Browse by Label: DIGITALIS

Artist:	CODY, TURNER
Title:	Buds of May
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	ACE 001CD

"Taking influence from the world of classic singer songwriters, from Bob Dylan to Townes Van Zandt with maybe a little of Will Oldham thrown in for good measure, Cody proceeds over the course of the epic Buds of May to vocalize his own views on life. He is firstly a storyteller, and in a world where mainstream lyrical content is more banal than it has ever been, Cody comes as a breath of fresh air. Simply produced with guitar and bass underpinning the tracks, it is Cody's distinctive singing voice which carries each piece as he creates distinctive melodies that stay with you for some time after the record has reached a close. Right now with artists such as Jose Gonzales haunting the mainstream airwaves, it seems almost impossible not to stumble across new singer-songwriters whenever you flick through the racks of a high street store, but what Turner Cody offers is a unique voice in a crowd of copyists. Cody is at once cynical and hopeful and should offer an antidote to a tired, apathetic world. Unforgettable music."

Artist:	WOLFMANGLER
Title:	Cooking With Wolves
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	ACE 002CD

"Where there are wolves, there is the digger, Smolken. Left for dead two years ago when he left the murderous heat of central Texas for the place of his birth, Poland, Wolfmangler has now been recast in rusted iron for its latest incarnation. Once a revolving door of different lineups, Wolfmangler is now the sole brainchild of Smolken. One thing remains the same, however. This is still some of the grimmest, most desolate doom metal on the planet. Following a split CD with Moss and a full-length release on UK metal institution, Aurora Borealis, Cooking With Wolves is Smolken's first Wolfmangler release in its new Polish form. What he concocts barely qualifies as music. It's more like the sonic equivalent of the Black Death. Heavy bass riffs, pounded and beaten into tracts of molten lava, spew pure dissonance like venom from a forked tongue. It is music for the funeral of civilization, an epic dirge to finally burn out the fire of the sun. Wolfmangler is a unique entity, creating music unlike anyone else. Somewhere between black metal forests and Eastern European folk lies this bizarre hybridization. Cooking With Wolves uses an arsenal of acoustic and electric basses, bent and bowed into a cohesive, battered doom-orchestra. Smolken combines traditional and Cole Porter tracks with original compositions. Further, no guitars were used in the making of these recordings. It's what classical music would sound like in hell. Inside each aural molasses cocoon, Smolken's trademark growl pierces through the murk to lead everyone and everything through the mountains to the sacrifice. These songs are a complete experience, each one drawing more blood than the previous. Cooking With Wolves is a slow-acting poison. These shattered, shambolic acoustic death folk romps are a thing of pristine grandeur, boiled into a bubbling black mess. I can think of no better way to march toward the gallows with rotting skulls in hand."

Artist:	AHMED, ILYAS
Title:	Between Two Skies/Towards The Night
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	2CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	ACE 003CD

"I'm going to keep this short and sweet. Ilyas Ahmed is incredible. Born in Pakistan and raised in New Jersey, he now plies his trade in Portland, Oregon. Between Two Skies and Towards The Night is where it all began. Released in criminally limited editions of 50 copies each, both albums are now fully remastered by Pete Swanson and repackaged in beautiful gatefold jackets from Stumptown Printers. Also included are extended liner notes from David Keenan. I think he sums up both these albums best: 'Call it abandon, a facility for letting go, for moving on; either way Ahmed's music is *gone*. And all we have are the recordings, scattered notes to prove that he once existed and felt it all as deeply and miraculously as any of us. And right now, from where I'm calling from, I wouldn't ask for anything more.' Ahmed's original voice is a welcome addition to an oversaturated aural world. He has gone on to put out numerous self-released CD-Rs as well as a new CD/LP on Time-Lag. But in the beginning there were these. What Between Two Skies and Towards The Night make crystal clear is that his vision and his voice were there from the very beginning."

Artist:	BAARS/WOUTER VAN VELDHOVEN/RUTGET ZUYDERVELT, MARISKA
Title:	Zeeg
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	ACE 004CD

"Zeeg represents the best that the Dutch underground has to offer. Combining the talents of Rutger Zuydervelt, Mariska Baars and Wouter Van Veldhoven, this album shows off what can happen when the stars align. This is stunning in its scope and breadth. It's a sonic magic trick. Most enchanting is how Zeeg manages to slow time to a near stand-still. The sounds and motifs unfold like a snail trapped in tar; each note, each sound seemingly more important than the previous. The depth of sound is considerable, and the impact is immense. While the performers know exactly where they plan to take you, the listener remains shrouded in mystery. It's all about the journey and this is a deliciously delicate place to get lost in. The care with which Zeeg was improvised and created is obvious. But how, exactly, these three stalwarts manage to pull the listener down this diamond rabbit hole where stellar time is meaningless is a riddle. Through Van Veldhoven's use of tape recorders and metallophone to Baars' lovely voice that is endlessly manipulated and looped by Zuydervelt, everything clicks. Add in Zuydervelt and Baars' guitar work and you have an exquisite combination. Zeeg is simple. It is minimal. And it is pure beauty. If you cannot disappear here, then you aren't truly living."

Artist:	MUDBOY
Title:	Hungry Ghosts! These Songs Are Doors
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	ACE 005CD

"Mudboy dares you to find a suitable label for his warped sonic missives. But find one way to trap him and he changes direction and weasels out under the cracks in the wall. This is music for those who like to skit the line between light and dark, because we believe Mudboy himself when he says that this record is all about the dark arts. His spells and incantations are the perfect guide through this analog labyrinth. Hungry Ghosts is at times hypnotic, dabbling in psychedelia, but is also disorientating like a house of mirrors. The circuit bent organ and arsenal of pedals does Mudboy well and will keep you guessing for as long as you're willing to give it a go. This album is a grower, but after a few listens you'll find yourself completely hooked. On Hungry Ghosts, the listener is given glimpses into a whole host of new worlds. Each song is like a diorama; intricate, detailed, and totally 3-D. You'll find yourself wandering aimlessly through this mess of devilish sonic missives only to realize that once it ends, not only are you lost, but completely entranced and calm. This is meditative music for the agitated soul. Like poltergeists that haunt belfries and spires, Mudboy is never in one place for too long. This is the CD version of the recent LP on Not Not Fun. This enhanced CD contains the same music as well as a short video by Mudboy, 'Orthern Lights.' The disc is packaged in lasercut & slightly burned cardstock sleeves with matching insert. It's similar to the LP, only more intricate."

