Ben Fleury-Steiner - Clearings [Rural Colours]

'Clearings' is the latest release on the Rural Colours label and their first outing of 2013. A glance at the three pieces in the tracklist and you'd be forgiven for assuming that this one is another of the label's excellent 3" CDr releases. On closer inspection of the track lengths, you'll notice that it is in fact an album released on CD, in a limited run of just 150 copies.

Like most of the highly collectible Rural Colours releases, this will not hang around for long - especially given the quality of the work. Ben Fleury-Steiner is an artist that I've kept an eye on for years, with his 'As A Means Through Which I Can Speak' album being a fond favourite in my collection. He has also released an album on Low Point called 'The Places That Find You' in 2011. Now for Rural Colours, he returns with a set of three tracks in which he strives to let go of what he calls his 'anal retentiveness' in the studio. One can assume that he was trying to overcome the urge to use his tried and tested production methods in favour of creating something with new techniques. A first listen through and there is still the evident hallmark of power in the bass frequencies, which I associated in previous Fleury-Steiner records. This makes his work ideal for play on good quality sound systems, turned up loud so that the full benefit can be heard.
I tend to listen to music with headphones, a listening setting in which you can uncover the other key trait to Ben's work - his meticulous attention to detail. Despite any difference in approach and tone through the three tracks, there are carefully woven layers of detail in each.



The album's opening track is the imaginatively titled 'Wind Up Bird's Lament', in which you can make out traces of acoustic instrument sources flowing on a bed of droning mulch. This piece reminded me a little of the work of Christopher McFall or Philip Sulidae in the way that it was quite sinister with an underlying element of power to it, without ever boiling over.

Second track 'Parallax' explores what you might call purer drone territory, although again, the great attention to detail and texture help it stretch beyond that. Like the term or not, I think this is evidence as to why some 'ambient' music is often called sound design, as opposed to drone - with the dense layers of detail setting it apart from being a mere chord drenched in delay. The beauty in Parallax is how it twists and turns in many directions; never staying static; holding your interest. At one point, it builds to reflect the breathlessness you might feel when confronted with a dramatic landscape and then a few moments later, this transforms effortlessly into feelings of doom and horror.

Closing piece 'Glade' initially feels like a second movement to Parallax, deploying a similar technique - which after being so immersed in the previous track is no bad thing. If you listen carefully however, Glade is a more linear piece, with the drone sounding suspended - looping and twisting only slightly but just enough to appear different. It hangs in the balance for a few minutes, with Fleury-Steiner dropping detail in and out to accent it.  The piece is highly meditative and of epic beauty. Towards the final third however, Glade adopts a new tone for just a moment only to sweep delicately back to the original, to reassert itself. It is surprising just how refreshing it feels when it returns, as if the main drone to Glade had become a part of you somehow.

All in all, this is solid work from Ben Fleury-Steiner and highly recommended. The packaging features art direction from Ian Hazeldine and stunning photography from the talented Jürgen Heckel. {LISTEN / BUY}

Stafrænn Hákon - Prammi [Sound In Silence]

The first label to approach this year since my intentions of increasing the posts on Audio Gourmet for 2013 is Sound In Silence. They kindly send over their two latest releases for review, by Stafrænn Hákon and J.R Alexander.

So first up, I present my thoughts about the latest Stafrænn Hákon album 'Prammi', which has already been reissued due to popular demand. Stafrænn Hákon is the pseudonym for Icelandic artist Olafur Josephsson, the work of whom I have been following for a few years now. For those new to his sound, you'd be forgiven for thinking he'd fall into a similar category as the likes of Olafur Arnalds and Johann Johannsson, since Iceland is renowned for producing quality modern classical music. However, Josephsson is perhaps most known for his post-rock sound, active since the late nineties.

