Sunday 31 October 2010

Richard Youngs & Andrew Paine - 4trackcassettemachine (SOC001) - SOLD OUT



'4trackcassettemachine' is the new album by Richard Youngs & Andrew Paine.

This latest collaboration puts aside the ‘bleeps’ and ‘beats’, which dominated ‘Robot’ and the recent ‘Urban Parable’ sets for something a little more organic. Four distinct tracks of lo-fi experimentation, abstract synth, minimal electronics, slabs of dark stabbing riffs and screaming guitar, make for a highly stylistic release.

STRICTLY limited to 50 copies, '4trackcassettemachine' is available from 15 November.

Wednesday 27 October 2010

Andrew Paine - The Earth Remains Unshattered



Siren Wire will be releasing a new solo project from Andrew Paine in November 2010.

'Siren Wire Editions' is a series of limited edition releases by carefully selected artists from around the globe. Launching November 2010.

Siren Wire Editions 001

Andrew Paine 'The Earth Remains Unshattered'

i) The Earth Remains Unshattered
ii) Matter & Space
iii) Forsake the Sky
iv) So Long As My Pincers Hold
v) Sceadu
vi) A Pulse Around A Circle
vii) Brilliant White
viii) The Storm is Overpast

Recorded in Glasgow, July - September 2010

For more information on Siren Wire and ordering this release http://sirenwire.webs.com/sweditions.htm



"Quietly and without fuss, Andrew Paine has established himself as one of the UK underground’s most progressive thinkers and most diverse operators, his modes ranging from solo voice, through layered howling guitars, gentle piano interludes, oblique electronics and wherever he likes in between. He initially broke cover collaborating with Richard Youngs in their progressive rock group project Ilk. Following their second album “Canticle” (VHF, 2005), he became particularly prolific, releasing many collaborative titles both with Youngs and with fellow Glasgow resident Alistair Crosbie as well as several solo titles. He founded his own Sonic Oyster Records in 2006 to release much of his work and has recently co-founded, Blue Tree, with Matthew Shaw (Tex La Homa, Fougou) and progressive kraut-rock power trio, Space Weather, with Alistair Crosbie and Brian Lavelle."


Friday 22 October 2010

Norman Goes to Metherell



"This is a really nice piece. 45 minutes of contemplative piano drones which have been recorded in such a way as to render them beautifully ambient. This manipulation removes the occasionally twee & annoying plink of the ivories and instead leaves us with just the sustained drifting waves of the notes in a gorgeous Brian Eno-esque fashion. With just intermittent chirrups of an evening bird chorus to enhance the mood, this is a true minimalist gem. It's a wonderfully emotive & ponderous music we've got here that will almost definitely enrich the lives of fans in awe of Celer's more cerebral works & latter-day Stars of the Lid. Very affecting indeed." Norman Records

Monday 11 October 2010

Matthew Shaw - Metherell (SOLD OUT)



"Moss, Trees, Lichen, twigs, dead leaves, soil, insects, birds, the wind, the rain and sunshine. Bracken basks in the shade and reaches upwards and outwards. My vision of the horizon broken by forest, the silence broken by birdsong, space, peace and quiet but never complete silence. For now this is my home."

Matthew Shaw (Tex La Homa, Fougou, The Blue Tree) offers us a meditation on place; a quiet valediction to his beloved South West England.

'Metherell' is music born of a perfect moment, the repetitious swell and pitch of piano, our witness to the simple pleasures found in ancient woodland, seen through the half-light.

The reference to geographical place puts one in mind of earlier environmental music; the style and easy posture of the composition owes a quiet word of gratitude to Eno and Basinski. This is all for the good.

Tuesday 5 October 2010

Wonderful Wooden Reasons seeks out the Shadow Walker


"Let me start off with an admittance that I wasn't (and indeed am still not) overly taken with the opening track here. The birds are too high in the mix and the music too overtly reminiscent of Current 93 at their most bucolic for me to fall into. It's not bad by any stretch it just isn't for me. The rest of the album on the other hand is fantastic.
This is the first time I've heard Susan follow an entirely instrumental path and (with all due respect to her singing) it's something I'd certainly like to hear more of. She has a fully developed and thoroughly engrossing composition style that, aside from occasional brushes with the familiar (track 4 - Broken - would be perfectly at home on the soundtrack to Amelie), is an absolute delight. She weaves heavy, weighty, almost gothic, tapestries around delicate melodies and a prismatic exoticism.
A beautiful album" (Wonderful Wooden Reasons)

Friday 1 October 2010

Norman Records shakes the Mighty Hand



This is a limited CDR in a run of 50 and it's 3 tracks running into 34 minutes of free folk madness. My ears can hear people clapping, weird electronics, flutes, bass guitar, bongos, whistling and more things I can't distinguish. I reckon this would be good to see live as it sounds like feral insanity. I also think there would be nudity if you see these guys (and gals?) live as anyone who makes music like this normally gets naked on stage. If you're into free folk jams by people who are just getting up there and doing there own thing then this is for you. It's nothing but entertaining. (Norman Records)