Artist:	CURSILLISTAS
Title:	Wasp Stings The Last Bitter Flavor
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	ACE 006CD

"Wasp Stings The Last Bitter Flavor marks the first widely available release from this Portland, Maine troubadour. The brains behind the project is Matt Lajoie and he is perhaps best known for his enchanted album on Time-Lag Records. His folk-inspired psychedelia reaches new heights on Wasp Stings as he puts together an album of lost songs, found hiding in a dank and dusty cellar. Lajoie's approach here is different. It's as if he's taken the negative space of his previous works and hashed them out and spruced them up until they've become epic, flowing songs whitewashed with a basket full of analog hiss. The whole thing flows together like magic poured straight from the sky. It's haunting, beautiful music. Cursillistas' music is often densely populated with a variety of instrumentation and textures. Lajoie is a master at molding sounds from a variety of sources into a cohesive, organic whole. This music, as with past efforts, sounds like an intimate secret whispered in the listener's ear. You feel as though you're being led into a world where very few lucky souls find their way. Lajoie's distinctive voice is the true weapon here, weaving hypnotic melodies over rivers of delicately strummed acoustic guitars. Wasp Stings The Last Bitter Flavor is his message in a bottle. It's a love letter to everyone and no one, and there's a lot to love here. Lajoie is joined by the inimitable Nemo Birdstrup (Time-Lag Records figurehead and the brains behind Drona Parva) and sometime MV & EE collaborator, Sparrow Wildchild."

Artist:	SMITH, STEVEN R.
Title:	Owl
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	ACE 007CD

"Steven R. Smith's name has become more commonplace over the last half-decade, and that's a very good thing. From his monumental works as Hala Strana to being a prominent contributor to many Jewelled Antler projects, his sound is distinct. This is the first brand new solo album from Steven R. Smith since last year's epic The Anchorite. On here, you'll find some of the things you expect with a new Steven R. Smith record: sparse, angular walls of his trademark guitar playing with embellishments from an array of acoustic instrumentation. But there's a new twist here: vocals. Yep, vocals. Smith unleashes his voice on Owl and does so in such an impressive fashion that it leaves one asking 'what took so long'? Owl is full of desolate but hopeful aural landscapes. There's a tinge of regret and longing in his voice when he belts out the words, 'this is the world we know...' And in those six words, Smith sums up what Owl brings to the table. There is something recognizable about this terrain; the paint is just worn down enough to expose the raw wood underneath. But carefully placed in each corner, in each nook is something new that breathes life into the familiar. This is a bold step for someone who has already accomplished a great deal, and leaves us listeners without a clue as to what will happen next. This is magic, indeed."

Artist:	SUTHERLAND, CHRISS
Title:	Me In A "Field"
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	ACE 008CD

"Many people might not be directly familiar with the name Chriss Sutherland, but most know Cerberus Shoal, of which Sutherland is a founding member. Me in a 'Field' marks his solo debut and shows why Cerberus Shoal is so revered. He's also a current member of Fire on Fire, who will release their debut on Michael Gira's Young God label. But here, Sutherland presents simple, wonderfully crafted songs in their barest form, but backed by the same heart that has made his previous efforts so great. This collection of songs has been brewing for years, but finally found its way into the light after Sutherland returned from an extended stay in Spain and urging from his friend and compatriot, James Toth aka Wooden Wand. All of the songs are built around the combination of guitar and voice, though some are enhanced with piano, banjo, etc. Simplicity is often a lost art form in-and-of itself, but this is where Sutherland strives. Listening to him belt out his almost-perfect lyrics reminds me that even though the singer/songwriter realm is overpopulated and generally tired, when it's done right it can be magnificent. Me in a 'Field' is such a welcome entry into the genre that it goes down smooth and sweet. Lyrically, Sutherland is a wizard. His songs are universal. When he sings about those close and important to him, they become the listener's friends and family too. It's music that will appeal to many audiences and cuts across boundaries. At its heart it may be folk music, but Sutherland's offering something that's freer and more exciting."

Artist:	TWINSISTERMOON
Title:	Levels and Crossings
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	ACE 009CD

"France's duo Natural Snow Buildings made a huge splash a few years ago with their self-released masterwork, The Dance of the Moon and the Sun. It was ultra-limited and packaged in immaculate fashion. It caused quite a stir and has been talked about at length on any number of prominent web sites. This was furthered last year when 1/2 of the group, Mehdi Amaziane, released his first solo album as Twinsistermoon. It was every bit as enchanting as Natural Snow Buildings. Again, the initial run was highly limited and sold out immediately though reissue plans for that album are in the works with Time-Lag Records & Digitalis. This year, the dream continued with the release of Levels and Crossings. With a first edition of 36 copies, those lucky to hear it were awe-struck. After one listen, it was obvious that it had to be reissued and unleashed unto the world. And with that in mind, we're extremely proud to offer the first widely-available release from this duo with Levels and Crossings, reissued in its full, exquisite glory. While the packaging won't be an exact replica, it features full-color 6-panel gatefold jackets from Stumptown, showing off the genius of Solange Gularte's Mayan-inspired drawings. They are true works of art, intricate and beautiful with a close relationship to the aural ideas Amaziane expresses. Musically, Twinsistermoon is all over the map. At times it is reminiscent of '60s folk music. Amaziane's voice will fool you into thinking he is the female half of the group. He sounds more like Vashti Bunyan than Nick Drake. His voice is beautiful. But where Levels and Crossings really shines is in the passages where Amaziane unleashes walls of organic, shimmering drones. The intermingling of straightforward songs and immense sheets of sound is perfect. Even with the album's extended length, the dichotomy creates such a dynamic that you never lose interest. Twinsistermoon is a force to be reckoned with."

Artist:	TUMA, SCOTT
Title:	Not For Nobody
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	ACE 010CD

"To me, Scott Tuma is a bit of a legend. From his days with the seminal Souled American to performing with Boxhead Ensemble, his two incredible solo records, Hard Again and The River 1 2 3 4, there are few musicians with such a quality discography. I kept waiting for him to drop another solo record, but it never came. So when I learned that he'd been working with members of Zelienople under the moniker Good Stuff House, I jumped at the chance to make contact. A few emails were exchanged, and 18 months later after the birth of Tuma's second child, Not For Nobody was finally ready. It's been nearly five years, but the wait has definitely been worth it. Not For Nobody hits you hard, straight in the throat. These mostly-acoustic compositions, recorded with guitar, banjo, harmonium, and percussion among other instruments, are steeped in an elegance that few artists can master. Not For Nobody marks the triumphant return of a musician sorely missed. It is dripping with beauty and melancholy and hope for something better. This is an album for the ages. Housed in a silkscreened gatefold jacket."

Artist:	CROSS, MILTON
Title:	Light In The West
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	ACE 013CD

"You might not have heard of Milton Cross, but you've certainly heard of the main band he's in (Tarentel). He's also a member of Dial Square and Party of Doom. Light in the West was originally self-released in a limited CDR format, but has now been remastered and reworked (some tracks removed, some new ones added) and reborn in this new skin. Cross does his best work when he's playing his violin or harmonium. He's classically-trained and his skill is immediately apparent. Both instruments permeate the album, adding a thick layer of glowing warmth to the songs which they haunt. From the heartbreaking opener, 'It's Been Almost a Year' to the quiet, wavering whispers of 'Future Ghost,' Cross has created an album full of endless layers and organic details. Each listen reveals something new to dissect and digest. It's an album we are very proud to resurrect from the ether." Packaged in two-color silkscreened gatefolds. Limited to 500 copies. All new artwork by Eden Hemming Rose.