Before I began to listen, I took a glance at the tracklist and noticed something familiar - the inclusion of a piece named 'Hvarf 12' and having listened, it seems to be a 2012 adaptation of a track included on Stafrænn Hákon's 'Í Ástandi Rjúpunnar' album.
Josephsson's more recent material has been increasingly veering to a purer rock sound, with the additions of upbeat drums and guitar patterns and vocals. Whereas his earlier works were perhaps more subdued instrumental post-rock. Where 'Prammi' is particularly effective is that it draws on this artist's years of experience and through all of the different sounds in his albums. It is evenly spaced using the careful placing of these different styles through each track.


Prammi opens out with what you might describe as the classic Stafrænn Hákon sound before moving towards his more recent work in the second track 'Klump', which hints at the work of Boduf Songs, which is never a bad thing! On from this, we here the re-interpretation of Hvarf which then moves onto something new to broaden the album's palette...a piece of pure droning texture.
Whilst 'A Personal Voyage To Meat Planet' is oddly titled, it does offer respite from the pleasant, largely upbeat post-rock sound that preceded. Not only this, its minimalism offers a pause in which anticipation for the rest of the album heightens. I gather that fans of pop and rock genres would skip the drone pieces but in doing this, we rid the album of its most effective part.
When I used to DJ, I would often play a couple of tracks that were largely percussion, stripped back and minimal. I would then follow this with something melodic and with a lot of atmosphere, with the impact heightened by the few minutes of minimalism that went before it.

Sure enough, the melodic post-rock returns and with impact. This is then followed by another short interlude of textured ambience aptly titled 'Passage'. I can't help thinking here, that perhaps it would be more effective to swap this with the following track 'Hoff', which would space the tracks and their differing sounds apart a little. That said, this point is of such little bearing on the overall effect of Prammi and who am I to question Josephsson's ideas. Prammi continues along with the effective formula of post-rock, both instrumental and vocal interspersed with short drones to great effect.
By the time we hit tenth track 'Lusher', a more laid-back and vibe sets in, followed by the fractured music box tones of 'Before'. For me, the album is at its most beautiful in its final quarter which is rounded off with 'Wait', the album's darkest piece. Again, its placing is apt - it makes sense to include this as the last track; a final reflective moment as this remarkable album draws to a close.

Physical copies are still available at the time of writing, hand-made and hand-numbered by this excellent emerging label. Their current roster of artists is more than enough to make their Bandcamp page a regular haunt amongst fans of quality experimental music.
I've been a long-term fan so I feel qualified to issue this bold statement: Stafrænn Hákon's 'Prammi' is perhaps his most accomplished body of work to date and rewards a listener that gives it the time to play out in full. The way that Olafur Josephsson positions the tracks whether upbeat, laid-back, instrumental, vocal or glacial is what sets everything off here. He has shown great restrain in creating this album, which will shine whatever the weather. Highly recommended {LISTEN / BUY}

Revised ambitions for 2013!!

Barely two weeks into my ridiculously ambitious idea of posting about an album every day in 2013 had failed, after I'd had a few ales the night before and no sleep. The reality had kicked in that this was going to be more an occasional thing than regular, since I just have too many commitments to sustain it.

This is not to say that I don't see posting on the Audio Gourmet blog as important, however. My intentions were at least good - helping direct people to experimental music that they might not have heard before, helping artists and labels gain new fans - even if it's only just a couple!
So, I will continue to post about albums old and new whenever I get the chance, albeit in a more irregular pattern...

Since this year I find myself rather skint and unable to plump for the preferred vinyl or lavishly packaged CDs, I am currently relying on the following to build my record collection:
(1). Buying mp3s instead
(2). Friends sending me their records
(3). Buying odd tracks on iTunes/Boomkat - selecting only my absolute favourites from an album
(4). Immediately re-investing any slither of royalties from my own albums
(5). Listening to my existing record collection
(6). Streaming albums on Bandcamp - longing for the day when I can afford to download it for my iPod!

This may sound like a bit of a public plea for promos, press advance records etc...well, maybe it is, a little! But I promise, providing I enjoy the record, I will put something back and write a few words about it - sharing the links to the release page here on the Audio Gourmet blog. My write-ups or reviews won't be as eloquently written as the likes of Fluid Radio or A Closer Listen but like them, my passion for good music will shine through and hopefully introduce people to it new things.

