Bis Aufs Messer Weekly News 04 May 2024
Hi, welcome to another newsletter for May - we got a bunch of Numero Restocks from Duster, Valium Aggelein, Unwound etc and also some Songs:Ohia and Bohren, Slint restocks etc … also restock of the STARGAZE INFERNO - Hayman Island Sessions LP and STILL HOUSE PLANTS - If I don’t make it, I love u LP, FELICIA SJÖRGEN - Hulda LP, DEMETERS DÖTTRAR - SØNDAG I SPEJLET LP on Discreet and some other things
We also have a new instore on June 1st at 19°° with LIAM GRANT & GLENN KIMPTON (both play beautiful guitar tunes in the tradition of Fahey, Robbie Basho etc)
We also added (adding) a few more second hand LPs and 7“s to our discogs
https://www.discogs.com/seller/XMESSERX
Thank you as usual
Til then thank you for all your orders & support.
Robert & Norman
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LP
DEMETERS DÖTTRAR - SØNDAG I SPEJLET LP (discreet - Demeters Döttrar is the new trio of Ida Skibsted Cramer, Charlott Malmenholt and Astrid Øster Mortensen. Søndag I Spejlet ('Sunday In The Mirror') was mainly recorded in Gamlestaden, Gothenburg between 2022 and 2023 and consists of 8 tracks that lies somewhere in between 90's lo-fi experimental bedroom music and brash text-sound compositions channeled through the ever-inspiring cassette underground. Listening to Demeters Döttrar is like stepping into a parallel universe; a tiny unexplored corner with paper-thin walls or a very delicate bubble that is about to burst any moment. The instrumentation is sparse and mainly consists of guitar, vocals, prepared tapes and occasional harmonica. The recurrence of rain in different forms throughout the recording almost functions as a percussive backbone at times, the one thing except for the sound of the actual room that sort of keeps it all together. With one foot in Sweden and one foot in Denmark, the group is utilizing both countries' language in an uncompromising and peculiarly alluring way. The almost brutal intimacy brings the more mellow Deux Filles moments to mind, though music wise this owes more to Un, early Charalambides and at times groups like Dadamah. A daring, major statement and one of the most beautiful, strange and other-worldly debut albums we heard in quite a while.) 26.00
FELICIA SJÖRGEN - Hulda LP (This album is written and recorded on a reed organ with two manuals and pedals. The instrument was built by Alfred Cedergren who was a reed organ builder 1870–1925 in Vänge on the island Gotland, Sweden. During this period of time Hulda Veström lived in the same village. When Hulda was 14 years old she left her mother and sisters to travel to her father in Los Angeles. In spring 1912 she boarded the Titanic together with her aunt, who was also named Hulda. There is a picture of the two Huldas in the wooden chapel in Vänge where the Cedergren instruments today are gathered. In 2019 Felicia Sjögren moved to Vänge and the chapel with reed organs became her closest neighbor. Over time she got to know the instruments and stories of the village. When she decided to write music on one of the organs she knew she was going to dedicate it to Hulda, a teenage girl 100 years into space and time of this very place. Hulda is also the name of one of the few women prophets in the Bible, appearing in the Old Testament with warnings of the doomsday. The album is written and recorded in the chapel by Felicia Sjögren.
