Latest release: 16 Oct 2015
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OLAFUR ARNALDS & NILS FRAHM - 'LIFE STORY / LOVE AND GLORY'
Formats
ERATP073SP - 7"
4050486110508
Details
Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm reveal a new 7” single titled ‘Life Story Love and Glory’ following on from their recently re-issued 2012 collaborative EP ‘Stare’. Erased Tapes artists and friends Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm have separately carved out a musical career that defies genres both with their unique live shows and a loyal fan base that’s always eager to hear what their prolific output will bring. Their latest collaborative 2-track release ‘Life Story Love and Glory’ is a live improv affair on two pianos, recorded in 2012 at Nils’s Durton Studio in Berlin. Fans may wonder why they have waited until 2015 to release these tracks, but having revealed a new website www.arnaldsfrahm.com you may think this may not be the end to their musical story this year. “We would meet in Reykjavik or Berlin with the intention to share some days off work, hiking, swimming or eating pizza. That is great for a couple days, but after a while we would always end up back in the studio, fiddling with synths or pianos.” – Nils Frahm “You can hear in the beginning of ‘Life Story’ how I have already started playing the piano whilst Nils is still moving microphones around and preparing everything. It was all kept in!“ – Ólafur Arnalds ‘Life Story Love and Glory’ will be released as a 7” on Erased Tapes – exclusively through record stores only on August 21, 2015 ahead of its digital release later on – as an ode to this classic and beloved format. ABOUT THE ARTWORK: The packaging design on heavy-weight brown card was crafted by Torsten Posselt at FELD, Berlin.
Tracks
A. Life Story
B. Love And Glory
Press
Audio & Video
JOY - 'SHALLOWS'
Formats
SHR181 - CD
759718118124
Details
Joy is Dan Madri and Matt Savage, who have played music off and on together since 7th grade or so. Their 2002 self-titled Shrimper debut put a subtly eccentric spin on the bedroom folk template. Subsequent recordings Hatred & Grief, Devil’s Blues and Sailing Days saw the band expanding its lineup (Ariel Rabinovic on electric guitar, Matt Dodge on drums) and refining its production value—but never at the expense of the simplicity or off-kilter pop sensibility of its songwriting. On Shallows, Joy’s third release for Shrimper, the spotlight returns to the core duo. The record is a patchwork of new recordings and older, unreleased material dating as far back as the turn of the millennium. Each of the fourteen tracks brings its own character and fidelity to the table—though at roughly 30 minutes long, Shallows never feels disjointed. Though ten years separate the record from the band’s last output, it feels like a logical extension of the catalog. Joy will be playing a small run of shows—its first in nearly a decade—to coincide with the Shallows release. “Not since Thanksgiving’s Welcome/Nowhere—I haven’t heard the calling to lock myself in a motionless & darkened room to absorb an album. Along comes Devil’s Blues from Joy…” —pissyeller.org “Joy’s eponymous debut on the legendary Shrimper Records harks back to the homemade shamble and jangle of the label’s cassette-heavy heyday a decade ago.” —Philadelphia Inquirer
Tracks
Press
Audio & Video
RICKED WICKY - 'SWIMMER TO A LIQUID ARMCHAIR'
Formats
GBVI63 - LP
655035086316GBVI63CD - CD
655035086323
Details
Dayton, Ohio-based supergroup Ricked Wicky pulls off a rarely ventured and even more rarely gained three-peat with its third album—all recorded and released in the span of a year—Swimmer to a Liquid Armchair. The quartet, led by Robert Pollard and seconded mostly by multi-instrumentalist Nick Mitchell, with assists from Kevin March on drums and Todd Tobias on bass, have amped Pollard’s already wildly prolific output to Jason-Statham-in-Crank-2 levels. Swimmer serves up the same gleefully messy prog / punk / pop stew as on the previous two Ricked Wicky releases, but there’s a growing sense of assurance evident on the newest record that indicates Big Things for the future. We draw your attention in particular to “Poor Substitute,” as straightforward a song as Pollard has ever written, emotionally charged, melancholy, executed with rough vigor by the band and sung with unaffected mastery. Contrast this with the following song, which showcases Mitchell’s more polished songwriting approach (and abundant guitar chops) and his vibrant, albeit less elastic, tenor voice. If Guided By Voices, Pollard’s other other band, often bear comparison to the Beatles, Ricked Wicky on occasion calls to mind a kind of lo-fi Blue Öyster Cult, with a touch of early Queen (Mitchell’s slide work on “The Blind Side” recalls Brian May). Those accustomed to more standard