I was very pleased to hear personally from a few people that had bought albums featured in my end of year show last year. I said before I made the show - it might take up a great deal of my time in putting it together but if it gets just one person to check an artist out and buy their record, then it has been every bit worth the effort on my part.

Day #0008: Richard Skelton - Landings [Sustain-Release/Type]

RICHARD SKELTON - LANDINGS

[Sustain-Release/Type] 2009

I've made no secret of my fondness for Richard Skelton's work and I dare say that most readers of this post will already be very familiar with his excellent music. For you people, give your eyes a rest and dig out your copy of Marking Time, Verse Of Birds or Landings - sit back and enjoy the show.

For those unfamiliar to the work of Richard Skelton, I will attempt to write a few words but really, just hit play below and you'll quickly arrive at your own decision.



Despite having been a long standing fan of his work, I often find it quite difficult to describe it. I have even got the accompanying book to Landings and have read it many times whilst listening and without just copying the book, it is difficult to try and write a quick snapshot of it. Landings is an album and subject of depth, whilst being simple at the same time.

Richard Skelton produces raw, rustic and emotional music, usually inspired by the landscape around him. When he produced 'Landings', he was living near to Anglezarke in the Lancashire moors, UK. The album is a result of four years spent recording during which, Richard immersed himself in the area. He and his music almost became one with the landscape and the more you listen, you will too. This may sound a little corny but genuinely, if you listen to Landings, it is literally tied to the landscape from which it was inspired.

There are a few versions out there - with a little digging around, you should be able to get the edition on Type, in either vinyl or CD. The vinyl is absolutely wonderful, somehow adding yet more depth to this body of work. If you can get hold of a copy, it will be well worth what ever you pay.
Then of course, there is Richard's Sustain-Release platform, in which he makes special limited runs of his work, with a personal touch.
I have run a quick check and he has some copies of Landings available: {BUY}

Finally, you'll definitely be able to buy the album in mp3 format. You can go for the Type release on the likes of Boomkat and iTunes, I'm sure but the best experience would be direct from Richard Skelton's Bandcamp page. In this special edition entitled 'The Complete Landings', he includes a wealth of bonus material:
{LISTEN / BUY}

The Almost Noteworthy Adventures of Mick Stape

Today there is no album post, because instead I have spent the whole day putting together a new 2 part mix.

I decided this week to put together a playlist of all my favourite post-rockish pieces for casual iPod listening. Years ago of course, playlists were mixtapes. - so I started whittling down the 250+ tracks I’d selected to just a few favourites, as if I were creating an old-school mix tape for friends. The result is a 2 part showcase of my favourite records leaning towards the experimental rock and folk genres.

When I used to DJ, I would name my mix CDs ridiculous things to try and get people to at least listen, so along that school of thought…I arrived somehow at: 'The Almost Noteworthy Adventures of Mick Stape'. The main reason being, that these two parts almost sound like the soundtrack to a film and so I got thinking about what my film would be called. Whilst initially appearing like a real life person, Mick Stape is actually a play on words using Mixtape. Clever.

*Huge thanks to Beth for the artwork; a sketch of me slumped at the sofa watching TV!

PART ONE:

The Almost Noteworthy Adventures of Mick Stape (Part 1) by Audio Gourmet on Mixcloud

The Late Cord – The Late Cord

Zelienople – Little Little Eye-Full

Lilium – Lily Pool

Felix – Where Is My Dragon

Midlake – Rulers, Ruling All Things

Shearwater – The Kind

Home Of The Lame – Habitat

Giraffe – The Fifth Wheel

Sam Prekop – So Shy

Tunng – People Folk

Boduf Songs – I Am Going Away And I Am Never Coming Back

Thom Yorke – Black Swan

Tarwater – 20 Miles Up

De La Mancha – Ursa Minor

Hood – L.Fading Hills

Real Estate – Green Aisles

Deerhunter – Twilight At Carbon Lake

Radiohead – Give Up The Ghost

PART TWO:

