bosteels. Kaboom Karavan has a history in theater, film and contemporary dance, but that doesn't really help shine a light on their music. They have collaborated with musicians all over the world including Miasmah's very own Kreng, and released a debut album on Mexico's Umor Rex imprint, but again, this probably only gives a small indicator of what the collective actually sound like. There is something effortlessly surreal about the band, and surrealism is an aspect of art often attempted and very rarely perfected. Here, Bosteels abuses his choice of instruments (and players) to the point where the listener would barely be able to place which instruments were being used at all, in fact at times you'd be hard pressed even to place what sort of music it was. Through a haze of pizzicato strings, clouds of sullen reverberation and clamorous percussion, you get the feeling that you have been catapulted into a universe just outside of perception. Jazz and Dadaism might be the cornerstones of Barra Barra but these disparate influences are twisted and melted beyond recognition, leaving only remnants on the finished product. Barra Barra is a complex album which takes patience to navigate through; you could hear the German clanking pre-industrialism of Einst�rzende Neubauten, the slow, brooding doom of Bohren & Der Club Of Gore and the stuttering abstraction of Black To Comm, yet it still feels fresh and distinctly current. Unusually, the most fitting comparison might be the work of The Brothers Quay, as the ticking, creaking, stuttering songs feel perfectly matched with these flickering, haunted images. This is what makes the album such an appropriate addition to the Miasmah canon, and one that will haunt your dreams (and nightmares) for months to come. Includes a free mp3 download coupon.

Artist:	KRENG
Title:	Grimoire
Label:	MIASMAH (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	MIA 016CD

The less we know about Belgian sound alchemist Pepijn Caudron aka Kreng, the better. We know his debut release L'Autopsie Ph�nom�nale De Dieu (MIA 010CD) appeared seemingly out of nowhere on the Miasmah label in 2009, but other than that, very little tangible information has surfaced. This sequel, the blackly-monikered Grimoire simply re-enforces Caudron's shadowy legacy with a similarly dank concoction of cracked strings, creaking percussion and half-heard dialogue. Thankfully, however, Caudron has refined his craft in every way, from the artfully-restrained layering of samples to the deliriously magickal atmosphere he manages to conjure up. There is the sense even from the first few seconds of the record that you are transported out of time and reality, and as hoarse, alien breaths croak over oily bass drones, the poignant spoken words "You don't belong here" become an apt anchor for the entire album. It seems almost too easy to compare Grimoire to a film soundtrack at this point; sure, Caudron has listened to his fair share of chilling scores but Grimoire is more than simply homage, and maybe the clue is in the title itself. Grimoires are books of magic, the most important of which had a stranglehold on cultures both ancient and more recently than most people probably care to realize. These books have slipped into folklore and legend, and like those faded pages of incantations, there is something deeply mystical and indescribable about Kreng's music. Caudron's background in theater no doubt forms a strong foundation for his compositions, but there is so much about his work that only creeps into the light after countless hours of study. These songs are best suited to moonlight, strong spice-laced liquors and the dark recesses of our painfully dull existence. Pepijn Caudron has formed a grimy, surreal ode to not only the past, but also what the future might hold, and from the sounds of it, we're not getting off lightly.

Artist:	KRENG
Title:	Grimoire
Label:	MIASMAH (UK)
Format:	LP
Price:	$18.00
Catalog #:	MIA 016LP

LP version. The less we know about Belgian sound alchemist Pepijn Caudron aka Kreng, the better. We know his debut release L'Autopsie Ph�nom�nale De Dieu (MIA 010CD) appeared seemingly out of nowhere on the Miasmah label in 2009, but other than that, very little tangible information has surfaced. This sequel, the blackly-monikered Grimoire simply re-enforces Caudron's shadowy legacy with a similarly dank concoction of cracked strings, creaking percussion and half-heard dialogue. Thankfully, however, Caudron has refined his craft in every way, from the artfully-restrained layering of samples to the deliriously magickal atmosphere he manages to conjure up. There is the sense even from the first few seconds of the record that you are transported out of time and reality, and as hoarse, alien breaths croak over oily bass drones, the poignant spoken words "You don't belong here" become an apt anchor for the entire album. It seems almost too easy to compare Grimoire to a film soundtrack at this point; sure, Caudron has listened to his fair share of chilling scores but Grimoire is more than simply homage, and maybe the clue is in the title itself. Grimoires are books of magic, the most important of which had a stranglehold on cultures both ancient and more recently than most people probably care to realize. These books have slipped into folklore and legend, and like those faded pages of incantations, there is something deeply mystical and indescribable about Kreng's music. Caudron's background in theater no doubt forms a strong foundation for his compositions, but there is so much about his work that only creeps into the light after countless hours of study. These songs are best suited to moonlight, strong spice-laced liquors and the dark recesses of our painfully dull existence. Pepijn Caudron has formed a grimy, surreal ode to not only the past, but also what the future might hold, and from the sounds of it, we're not getting off lightly. Includes a download code for the entire album.