Pollardian fare will find plenty to chew on here: the virtuosic wordplay on album opener “What Are All Those Paint Men Digging,” the thumping thug-rock of “Red-Legged Pygmalion,” the epic sweep (in three minutes) of “Simple Simon Paper Plates,” for starters. But if Pollard seems determined to establish Ricked Wicky as more than just another in a numberless series of side projects—as an actual thing-in-itself as fully realized as anything he’s ever dreamed up in his rock-crystal bowl—he’s nonetheless never more himself than when testing his own limits. By welcoming different voices and different approaches to both playing and songwriting, by framing Ricked Wicky as a collaboration of equals, he establishes more than ever that he has very few. Put that in your e-pipe and vape it, kids.
Tracks
1. What Are All Those Paint Men Digging
2. Crystal Titanic
3. Poor Substitute
4. Blind Slide
5. A Number I Can Trust
6. Simple Simon Paper Plates
7. Red Legged Pygmalion
8. No Man Would Develop
9. Plastic Oceanic Getaway
10. The Box (Including the Curse)
11. Could I See the List One More Time
12. I Am a Coast Guard
Press
Audio & Video
RIVAL CONSOLES - 'HOWL'
Formats
ERATP076CD - CD
4050486110850ERATP076LP - LP
4050486110867
Details
'Howl' is the new album by Rival Consoles, London-based electronic producer Ryan Lee West, set for release through Erased Tapes on 16th October 2015. Foremost a guitarist, growing up listening to rock rather than club music, West continues to strive towards finding a more personal balance between music for home listening and larger spaces. The title track was inspired by the howl-like tones he developed by running synths through guitar pedals. "By slowly drifting the pitch through distortion and delays, the result sounded like vocal cries – something which was perfect for the song and this inspired me to take on a darker set of tones across the whole album. It was made over the past few years, inspired by capturing small performances on synths, touring with some of my musical heroes, playing with feedback when I should have been catching a train, sampling my voice in unexpected conditions and recording textures in different countries.” The album explores a wide range of emotions; from the dissonance eruptions and primal rhythms in 'Howl', to the mournful improvisations of '3 Laments', which features a sample of his own voice. Alongside his performances on Moog, Prophet, tape delay and guitar, West enlisted the help of drummer Fabian Prynn for ‘Low’ and cellist Peter Gregson for ‘Walls’, both long-time collaborators of Erased Tapes peers Douglas Dare and Michael Price. "This album features a lot of my own recordings, rather than simply using samples that I have sitting on my computer. This gives the album a more personal feeling, which is very important to me because I think we live in a time where there is just so much recorded material out there, and accessible at a click of a button, that the joy of recording your own drum sounds, your own percussion, your own claps, seems redundant – but it’s not! That should be a priority because its often more interesting and makes you choose a different creative path." It’s rarely reported that Rival Consoles was Erased Tapes' very first signing, with a CDR of early demos under the name Aparatec that inspired founder Robert Raths to start the label. Indeed West has more in common with his contemporaries Nils Frahm and Peter Broderick than some might think. His consistent desire to create a more organic, humanised sound sees West often draft early ideas on traditional, acoustic instruments like the guitar or the piano; forming pieces that capture a sense of songwriting behind the electronics. "I try to create atmosphere and mood throughout with a less-is-more approach to composition. I'm always trying to find an exciting reaction from a few ingredients, because that is magic to me. To make something interesting with tons of layers of effects just doesn't excite me. But to make something interesting with just three layers requires a special alignment of sounds, ideas and timing. This is my most personal work to date, following on from 'Odyssey' and 'Sonne' which gave me the confidence to continue exploring my own ideas and approach to sound. The essence of this album was made with a few synths, some guitar pedals and lots of cups of tea. I hope you’ll enjoy it." Having repeatedly performed at such prestigious venues as the Tate, and having created a bespoke audio-visual performance for Boiler Room at the V&A Museum, the blueprint for West’s current live A/V show was formed. Featuring self-programmed visuals in Max/MSP has earned him appearances at music festivals around the world including Mutek, Decibel, Big Ears and Berghain’s Pop-Kultur Festival, as well as tours in support of Clark, Nosaj Thing, Luke Abbott and Kiasmos.