Artist:	GUNN, STEVE
Title:	Sundowner
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	ACE 014CD

"Steve Gunn is probably best known as a key component to the mighty GHQ with Marcia Bassett (Double Leopards) and Pete Nolan (Magik Markers), but his solo efforts have been even more impressive. With a couple limited & hard-to-find CD-Rs under his belt and a few offerings under the moniker Moongang, Gunn is ready to step out of the shadows and into the spotlight with his first proper CD. This music is finely-tuned and expertly crafted by Gunn's capable hands, showing his skill not only as a guitarist, but as a songwriter as well. Sundowner may be short & sweet, but it has an epic feeling. Gunn reaches deep into the vaults to line the walls with hypnotic acoustic guitar dirges, organic drones, and banjo ditties. And unlike any of his previous work, he also unleashes his voice on three songs, showing that not only can he play with the best of them, he can sing too. When he's not wowing the listener racing around the fretboard, his simple but effective vocal hooks are sinking themselves deep into the confines of your memory." Limited to 500 copies in 2-color black gatefold jackets.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Gold Leaf Branches
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	3CD
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 001CD

"Gold Leaf Branches is a massive collection. It is an undertaking that is years in the making, one that often looked as though it would never be completed. But after endless hours of emailing, calling, and generally harassing the 59 artists presented here, Gold Leaf Branches is complete. This is a compilation with two simple motives: to collect as much of the music I love from all over the globe in one place and to expose as many people as possible to numerous outstanding artists they might not have heard. Gold Leaf Branches succeeds with flying colors. Of the 59 tracks here, all but one are exclusive to this release." Artists include: Six Organs of Admittance, Charlambides, James Blackshaw, Hala Strana, Lau Nau, Wood & Wand featuring the Rose, Nick Castro, Marissa Nadler and more.

Artist:	KEIJO
Title:	Palla, Blown From Here
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 016CD

"Keijo hails from Jyv�skyl�, Finland -- a small town in the north that claims to be the center of the universe. In the sprawling Finnish underground, Keijo is the wise sage who everyone admires. In his 52 years, he has travelled the world twice and seen his share of turmoil. He was nearly killed in a motorcycle accident and still bears a metal plate in his skull as a constant reminder. But these experiences have been essential in shaping the sound world he constructs with his fingertips. After releasing a handful of small-run CD-R releases on labels such as Pseudoarcana, Lal Lal Lal, and Foxglove. Palla, Blown From Here sees Keijo finally getting the larger audience he deserves. He has worked and collaborated with Finnish acts such as Vapaa, Avarus, and Kheta Hotem. This CD, limited to 500 copies, sees Keijo taking a more solemn path, reflecting on the quiet moments nature brings. These nine songs showcase Keijo's array of talents, including his impressive throat-singing abilities. Palla, Blown From Here is the aural transition of summer into autumn. Over the course of this album, Keijo's soft acoustic compositions flow from him like prose from a poet's pen. The beauty this music exudes is a testament to his life and his work. This is Keijo's world and we are just living in it."

Artist:	CARTER & GOWN, CHRISTINA
Title:	We've
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 018CD

"Christina Carter is best known for her work with ex-husband Tom Carter in the legendary Charalambides. She also boasts an impressive body of solo work on labels such as Kranky and Eclipse. Gown is Nanaimo, BC's own Andrew MacGregor. Early in 2005, the two begin a month-long trek from MacGregor's home in British Columbia to their current place of residence in Western Mass, where MacGregor is temporarily running the mighty Yod store. During their journey, the duo played live on WDVS radio in California. We've is culled from that sprawling session. Carter's playing has always been about creating open spaces that live and breathe on their own. We've is no different, but Gown manages to find his way into those spaces and destroy them. There is a constantly shifting dichotomy at play here, and the results are fantastic. Gown and Carter have loads of chemistry and We've is the perfect of example."

Artist:	KYRGYZ
Title:	Kyrgyz
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 020CD

"Kyrgyz is a name that will be unfamiliar to most, but the band's members read like an all-star team of Bay Area improvisers. This quartet consists of Tom Carter (Charalambides), Loren Chasse (The Blithe Sons, Thuja, etc), Christine Boepple (Skygreen Leopards Skyband), and Robert Horton (Broken Mask, Infinite Article, etc). Kyrgyz's debut album is 60 minutes of droned-out bliss. With its roots firmly planted in trance-inducing soil, the six songs here stretch their branches toward the sun. When four artists of this calibre come together in a single setting, the expectations are high. There is tension to spare. But Kyrgyz is such a perfect blend of all their talents that it never implodes beneath the pressure. Horton is the hand that guides this mix of heavy, hypnotic drones, a thicket of acoustic scrawl, and even free jazz skronk. Each sound is carefully chosen and blended together magically. There are equal elements of Charalambides and Jewelled Antler throughout Kyrgyz, but again it is Horton that upsets the balance to create something completely new. In the end, this is nothing short of brilliant."

Artist:	HUSH ARBORS
Title:	Hush Arbors
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 021CD

"Hush Arbors is the brainchild of Keith Wood. After years of self-released and small-run CDRs, Wood's debut release is finally available in a wider format. This release follows a successful tour of the Eastern United States opening for Six Organs of Admittance. Over these 43 minutes of blissed out forest folk also finds itself knee-deep in organic drones. Wood's high-pitched voice is the focal point which the music swirls around, and these songs emanate from the cosmos like a cathartic release from the sky. But don't be fooled, despite these cosmic aspirations this is music straight from the earth, covered in bark and soaked in soil. Hush Arbors is a relic." 'This music is for you who love your perfect clothes caked in mud. This music is for you who could have been scientists but realized that most scientists are thrown into the back of an anonymous van and sold into slavery for their government. And at that point, you said, 'Fuck it. I love the stars and germs and shit, but I'd rather not have a gun to my head'.' - Ben Chasny

Artist:	WITH THROATS AS FINE AS NEEDLES
Title:	With Throats as Fine as Needles
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 022CD

"Deep inside an abandoned bunker on New Zealand's north island, With Throats as Fine as Needles have perfected their craft. On this, their debut CD release, the group has expanded to a quartet. Birchville Cat Motel's Campell Kneale and Pseudoarcana chief, Antony Milton, have joined forces with James Kirk (Sandoz Lab Technicians, Gate) and Richard Francis (Eso Steel) to create a claustrophobic, organic web of massive drones. Everything on this CD was recorded outdoors with battery-powered instruments. Underneath the ground, the quartet burrows out their own cavern, bouncing sounds off the walls until it becomes a singular, solid mass. Each gently sculpted tone floats in humid air. The music is saturated with the dirt and grime from a million a years of human history, wailing out in unison like an excavation turned exorcism. With Throats as Fine as Needles are your guides through this aural fog."

