and yet even one more best of 2010 mix

And here we go again, another mix, it ain't mine, but I gots to pass it along. Another one to feature artists from the Free Music Archive. This time we get a list from undomondo featuring one off of amnemonic from aboombong. Previously, undomondo featured ¡para!helionpara!helion and I must say it is a consistently excellent source of cool music. Check other best of FMA 2010 mixes over at the FMA, or join up and create your own.



Also of note: Disaster Amnesiac asked me some questions, and I answered them. The interview is posted. As I have said before, for the DIY musician this kind of help spreading the word is always appreciated. UPDATE: speed, glue and music liked asynchronic enough to include it in their list of 30 stand-outs from 2010...nice to be include alongside such good company...and frogs rain down and ONDA Rock add to the great support aboombong is getting from Italy. And a bit late in the game, I ran across this nice discussion over at thanks for your ears...makes me blush to have Elvin Jones' name mentioned no matter how tangentially in any discussion of my own playing, but it is a thoughtful essay worth a read...shines a light on the ever elusive topic of genre in music. AND...wow...Killed In Cars voted asynchronic into their top 20 albums of the year list...a killer list to be included on. As is the one over at Neuroprison...

and yet another best of 2010 mix

And yet again, this one ain't mine, but I had to pass it along. I love the review of asynchronic and am a big fan of a lot of the other choices. Check out the original over at motel de moka. An excerpt:

* June 20, 2009: Four revered avant garde genres – Drone, Freejazz, Musique concrète and Krautrock – set out into the heart of Central Africa armed with nothing but DAT recorders to make an audio documentary on the lost land of Konono.
* June 22, 2009: Local witnesses reported they saw the genres wandering around the city of Kinshasa. They were asking for a place called Konono, but were met with perplexed and elusive looks. The only attentive response they got came from a Bandundu fisherman who explained to them that the word konono roughly translates as ‘stiffness of the body’, but that he had no knowledge of an actual place with that name. Consumed by the silent frustration of what was apparently a failed expedition they appeared cold, lost and haunted for the rest of the day.
* June 23, 2009: A French-Canadian exchange student reported Drone and Freejazz were asking for directions on how to get into the heart of the Congolese rainforest. The genres left Kinshasa early in the morning and were never seen again.
* June 27, 2009: An exhaustive 100 men search which lasted for 12 days was conducted but no trace of the genres was found.
* October 5, 2009: The case is declared inactive and unsolved.
* November 25, 2009: Students from the University of Congo’s anthropology department discover a duffel bag labeled as ‘Aboombong – Asynchronic‘ containing four DAT tapes, a bloodied volley ball, a Punjabi ektara, a Vietnamese jack fruit danmo, bone cymbal mallets and several other unusual ethnic instruments. The duffel bag was buried under the foundation of a secluded cabin deep inside the rainforest. The bag is examined by the local authorities who announce they were the property of Drone and its crew.
* January 1, 2010: With permission of the genre’s families select pieces of the tapes are publicly released with the purpose of attracting the international media’s attention towards the case and help raise donations for private investigation.

another best of 2010 mix

Again, this one ain't mine, but I have to pass it along. This one is from Dying for Bad Music and features artists from the Free Music Archive including DUSTdevil & crow. The FMA is also home to albums by aboombong and ¡para!helion and is really one of the best places to find DIY music available today. Check other best of FMA 2010 mixes over at the FMA, or join up and create your own.







Update: asynchronic is included in the spotinews mega-post of 100 notable albums of 2010.

a best of 2010 mix

This one ain't mine, but I have to pass it along. From editor_b over at 8 tracks, who says "Created December 7, 2010 My favorite audio from 2010 including tracks by Aboombong, Dream Boat and Drew Brees." Enjoy.

atlatl - head on the nail - early work

atlatl is one of the most extreme/experimental noise acts out there - these days filling the world with minimal drones and noisescapes made with vintage synths and obsessive focus. But like everyone, atlatl has a past. Today we have an early video from the days when atlatl was doing more conventional industrial electronic music. Circa 1992, head on the nail. Check out newer atlatl music on last.fm. Or buy the new one Draws the Atlantic at mimeomeme.com.

endorphin rush from fescal

Another quick recommendation. A bandcamp buddy of aboombong (UPDATE: a nice review of the amnemonic is up over at Recent Music Heroes) and azwarm, Fescal has put out an impressive ambient drone album, Endorphin, that you can pick up (name your own price with no minimum) at the 1798 label's bandcamp page. Full of dense layers of pristine sound, it'll take you out of your head for a nice half hour long vacation from reality. Well worth your time and money. Check 'em out and spread the word.

amnemonic and rhapsodic

Just a quick note today for all of you that use Rhapsody.
The latest aboombong, amnemonic is now available through Rhapsody.



Of course, along with iTunes and all the usual outlets, it is still available for download from bandcamp in a variety of formats (including lossless formats) and you can name your own price (no minimum). There is a special limited edition bonus track available for the first 200 folks who name a price of $5 or more over at bandcamp, or donate (from the button below) $5 or more to Pen & Mallet. I will email you a unique, one-time use download code with instructions for retrieving your bonus track in gratitude for your support.

Update 2.0: Just noticed this review of asynchronic from the nice folks over at MP News, "Un maelstrom dai risvolti fortemente sperimentali, all'apparenza mostruoso per chi non avvezzo a tali "estremizzazioni" in musica, ma comunque in grado di svelare un suono cangiante e fluido nell'insieme." Graczie Damiano. Recent Music Heroes also has a nice review of amnemonic.

