Browse by Artist: HOTOTOGISU

Artist:	HOTOTOGISU
Title:	Chimärendämmerung
Label:	DE STIJL
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	DESTIJL 062CD

"Hototogisu are Marcia Bassett and Matthew Bower, and they dwell upon two continents (Marcia in Brooklyn NY and Matthew in Leeds UK). Both share rich discographical heritage. Marcia has recorded with numerous labels (Siltbreeze, Timelag, Eclipse, Troubleman Unlimited, etc.) with UN, GHQ and the Double Leopards, and Matthew with Total, Skullflower, Sunroof!, Vibracathedral Orchestra and more. A Wikipedia entry in his name clearly (sic) illustrates his cultural heft: Bower's huge discography of visceral, free drone-rock is probably the most formidable of its kind and he was rightly considered in 2005 by The Wire to be one of the map co-ordinates for much of what passed for a post-punk UK underground during most of the '80s and '90s (issue 259) . Chimärendämmerung is the 3rd Hototogisu release on Destijl and the 5 untitled walls of vertical viola drone/overtone, lapped by shifting electronic waves of feedback, blackened guitars, rhinegold cast deep into dying rivers, an instrumental cycle of conflict of the birth of a supreme aristocratic beauty into a fallen world, and its inevitable conflagration, then a glimmer of hope of escape from the cycle, in tune w/ the breath of the cosmos, like a glacial reimagining of Van der Graafs 'A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers', and it represents a current plateau for the duo."

Artist:	HOTOTOGISU
Title:	Under The Rose
Label:	HEAVY BLOSSOM
Format:	LP
Price:	$21.00
Catalog #:	HB 021LP

"Hototogisu's first LP release on their own imprint Heavy Blossom. Under The Rose is a pair of incantations for the dark and vengeful animal spirits. Sung in two parts, malignant coronation and origami skulls are blackened arias, dizzying vortices and canyons of screams, guitars and chaotic rhythms. Arising from this richly recorded and mastered vinyl slab come black tarpits of malevolence and savage beauty, harking back to a pre-Christian universe of animating spirits and tutelary daemons. Comes in a black jacket with a full-color photograph attached to the front cover and thickly inked silk-screened backs. Edition of 600."

Artist:	HOTOTOGISU
Title:	Ghosts of the Sun
Label:	IMPORTANT RECORDS
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	IMPREC 062CD

"The Hototogisu masterfully create a dense sediment of Teutonic drone with the thickest layers of guitar, vocals and electronics. The Hototogisu are obviously seasoned sonic travelers, featuring the seminal legend Matthew Bower (Skullflower, Sunroof!) and Marcia Bassett (Double Leopards). Ghosts Of The Sun is one enormous composition, nearing two hours in length, unfolded and nailed together in seven movements. Starting with a slow drone electronic crawl and climaxing with crackling bone percussion buried howls of haunted minds, Ghosts Of The Sun cries out from beneath an earthquake of guitar feedback and distortion. Ghosts Of The Sun compresses eternity, from the creation of humanity to its own destruction, into seven parts on one double album. This is epic and total sonic overload, by way of The Hototogisu."

Artist:	HOTOTOGISU
Title:	Some Blood Will Stick
Label:	IMPORTANT RECORDS
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	IMPREC 106CD

"Hototogisu is Matthew Bower (Skullflower/Sunroof!) and Marcia Bassett (Double Leopards). They've been laying down billowing sheets of Teutonic guitar drone-noise since 2003 with the thickest possible helpings of vocals and electronics. Some Blood Will Stick is a collection of tracks from their ultra-limited self produced label Heavy Blossom. Songs were taken from Swoon Scream (2004) and Awful Symmetry (2005) with one additional track. What makes this disc more than a simple re-release is the extraordinary scalpel re-editing by Matthew Bower and the crushing and invigorating mastering by Scott Hull at Visceral Sound making this one of the heaviest and most beautiful Hototogisu releases."

Artist:	HOTOTOGISU
Title:	Pale Fatal Sister
Label:	IMPORTANT RECORDS
Format:	2LP
Price:	$26.00
Catalog #:	IMPREC 210LP

Limited restock. "Limited edition of 700 copies. Double LP pressing housed in a gatefold jacket. Being a Nabokovian and visceral garden of delights, a musical evocation of memory and desire spread over four sides of vinyl. The sound is conjured forth from dark wells to be birthed, twisting and screaming in silver winds. Recorded at Black Dirt Studios, over an intensive three-day period of hermetic isolation, while snow blanketed the surrounding fields, this work is both more detailed and conjures a heavier, more brooding occult atmosphere and sound, than any previous Hototogisu release."

Artist:	HOTOTOGISU
Title:	Floating Japanese Oof! Gardens Of The 21st Century
Label:	IMPORTANT RECORDS
Format:	2CD
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	IMPREC 307CD

"Floating Japanese Oof! Gardens Of The 21st Century was originally released on the De Stijl label in 2005, spread out over 3 LPs in hand glued packaging featuring colorful prints of Matthew Bower's compelling artwork. To date, this remains a singular release in the Hototogisu discography. The original press info from the always interesting De Stijl label says it all: 'The Hototogisu is one of several pieces of Japanese cuckoo. Since the song of the Hototogisu traditionally signaled the arrival of Japanese summer, it was as eagerly awaited as the trimming of La Monte Young's nose hairs. The text of this piece likens the long-awaited first notes of the bird to the arrival of ones lover. The compositions on Floating Gardens are mainly narrative in style and more dramatic in character than Anthony Moore's drooping bamboo shaft. However, also contained are light and lyrical pieces which will touch the sentiments of the people of this time as deeply as Terry Riley's toes are dug in the sand. The package is impressive! A kaleidoscope of color as flamboyant/indulgent as Charlemagne Palestine's brandy-sogged teddy bears and when Floating Gardens meets your gaze, you'll be as bug-eyed as Phil Glass.'"

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