The Almost Noteworthy Adventures of Mick Stape (Part 2) by Audio Gourmet on Mixcloud

Talons’ – Lost Ships

Finglebone – Forgotten Again

Black Eagle Child – The Bee’s Nest

Tiny Ruins – Bird In Thyme

Neil Halstead – See You On The Rooftops

Billy Mahonie – A Part Of Me Floats To The Sea

Studiocanoe – Soothe

Aerial M – Skrag Theme

Silencio – No Memories, No Ghosts

Little Phrase – Time Is Golden

The Gentleman Losers – Light Fandango

Mogwai – Kings Meadow

Kiln – Swung Rusted Open

Pullman – Narrow Canyon

Foreign Fields – So Many Foreign Homes

Chris Weisman and Greg Davis – New Americans

Day #0007: Clem Leek - Through The Angular [Schedios]

CLEM LEEK - THROUGH THE ANNULAR

[Schedios] 2010

Clocking in at little over eleven minutes, 'Through The Annular' was Clem Leek's first physical release, out on his own Schedios imprint in 2010. It preceded his debut album 'Holly Lane' on Hibernate, which was one of that year's best records to the ears of most who bought it. Holly Lane saw this talented young artist assemble a rich suite of modern classical material which centered around the texture of strings.

Showing his diversity, 'Through The Annular' is instead a snapshot of Clem's piano playing. The short tracks are set to the beautiful crackle of 78rpm records which is an often used technique in modern classical music. It must be pointed out, however, that his use of crackle on this record is the best I have heard. This seems like a very strange thing for someone to comment on but if you pay attention to it, you'll hear how he manages to get just the right levels, frequency and feel to it.
Immediately, new listeners will be drawn to the beautiful piano compositions for a while but after several repeated listens, the crackle just seems to become more and more noticeable. For me, I often find myself allowing it to be the focal point as I listen, which automatically pushes the piano to the background. This was probably not the artist's intention but what it does is leave the album prone to repeated play as you start to feel as if you have missed the passages of piano.

The fleeting briefness of this mini album or EP if you prefer, is what really makes it special. The four compositions do feel broadly similar and there are no stark contrasts as the tracks change but because this set is so brief, it feels like a single movement of four parts. And surely, a movement you will return to time and time again - usually in the same sitting!

Day #0006: Nicola Ratti - èsope [Zymogen]

NICOLA RATTI - "ESOPE"

[Zymogen] 2009

As mentioned in a previous post, I began to develop my taste in ambient, electro-acoustic, drone etc through downloading free music from netlabels. There were several labels that I'd visit regularly and there's some great free material up for grabs out there but there are some albums that I listen to regularly even now, a few years later.

èsope is quite possibly my favourite netlabel release of all-time, by Italian artist Nicola Ratti. It was released back in 2009 on Zymogen and followed his collaboration with Giuseppe Ielasi and his marvellous 'From The Desert Came Saltwater' album on Anticipate. At that time, for me this was the first I'd heard of his work and I've been a fan ever since.

èsope is a single mid to long-form piece that includes the environmental sounds of field recordings with chimes, drones, voice and Ratti's signature use of guitar. Rather than his more instant work, this piece takes time to develop from almost nothing and it becomes a real joy to listen to in a most gradual way. When the guitar comes in, you will hope that it never ends. Obviously it does, but it is this tranquil state and yearning for more that will keep you listening until the very end. Although the guitar is the main focus of the track and of course, the sounds of sheep that have influenced the cover art - there is a brassy sound that closes èsope that completely contrasts everything, that will soon be as enjoyable to your ears as the rest of this magnificent piece.

Zymogen as a label has married consistent high-quality curation with a slow release rate, which really builds your anticipation for their next release.

To download Nicola Ratti's 'èsope'

 for free, please visit the release page here: {LISTEN / BUY}