FUTURE SOUND OF LONDON - Environments 4 LP (Repress! Originally released 2012. This is the fourth release in the critically acclaimed Environments series and continues where the third left off. It is a fourteen track journey from the river's delta to no-man's land where murmurations lead across supercontinents and back to the clear light of reality. Strings meet choirs - cascading down to the glass valleys of synthesised biophany. 'Murmurations' was the track featured on an exclusive vinyl 10' release for Record Store Day in 2012, it coincided with the CD version of this album's release that year. The album also has collaborations with Riz Maslen (Neotropic) and Ivor Novello award winning composer Daniel Pemberton.) 30.00
IDEA FIRE COMPANY - Bathroom Electronics LP (horn of plenty - 2023 marks the 35th year of Idea Fire Company’s ongoing commitment to the radical avant-garde. To mark the occasion, Horn of Plenty is proud to present the band’s latest campaign statement Bathroom Electronics. IFCO’s core members are Scott Foust and Karla Borecky who operate from rural Massachusetts. Early despatches came via Scott’s Swill Radio imprint alongside titles by The Shadow Ring, RLW, and Asmus Tietchens. The last decade or so has seen them work with other notable labels including Kye, Recital, Feeding Tube and Ultra Eczema. Early IFCO releases included mission statements like the Anti-Naturals manifesto where they outlined their pursuit of a new total-aesthetic to challenge the ongoing pervasion of the Spectacle. Their growing catalogue, although honouring these early intentions, also nodded to the sacrifices undertaken in their pursuit. References to being Lost At Sea, or coming Live From The Impossible Salon acknowledged a wry sense of resignation and a dogged romanticism. By avoiding sequencers, computers and overdubs and focussing on drawing the most from their instruments and recording equipment their music carries a seductively human character that allows the music to breathe and puts the listener in the room with the band. Although rooted in their formative post-punk / early industrial years, IFCO have incorporated kosmische, minimalism, jazz, classical and avant-garde techniques into their always-the-same-but-always-different sound. Staying true to an original concept yet constantly pushing it in new directions is no easy task but IFCO can claim the mantle and show no signs of tiring. On Bathroom Electronics Scott and Karla are joined on two of the four tracks by long-term compadres Matt Krefting and Timothy Shortell. As the title implies, the LP consists of electronic instruments recorded in bathrooms. The stark interior certainly plays a role here. Side A’s three tracks have a compellingly unsettling and claustrophobic feel. Side B’s The End of the Line (alternative versions of which appeared on a limited Recital tape in 2018) feels like a long, ambiguous goodbye. It’s what not said here that speaks the loudest though, this is much more of an odyssey than a comfort break. Bathroom Electronics marks IFCO’s 35th year in confident and uncompromising fashion. Here's to the next 35 years and, as ever, here’s to love! ) 28.00
MOONLINEA - Minnet LP (Moloton - Edition of 100 purple vinyl. - This debut-LP is structured like a long-form piece split up into smaller parts, constructed with manipulated field recordings, synthesis experimentations, layered harmonies and textured sound design. One gets the sense the material journeys through a narrative in disarray, depicted through numerous undisclosed, ambiguous perspectives — there are parts that are melodic, radiant and vaguely warm, like suddenly having tuned in to an imprint of some long-forgotten person’s experiences, distorted by the current of time. At other times, you are presented cold, solitary iterations of synthesis, as if you were stranded within the dormant memory of a digital archive. A shift in workflow, overall tone and instrumentation from her earlier solo releases makes itself apparent on ‘Minnet’, a thoroughly cohesive piece-as-an-album that simultaneously manages to feel like a collection of diversified ideas, which makes for an engaging listen.) 35.00
