Once again a bit late with this entry, as the last few weeks have been ridiculously busy here between sales and shows and a few problems with our physical space. On the latter, we're happy that the temperatures have been cool, as our heat pump/air conditioner finally bit the dust and won't be replaced until May 3. The cool temperatures are keeping our vinyl from melting, but that hasn't stopped a lot of "hot" LPs from arriving over the last couple of weeks. From the latest Clean Feed slab to the William S. Burroughs/Dub Spencer & Trance Hill LP, a lot of great titles are spinning on our turntable. As I write this I'm capturing audio for the new Baloni LP, Ripples, a great example of the crossing between Europe/UK & New York City. Samples of the Record Store Day Kullrusk LP will show up on the site early this week as well. Below I've listed some of the new vinyl we've picked up.
That doesn't mean that CDs have slowed down, and that format continues to be our most popular. Three releases from piano Satoko Fujii and company are amongst this week's most interesting listening. Two are on Fujii's main label, Libra, the most impressive being the Berlin Orchestra release, Ichigo Ichie. The large ensemble includes tenor saxophonists Gebhard Ullmann & Matthias Schubert, with baritone saxophonist Paulina Owczarek, trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, trombonist Richard Koch, and pianist Fujii making up the front line; two drummers and one bassist hold the platform together.
Kaze with pianist Fujii, drummer Peter Orins, and trumpeter Christian Pruvost, and trumpeter Natsuki Tamura adds Uminari to their discotraphy. Uminari is a Japanese word that refers to a sound rising from the sea, a low-frequency roar that portends a coming storm or tsunami; quite an accurate description to the power both horns generate. Kaze will be performing at the Victoriaville Festival this year, but if you can't make it there, pick up this album, the opening blast alone will convince you.
Last, Fujii's Tobira trio is expanding to a quarte, with trumpeter Natsuki Tamura joing Fujii, bassist Todd Nicholson, and drummer/percussionist Takashi Itani. Tobira means "door", inferring the various passages taken in free improvisation. This may be one of Fujii's most absorbing regular groups, a compact unit that allows for excursive playing and extended techniques with a melodic center.
Fujii, Satoko Orchestra Berlin: Ichigo Ichie - Libra - Click to View @ Squidco
Kaze: Uminari - Circum-Libra - Click to View @ Squidco
Fujii, Satoko Tobira: Yamiyo Ni Karasu - Libra - Click to View @ Squidco
We also picked up two interesting releases on Monotype. Transmit, with Tony Buck of The Necks providing compositions for an improvised rock outing with Magda Mayas, James Welburn, and Brendan Dougherty. The music is based around strong pulses, mostly instrumental with some vocals, and definitely of interest to Necks fans, or those who like the Heaven And album on Staubgold from 2008. A stranger release on Monotype comes from the duo of Johannes Frisch, Ralf Wehowsky, which to these ears is an unlikely combinations. The album is titled Which Head You're Dancing In?, but there isn't much to dance to here. Instead the album takes unlikely turns in deconstructed electroacoustic/concrete material, with Frisch providing acoustic bass to the bizarre emssions from RLW.
Transmit (Buck / Mayas / Dougherty / Welburn): Radiation - Monotype - Click to View @ Squidco
Frisch, Johannes / Ralf Wehowsky: Which Head You're Dancing In? - Monotype - Click to View @ Squidco
This week saw the addition of a couple of pieces of agressive music, crossing the line between improvisation, experimental and rock forms, with Merzbow the glue between them. First, Full Of Hell joins with Merzbow on the A389 label for an album that borrows from grindcore and Merzbow's frightening sound world. The trio of Mats Gustafsson, Merzbow and Balazs Pandi extend their Cuts release by adding Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore in Cuts of Guilt, Cuts Deeper, a double CD of intense free playing.