Artist:	BROTHERS OF THE OCCULT SISTERHOOD
Title:	Goodbye
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 023CD

"As far as the Southern Hemisphere goes, Australia's budding underground has often played second fiddle to that of its island neighbor, New Zealand. But a new crop of Aussies is levelling the playing field. Leading the way is the brother/sister duo of Michael and Kristina Donnelly aka Brothers of the Occult Sisterhood. These cosmic travellers are soaked to the bone in dust, like relics from the past. They speak only in tongues and send out shortwave psychedelic radio transmissions into the bleeding edges of drugged-out folk sludge. BOTOS' organic compositions are familiar to many by now. After a string of CD-R releases on Time-Lag, Celebrate Psi-Phenomenon, and others, this is their first pro-pressed offering. Building on transcendent themes and saturating everything in an all-encompassing puff of bong smoke. Endless walls of instrumentation create artificial boundaries that the Donnellys destroy with far-reaching, hypnotic drones. By the time Goodbye comes to a grinding halt, it feels like the stuff of legend. Brothers of the Occult Sisterhood are only interested in blowing your skull to smithereens while cradling you in their arms. They are simply magnificent, and there aren't many doing it better these days."

Artist:	KEIJO & THE FREE PLAYERS
Title:	After At Once
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 024CD

"Once again, Finnish-native Keijo Virtanen unloads another dirt-stained masterpiece. Over the past few years he has assembled a group of artists that have become known as the Free Players. Their collaborative efforts are like a clinic in improvisation. The interplay and spontaneity between them is epic. The Free Players often include members of Finnish free-jazz pawnpins Vapaa, as well as Kheta Hotem, Kundalini Snakes, and others. After At Once is the ensemble's first non-CDR release and finds them in top form. The members of Vapaa play an integral role on After At Once. Tiitus Pet�j�niemi is especially key with his vocal wailings and incantations. Tribal percussion and chromatic whimsy often punctuate Keijo's sarod-laden excursions through the mist. There's a heavy Indian influence on these recordings, stemming from Keijo's many trips to its sub-continental shores. Musically, After At Once is spacious, but cohesive. With the addition of the sarod on these recordings, the music takes on a life of its own. As always, Keijo's hand guides the magic and in the end, it's still his world we're living in."

Artist:	CARTER, TOM
Title:	Glyph
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 025CD

"Since the early '90s, Tom Carter has played as one-half of the essential Charalambides. During that time, Carter also released a handful of solo albums on his own Wholly Other imprint as well as a recent reissue on the seminal Kranky Records. Glyph was originally issued as a limited-edition CD-R on the aforementioned Wholly Other. It is long-since out-of-print. This reissue of these remastered tracks breathes new life into the pieces. What is most striking is the warmth that pervades this entire album. With one piece for steel string acoustic guitar, another for lap steel, and the final (and shortest) on nylon string acoustic, there is diversity amongst the cogent thread that holds it all together. Carter's improvisations speak volumes without saying a word, and Glyph is one of his finest achievements to date. It is an ode to the last year of his life in Austin, Texas and all that it contained."

Artist:	UTON
Title:	Mystery Revolution
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 026CD

"Tampere, Finland has become quite the musical hotbed over the past few years. Staples like Avarus and Kemialliset Yst�v�t make their beds in the gnome-infested waters throughout the city. Uton is perhaps the country's best kept secret. Mystery Revolution is a sonic excursion through the Finnish forests unlike any other. Massive drones are balanced by the hypnotic dance of flutes, bells, and keyboards. Underneath everything runs a mind-altering stream of fuzzed-out brainwaves. Every corner you turn, there's another smiling nymph, begging you to follow the golden path into the mystic woods. Uton's minimalist rumblings are there to infect and enchant, and Hirvonen never fails to impress. The mask is off with Mystery Revolution, and Uton will remain shrouded in obscurity no more. This pine-scented excursion may be mysterious on the surface, but overall is a thing of beauty, lying in wait for the perfect time to infect you. Mystery Revolution is proof that Uton's dreamy soundscapes are one of Finland's finest exports."

Artist:	WRIGHT, PETER
Title:	Red Lion
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 027CD

"You can remove a Kiwi from New Zealand but you sure as hell can't remove New Zealand from a Kiwi. Such is the case with Christchurch transplant, Peter Wright. Over the course of a decade, Wright has etched his name in glass in the annals of drone-world superstardom. And while I'm not sure what that really means, the point is that when it comes to soaring dronescapes, few do it better than Peter Wright. He has helped pave the way with contemporaries such as Birchville Cat Motel and Double Leopards, but clearly has his own distinct voice. With his past few albums, Wright seems the logical successor to native Kiwi, sound manipulator extraordinaire, Roy Montgomery. Red Lion is Wright's latest incarnation and, once again, pushes the boundaries of what he can do with his trademark 12 string Danelectro to the absolute outer limits. He pushes the limits of simplicity without ever breaking. Wright's albums are a thing of sheer, pure beauty, existing in a vacuum where nothing on the outside can tamper with their grace. Even with his lofty intentions, Red Lion is immediately approachable and grabs the listener from the opening notes. As always, Peter Wright offers up something wholly infectious and undebatably magnificent."

Artist:	REYNOLDS, BEN
Title:	Outmospheric Arts of the Outmosphere
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 028CD

"Ben Reynolds has emerged as one of the most prolific contributors to the UK ecstatic-drone scene over the past year. He has released numerous solo CD-Rs and last year saw his first CD on the Finnish Ikuisuus imprint. Outmosphere was originally intended to add to the list of CD-R releases, but once we heard it, we knew it deserved something bigger. Many moons later, this is Ben Reynolds' first stateside widely-available CD release. As his music has developed, Reynolds has given nods to raga-infused acoustic folk all the way to dense, monolithic drones. Outmosphere finds all these elements smashed together in perfect harmony. Each song is carefully constructed, keeping in mind its place in the larger whole. Throughout Outmosphere, he turns this holy racket into something mystical and beautiful. On every track we are treated to cosmic webs of earth and space magic woven in only the way Ben Reynolds can. Outmospheric Arts of the Outmosphere is an excellent introduction to Reynolds' work for those unfamiliar, and a perfect continuation of previous efforts for those who are fans already. It is a sublime and rich listening experience all around."