NINA HARKER - s/t LP (aguirre - Freeform, pigeon-hole dodging, stylistic merry-go-round, restless, weird and addictive - the long anticipated return of Nina Harker! Three years in the works since their self-titled 2020 debut, we’re just about ready. Similar in vein to its polyglot predecessor, we’re deep into an extremely skewed trip to the unknown. The duo’s chameleon-like musical world never misses an opportunity to shred it’s skin and reappear as something totally unexpected. Apolline’s beautifully exposed, day-dreaming vocals on opener ‘Le Pont à Voiles’ cut deep, setting up a false sense of security before things take a dive into the underneath - stuttering synths and garbled vocals brace an eerie up-right piano solo and agitated spoken / electronics piece. The sheer lack of cohesion and total disregard for an attempt at *flow* adds a tangible sense of surrealism. But it’s no amateurish prank or way of disguising technical flaws - it’s clear these musicians can play, and there’s a strong feeling of intent. ) 24.00
ONE STEP CLOSER - All You Embrace LP (WHITE VINYL. - One Step Closer has always believed that hardcore is limitless. On All You Embrace, the band puts that theory into practice. Every release from the Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania band has seen them exploring the sonic overlaps of hardcore, emo, and ‘90s alternative rock without an iota of self-consciousness, or pretension, creeping into the mix. “We know what we want to do with the band,” says vocalist Ryan Savitski. “We’re just naturally writing what feels right to us.” What feels right is All You Embrace, a collection of 11 songs that show One Step Closer reaching for something deeply honest and, as always, authentic. With founding members Savitski and guitarist Ross Thompson at the helm of One Step Closer, alongside newest addition Colman O’Brien, the three were able to fearlessly guide One Step Closer in new directions. “There was never a conversation about us trying to sound more emo or sound more hardcore, it was just us doing what we were feeling and fully committing to that,” says Thompson. With All You Embrace, that commitment is palpable. It’s why you can hear every element of One Step Closer throughout the record, as they expound upon every idea until each one has achieved its full potential. The result is a record that’s bigger, catchier, and moodier than anything they’ve done before, while still feeling exactly like One Step Closer.) 30.00
SHOLTO DOBIE - 23 LP (Sholto Dobie puts forth ‘23’ on Infant Tree, his debut solo LP. A wildly accomplished document of practice. After many years spent working with pipes and air, ‘23’ offers us his current developments. Recorded in a year in which the artist worked in Lithuania, Vietnam and Sweden, the record distills a broad approach to sound, using a wide net to gather recordings from performances, gatherings, walks and personal life. Sholto carefully leads the listener between distinct environments and the intimately documented network of compressed air, tubes, reeds, flutes and timers which he works with. In these recordings, life is welcomed in, interiors are heard and felt, obscured voices, insects, forests drift in and out of focus, as we are transported through an unfamiliar landscape. Sholto Dobie was born in Edinburgh and lives in Vilnius, he performs with self-constructed wind instruments, using a frankenstein-like set up which has evolved over many years. An air pump is attached to a series of reeded and metal pipes from various sources - organs, bagpipes and khene - which are brought to life by an interrelated system of timer modules, valves and swinging microphones. ‘23’ captures the rich world of pulses, beatings and breaths that have emerged from Sholto’s performance settings, whilst weaving them into a distinct and unique audio work. For anyone more familiar with Sholto’s work you will no doubt be warmed by recognisably delicate and evocative styles reminiscent of previous solo recordings such as ‘Nevery’ and ‘The Ringer’ as well as influences from friends and collaborators such as Judith Hamann, Malvern Brume, Ahti & Ahti, Rie Nakajima and Shakeeb Abu Hamdan. The 12” LP comes with beautifully matched artwork by Zoë Annesley and printed on reverse board, pressed by Monotype Pressing. Limited to 300 copies. ) 30.00
SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE - Time Is Glass LP (drag city - Once again, Six Organs of Admittance showcases the intricate tangle of fingers on the fretboard and flash of lens flare slicing the air, as the future arcs 360 degrees around to become a part of the past as well. Oscillations in this glass bowl ripple outward eternally, but are rooted on the ground where all the creatures are moving and communing; humans too. An intimate cosmic expression, file under: rural-industrial psych, ecosystem goth.) 30.00
