YOUNGS, RICHARD & NEILSON, ALEX - 'PARTICK RAINDANCE'

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• VHF93CD - CD

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LATEST IN VHF'S SERIES OF DUET RELEASES FEATURING MINIMALIST GUITARIST RICHARD YOUNGS (RECENT WIRE COVER STAR), THIS IS THE FOLLOW UP TO YOUNG'S AND NEILSON'S OUTSTANDING 2003 COLLABORATION "OURSELVES" (VHF82CD). THESE TWO PROLIFIC PLAYERS ARE AT THE TOP OF THEIR GAME, PAIRING SOME IMMEDIATELY IDENTIFIABLE ELEMENTS - ALEX NEILSON'S SUPERB JASS-INFLUENCED DRUMMING, RICHARD YOUNGS' UNMISTAKEABLE VOICE - WITH A THICK LAYER OF TRULY PSYCHEDELIC CLAMOUR!

THE BRIEF "CHAMBER" RIPS OUT A NOISE LIKE A CLASSIC 60'S SUN RA / PAT PATRICK DUO, SEGUEING INTO THE ALSO RA-ISH MASTERPIECE "MUSIC OF THE LOST SUN". THE POINT IN "LOST SUN" WHERE YOUNGS' VOICE AND GUITAR EMERGE FROM THE POLYGLOT SOUND FOR A BEAUTIFUL MELODIC INTERLUDE IS JUST TOO MUCH. THE SECOND HALF OF THE RECORD HAS A LESS LAYERED FEEL, BEGINNING WITH THE A CAPELLA "NOATAK BEACON" THEN MOVING INTO MORE AGGRO TERRITORY WHERE NEILSON'S BOWED CYMBALS TAKING ON YOUNGS' GUITAR ON "MOUNTAIN". THE SHORT CUT-UP "BIG AEROPLANES" ENDS THE RECORD ON A FINAL NOTE OF MYSTERY. TRACKLISTING: 1: CHAMBER 2: MUSIC OF THE LOST SUN 3: NOATAK BEACON 4: MOUNTAIN 5: BIG AEROPLANES

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WIRE REVIEW, MOJO REVIEW, SUNDAY TIMES REVIEW

Audio & Video

SKYGREEN LEOPARDS - '1000 BIRD CEREMONY'

Formats

• SAB05CD - CD

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SOFT ABUSE RECORDINGS NOW FROM FORTE: **EXCLUSIVE! RECENT RESTOCK. RECORDING TO 1/4" TAPE ON A DECAYING 8 TRACK MACHINE, THE SKYGREEN SOUND IS EASILY THE MOST HI-FI OF ANY OF THE JEWELLED ANTLER MANIFESTATIONS. LAYERED 12 STRING GUITARS, WAYWARD HARMONIES, 5 STRING BANJO, BOUZOUKI, JEW'S HARP, FOUND SOUNDS, DULCIMER, HAMMOND ORGAN, TAMBOURINES & MARACAS & MORE CREEP INTO THE SONGS LIKE A LIGHT BREEZE. THOUGH DECIDEDLY MORE "POP" IN STRUCTURE, THE DUO OF GLENN DONALDSON (THUJA, KNIT SEPERATES) & DONOVAN QUINN RETAIN THE JEWELLED ANTLER SPIRIT OF SPONTANEITY, IMPROVISATION & PLAYFUL SOUND EXPLORATION, OFTEN RECORDING W/O PRE-DETERMINED LYRICS OR CHORD CHANGES & INCORPORATING VARIOUS SOUND SOURCES & FIELD RECORDINGS

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Audio & Video

LANGTRY - 'AS UPON THE ROAD THERE TO'

Formats

• SAB07CD - CD

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SOFT ABUSE RECODINGS NOW FROM FORTE: PATRICK MCKINNEY, MUTI-INSTRUMENTALIST EXTRORDINARE FOR CURRENT INDIE FAVES IRON & WINE, IS A MASTER OF THE FREE-FORM INSTRUMENTAL. THESE SONGS IMMEDIATELY CALL TO MIND THE HEROES OF THE TAKOMA LABEL (FAHEY, BASHO, ETC) AS WELL AS CONTEMPORARIES JACK ROSE, & ALAN BISHOP (SUN CITY GIRLS). MCKINNEYS LONGTIME OBSESSION WITH BEEFHEART & THE SUN CITY GIRLS ARE EVIDENT IN THIS SONG CYCLE W/ SELECTIONS RANGING FROM SOMBER TO FRANTIC, ALL PERFORMED IN A LOOSE YET INSANELY TECHNCAL STYLE

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Audio & Video

FELIPE & FORT - 'SHAGGY BLACK'