Artist:	SEHT
Title:	The Green Morning
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 029CD

"New Zealand's Seht (aka Stephen Clover) has spawned a musical monster around one consistent idea: that simplicity can be the most mind-expanding drug around. Over the course of a dozen releases on labels like Last Visible Dog and Celebrate Psi-Phenomenon, Clover has perfected this artform. Using a minimal array of instruments and effects, he sculpts every sound source he can find into soothing walls of aural bliss. Doing more with less is rarely done better than this. The Green Morning is Seht's third proper CD release, and comes on the heels of a series of limited CD-Rs. Through his ability to synthesize a seemingly endless array of sounds into a single, focused point, Seht acts as a modern composer in the same vein as William Basinski. Clover's drones have explored various territory through the past few years, everything from glacial ambience to deconstructed blues. The Green Morning is like the early moments of dawn, bathed in warm plumes of sonic sunlight. These songs are the memories trapped beneath the floorboards, and by looking back, Clover offers a mere glimpse into the ambience of a not-so-distant future."

Artist:	LOST DOMAIN, THE
Title:	White Man at the Door
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 030CD

"Brisbane's improvisors extraordinaire, The Lost Domain, have been launching sonic missives into the stratosphere for almost 20 years now. These guys were blitzing the path well-travelled by Jackie-O Motherfucker and No Neck Blues Band, before either group even existed. In Australia, they know how to play the blues. Maybe it's in the water, or maybe it blows in from the ocean, but one listen to The Lost Domain's White Man at the Door, and there's no denying it: these motherfuckers can play the blues. White Man at the Door follows the legendary Shytone 'Dead Set,' a compendium of pre-war inspired classics compiled by Lost Domain mainman, John Henry Calvinist (aka David Mac Kinnon), and much beloved by none other than John Fahey. These six tracks are like nothing else the group has released. Ragtime Frank (aka Simon Ellaby) puts in the vocal performance of a lifetime as he extracts songs like 'In My Time of Dying' and 'Frankie & Albert' from deep inside his bones. Over an archaic bed of acoustic instrumentation and junkyard percussion, Ellaby belts out gut-wrenching line after gut-wrenching line. It will bring listeners to their knees. The pre-war inspirations behind these tracks are obvious, but the execution and emotion is 100% authentic. White Man at the Door is a lost relic. It's like something found in a dusty corner of the Library of Congress, begging to be rediscovered. This is the kind of album that most bands only dream of making. It is pure, whiskey-addled perfection."

Artist:	NIRMALA, TIRATH SINGH
Title:	Bluster, Cragg, & Awe
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 031CD

"Not too long ago, John Clyde-Evans made a huge splash with his phenomenal solo LP on England's Fisheye imprint. He also performed as an important member of the seminal UK group, Hood. After taking a seven year hiatus and committing to the path of Sikhism, he returned as Tirath Singh Nirmala. His continually unfolding backstory is interesting enough, but it's his music where the real magic and mystery stretch their silver wings. Nirmala returned to making music after his close friend and collaborator, Vibracathedral Orchestra's Neil Campbell, gave him some free software and set him on his way. Nirmala responded with nearly a dozen self-released, highly limited CD-Rs. The releases were filled to the brim with Eastern-influenced, transcendental drones and uplifting spiritual sound explorations. His manipulation of sine waves and use of obscure Asian instruments creates a wholly original and unique sound. As on his solo LP as John Clyde-Evans, Nirmala's ability to concoct sprawling, majestic drones using such simple terms is unmatched. Bluster, Cragg, & Awe, Nirmala's first non-CD-R release, is the perfect beginning. It collects the best tracks from those now impossible-to-find releases and adds one new song and one collaborative piece with Scottish guitar guru, Richard Youngs. It is a journey that lasts less than an hour, but contains a lifetime of aural experience, wrapped into one, shimmering golden package. Oh yes, Tirath Singh Nirmala has returned."

Artist:	CARTER & ROBERT HORTON DUO, TOM
Title:	Steeljaguar Rocket
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 032CD

"Charalambides' Tom Carter and Robert Horton have become close collaborators over the past few years, appearing in a handful of projects together from Kyrgyz (w/ Jewelled Antler-ites Loren Chasse and Christine Boepple) to Mudsuckers (w/ D. Yellow Swans). But when they are stripped back to a duo, the sonic onslaught is just as dense and impressive. Steeljaguar Rocket is the second album, following-up Lunar Eclipse. Horton again acts as the puppetmaster, pulling the strings to move each sound into its right place. Expansive improvisations and full-on psychedelic freakouts intermingle, creating a cosmic web of enchanted debris. Fiddler extraordinaire Hal Huges adds exponentially to the dynamics at work with his marvelous playing on the title track. The strained violin notes whisk the listener away to the dirt-soaked alleys of Damascus. It's a hypnotic journey through jewel-encrusted foreign lands, like a solo flight to sun. Everything is not peaceful on Steeljaguar Rocket, however. Digging further into the cataclysm finds Carter & Horton turning up the volume knobs and cranking out wailing solos on top of a bed of heavy drones and cacaphonic drums. Like Horton's Future Ears project, it's equal parts noise, free jazz, and fractured folk bliss."

Artist:	ZELIENOPLE
Title:	Stone Academy
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 033CD

"Hailing from Chicago, Zelienople have been etching out a place for themselves in the Windy City for the past five years. Constant collaborators with Souled American's Scott Tuma, this quartet mixes ghostly song structures with ambient drones better than just about anyone. With recent releases on Time-Lag, New Zealand's Pseudoarcana, and Tarentel's Root Strata imprint, the boys of Zelienople are rising like vines toward the canopy. Stone Academy picks up where 2005's brilliant Ink (recently reissued on CD by Loose Thread Recordings) left off. It balances the simple beauty of guitar-based songs with overwhelming, dark drones. The combination is as powerful as it is intricate. Each note, each chord is carefully chosen and perfectly placed; they never take too long or push too much. The attention to detail is magnificent. Zelienople have mastered the art of making expansive, luminescent drones sound as organic as the soil beneath your feet. Stone Academy reverberates like it's planted deep inside a lost cavern, hidden miles beneath the surface waiting for excavation. With rich textures and challenging soundscapes, Stone Academy is a wholly satisfying listening experience. The darkness is only a canvas for the light of these compositions to shine through. Zelienople offer up one of the year's finest aural adventures."

Artist:	HORTON, ROBERT
Title:	Dirt Speak
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 034CD

"Robert Horton made a monumental splash into the scene of free music in 2005. With nearly 30 years of experience under his belt, the catalog of recordings he's accumulated is enough to make even the most prolific artists blush. After taking a hiatus from releasing music from the mid 90s until now, the dam finally broke in 2005 with the release of Angel Humming Through Wire on Foxglove. Ever since, Horton has released albums on Celebrate Psi-Phenomenon, Jyrk, Important, Nosordo, Last Visible Dog and more. Dirt Speak is Horton's first solo CD release under his own name. When he plays with close collaborators Tom Carter (of Charalambides), Yellow Swans, and others, Horton takes on the role of primary curator. He weaves his magic into the sounds of others with mathematical precision. In his solo works, he takes this boundless inspiration and pushes it even further. Organic, insular drones are the backbone of Dirt Speak, but the heavy tinges of folk, jazz, and musique concr�te are equally important to its unique sound. Horton will use anything that makes any kind of sound as a source for his music. In addition to more traditional instrumentation, Dirt Speak also features the use of vibrators, an electric toothbrush, and even the sound of contact mics in a fire."