STARGAZE INFERNO - Hayman Island Sessions LP (back in stock - just a few - Recorded on Hayman Island off the coast of Queensland, Australia, the paths of stranded friends Ryko Kalinko (guitar & sampler) and Aemon Webb (vocals, guzheng & percussion) meet, creating an astonishing 3-part journey of deeply spiritual improvisations reflecting the beauty, isolation and nature of their vivid environment. “There Are Many Moods Of Tropical Exultation” carefully spends its 20+ minute track length conjuring a spell, bringing all dust in the room to settle. Smoke trails rise. Shade cloth quietly billows. Ryko and Aemon let their guitar and guzheng flow across and between one another, dissolving clock hands and carrying the listener into the twilight hours. “Stand For The Rush” introduces the B-side and shifts the sense of stillness towards something more rhythmic where the nocturnal world begins to open its eyes. Rattling drum machine percussion, slinking guzheng and chirping birds weave in and out of focus whilst booming kicks drive forward. A distant siren wails whilst life in surrounding undergrowth moves in shadows. Finally “These Waves…” drops the world into droning negative space where crushing black sky comes down. Crooning out into vast nothing. Murmuring; lost at sea. “Never coming home”. Released by Are You Before and Total Stasis. Originally released by Breakdance The Dawn. Artwork by Musheto Fernández. Mastered by Amir Shoat. Hayman Island Sessions was recorded on the land of the Ngaro people and produced on the land of the Gadigal people. The sovereignty of these lands was never ceded. ) 27.00
STILL HOUSE PLANTS - If I don’t make it, I love u LP (bison - back in stock - just a few - ‘If I don't make it, I love u’ is Still House Plants’ third LP and the fullest embodiment of their sound to date. Where ‘Fast Edit’ formed with quick attachment and jump cuts, ‘If I don't make it’ is shaped by persistence - a commitment to the songs that makes the music solid, warmer and accepted.
Marking the trio’s decade of friendship, this is the first record written whilst all live in the same city since 2017's ‘Assemblages’. The band rehearsed it relentlessly, playing for nobody except themselves, consistently building support for one another and growing the way they play. Jess’ voice is deeper. Fin’s guitar is full size, richer. David drums harder. Focused on one point together, everyone gets bigger and nothing falls apart. The guitar and the drums blend, raise the voice, make room for what is being said, what is felt.) 28.00
WITCH - witch (incl. Janet) LP (now again - "Archival reissue of the Afro-prog-psych Zamrock masterpiece, presented for the first time ever in a yellow vinyl pressing. Witch's musical arc is contained to a five-year span and, in retrospect, is a logical one. The band's fifth and final rock album -- released before the band splintered and an offshoot band traveled to Zimbabwe to record and release disco albums -- makes use of traditional Zambian rhythms and folk melodies alongside progressive rock movements. Like Lukombo Vibes before it, it is in the Osibas 'Afro-rock' style.“) 33.00
TAPES
REVERB & REUE - Problems TAPE (this release brings together a selection of demos, rough mixes and unreleased tracks that i've recorded in the past and haven't managed to get them into a proper form yet. i want them to remain problèmatic rather than rot in a digital urn. ) 9.00
RUSSEL WALKER & MALVERN BRUME - Soothers TAPE ('Soothers' collects two long-form pieces from Russell Walker, walking the line between melancholy and disquiet firmly rooted in the doldrums of British suburbia.'It'll Be Fine, Rob', a debut collaboration between Russell and Malvern Brume, presents the story of a hire-a-van journey from mundane hell rich with bitterness, cynicism and delusions of grandeur. A darkly humorous tale which drifts from bowels of unnerving drones that ebb to keys of tender melancholy at the deft hands of Malvern Brume's instrumentation. The piece, a clear foreshadow of a man's evening destined to collapse into pitiful stupor throwing chips at pigeons with fervent spite and sorrow, is a natural pairing between two stalwarts of contemporary British experimental music.The B-side presents a 2018 live performance mixed live by John Hannon, offering another excursion through bleak landscapes with peculiar stillness. Nightmarish qualities decorate the playful half-hour performance; audible croaks and screeches collide with nursery rhymes wittered by Russell's young son whilst caustic keyboard burns forward. An utterly distinct, one-of-a-kind performance exploring corners where, typical of Russell's touch, darkness sits confidently alongside glimmers of humour and solace.) 15.00
SEMESTRE - D Ete TAPE )New meditative drone trio from Metz, France. Anne-Victoire Commaille : serpent - Josepha Mougenot : Korg - Matthias Ruthenberg : organ, guitar) 9.00
