MATTEAH BAIM - 'DEATH OF THE SUN'

Formats

• STEP09 - LP

  655035400914

• STEP09CD - CD

  655035400921

Details

FEATURED O NTHE DEVENDRA BANHART CURATWED UNCUT COVERMOUNTED CD!!!!DEATH OF THE SUN IS THE SOLO DEBUT ALBUM FROM FORMER METALLIC FALCONS SINGER/SONGWRITER MATTEAH BAIM. PRODUCED BY BAIM HERSELF, THE ALBUM FEATURES MUSICAL CONTRIBUTIONS FROM JANA HUNTER, A DUET DEVENDRA BANHART, BUTCHY FUEGO, ROBERT LOWE, ROB DORAN, JON BEASLEY, AND BIRDIE LAWSON. BAIM RECORDED DEATH OF THE SUN JUNE THROUGH AUGUST 2006 IN PART AT HOME IN LOS ANGELES AS WELL AS AT CHICAGO'S CARTERCO STUDIO WHERE JAMES CARTER ENGINEERED, ALL IN ANALOG. THE ALBUM PRESENTS A WORLD SPACIOUSLY PHRASED AND ROUGHLY EDGED, TO BRING YOU A TYPE OF NEW AGE GRUNGE. ALTHOUGH ITS CENTRAL THEME IS LOSS, A DEEPER SENSE OF TRIUMPH LINGERS. THE SONGS CHRONICLE AND DEPICT THE MOON'S CYCLE OF LIFE AND DEATH, GIVING BIRTH TO ROMANTIC TIMES.

BAIM PURCHASED HER FIRST GUITAR FROM A BASEMENT PAWN SHOP IN MILWAUKEE AND BOUGHT HER FIRST ALBUM, A DOORS BOOTLEG CALLED WHYSKY MYSTICS AND MEN AROUND THE SAME TIME. SHE THEN ATTEMPTED AN OCCULT STUDY OF MUSIC, PIECING TOGETHER THE ODD BITS SHE CAME ACROSS, LEARNING MUSIC NOTATION FROM SIMPLE CLASSICAL SCORES, PLAYING ALONG WITH THE RECORDS SHE FOUND AND WHOEVER COULD GIVE A PASSING LESSON OR HAD TIME TO PLAY. TRADING HER BELOVED PAWNSHOP GUITAR FOR AN ELECTRIC, SHE FORMED THE BAND METALLIC FALCONS WITH SIERRA CASDAY OF COCOROSIE. THE FALCONS CREATED HEAVY, RICH, AMBIGIOUS SONGSCAPES FOR DESERT DOUGHNUTS, THEIR ONLY ALBUM. AS THE FALCONS ?FLY INTO THE NIGHT,? BAIM?S DEATH OF THE SUN EMERGES.

Tracks

1. RIVER
2. DARK SHIP
3. WOUNDED WHALE
4. DEATH OF THE SUN
5. MICHAEL ROW
6. SEVEN STARS
7. WHO LOVES
8. FAR AWAY SONGS
9. UP IS NORTH

Press

REVIEWS IN UNCUT, MOJO, THE WIRE, MORE TBA

Audio & Video

ALEC EMPIRE - 'ROBOT L.O.V.E.'

Formats

• EYHO0001 - 12"

  690261210111

Details

BRAND NEW EP (VINYL ONLY, AND LIMITED TO 300 ONLY AVAILABLE FOR THE UK) FROM ALEC EMPIRE, ON HIS NEW LABEL "EAT YOUR HEART OUT". A FEW YEARS AGO HE PUT THE SPOTLIGHT ON HIS BIRTHPLACE BERLIN WITH HIS BAND ATARI TEENAGE RIOT, THE REVOLUTIONARY OUTFIT LIKE NO OTHER WHICH MADE CHARGED POLITICAL STATEMENTS AND EVEN STARTED RIOTS. WHILE THE MEDIA FOCUSED ON THE SLOGANS AND THE INSANE LIVE SHOWS, THEY SOMETIMES FORGOT THAT ALEC HAS WORKED WITH AN ASTONISHING VARIETY OF MUSICIANS. INCLUDING THE LIKES OF BJORK, EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN, JON SPENCER, RAMMSTEIN, SLAYER AND MANY MANY MORE... HE TOURED WITH NINE INCH NAILS, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, BECK, MOBY, AND THE LIST GOES ON. HE'S TICKED MOST BOXES ON THE ACHIEVEMENTS LIST... TOURED THE WORLD, RECEIVED A KERRANG AWARD, HAD HIS MUSIC IN BLOCKBUSTER HOLLYWOOD FILMS....FOR THIS NEW EP THE ONLY THING WE CAN SAY IS THAT WHATEVER YOU HAVE HEARD BEFORE OR THINK YOU KNOW ABOUT ALEC, IT'S ONLY A SMALL SECTION OF HIS MUSICAL ARC. IN KEEPING WITH HIS TRANSITORY FASCINATION WITH DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF MUSIC ALEC HAS MOVED TOWARDS A MORE ROCK SOUND FOR THIS MATERIAL

LET'S START WITH THE FACTS: ALEC EMPIRE, IN ADDITION TO BEING AN OUTSTANDING MUSICIAN WHO HAD MADE A UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION TO THE EVOLUTION OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC, IS ALSO AN EXCEPTIONAL RECORD PRODUCER, REMIXER AND DJ. IN A TIME WHEN OVERHYPED BANDS ARE DROPPING LIKE FLIES BARELY ONE RECORD INTO THEIR CAREERS, ALEC TRAVELS HIS OWN PATH WITH A DETERMINATION AND A SONIC VISION RARELY SEEN AMONGST TODAY?S MUSICIANS.