Tracks
1. Howl
2. Ghosting
3. Afterglow
4. Pre
5. Walls
6. Low
7. 3 Laments
8. Morning Vox
9. Looming
Press
Audio & Video
APPRENTICE DESTROYER - 'GLASS CEILING UNIVERSE'
Formats
CF063 - LP
819162019764CF063CD - CD
819162019771
Details
Recorded one track at a time at Guitar Center, completely in secret, Apprentice Destroyer’s debut Glass Ceiling Universe transcends its intriguing concept to highlight a hyperactive and omnivorous talent within. These wide-ranging, kaleidoscopic instrumental compositions veer from the disorientingly complex to the achingly and delicately beautiful, all the while maintaining a metallic, misanthropic edge. It’s almost as if computers were playing to each other across the sales floor, laughing at the puny humans attempting to create harmonics in air when they can do so perfectly in the vacuum of binary. Glass Ceiling Universe is lifestyle music for all the cyborg assassins out there, and it’s out on Castle Face Records.
Tracks
1. Chrome Temple
2. Glass Ceiling Universe
3. Jovian Sky
4. Downward to Greendeep
5. Pulse Garden
6. The Cloud Fortress
7. Desert Light
8. Metamammal
9. Chromosome Choir
10. Welcome, Destroyer
Press
Audio & Video
THE SPACE LADY & BURNT ONES - 'SPLIT'
Formats
CF058 - LP
819162019269CF058CD - CD
819162019252
Details
Announcing a totally far-out split release from unexpected corners: fave Hoosier-via-SF tripper transplants Burnt Ones sweet-talked the one and only Space Lady into a sharing an album, and the results are magical. In her inimitable style The Space Lady sparkles through “Across the Universe,” “Starman,” a brand-new original called “The Next Right Thing” and an achingly elegaic “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” These beautiful tunes are wonderful additions to her lovely repertoire. For their half, Burnt Ones mellow down their sound, crafting a warm cocoon on two kaliedoscopic creepers, peaking just a little with a floweringly spaced-out version of the Space Lady’s greatest hit, “Synthesize Me,” and closing with another druggy lullaby. It’s sweet and mellow ride through both sides and it’s out on Castle Face Records.
Tracks
1. Space Lady ? Across the Universe
2. Space Lady ? Starman
3. Space Lady ? The Next Right Thing
4. Space Lady ? Somewhere Over the Rainbow
5. Burnt Ones ? The Good Life
6. Burnt Ones ? Infinity Suite
7. Burnt Ones ? Synthesize Me
8. Burnt Ones ? Not Here, But There
Press
Audio & Video
RICKED WICKY - 'POOR SUBSTITUTE'
Formats
GBVI62 - 7"
655035086279
Details
Two new singles from the upcoming third album from Dayton, Ohio-based supergroup RICKED WICKY. The quartet, led by ROBERT POLLARD and seconded mostly by multi-instrumentalist NICK MITCHELL, with assists from KEVIN MARCH on drums and TODD TOBIAS on bass, have amped Pollard’s already wildly prolific output to Jason-Statham-in-Crank-2 levels. The band serves up the same gleefully messy prog / punk / pop stew as on the previous two Ricked Wicky releases, but there’s a growing sense of assurance evident on the newest record that indicates Big Things for the future.