Artist:	SCOTT, SIMON
Title:	Bunny
Label:	MIASMAH (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	MIA 017CD

This is UK multi-instrumentalist Simon Scott's second album for Miasmah. He might still be best known for his tenure as the backbone of influential shoegazers Slowdive, but after his debut solo effort Navigare in 2009, he showed that there was far more to his oeuvre. With an ease and fluidity that eschews the usual trappings of the genre, he injected Slowdive's freeflowing bliss into the kind of blackened soundscapes the Miasmah label has made its calling card and gave the sound a rich, multi-layered quality that was effortlessly enticing. Bunny sees him take on a plethora of themes and ideas, distilling them into a coherent, well-defined narrative. The overall premise of the record is apparent from the very beginning, and might surprise some with its inspired take on the blackened jazz and smokey Americana heard in Paris, Texas or Mulholland Dr.. It would do Scott a disservice to simply label the music as Lynchian however; his success is to treat the layers of instrumentation (drums, guitars, cello, synthesizers) with a masterful fluidity, allowing the influences to melt into a delicate and delectable whole. Occasionally Scott acknowledges his shoegazing past, nudging the sound towards the blurred haze of his former band, but even these moments are cavernous enough for us to imagine them oozing from a Midwestern jukebox in an abandoned suburban diner. Bunny is an ambitious and daring journey for an artist who refuses to stay still; and it might just be the best road trip you've never taken.

Artist:	SCOTT, SIMON
Title:	Bunny
Label:	MIASMAH (UK)
Format:	LP
Price:	$20.00
Catalog #:	MIA 017LP

LP version, including a download code for the full album and bonus material. This is UK multi-instrumentalist Simon Scott's second album for Miasmah. He might still be best known for his tenure as the backbone of influential shoegazers Slowdive, but after his debut solo effort Navigare in 2009, he showed that there was far more to his oeuvre. With an ease and fluidity that eschews the usual trappings of the genre, he injected Slowdive's freeflowing bliss into the kind of blackened soundscapes the Miasmah label has made its calling card and gave the sound a rich, multi-layered quality that was effortlessly enticing. Bunny sees him take on a plethora of themes and ideas, distilling them into a coherent, well-defined narrative. The overall premise of the record is apparent from the very beginning, and might surprise some with its inspired take on the blackened jazz and smokey Americana heard in Paris, Texas or Mulholland Dr.. It would do Scott a disservice to simply label the music as Lynchian however; his success is to treat the layers of instrumentation (drums, guitars, cello, synthesizers) with a masterful fluidity, allowing the influences to melt into a delicate and delectable whole. Occasionally Scott acknowledges his shoegazing past, nudging the sound towards the blurred haze of his former band, but even these moments are cavernous enough for us to imagine them oozing from a Midwestern jukebox in an abandoned suburban diner. Bunny is an ambitious and daring journey for an artist who refuses to stay still; and it might just be the best road trip you've never taken.

Artist:	GULTSKRA ARTIKLER
Title:	Abtu/Anet
Label:	MIASMAH (UK)
Format:	LP
Price:	$18.00
Catalog #:	MIA 018LP

Gultskra Artikler is the throat-tangling moniker of one Alexey Devyanin, and Abtu/Anet has been excavated from the dusty Miasmah archives for a long-overdue reissue. Not that it ever had a proper release; the astute followers among you might have managed to track down the very rare Abtu, which appeared back in 2007 on limited 3" CD-R, but its companion EP Anet never reached the shelves and seemed destined to permanent unavailability. Devyanin's complex, surreal world was explored to wide acclaim on the '07 album Kasha Iz Topora, and thematically, Abtu/Anet feels like a continuation of that record. Devyanin's deeply original fusion of Radiophonicera electronics, musique concr�te, early European folk music and 1920s film scores is highlighted far further here, and somehow the record sounds more relevant now than ever. In an era where nostalgia is musical currency, Devyanin's Vaseline-smudged visions are refreshingly free of kitsch and YouTube-era restlessness. He retains a deeply Eastern European, near-theatrical focus in his work that is as intricate as it is unnerving, and he manages to keep the nostalgia to a specific (and unfamiliar) area of the world. For most of us, the album feels like a lonely journey in the light of a half-moon, with crumbling, curled branches glancing off our ragged clothes. Frightening and unrepentant yet deeply compelling, Abtu/Anet should remind you that stories can be told without a single word of dialogue. Limited to 300 copies. Includes a free MP3 download coupon of the album + poster.

Artist:	DAVIS & FRANCES-MARIE UITTI, GARETH
Title:	Gramercy
Label:	MIASMAH (UK)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	MIA 019LP

Limited double vinyl release with an extra side of recorded material (not on the CD) and an mp3 download coupon. On Gramercy, we find clarinet-abuser Gareth Davis (who might be best-known for collaborations with Machinefabriek and Steven R. Smith) paired with virtuoso cellist Frances-Marie Uitti. Uitti is widely-revered for her unusual and original twin bow technique, which allows her to eke out far more sounds from the humble cello that you might initially expect. These sweeps and drones are matched perfectly with Davis' patented haunted drones and breathy chokes, resulting in a deftly academic yet unnervingly involving narrative. Gramercy manages the most difficult thing of all and makes music usually restricted to the hallowed libraries of institutions somehow read perfectly amongst label-mates Kreng and Gultskra Artikler. Davis and Uitti are not self-consciously "dark" but their treatments, when combined, evoke unmistakably shadowy, abstract imagery. It would be demeaning to simply label Gramercy as cinematic, but this is dream-like and alluring in the best possible way, bringing to mind the seamier, more unusual celluloid memories you could possibly conjure up. While challenging, the patient listener will be rewarded with an album of divine restraint, with its darkest corners inhabited by barely a whisper of sound, and in the end, it is this which truly scares us.

Previous Page Index of Labels Next Page