Tracks

1. ROBOT L.O.V.E.
2. ICE (INSTUMENTAL)
3. NAGINITA

Press

N/A

Audio & Video

KURIHARA, MICHIO - 'SUNSET NOTES'

Formats

• 20202004CD - CD

  600197100523

Details

IN 2005, MICHIO KURIHARA RELEASED HIS FIRST SOLO ALBUM, SUNSET NOTES, ON JAPAN'S RESPECTED PEDAL RECORDS. IT WAS A LONG TIME COMING FOR THE GUITARIST, WHOSE MUSICIANSHIP HAS ENLIGHTENED SUCH GROUPS AS GHOST, DAMON & NAOMI, WHITE HEAVEN, THE STARS AND YURA YURA TEIKOKU. KURIHARA IS NOT ONE TO INDULGE IN THE SPOTLIGHT (IN FACT, HE OFTEN LITERALLY DUCKS AWAY FROM IT), AND THAT ATTITUDE REFLECTS STRONGLY IN HIS GUITAR-PLAYING STYLE. NEVER DOES ONE HEAR A STRAIGHT PHRASE FROM HIM. INSTEAD, HE OFTEN DECORATES AROUND THE EDGES, BRINGING FORWARD A SENSE OF A SONG'S STRUCTURE AND IDENTITY THROUGH DELICATE BRUSH STROKES. THE SONGS ON SUNSET NOTES REFLECT THIS APPROACH. WHILE EMBRACING A VARIETY OF STYLES AND TECHNIQUES (A GENTLE SONG SUNG BY PEDAL POP STAR AI ASO IS FOLLOWED BY A SNAKELIKE INSTRUMENTAL PSYCH WORKOUT, WHICH IS FOLLOWED BY A BRANCA-ESQUE TSUNAMI OF DISTORTED GUITARS, AND SO ON), THE ALBUM MAINTAINS A FOCUS AROUND KURIHARA'S INGENIUS GUITAR PLAYING. SUNSET NOTES IS A MIND-EXPANDING, EXCITING ALBUM-BEAUTIFULLY ARRANGED, PRECISELY EXECUTED, AND AN ABSOLUTE THRILL TO HEAR.

Tracks

1. TIME TO GO
2. DO DEEP-SEA FISH DREAM OF ELECTRIC MOLES
3. WIND WALTZES
4. PENDULUM ON A G-STRING: THE LAST CICADA
5. CANON IN ?C? (C IS FOR CICADA)
6. TWILIGHT MYSTERY OF A RUSSIAN COWBOY
7. THE WIND?S TWELVE QUARTERS
8. THE OLD MAN AND THE EVENING STAR
9. A BOAT OF COURAGE

Press

ONE PAGE FEATURE IN THE LATEST WIRE, RECENT COLLABORATION WITH BORIS ON DRAG CITY GETTING RAVE REVIEWS; ?SEMINAL PSYCH GUITARIST.?
?PITCHFORK
?SOME OF THE COOLEST TRANCE-INDUCING MUSICIANS ARE LIVING IN JAPAN . . . AND MR. KURIHARA [IS] THE SCENE'S JIMMY PAGE.?
?NEW YORK TIMES
LIST

Audio & Video

WHEELS ON FIRE - 'S/T'

Formats

• RRB0605 - CD

  3481573627899

Details

THEY'RE FROM ATHENS, OHIO, THEY WERE FORMED IN 2004 AND BROTHERS MIKE AND MATT CHANEY ARE THE NUCLEUS OF THE BAND. THEY BROUGHT IN KEYBOARD PLAYER SUSAN MUSSER, SINGER/GUITARIST JOHN GARRIS AND BASS PLAYER JJ REED. AND THEY STARTED WRITING SONGS AND PLAYING LIKE EVERY DAY COULD BE THE LAST OF THEIR LIVES. ENTER TEDDY MORGAN, THE SUPERB GUITAR PLAYER AND PRODUCER EXTRAORDINAIRE. HE TOOK WHEELS ON FIRE INTO A NASHVILLE STUDIO, THE RESULT IS THIS DEBUT ALBUM, SIMPLY TITLED WHEELS ON FIRE. TOUGH & GRITTY ROCK 'N ROLL THAT PAYS RESPECT TO THE GREAT COUNTRY, BLUES, GARAGE AND ROCK HEROES OF THE PAST. FOR FANS OF GREENHORNES, SOLEDAD BROTHERS, SIGHTS, FAT POSSUM RECORDS, RACONTEURS, ETC..

Tracks

1 TRAIN ON FIRE
2 DRINKIN FROM A BROKEN GLASS
3 KICK THE WICKET
4 OLD CROW
5 POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL
6 ROCK BOTTOM
7 RATTLESNAKE FIGHTER
8 DOC HOLIDAY
9 BADMAN'S BLUES
10 HOLY GHOST
11 CRYIN' BLEEDIN' DYIN'

Press

N/A

Audio & Video