SILVER PYRE - 'AeXE'

Formats

• SDGMR002 - CD

  5060174954672

Details

Originally set for November 2012 release, Artwork held it back, and now press is coming out in January editions of Monthlies... Silver Pyre (aka Gary Fawle) has been gestating for a few years following two well received EPs "i)" and "ii)" released in the late 2000s. During the ensuing radio silence he has crafted and re-crafted his sparse, enthralling debut album, AeXE (pronounced "ax"). The mysticism and myth-making of British history has been explored by artists in many ways over the years and continues to provide inspiration. Growing up in Somerset surrounded by neolithic heritage, land layers, ancient architecture and concealed industrial pasts Gary Fawle is no stranger to the sensations that these inspire. The influences are vast - visual, structural, musical. Drawing upon folk music in both the literal and metaphorical sense, there is a strong forward-thinking element to the music - Fawle's formative musical influences are apparent throughout the record; early Autechre releases, Black Dog, Aphex Twin; Music that was created for the post-rave/freeparty scene - a form of folk music in its own right. Clearly though, this cannot be described as an Electronic record - you can hear the romanticism of Robert Wyatt, the benign and sublime of the Fall, intelligent 80s pop music like Talk Talk. Fawle performs solo, as a duo (with David Edwards of Minotaur Shock) and occasionally as a three piece (adding David Collingwood of Gravenhurst/Yann Tiersen's band) and spends his time in Bristol - a city renowned for it's industrial past and electronic heritage. The cover photo depicts the Jurassic coast in Dorset whilst the disc artwork is taken from the painting "Urn Burial" by artist Sam Douglas (samdouglas.co.uk/) - an old friend of Fawle's and fellow Somerset native who has drawn from a similar vein of heritage.

AeXE was built in various towns and locations throughout England over a period of 3 years. Fawle had moved around the country since leaving his home as a teenager for art college in London. After this time, he returned to Somerset, living in a barn and working as a psychiatric nurse whilst he recorded his first two EPs. Moving on, he lived in various towns, including an abandoned factory studio in Norfolk - another area rich in landscapes and water worlds - and started to form the basis of the tracks that would eventually make AeXE. Inevitably, the west country called him back and he returned to his home county, developing the songs that would form the album - parts of the record were even recorded in a Lime Kiln on the Somerset levels. Though most of the writing comes from Fawle, he called upon friend Tom Bugs (BugBrand Modular synths) to help contribute to the sounds and rhythm as they developed music for a live setting and the songs began to morph into what is recognizable on AeXE.

Tracks

Tracklisting:
01. Copper Findings
02. Born Metallic
03. Urn Reconstruction
04. Healing
05. Calendar
06. Ragged Flag
07. Leathered
08. Harvest

Press

UK PR by Goldstar (SWANS / Oh Sees / Woods)
Reviews in the Wire, Uncut, Stoolpigeon, Loud and Queit...

Audio & Video

MYSTICAL WEAPONS - 'S/T'

Formats

• CHIM012 - LP

  616892070245

• CHIM012CD - CD

  616892070344

Details

Debut album from an explorative multi-instrumental duo: Sean Lennon (Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger) and Greg Saunier (Deerfhoof). Instrumental psych rock & avant garde in a variety of moods and styles. "Whisper of the Blue Tongue" combines Umma Gumma guitar flights with the coarse organ sound of Miles Davis' early electric period. "Consortium Musicum" feels like one of Morricone's spaghetti western themes being eaten by a Japanese film monster. "Dirty" is a lovely piece of blocked piano chords and light drumming worthy of Bill Evans. "Gross Domestic" mixes the feel of '69 Soft Machine and Waka/Jawaka Zappa as brilliantly as anyone since the legendary French free-rock band, Red Noise. Truly, the music here is all over the place, but it's held together by a rigorous intelligence of conception and a joyful "DO IT" spontaneity that continually challenges both players and listeners. With the mystical weapons Jodorowsky displays in his 1973 film, The Holy Mountain, you need to be careful when selecting just which psychedelic shotgun you need for a specific job. With these Mystical Weapons, you can just relax and leave it to them. They destroy form in any style you can imagine. - Byron Coley

Tracks

01. Impossible Shapes
02. Mechanical Mammoth
03. Silk Screen Eyes
04. Whispers The Blue Tongue
05. Dirty
06. Goddess Curlers
07. Hostile Takeover
08. Gilbert Releases His Pet Salamander into the Wild
09. Colony Collapse Disorder
10. Distant City
11. Dirty Neon
12. Gross Domestic Happiness
13. Consortium Musicum

Press

N/A

Audio & Video

SEAN LENNON - 'ALTER EGOS SOUNDTRACK'

Formats

• CHIM013 - LP

  616892070443

• CHIM013CD - CD

  616892070542

Details

Sean Lennon's original score for indie film Alter Egos, starring Kris Lemche. Sweeping orchestral arrangements, surf guitar, epic superhero themes and a touch of eerie that recalls Twin Peaks. All of these diverse elements blend seamlessly together on Sean Lennon's Alter Egos film score - the musical backdrop for a comedic alternate reality that flips the superhero genre on its head. Lennon acts as both composer and performer on the twenty-song soundtrack. Miho Hatori (Cibo Matto / Gorillaz) lends her voice to "Fridge Walks," one of two vocal tracks on Alter Egos. Lennon released previous film score, Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Undead, to great critical acclaim. The diversity of both projects is a testament to his range as a musician, with Rolling Stone praising the Alter Egos score as "a pastiche of familiar superhero movie orchestration and a variety of pop styles, further cement[ing] Lennon's reputation as a musical chameleon." Similarly, Variety notes an ability to "span a wide array of musical styles from retro to noir to psychedelic to sweeping, tension-filled action." Sean Lennon has recorded on dozens of albums, scored several films, and illustrated and designed album covers and books. In 2009, he started his own record label, Chimera Music. In 2013, he'll have new albums by The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger (with Charlotte Kemp Muhl), Mystical Weapons (with Greg Saunier of Deerhoof) and Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band.

Tracks

1. Main Theme 11. The Shrink
2. My Hero 12. Love Life
3. The Killer 13. Jimmy's Theme
4. The Conflict 14. Supercore
5. Fridge Walks 15. The Flight
6. Montage 16. The Dance Pt. 1
7. Hampty Hamps 17. Shrink's Theme
8. Emily vs Claudel 18. Tits
9. The Capture 19. Jimmy's Drunk
10. Exile 20. Exile

Press

N/A

Audio & Video