VAGINA BISON "Saigna Bovin" C30 (Pleasence Records)

Vagina Bison is the Collaborative Project of Toronto's Andrew Zukerman (Gastric Female Reflex) and Montreal's Emilie Mouchous (Gmackrr). Just another fucked up slice of contemporary life: howling, screeching, toys uttering their final death cry, you know, it's what the kids are up to these days...unless you live in California or New Jersey or somehthing. Beautiful printing and cool velcro tab in the Beniffer Editions style, though this is actually the first release on Deirdre O'Sullivan's Pleasence label, though you'd be hard pressed to determine that from the packaging. This is intricate music for dismantling robots, but it's got a funky core similar to the best Gastric Female stuff. Apparently this was recorded over the last few years, but the tape just came out.

Maybe you can find one here: http://andrewzukerman.blogspot.com/2010/09/vagina-bison-first-cassette.html

Here is the facebook group for the label: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=134784393228436&v=wall&ref=ts


I've posted a whole bunch of new stuff to the site, so continue to scroll down...

ANDREW SCOTT YOUNG "Slophaus Diver" C20 (Catholic Tapes)

This is really one of the best tapes I've heard in a while. 20 minutes of harsh, punishing noise created on an acoustic bass, found percussion, bass strings on metal, electric bass, electric guitar, and cello and recorded extra hot to create an electronic-like soundscape. I don't believe any post production work was done on this stuff and it was surely not needed. Young is the bassist in the esteemable free jazz trio Tiger Hatchery, and I picked this up on his solo tour with Hatchery drummer Ben Baker Billington (wish I'd got one of his tapes, cuz Quicksails his synth set was also through the roof). I'm a really big fan of acoustic noise, but not so much of bass solos, so it is a real testament to the quality of this music that I've played this thing a number of times. This will really hollow out your skull. Who needs all that excess grey matter anyhow?

Andrew's site: http://www.reallyloveto.blogspot.com/
Catholic Tapes: http://catholic-tapes.com/

TRACEY TRANCE "Hangtown USA II" C60TRACEY TRANCE "S/T" C40 (Eggy Records)

Tracey Trance is just the best, okay? Super sunny, repetitive major pentatonic keyboard scale runs with falsetto vocals in harmony to a march beat. His releases on Night People and Not Not Fun have been nothing short of outstanding, but it's always been his tour only releases that have gotten the most play in my stereo. "Hangtown II" is the sequel to last tour's tape and I've already played it about 8 times. He's on tour right now with The Savage Young Taterbug, so maybe you'll get a chance to pick up one of these soon. This is the kind of music that gradually reveals itself on repeated listens. It's not that Tyler (as Tracey is known in the "real" "world") makes incredibly complex music, but more that he creates a sound-world where his becomes "the only music". I could go on to say that this might be the music of the little green elves that create our reality, but that might throw the authorities onto me. Plus, I think the swirling melodic runs contained herein paint a different picture in every listeners head, similar to the graphic work of Brion Gysin. Oh and this tape has a really great dancehall mix tape at the end of one of the sides.




For those of you who can't catch Tracey Trance on tour. You wouldn't be doing your self a disservice to order this currently available release from the fine Portland, OR imprint Eggy Records (http://eggyrecords.blogspot.com/). The pieces on this tape are shorter than on most of the past releases and have some cool vocals and that great organ work like always. There are also a decidedly larger number of slow jams and mood pieces on this one. Overall another fine outing with great printing by label maestro Raf Spielman

oh and definitely look for the OOP Tracey Trance releases on your finer blogs.

WIZARD AMPS "Ice Guitar" C40 (Baked Tapes)

Great drone from the Grasshopper dudes, Jesse DeRosa and Josh Milrod, plus Slaser Risk shredder Andy Borsz playing what I believe to be heavily processed guitars and keys. They told me this was a "blues" tape, but aside from a moment or two that recalls a half second of a guitar lick on cough syrup, I fail to see the connection. That being said, this is the best "blues" tape I've heard in awhile. If you've ever found it hard to write about drone music then you'll understand why I ain't exactly putting out the adjectives. But trust, this is good. These guys totally wowed me the other weekend with an intensely beauteous trumpet/electronics trio set as Hex Breaker Quartet with Telecut Powers/High School Confidential mastermind Mr. Matthews in tow. Doesn't seem like the Baked Tapes site has been updated of late, but you can contact Mr. Jesse at bakedtapes@gmail to procure this and other fine releases. The new Tiger Hatchery tape is pretty hot too.

THE SHITS "The Best Of The Shits" C30

Another review of a tape you probably won't be able to listen to or find (unless you remember how to pick up the damn phone). Only slightly less preposterous than Byron Coley reviewing a 1/1 edition in Wire that he has the only copy of. The Shits are currently playing out of Western Massachusetts and they keep getting better with every passing week. Basically a garage covers band, but really so much more. Sort of like the Monks on a bad dose of something or other or like the Doug Yule era Velvets, but thrice as drunk. You may know the songs, but the vocals get particularly brutalized on every cut and the band is especially scorched sounding. Songs on their first tape: "Louie Louie", "Now I Wanna", "Positively 4th Street" & "You Really Got Me". These guys and gals only play birthday party's for $50 and case of beer, so give 'em a call if your in New England (413) 689-3026.

