CUBE - 'DECOY STREET'

Formats

• W2508 - LP

  857661008124

Details

Cube is the prolific and chimeric nom de plume of one Adam Keith, formidable tape experimentalist and artist / abraser currently operating in Oakland, California’s vibrant subterranea. After countless cassette releases, 2016’s wellreceived My Cube LP and a tenure in no-wave faction Mansion, Keith reaffirms Cube’s pledge with Decoy Street—his second album and the most developed work he has made under any guise to date. Opener “In This House” serves as the ideal introduction to Cube: cellular interference, colliding circuitry, metalon- metal grind and simplistic guitar distortion meet a towering and damaged beat. While “Habit” merges downtempo and industrial touchstones via layers of heavily treated vocals, “Sanctuary” tilts further towards propulsion—a dark treatise on discomfort, yet contagious enough to charm DIY and post-punk devotees. Released on W.25TH, Superior Viaduct’s sub-label for contemporary bands, Decoy Street is recommended for fans of Prurient, Puce Mary and Alan Vega.

Tracks

1. In This House
2. Alkaline
3. Habit
4. Aura War
5. It?s Always Summer
6. Persona (Version)
7. Sanctuary
8. Singing In English
9. Carfentanyl
10. Catalogue
11. Pendulum
12. Word Church

Press

Audio & Video

CHUCK JOHNSON - 'BLOOD MOON BOULDER'

Formats

• SCTR029 - LP

  764072748054

Details

“Chuck Johnson’s impact on the contemporary guitar world continues to be felt. His first two solo records signaled the arrival of a unique player, steeped in various forms of playing and influence, yet distinctly modern. Johnson eschews a weathered traditionalism for the wide-scope expanse of 21st Century Americana. “On his third album, Blood Moon Boulder, Johnson reaches a compositional peak in a nod to the picturesque naturalism of the American landscape. The dynamics of his range can be felt on this singular record, a soundtracklike listen that rewards the ear with rich detail. “His precision and tone recall the heights of Ry Cooder’s Paris, Texas on the extended opening track “Corvid Tactics.” Notably, the guitarist duels with a phantom Chinese radio signal that slips through the silences during the recording session. “One can hear the ghostly sounds peek through at moments as Johnson bends his strings. “Medicine Map” delivers a melodic melancholy, with an every-note-perfectly-placed aesthetic. Rather than ramble or evoke some kind of outdated nostalgia, Johnson lets his cinematic instincts take lead. “Perhaps most evocative of this approach is “Private Violence,” a meditative composition with gorgeous pedal steel played on top of electric six-string, ending in a sustained tonal minimalism that could easily stretch into a whole LP of its own. Blood Moon Boulder contains a lyricism, an exactitude and emotional arc all its own. And that’s worth playing again and again.” —Steve Lowenthal, author of Dance of Death: The Life of John Fahey, American Guitarist

Tracks

1. Corvid Tactics
2. Silver Teeth In The Sun
3. Medicine Map
4. Inversion Layer
5. The Deer And The Snake
6. Private Violence

Press

Audio & Video