Tracks
Press
Audio & Video
RICKED WICKY - 'NUMBER I CAN TRUST'
Formats
GBVI61 - 7"
655035086170
Details
Two new singles from the upcoming third album from Dayton, Ohio-based supergroup RICKED WICKY. The quartet, led by ROBERT POLLARD and seconded mostly by multi-instrumentalist NICK MITCHELL, with assists from KEVIN MARCH on drums and TODD TOBIAS on bass, have amped Pollard’s already wildly prolific output to Jason-Statham-in-Crank-2 levels. The band serves up the same gleefully messy prog / punk / pop stew as on the previous two Ricked Wicky releases, but there’s a growing sense of assurance evident on the newest record that indicates Big Things for the future.
Tracks
Press
Audio & Video
OLAFUR ARNALDS & NILS FRAHM - 'LOON'
Formats
ERATP072LP - 12" & DL
4050486110485
Details
Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm reveal third collaborative EP titled ‘Loon’ via joint website – following on from their recent surprise 7” record store release ‘Life Story Love And Glory’ and 12” reissue of 2012’s ‘Stare’ Containing five synthesiser-led pieces, ‘Loon’ was recorded in autumn 2014 across five days at Nils’s Durton Studio in Berlin, and continues on from the ambient sounds of ‘Stare’ but with the addition of more percussive elements and dub influences. For this new EP the duo wired an Oberheim 4 Voice and a Korg PS3100 to the mixing desk and performed live takes on both instruments. With all four hands on its pots, all mixes were recorded straight onto 2-track ½-inch tape. Like on ‘Stare’, their first collaborative affair in 2012, they simply followed what was laying in front of them, and this time they were driven by some new synths, a kick drum and tape effects. Indulging in dub, the tracks where all performed rather than engineered, with Ólafur riding a few elements on faders and Nils bringing effects in and out. After running several mixes, they went for the five strongest moments from this session. The release was announced on a joint website www.arnaldsfrahm.com together with the launch of an intimate 45-minute studio film titled ‘Trance Frendz’, featuring another seven improvisations. “Nils got some new synths and we thought we’d try them out. We loved them so much that we didn’t actually end up using anything else to make these songs.” – Ólafur Arnalds “When I was young I was smuggled to Goa parties by my brother. The music played there in the late nineties had a somewhat deep effect on me. ‘Loon’ is almost a blurry memory of these times. In other words, it is what I’d like to remember that music sounded like back then. In fact it sounded probably really cheesy.” – Nils Frahm ‘Loon’ will be released on Erased Tapes as a 12” vinyl as well as digitally on October 2nd. ABOUT THE ARTWORK: Once again the trippy packaging design was crafted by long-time Erased Tapes collaborator Torsten Posselt at FELD in Berlin. ABOUT ÓLAFUR ARNALDS: Ólafur Arnalds is a BAFTA-winning multi-instrumentalist and producer from Iceland. Ólafur is known for his unique mix of strings, piano with loops and edgy beats crossing-over from ambient/electronic to pop. Ólafur was a drummer of hardcore metal bands Fighting Shit and Celestine, as well as others. In 2014 Ólafur announced his electronic debut album under the Kiasmos project with Bloodgroup front man Janus Rasmussen to much acclaim. ABOUT NILS FRAHM: Nils Frahm works as an accomplished composer and producer from his Berlin-based Durton Studio. His unconventional approach to an age-old instrument, played contemplatively and intimately, has won him many fans around the world. For a musician this early in his career, Frahm displays an incredibly developed sense of control and restraint in his work, catching the ear of many fans.
Tracks
A1. Four
A2. Three
A3. Wide Open
B1. w
B2. m