Here are 17 recent vinyl releases that we're working on, or have just made it to our homepage:
Baloni: Ripples [VINYL] - Clean Feed - Click to View @ Squidco
Burroughs, William S.: In Dub (Conducted by Dub Spencer & Trance Hill) [VINYL LP + CD] - Echo Beach - Click to View @ Squidco
Eno, Brian: My Squelchy Life [VINYL] - Opal - Click to View @ Squidco
Ferreyra, Beatriz: GRM Works [VINYL] - Recollection GRM - Click to View @ Squidco
Full Of Hell / Merzbow: [VINYL] - A389 Recordings - Click to View @ Squidco
Kullrusk: Spring Spring Spring Spring Spring [180 g RED VINYL] - Moserobie Music - Click to View @ Squidco
Lindsay, Arto : Encyclopedia of Arto [2 VINYL LPS] - Northern Spy - Click to View @ Squidco
Mendoza, Ava: Unnatural Ways [VINYL] - New Atlantis - Click to View @ Squidco
Motorpsycho: Demon Box [VINYL 2 LPs] - Rune Grammofon - Click to View @ Squidco
Palestine, Charlemagne: Bells Studies [VINYL] - Alga Marghen - Click to View @ Squidco
Palestine, Charlemagne & Grumbling Fur Time Machine Orchestra: ggrrreeebbbaaammmnnnuuuccckkkaaallloooww!!! [VINYL] - Important Records - Click to View @ Squidco
Redolfi, Michel: Pacific Tubular Waves/Immersion [VINYL] - Recollection GRM - Click to View @ Squidco
Russell / Beresford / Edwards / Liavik Solberg: Will It Float? [VINYL] - VA FONGOOL - Click to View @ Squidco
Schlippenbach Trio: Pakistani Pomade [VINYL] - Cien Fuegos - Click to View @ Squidco
Sprawl: Sprawl [VINYL] - Trost Records - Click to View @ Squidco
Upsilon Acrux : Sun Square Dialect [VINYL] - New Atlantis - Click to View @ Squidco
Vliet, Don Van (Captain Beefheart) and The Magic Band: Rough Raw and Amazing [VINYL 2 LPs] - Ozit Records - Click to View @ Squidco
Received and In Progress:
- Another Timbre - 4 new releases In Stock and Ready to Ship.
- erstwhile - 2 new releases In Stock and Ready to Ship.
- Bocian - waiting for an invoice so we can price them, should be on the site this week.
- Moody Alien - arrived, should be on the site this week.
- unsounds - 3 new releases In Stock and Ready to Ship.
- Herbal International (Malasia) - several titles arrived, should be on the site this week. These are *very* interesting experimental and ea titles, you'll want to take a good look at this label!
Upcoming Soon
Dark Tree has found and is releasing a lost recording of Bobby Bradford & John Carter Quintet from their years in Los Angeles in the 70s: No U Turn, Live in Pasadena 1975. Other periods of this quintet have been well documented, but this will help fans of the quintet to get the bigger picture of the band's development. Expect the CD in the next two weeks.
Baritone saxophonist Charles Evans, brother to trumpeter Peter Evans, is releasing an album with Dave Liebman (soprano sax), Tony Marino (bass) / and Ron Stabinsky (drums). Described as a chamber jazz quartet, with Evans providing the compositions.
Allos Musica, led by clarinetist James Falzone, is documenting his Renga Ensemble from 2013 recordings. It's a bit of a supergroup for wind instruments, with Ken Vandermark, Keefe Jackson, Jason Stein, Ben Goldberg, and Ned Rothenberg. Hailing from the West Coast, NY, and Chicago scenes, this looks to be a very important release for 2015.
Saxophonist Mike Pride is releasing a solo album, Listening Party, which should also arrive this week.
Squid Tech
The last of the Adobe Flash players is gone, The Squid's Ear is now using modern audio players. This will allow us to split our server into two more correctly sized servers, which should give us better performance while containing our expenses. After that we're starting a project to make the format for a release more obvious and consistent across the site. Also, we applied a minor update to our shopping cart over the weekend, which corrects some minor problems and improves performances for the site. We're always interested in feedback on how our site works, please don't hesitate to comment here or to use Squidco's email form to let us know what you think!
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