EDITH BUNKER'S DEMONIZED VOMIT INSURANCE"Edith Qberts Squash Insurance: Save An Absurdist, Eat A Rationalist" C30 (Zeikzak)

Brent Field has been making lonely and depraved music under the pseudonym Edith Bunker for the better part of the last two decades. His stuff has consistently been at the bottom of the barrel in terms of quality, availability, fidelity, positivity & accessibility...in the best way possible! Incessantly negative diatribes against humanity, the sound of things breaking, out of tune acoustic guitar, more sounds of things breaking...Field operates in the comfortable space between credibility and retarded savagery. This is most certainly not for you, unless you're me. The tape in question was the first release on Belgian label Zeikzak from about four years back and is probably pretty hard to find, but it's a winner (in a "hey look, I found my teeth in the toilet bowl sort of way"). Pretty much everything I've got from this label has both looked and sounded fantastic (Crown Now tape, Id M Theft Able LP, etc...), keep them on your radar too.

Try to locate any of his recordings in your finer dumpsters or possibly on the internet??? I think Mangdisc might have something available (http://www.kraag.org/mangdisc/), I know that I sold out of all of the six CDR sets on Feeding Tube almost instantly (and mostly to Japan!).

SPILL YOUR GUTS FRIEND comp C60(RRR/Stomach Ache Records)

This is a tape that came out in the 90's on stomach ache records, home to many depraved and insidious releases. This label may be currently active as Dolor Del Estamago, run by Grux from Caroliner, or that may be a tribute label (you can check out their outstanding CD-R catalog here: http://www.brutalsoundeffects.com/dolordel00.html). Annnyway, that's besides the point, what we have here is a current reissue from Ron Lessard (Lowell, MA) of the old "Spill Your Guts, Friend" compilation which is available super cheap from RRRecords (find it on this page: http://www.rrrecords.com/label-va.php). Relive the days before cassettes with colorful art! Just look at the artists on this thing, and you'll know if you want it or not!

MIRROR TAPES (Malaysia)

I just wanted to give a shout out to one of my favorite new tape labels: Mirror Tapes from Malaysia. The label has quietly been releasing reissues and archival finds of some wonderful experimental tape music, mostly from the 1980s. MB, Conrad Schnitzler, New Blockaders. I think the discography speaks for itself. Buy these all before they go out of print.

MT001 - Brighter Death Now - Primitive Perversions - 3 x tape box set - DELAYED / pre-orders!

MT002 - Thomas Bey William Bailey - Progressive Lycanthropy - C32 + mini-book - 9 Euro

MT003 - Maurizio Bianchi - SFAG - C47 - SOLD OUT

MT004 - Conrad Schnitzler - 10.10.84 - C42 - 8 Euro (last copies)

MT005 - Michael Northam - Solar Night - C40 - 8 Euro

MT006 - Maurizio Bianchi - Technology-X -

C47 + badge - 8.50 Euro

(last copies)

MT007 - The New Blockaders - Live at Morden Tower - reissue - very early March / pre-orders!

MT008 - Conrad Schnitzler / Wolfgang Seidel - CONSEQUENZ 010B - very early March / pre-orders!

MT009 - Maurizio Bianchi - OIRT EMO-DNE - unreleased 1981 private tape - April / pre-orders!

MT010 - Lionel Marchetti - Alpha Z Centauris - compositions from 1988 and 2000 - April / pre-orders!

THE NORTH SEA "Never Stop It" c46 (Hooker Vision)

Brad Rose's output as The North Sea launches at quite a prolific pace. Whether a cassette of his will contain calm transmissions or piercing walls of feedback, it's somewhat difficult to infer what a release will sound like without the aid of an audio sample. Rest assured, though, that Rose's latest tape on the Georgia imprint Hooker Vision would be of the latter persuasion. Side A's "Destroy Her Blue Eyes" manages to keep a 20-minute manipulation of a single tone engrossing throughout; at times, it peaks at a shrill frequency and at others, it rumbles like a seismic abuse.

On the flip side, "Quiet Underneath," Rose's titles really seem to disconcert the listener, because it resembles death-- not the band, I'm just referring to dying; slowly being crushed by the largest boulder conceivable, and screaming for a hero that will never arrive. Physically, it's an awful experience-- but aurally, the saturation is pure ecstasy. Easily, it stands as Never Stop It's most climactic passage, and piques my interest to the point where I feel puzzled as to why I don't own more of Brad Rose's material. Though not as demanding as your average HNW recording, the uncompromising aura brings just as much unease to the senses.

Limited to 100 pro-dubbed chrome cassettes, featuring a nice fold-out j-card by Rachel Evans and a vellum insert.

http://myspace.com/lenorthsea/
http://hookervision.blogspot.com/