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• SAB10CD - CD

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SOFT ABUSE, NEW TO FORTE:FIRST COLLABORATION BETWEEN TWO POPULAR & ACCLAIMED FRINGE ELECTRONIC MUSICIANS, NICK FORT? [CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS (KRANKY), BEAUTIFUL SKIN (GSL) & SCHEMATIC] AND DINO FELIPE [OLD BOMBS (SOFT ABUSE), FINESSE & RUNWAY (SCHEMATIC)]. STRANGE SOUNDS, SOURCES UNKNOWN, PERMEATE THROUGHOUT THE DISC. IT'S DEEPLY PROCESSED AND YET PRESENTS AN UNDENIABLY ORGANIC PRESENCE, A UNIQUE ANOMALY OF BOTH RESPLENDENT AND SAVAGE TEXTURES. THE UNION OF MAN-MADE AND MACHINE-BASED SOUNDS CREATES A TRULY FUCKED, PURELY PSYCHEDELIC ATMOSPHERE OF SONIC SCRAWL AND BLISTERING FUZZ BEFITTING OF THESE TIMES. SHAGGY BLACK HAS SOMEHOW TRANSCENDED THE SUM OF ITS PARTS ? THERE'S FELIPE'S TRADEMARKED TAPE SYNTHESES & SCHIZOPHRENIC CUTS, BUT WHEN COUPLED WITH FORT?'S GUITAR WASHES AND UNNERVING VOCAL UTTERANCES THE PROCEEDINGS ARE PROPELLED INTO AN OTHERWORLDLY DOMAIN. WHIMSICAL & FRENZIED CARNIVAL-LIKE CREATIONS ARE JETTISONED WITH MOODY, SLIGHTLY TERRIFYING SOUNDSCAPES. VALID (YET VAGUE) AURAL COMPARISONS MIGHT BE MADE TO ALVIN LUCIER, FENNESZ, EXCEPTER, MARKUS POPP/OVAL, SUNROOF!, DEAD C AND BOREDOMS

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Audio & Video

FUTURIANS - 'FAKTORY'

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• SAB08CD - CD

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SOFT ABUSE, NEW TO FORTE: PRIMITIVE DRUM WHALLOPS, BLURTS OF DISTORTED SYNTHS, WHITE NOISE BLANKETS, OTHERWORLDLY GUITARS & IMMEDIATE, MEGAPHONED VOCALS COLAESCE INTO SHEER GREATNESS OVER 13 SEARING SONGS. IT'S WOLF EYES MEETS THE TROGGS, TEENAGE JESUS & THE JERKS MEETS THIS KIND OF PUNISHMENT. HEAVY SHITE INDEED, ROCK FOR THE AGES. FEATURES CLAYTON NOONE(STRANGE GIRLS, CLAYPIPE) ON MASSIVE GUITAR

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Audio & Video

FRANCISCAN HOBBIES - 'MASKS AND MEANINGS'

Formats

• SAB02CD - CD

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SOFT ABUSE, NEW TO FORTE: 2ND FULL-LENGTH OF PASTORAL FOLK/IMPROV/NOISE FROM THIS JEWELLED ANTLER GROUP CONSISTING OF 3 MEMEBERS OF THUJA & SOME EXTRA PLAYERS. M&M IS A FURTHER EXPLORATION OF MYSTERIOUS NOISE, MINIMALIST ACOUSTIC PICKING & STRUMMING, PERCUSSIVE CLATTER & OCCASIONAL ABSTRACT VOCAL UTTERANCES. HARPS, BANJOS, ORGAN, BOUZOUKI, GONGS, BROKEN GUITARS, BELLS & DRUMS WEAVE A DENSE CARPET OF MOSS, STICKS & GRASS ON THE FOREST FLOOR

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Audio & Video

BLACKOUT BEACH - 'LIGHT FLOWS THE PUTRID DAWN'

Formats

• SAB06CD - CD

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SOFT ABUSE, NEW TO FORTE: BLACKOUT BEACH IS THE MONIKER FROG EYES' CAREY MERCER HAS CHOSEN FOR HIS SOLO WORK. WHILE NOT AS 'LOUD' AND 'ROCK' AS THE SONGS HE HAS RELEASED BEFORE, THESE RECORDINGS DO NOT LACK ONE OUNCE OF INTENSITY. THIS SONG-CYCLE CONTAINS 13 NEW, NEVER-BEFORE HEARD ORIGINALS, AS WELL AS A RETOOLED VERSION OF MEADOWS & MADAMES FROM THE FROG EYES EMBOLDENED NAVIGATOR SINGLE. THE ALBUM FINDS MERCER EXPERIMENTING W/ SONG STRUCTURE & ARRANGEMENTS, W/ GORGEOUS & OFTEN EERIE RESULTS

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Audio & Video

OLD BOMBS - 'AUDIOS'

Formats

• SAB03CD - CD

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SOFT ABUSE, NEW TO FORTE: OLD BOMBS IS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT FROM DINO FELIPE, CARLOS GIFFONI & VANESSA PAYES. THROUGH POSTAL CORRESPONDENCE THE SONGS WERE COMPOSED, REMIXED , RETOOLED & REWORKED INTO SOMETHING QUITE DIGITAL & QUITE BEAUTIFUL. AUDIOS IS THE TRIOS 5TH RELEASE TOGETHER, INCLUDING A SPLIT WITH WOLF EYES.

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