Artist:	CORSICAN PAINTBRUSH
Title:	Aquarian Hymns
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 035CD

"Tulsa, Oklahoma is probably one place you would not expect to find a bouzouki or a person who can play one. But thankfully for the spirit of international culture, husband and wife team Brad and Eden Rose live in that very city. They make music under many names (most notably the North Sea but also Wax Ghost, Golden Oaks, and Agilvsga), and with many friends (from Michael Donnelly of Brothers of the Occult Sisterhood to Robert Horton (as Eastern Fox Squirrels), but Corsican Paintbrush is purely their creation, their musical offspring. Combining lush instrumentation with clattering percussion and ramshackle beats, Corsican Paintbrush creates a new world of sound out of old world technology. Swerving feverishly between what could easily be chopped up Native American rhythms, sampled Celtic melodies, and space-age funk played on trash heaps, the music of Corsican Paintbrush is actually all of this and none of it. Aquarian Hymns is nine tracks of gorgeously recorded acoustic grace; marked with periodic bursts of lysergic freak-outs, from the sharpened slide guitar strings and tired voice of 'Break Through These Branches' to the heavy accordion and woodwind drones of the closing track 'Aquarius.' The true masterpiece of the release is the expansive and slow-developing 'Carbon Revival,' taking its sweet time (over fifteen minutes) to uncoil its scaly form and sink its dripping fangs into your mind. Corsican Paintbrush paints an engrossing picture of a folk music never before encountered, and it does so with broad and yet delicate swaths of color and texture. Just don't call this sound new age or ethnic folk, it digs deeper and broader than that, sounding at times like a piece from the richly diverse Sublime Frequencies collection, and at other times like a death march across the desert, carried on the back of the Sunburned Hand of the Man."

Artist:	KEIJO
Title:	Flying Over
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 036CD

"The godfather of the Finnish Underground is back with his most complete album to date. Keijo Virtanen's far-reaching hands can be felt throughout the Nordic peninsula from his home in Jyv�skyl�. While he often performs in numerous groups such as The Free Players and Kheta Hotem, it is in his solo work that he is most accomplished. Virtanen is not just a talented and prolific musician, but also an artist and published author. His inspiration and creativity know no bounds. At 54 years-old, Virtanen still rides his motorcycle all over the country and shows no signs of letting up. Virtanen finally took his show on the road this past autumn, touring with members of Uton and Vapaa throughout Northern Europe. He also released two CDs on the much heralded Last Visible Dog imprint. Flying Over is the culmination of a landmark year for this troubadour. These nine tracks run the gambit of all of Keijo's talents, from the rattling blues transgressions of 'On the Edge,' to the throat singing-laced organic drone of 'Late Night Here & Far Away.' Virtanen's range is pure magic. While the bulk of Flying Over is entirely Virtanen's creation, he is joined by two of his closest collaborators on two tracks: Sami Virtanen and Jussi Karsikas, two extremely talented Finns in their own right. Whatever the moment calls for, though, Virtanen fills the void and the empty space with exactly what is needed. He is a wizard of sound and a seemingly endless well of magnificent music. It shouldn't be surprising for someone who makes their home at the center of the universe."

Artist:	HUSH ARBORS
Title:	Under Bent Limb Trees
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	2CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 037CD

"Keith Wood and his Hush Arbors project had a good year in 2006. After multiple solo tours and stints with Wooden Wand & the Vanishing Voice, his first CD and LP were released earlier in the year. He ended the year relocating to England and plying his trade across the pond. With all this in mind, it was decided that a re-release of his first full-length for Digitalis was in order, and thus this expanded version of Under Bent Limb Trees was born. Keith Wood concocts massive emotional releases in his head and transfers them to tape using the most organic means possible. Bowed dulcimer, singing bowl, banjo, and his trademark falsetto dot the horizon of this majestic album. This graceful and subdued music has been extracted from the earth and laden with golden spirits. This two CD set is the perfect embodiment of Wood's delicate take on shy melancholia that has one foot in the forest and one on a log fire, burning with passion. His experience as the go-to guy of not only Ben Chasny (Six Organs of Admittance) but Massachusetts God-botherers Sunburned Hand of the Man for live appearances has clearly set him in good stead for his own recordings, and this collection only serves to magnify his deft talent and unique voice. Disc one features the whole of 'Under Bent Limb Trees,' newly remastered and sounding better than ever. The real prize is in the second disc, which features out-of-print, rare, and unreleased tracks culled from Wood's own collection and various limited and obscure releases."

Artist:	ORSI/GIANLUCA BECUZZI, FABIO
Title:	The Stones Know Everything
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	2CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 038CD

"Anything that can be said about this double CD release can also be said about the roar of a rushing stream or the sound of snow falling on a clear night. These two sound artisans have crafted so perfect an auditory environment that it is completely devoid of artifice or noticeable flaw. It is a field of glass on top of a quiet lake. To some, this might sound dull. To others, it might strike you as meditation music for your yoga class. To all of you, all I can suggest is listening to this journey into sound and be prepared to come out the other side changed by what you've experienced. Fresh from his spectacular 3" CD-R on Foxglove and another release for A Silent Place, Naples' Fabio Orsi partners here with sound artisan Gianluca Becuzzi. Orsi is another young and unexpected talent coming through the new Italian pipeline. The Stones Know Everything is the second release of his sprawling trilogy with Becuzzi (the first CD, Muddy Speaking Ghosts Through My Machines, appeared on A Silent Place in late 2006). Gianluca has been around for the better part of two decades making music under the monikers Kinetix, Limbo, and others, but his work with wunderkind Orsi opens a new chapter in his impressive body of work. Crafting something this immense puts these two musicians into the realm of Stars of the Lid, Birchville Cat Motel and Growing, creating several intense worlds of ambient splendor, juxtaposing the sounds of everyday life with jetstreams of microtones and pulses of audible light. And they handle this enormous task with the care and precision of a watchmaker or a surgeon, but also with the ears of an obvious fan of sound."

Artist:	SOFTWAR
Title:	Softwar
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 039CD

"What could these musicians do after collectively playing on a million records, releasing a million more, and nurturing a scene that is both international and inner-visionary? Why not release a record that is so stunning in its scope and so well executed in its manner that it defies simple comparisons. Such is the story of Softwar and this lushly presented gift to our eyes and ears. Loren Chasse, fresh from his blistering noise work on Kyrgyz, shows us a softer but deeper side with the swirling opium-induced gems on Softwar. Playing with him are the equally talented Christine Boepple (also a key part of the Jewelled Antler sound, as well as Kyrgyz), Kerry McLaughlin and Geoff Koops. Focusing on what could be called more 'traditional' rhythm structures, the songs merely lull you into a false security before melting your brain with some heavy layers of tone, provided by multiple organs and keyboards. For fans of Thuja and the Jewelled Antler collective (obviously), but also for those who love the out-there ragas of MV+EE (you'll just crack a tooth from smiling over the opener 'Psychic Shake' or the twisted noise-hop of Jackie-O Motherfucker, found buried deep in 'Immul (the Children's Crusade).' Conceived in a redwood think tank, born in Golden Gate Park, Prui begins March 2007. Softwar is a thick slab of fractured voices in harmony and almost unidentifiable sounds, slipping slowly through the rabbit hole and back out the other side of the sun."