Fly with Element Kudda

I don't know Christian Richer but his project Élément Kuuda is bandcamp buddies with aboombong and like aboombong all Élément Kuuda releases are available name your price with no minimum. The newest one, Flight, is two tracks of exceptional ambient minimalism that stretch the genre away from expectations just enough to keep things interesting. Thanks to uaxuctum for the tip on this one. Artists like this thrive on direct support from listeners. So drop by and drop a dime on this one...and/or help get the word out by telling your friends about it.

DUSTdevils on the wind

A big friend of the show post tonight. DUSTdevils are getting some well deserved recognition over at WFMU's beware of the blog. I've been a long-time fan of DUSTdevils ever since I first heard Rhenyard's Grin. DUSTdevils were a big influence on Choke and it was finding all of their albums over at YoungMossTongue that largely inspired me to start Pen & Mallet. At the time I never would have guessed that would lead to an opportunity to collaborate (as aboombong) with one of my favorite musicians... but that is exactly what happened.

The WFMU piece features a nice interview, some great video's (here and here) and a link to some previously unreleased DUSTdevils tracks. I thought I would share those with you and encourage you to pop over to beware of the blog or his place and leave Michael a greeting in thanks for all the great music he's provided over the years.

Halloween Eclectica

An eclectic mix of surf-punk creeps, dark-ambient scare-scapes, 80's Goth, and home-made demons from the Pen & Mallet archives. Have a horrific Halloween.


Tracklist:(MP3, follow the links below for hi-fi versions of these tracks)
1) by the flesh by Psychic Enemies Network from P.E.N.
2) Étude for Six Mirrored Hands
3) Bitter Cross by A.O.S. from Rip It Up
4) Creepin' Man by The Jonny Cats from Ode to Sergio
5) And Then Aliens Invaded from Space by Swayback from Outer Space Tonight
6) garden shed by Dustdevil & Crow from while speaking softly you can hear the insects sing
7) Browse by Choke from the Eponymous EP
8) Daymare by aboombong from asynchronic
9) Come Crumbling by Psychic Enemies Network from Valis
10) From Cracked and Bloodied Fingers by aboombong from amnemonic
11) 3 Bells Gone by Azwarm from A Morning's Work

Friend of the Show: Elephant (A Reunion) + an early Halloween mix

Elephant was the big thing in Albuquerque back when Choke was getting together. Elephant was still the big thing in Albuquerque years later when The Jonny Cats and Waltz Bop Shop were getting together. 'Bout that time I was in Grad school with rock goddess Christina. Now she's an awesome photographer and still writes great songs (I'll post some soon). Elephant reformed for a benefit show last week. Wish I could've been there. Here's the last two songs (more here, and here, and here, and here, and here).



And in Halloween news: the aboombong track Forsaken from asynchronic is the opener on this halloween mix...check it out.

Darkchasmsandphantasmsmix by Chelonian on Mixcloud

Some hype: amnemonic, thanks 4 helping spread the word

Reaction to amnemonic has been encouraging.
I thought it was time to pass along some of the early hype.

Artist: aboombong
Album: amnemonic
Release date: September 11, 2010


The first review hit the webs over at The Stranger's Line out. The money quote "This is some of the most interesting, ambitious music coming out of Seattle at the moment." Humbling.

A nice feature over at Disquiet focused on Cheshiahud Loop and called it "a deep journey into Fourth World territory... a cacophony of bazaar action, all ringing bells, vibrating drums, and ritual chanting...as if some majestic parade has turned a corner. "

Estonia's Recent Music Heroes gives a very positive review (10 out of 10 rating, the highest I've spied on the site). Google translate had a hard time with the Estonian, but I had to pull this translated phrase: "then it can be concluded that the publication was completed around the monster floating on the harmonious (misjärel võib tõdeda, et lõppenud üllitis oli kõikjal hõljuv harmooniline monstrum)." I like the image (UPDATE: Translated version of the review is here).

geometria innamorata calls it "musical matter, like a flow, oriented by alchemy....original and wild. Orient and Occident are superposed in an origami of earth, wind, and thunder." Dying For Bad Music calls it "heavy listening." The Sound of Eye, calls it "an untamed collusion of the finest noise, concrète and ambient soundscapes."

The Sirens Sound, continues their strong support for aboombong calling it "another weird and freaking[ly] SPLENDID LISTEN where experimental-drone boundaries are reached and breached. EXCEPTIONAL title."

Thanks to Nadia for a nice review over at the couch sessions who calls it "full blown musical freedom."

And check out this short film featuring the opening minutes of Cromsby Grovernor's Jujujaiponmolam.

Also thanks to Disruptive Platypus, Living Exposed, ,& Exile on Moan Street for helping to spread the word. It is only through support like this that a zero budget DIY project like aboombong will ever get heard. Truly appreciated.

UPDATE2.3: There's this Hungarian review that has been sending over a lot of business. And action_jackson says "after listening to it again and again, I knew that this music would accompany me from now on...if you don't know aboombong by now, it's high time to dive into his great music." And, of course, the hype for asynchronic continues with a new review up at Visotactile Symphony...along side a nice collection musical cohorts. AND I don't know how I missed this one, but here's a nice review of Psychic Enemies Network from Wine, Women, and Song.

As with all the aboombong releases, this one is available for download from bandcamp in a variety of formats (including lossless formats) and you can name your own price (no minimum). Please note that there is a special limited edition bonus track available for the first 200 folks who name a price of $5 or more over at bandcamp, or donate (from the button below) $5 or more to Pen & