private. Sun City Girls :
Singles volume 1 (You're never alone with a cigarette) (US,rec.1988)***

Sun City girls have built a whole underground empire of rare releases almost with the flair of mysticism, unreachable for the hands of ordinary listeners, keeping their names still more known than their music. This is a compilation of some of their singles combined with unreleased recordings from around the same period, which is mostly from july 1988, except one recording from a year earlier, all mixed in 1994.

Here it is most clear (-this is not a standard for their recordings-) that and how they are a trio with Richard Bishop on electric guitar and Alan Bishop on electric bass or once, acoustic guitar on front, with Charles Gocher on drums and percussion, often a bit more quietly following after. All three more or less improvise, theme and tune related or not, with expansions, and with each their own individuality, skills and skilful ideas. Influenced by pure improvisation, surf/western/ethnical traditions not only the electric guitar makes their mark, the electric bass succeeds to do this as well. A few tunes are followed more closely with more linear harmony to the tune lead. Only the last track is a longer improvisation of 12 minutes…

Audio : "Amazon One","Wild World Of Animals"
Homepages : http://www.myspace.com/suncitygirls
& http://www.suncitygirls.com/
Web Of Mimicry  Ur : Personnae : Halloween /
The Electromagnetic Azoth : The Left Hand Of Nothingness (US,2007)****

Secret Chiefs 3 very much became a roaring transcending group that needed various names for the many faces of the beast, each head directing to different astral sonic projections. Under the name of The Electromagnetic Azoth, this group for this particular recording consisted of Eyvind Kang on viola, Ches Smith on drums, Mike Dillon on tabla, vibes and percussion, Shahzad Ismaily on bass, Jesse Quattro on fear vocals, Trey Spruance on synth, dulcimer, autoharp, bari guitar, Timb Harris on violin, Rich Doucette on esraj, Anonymous 13 on melodic voice (added afterwards), with guest Randall Dunn of the SunnO))). On the other side the group is listed under the name of Ur.

Side A, “Personae:Halloween” sounds like the opening theme tune of a horrifying soundtrack with minimal piano that has an Italian horror rock association like with any Goblin/Morricone related soundtrack, which becomes rhythmically faster and terrifying, with tiny psychedelic effects and surf guitar details added, and fitting vocals. It is in fact as they say a “Spring reverb twang and fuzz pedal rendition of the classic 1978 John Carpenter theme” related with the Halloween movie (Morricone). It was originally intended to be listed on Secret Chiefs upcoming album, “Book of Souls”.

Side B with “The Left Hand of Nothingness” sounds like a next step into a similar and easily to visualize movie, which goes deeper into some fear visions-provoking sound concentrations, tensions, within a certain staying calm tension it inhabits the expressions of a fear-evoking event. It is a collage of elements that follow, come and go and combine themselves with eachother : Cuckoo clock tickings, drum rhythms, schoolchildren in panic background sounds : coming and going, as with the remembrance of a trauma, terrifying echoing bass effects tensions, electric bass, keyboards, returning contemporary string chords exaggerating the effects and breaths of fear, lalala ghostly vocals, glockenspiel-playful nonsense that sound like musical boxes losing their grip on reality, disturbing metallic piano and guitar bass chords, parts with certain rhythms (guitar, bass, drums) that speed up the tension, a bit of tabla, and plugged violin strings. Many of these elements for some reason always were effective in horror movies, and with the right use always will be, with a certain beauty of sound which makes this even more effective. Limited to 1000 copies.

Info on http://www.webofmimicry.com/...


Web Of Mimicry  Ishraqiyun : "Balance of the Nineteen"
/ The Electromagnetic Azoth : Ubik (US,2007)****'

Side A of this single presents Secret Chiefs 3 as Ishraqiyun as a live version session of the group (with 2 members missing). Here the group  consists of Eyvind Kang on viola, Shahzad Ismaily on bass, Ches Smith on drums, Trey Spruance on piano, keyboards, saz, percussion and Rich Doucette on sarangi. Like the group name and cover suggest the music has some Arab /North African / Middle Eastern association. It is as if it presents a filmic but still rock associated well produced version of a traditional, with respect to it, an original mixture typical for the talent of the band.
Side B, “Ubik”, associated with The Electromagnetic Azoth is a brilliant rhythmically collage-like moving electro-acoustic mix based on an inspired solo performance by guitarist Bill Horist, a recording which on its own sounds like a terrific sound meditation. In this form we hear continuations with beer flowing in glass, and a few splashes of water, bizarre but beautiful harmonies with exploring notes on prepared guitar, which are built up in rhythmic pulses. The guitar sound like a range of instruments, from guitar to dulcimer to something more industrially metallic, in a way this evokes some tones I associate with what I have heard on Einsturzende Neubauten’s “½ Mensch”, but here it is like being presented in a remixed form and a different reshaping and ever changing remix. At different times the rhythmical evolutions get a more ethnic-like format, while elsewhere electronic bass rhythms appear. Also floating are some words or whispers, or harmonic sonic baritone vocals. The whole track is rhythmically enough to be called “modern music”, and not just free avant-garde, inhabiting the ear-driven composition sound meditation. 1000 copies only.

Info on http://www.webofmimicry.com/... (with audio)


Web Of Mimicry.  Ur : Circumbulation / Labyrinth Of Light (US,2007)****

The third single is presented with some kind of mystery. The cover makes this seem as if this is a Turkish recording from around 1972, from a guy called Ebi Yürt. Side A is mixed like a live recording, somewhat in a Turkish rock style (electric saz), with a bit of spacey synth effects coming and going, and other bits of some organ, electronica, and Arabesque strings. The other side is a different version, played by the same fictive progressive band, this time with some surf-and such associations. With a blink in the eye this is of course no other than another genius idea of the Secret Chiefs 3 community. (700 copies printed?).

Info on http://www.webofmimicry.com/... (with audio)


Web Of Mimicry Ur : Kulturvulture / Drive (US,2007)***'

This is another single associated with the Ur group, and UR-religious cultural aspects of mankind. It is presented as a lost single from the German Münich scene in 1978. It is a relatively kept simple looped repetition on dulcimer, with a semi-eastern effect, a sequenced bass which is easily associated with German music, remembering the krautrock area with a rather primitive more minimalist pop fashion, a style from the era going into early german wave pop with it, with Kraftwerk and early The Cure associated echoed percussion and simplified electronic affects. Also greatly provoked is the German accent on the few occurring words, or is this really a German band and single ? The little bits of Middle Eastern guitar touches added on the background convince me this is not. This is no more and no less a kind of successful and intelligent joke (for those with musical ears) playing with musical origins and inspirations. Side b gives a more moody poprock version variation as if inspired and improvised by the same band, with a hardly noticeable hesitating rhythm, typical for a post-punk area that was evolving to the more depressed wavepop areas. In some way this UR area has in all its inspired simplicity its own form of a historical musical alienation.

Info on this release on http://www.webofmimicry.com/...
Info on group : http://www.secretchiefs3.com/
& http://www.myspace.com/secretchiefs3
Label : http://www.webofmimicry.com

2 other Secret Chiefs 3 releases are reviewed on the Middle Eastern Rock sections on http://progressive.homestead.com/MiddleEast.html#anchor_89 & http://progressive.homestead.com/MiddleEast.html#anchor_90
Gifted Children Rec.  The Moon Upstairs : Guarding the golden apple (US,2007)***°

Moon Upstairs redefines indierock in that way they are like having a guardian angel from the pepper pop sprayed sixties Beatles-dominated Apple label period ?? producing their sounds and inspirations (they also tour with the Silver Apples, with a new recording on the same label ; this group was one of the most extravagant and greatest sixties pop groups you can find). Moon Upstairs gives the feeling that using hints to 60s and early 70s sounds (from pop to harder edged rock) isn’t just a wasted, style imitating nostalgia, but can enrich a “nowadays” (yes we belong here, and like to be here and now) feeling. This is not a looking back. The group is able to bring in vocal harmonies and guitars with a few elements of a late Pink Floyd feeling to great effect, but not everywhere. Elsewhere, they also use hard psychrock guitar arrangements in their songs. And still, with all this, they don’t belong there, but belong here, in this world, expressing poprock for the new generation, sophisticated with something of the old one. Also great to hear are nice string arrangements more often, which are done by Lavender Diamond's Steve Gregoropoulis. While the songs with melodic pop strength are the core, there’s room for instrumental parts with no real pretention, with attractive results. The last track is a bit more acoustic.

Audio : http://cdbaby.com/cd/moonupstairs & http://www.myspace.com/themoonupstairs
Homepage : http://www.themoonupstairs.com
Info on group : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moon_Upstairs
Label info : http://www.giftedchildrenrecords.com/moonupstairs/index.html
Other reviews : http://laidbackness.wordpress.com/2007/07/05/the-moon-upstairs-guarding-the-golden-apple/ & http://www.stonerrock.com/forums2/...
Remarks on http://penny-ante-penny-ante.blogspot.com/2007_08_01_archive.html
PSYCHPOP,...
DIFFICULT TO DEFINE
INDIE/POP/PSYCH
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Listed on this page :
The Moon Upstairs, The Luck Of Eden Hall, Our Brother The Native,
Ur / Electromagnetic Azoth / Ishraqiyun, Lights, Sun City Girls
Myopic Rec.  The Luck Of Eden Hall : Subterrene (US,2007)****

This group succeeds for me to find a perfect richly balanced style with a pop/song based core, expressed with rather progressive ideas and instruments. The songs are tastefully developed and sung slowly, to give space to harmonious echoes and combinations between effects, guitars (including a bit of fuzz) and analogue keyboards (including mellotrons), creating always warm well produced effects that, in an inspired emotional way, take part of the development of the compositions. In that way sounds harmoniously develop along the way in each song and composition, so that the general group sound always has a rather progressive development with it. One of the better post-rock sounds with the right taste for sound-based roots known from older prog/psych genres.

Homepage : http://luckofedenhall.com/ with audio : http://luckofedenhall.com/music.html
& on http://www.myspace.com/theluckofedenhall
& on http://cdbaby.com/cd/luckofedenhall
Other review : http://www.terrascope.co.uk/Reviews/Reviews_April07.htm#LuckofEdenHall
Fat-Cat Rec. Our Brother The Native :
Make Amends for we are merely Vessels (US,2008)**°

With this young trio’s new release, they have made a rather consistent album, based upon a organic ambient moody tripiness, built with a fundament of stretched guitars mostly on the edge of feedback effects, and a bit of filmic ambience, with textures of piano or keyboards, but also with the re-appearances of certain choir-like of vocal arrangements, just like in contemporary / new music. The filmic passages evolve also to some parts with simple minor chords moods, played by guitar. Within this evolving structure, rather emotional moods swell, with two sorts of voices that occur like other instruments : one is sad, as being one with the minor chords, while the other voice shows aggressive throat screaming emotions usually closer to forms of expression in metal or trash, but moodier and with inner needs for certain emotional expressions, while they are dissolved into the background of its stretched landscape. Some of the harmonic choir choruses accompany some of these appearances as well, while bringing these individual cries to a bigger group’s sound context, as one social entity.

Our Brother The Native is John Michael Foss (guitar, drums/percussion, piano, bass), Joshua Bertram (guitar, bowed banjo, sounds/samples, synth, vocals ) and Chaz Knapp (piano, guitar, bass) with guest Kayleen Nilsson on viola.

Audio : http://www.myspace.com/ourbrotherthenative
Label info : http://fat-cat.co.uk/fatcat/release.php?id=243
Info on : http://www.thespacelab.tv/...
& http://www.chartattack.com/damn/2008/01/2308.cfm
& http://strangeglue.com/our-brother-the-native-prepare-new-lp/3185/
& on http://iprefertheobscureremix.wordpress.com/
& http://angryape.com/artists/our-brother-the-native
Other reviews : --

Previous release reviewed on http://www.psychedelicfolk.com/acidfolkreview15.html
Twisted Nerve Lights (US,2008)**°'

The darkest release to date coming from Greg Weeks’ Hexam Head Sound studios is from this new-“progressive” quartet, who improvise on electric guitars, drums, bass and Paint Box (??) on song related tracks with only some additional electric piano/keyboard textures. The vocals are rather sweet like folk, but are cooler/colder in essence, also have ethereal additional arrangements. The rock band’s sound is more difficult to define. The songs have something of an intuitive evolution, led by the song. They hang between a dark density, while still keeping a post-chamber-like feeling with its electric guitars, bass and drums improvisations and the spare textures. As modern rock this is a “progressive” move to more intuitive, psychedelic music, without belonging anywhere. Also the general musical harmonies maintain the creation of a strangeness hanging on now and then. It is a surprise when for instance on “Here We Go” the song becomes more recognisable, here as if this is a goodbye to sing and hum along, somewhat sad and empty. Also the last track drones and improvises a bit with guitars and vocals before a last wohohoo-humming, and a last vague rocking to a song conclusion. The recording sound is terrific, which makes some of the recording sound much better and enjoyable than when it would have had it remained with some parts, like an unnoticed private product. 

Audio : "At Midnight","Branches Low","For You","Lick the Blood","Sing It O-O-O, part 2"
& http://www.myspace.com/lightsmakemusic
Label entry : http://www.twistednerve.co.uk/discog/tn082.php
Other reviews : --