Artist:	WARMTH
Title:	Leave Your Wet Brain in the Hot Sun
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 040CD

"Warmth has undergone plastic surgery since this album was originally released as a criminally limited CDR on Belgium's best scuzz label, Audiobot. Back then, Warmth was known as Roxanne Jean Polise. The name may have changed, but the sounds are still the same: dense electronic forest fog that set Michigan-native Steev Thompson's music apart from most of his compatriots. Leave Your Wet Brain in the Hot Sun is Warmth's finest hour. It's his hypnotic, marrow-sucking opus. Leave Your Wet Brain in the Hot Sun is a thick blanket of unsettling doom. The smell of death is in the air, floating in-and-out of range like a black cloud. Warmth's mixture of distorted, haunted synth loops, hijacked guitar frequencies, and various samples of dirt-soaked piano. Thompson's drones are reminiscent of Andrew Chalk and Mirror in the way they lure the listener in during the early stages with his quiet and methodic approach. They're soothing and soft, but totally misleading. Once the eyelids start to get heavy, Thompson runs you down with discordant, often abrasive, missives. He plays this dichotomy up to perfection, and shows an amazing understanding of composition and layering. As each electronic swirl draws you in closer, like a moth to a buzzing streetlight, you get lost in this aural concrete labyrinth. Leave Your Wet Brain in the Hot Sun will bury your mind under piles of dust. Warmth is painting the town with a gang of spectres on his back, sandblasting diseased tones through everyone's eardrums. For fans of Double Leopards, Hive Mind, and that ilk, it is only once you're destroyed that you'll be totally satisfied. (Includes two unreleased bonus tracks, not included on the original album)."

Artist:	MICROBLIND HARVESTMEN
Title:	Songs & Instrumentals From Death Bottom Slide
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 042CD

"After 2 1/2 years of a seemingly endless stream of releases, Robert Horton shows no signs of slowing down. The inevitable question of 'What next?' may crop up from time to time, but with the launch of Microblind Harvestmen's debut album, Songs & Instrumentals From Death Bottom Slide, Horton punches back with resounding fury. Joining up with long-time collaborator and fiddler-extraordinaire, Hal Huges, this duo is plowing through fresh, new ground on their way to a mud-soaked heaven. Songs & Instrumentals From Death Bottom Slide has been in the works for over 20 years now, with the first remnants begun as far back as 1983. This is music that is lost in time, however, spanning countless eras and cultures, and melting them all together into a giant, boiling mess. As with most things Robert Horton does, his hand is the guiding force that keeps the album flowing. But Hughes' contributions are just as vital: stunning fiddle work that is a perfect slice of Americana along with drops of mandolin and banjo to light the leaf-covered path. Horton and Hughes mix a range of originals with a number of traditional tunes turned completely on their heads. 'Hellblazer' may have its root in the Old West, but Microblind's version is a spastic exorcism of wailing horns and screeching violins, flowing like a river of sound underneath the duo's parched vocals. This raucous romp through burning crops and the backwoods blows up into the harmonica-tinged, banjo tune 'Innermost Friend.' It sounds like an unearthed document from 75 years ago, left to rot in a bourbon cellar in Tennessee. Music like this doesn't just appear, it takes time to properly age. Microblind Harvestmen are the rare creature, like those only found in a few places in nature, that manages to avoid simple classification. This is drone. This is raga. This is folk. This is free-jazz. This is pure, covered-in-dirt, dancing-in-the-rain psychedelia. ...Death Bottom Slide is a riveting world, finally unleashed after years in the barren wilderness."

Artist:	(VXPXC)
Title:	Porchmass
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 043CD

"In the past two years, (VxPxC) has grown from a Golden State oddity to a Los Angeles institution. The trio of Grant Capes, Tim Goodwillie, and Justin McInteer have churned out an entire catalog of blissed-out improvisations that range from the organic and melodic to overblown chaos. There's never a dirth of new ideas flowing out of their collective minds, and on Porchmass, their first proper CD release after a slew of CD-Rs and cassettes, they push the envelope into a whole new realm. Recorded entirely on McInteer's porch in Terrace City, in East L.A., Porchmass is a ramshackle choir singing in effigy to the orange polluted sunsets of Southern California. (VxPxC) only use a small arsenal of acoustic and battery-powered instruments, singing bowls, and pots & pans as makeshift percussion, but it is a magic junkyard orchestra. This is also the first appearance of the now-trademark accordion that graces recent (VxPxC) sessions. By using this array, the group traverses new territory somewhere near the islands of Jewelled Antler or The Vanishing Voice. Despite the minimal setup, the songs on Porchmass are incredibly rich and diverse. Between the solemn notes of the accordion, washes of droning keyboards, and turbulent acoustic guitars rises a heartbroken voice that acts as a torch. The wordless vocals flicker like volcanic ash falling from a sunkissed sky. There's so many things at odds with each other throughout these pieces that the resulting dichotomies and trichotomies create an entirely new sound. (VxPxC) is Los Angeles through and through. But this is not your grandfather's L.A. of Hollywood glam and cocaine binge weekends. Capes, Goodwillie, and McInteer are blessed by the sun and palm trees, but when you dig deeper, you find the warm, inviting underbelly that keeps such an enormous city afloat. Porchmass is a quiet hymn for the populations that the outside world has forgotten."

Artist:	CLYDE-EVANS, JOHN
Title:	apetal thunderfall
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 044CD

"It's been a monumental year for John Clyde-Evans. He recently returned from a year living in the Punjab region of India, and after a slew of releases under his Sikh name of Tirath Singh Nirmala, he's back to the good ol' JCE. That's not all that's changed, though. His latest opus, apetal thunderfall, spins off into a new web of cacophony, leaving behind the pastoral anthems of yesteryear and taking aim at more abrasive ways to leave behind the rust. apetal thunderfall was recorded entirely during JCE's stay in Jalandhar in 2007 using found software and audio sources. The resulting recordings feel almost primitive. Evans uses his uncanny ability to blend and mix multitudes of tones into sprawling thickets of sound. It is hard to call this music drone, but at the same time there is a continuous flow to these three pieces that works in a similar way. Over the course of 43 minutes, this music etches itself into your skull, drilling itself in deep without drawing blood. Divided into three tracks, apetal thunderfall is more a singular entity than a collection of works. This album is cathartic, both musically and as a vehicle for JCE himself. But make no mistake, this is not spiritual music with mystic over/undertones. Simply, it is the new aural vision from one person made while living in India for a year. It is abrasive yet beautiful, and harkens back to a time and place when things were far less complicated."

Artist:	POCAHAUNTED/ROBEDOOR
Title:	Hunted Gathering
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	2CD
Price:	$20.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 045CD

"There's a savage battle raging in the hallowed streets of Los Angeles, being fought by prehistoric megaliths spewing lava from their mouths. These acid-tongued shamans are interested in one thing and one thing only, and that's to raze this city to the ground. Okay, perhaps it's not so apocalyptic, but hot off the heels of opening for Sonic Youth, dirt worshippers Robedoor and their native sisters Pocahaunted have unleashed an army for the ages with Hunted Gathering. Drones painted with black holes collapse under their own weight while the archangelic voices of Pocahaunted birth a brand new world of spirit decay. Hunted Gathering is both a split release and a collaboration. Each band offers up their own malfeasance while collaborating on the epic final eponymous track. The union of these two groups is a natural combination. Two members are married and run the Not Not Fun label together and they share amps and a practice space, for example. But there's also something about both that is visceral and raw. Robedoor's subsonic doom is washed down with a smooth chaser of Pocahaunted's reverberating soul sounds. Recorded by the inimitable Bobb Bruno at the NNF/Bored Fortress studio space across many moons in 2007 and mastered by Yellow Swans' Pete Swanson, Hunted Gathering is an essential feast for fans of doom-infused drones and Stevie Nicks. These hunting & gathering songs from the Eagle Rock air also feature appearances by the aforementioned Bruno as well as Changeling mastermind, Roy Tatum. Climb the totem pole and let these mutant beasts put you under their psychosis spell. Hunted Gathering is full of antiquated sounds soaked in electric mud. Robedoor and Pocahaunted are your brothers and sisters in conjuring and the gatekeepers to a lost universe of sonic enchantment."

Artist:	KELLY, JEREMY
Title:	Jeremy Kelly
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 046CD

"I first met Jeremy Kelly at Bottled Smoke back in May and subsequently got to know him via email over the summer. Simply put, he's an incredible artist and musician. There's a few things you should know -- first, he's an effects-building wizard. He makes a lot of his own stuff, giving his music unique sounds and textures. Also, he's one hell of a guitar player with one hell of a nice guitar. Third, his circuit-bending wizardry also lends its hand to his mighty Doepfer modular synth, which has its tendrils woven all throughout his debut CD. This self-titled effort is a cohesive conglomeration of a dizzying array of styles, recorded beautifully by Ged Gengras (Antique Brothers) with help from Grant Capes ((VxPxC)) out in Los Angeles. Gengras even joins in on saz at one point, concocting a hypnotic Middle-Eastern jam that feels baked in the scorching desert sand. Add in some blues-infused acoustic ragas that throw a nod to Ben Chasny's Six Organs of Admittance and glazed walls of analog noise, and you're somewhere in the ballpark of this album. It's all over the place, but never too far from the path Kelly has laid down for himself. This is some serious magic." Limited to 500 copies.

Artist:	MANPACK VARIANT
Title:	Sticky Wickets
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 047CD

"Manpack Variant is the persistently intermittent co-mingling of electronicists Jaime Fennelly (Peeesseye, peeinmyfacewithsurgery, Phantom Limb & Bison) and Chris Peck, resulting in transcendent sound rituals and unexplainable detritus such as the recent Flash Vault 7" split with Gerritt on Misanthropic Agenda and now Sticky Wickets, the band's first full-length CD. Sticky Wickets will take the paint off your walls. Bone-crunching noises fly in an analog heaven, short on altitude but high on fire? Insanity? Asylums? Try it all on for size. Manpack Variant are bringing barrels of concrete to the show, ready to build a scuzzed-out monument complete with skeleton electronics and bags of fuzz. And to add even more sparkle, Sticky Wickets features original artwork by Jason McLean. Entranced by latent characteristics of military-industrial sound hardware, Manpack Variant has laid audiences from Vienna to Vancouver (to waste) with their own special bland of ecstatic nose drool. Ambient ambient ambient! Ambient ambient ambient! Four years now they have failed to either get a sharper blade or have a new one made. Take a load off: the album woks!"

Artist:	MB/HUE/FHIEVEL
Title:	Erimos
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 048CD

"This release is quite special as it has given us the opportunity to work with one of our all-time favorite artists (and one of the true all-time greats), Maurizio Bianchi. Erimos is the first in a series of works about the spaces 'between the elements.' This album contains a single, 40+ minute exploration. Heavy on electronics, the amazing thing is how warm the whole piece feels. Bianchi is joined by two of the next generation of Italian sound sculptors, Hue (aka Matteo Uggeri) and Fhievel (aka Luca Bergero). The two have breathed new life into Bianchi's music, showing that the future of the Italian underground is brighter than ever. Bianchi began producing music almost 30 years ago in 1979, and since 1980 has used electronic equipment with the avowed goal 'to produce technological sounds and in such a way to work on complete realizing of the modern decadence.' His best known work, Symphony for a Genocide was recently reissued by New York-based Hospital Productions. This seminal work proved what a pioneer in electronic music he was. On Erimos, we find Bianchi stretching time and manipulating sound as ever. Over the course of this monster performance, the trio weaves intricate circles around one another, nearly colliding at every point. But the success comes from their abilities to play off each other, resulting in original and captivating sounds and textures. It is electronic drones unlike any other. Erimos is captivating and beautiful, even if its main inspiration comes from something as desolate and isolated as the deserts on its cover."

Artist:	ANGELL, THEO
Title:	Auraplinth
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DIGI 050CD

"What can I say about Theo Angell? He's an artist, a musician, a filmmaker, a shaman. He lives and works in New York City, but plies his trade all over the country. Angell is perhaps best known for his work in Hall of Fame and Jackie-O Motherfucker, and also as part of Samara Lubelski's live band. But with the release of Auraplinth, all that will change. This is Theo Angell's opus. This is his masterwork. It finds him at his absolute peak and delivers an album unlike anything else. He uses his voice to etch out a detailed map of the stars, made up of dirt and bone, proving the organic nature of the cosmos. Auraplinth is an amalgamation and invention, joining foundation with the ether. Both of these forces are constantly at work throughout these 15 tracks. His voice is molded into every possible form. At times it reverberates above a river of folk-inspired melodies, while at other moments, he creates a bed of sound with wordless vocal moans. That voice is the glue that holds this great document together. On Auraplinth, Theo is once again joined by the evolving cast of characters known as The Tabernacle Hillside Singers. This time it includes Cynthia Nelson (Ruby Falls), Dan Brown (Hall of Fame) & Josh Stevenson (Magneticring)."

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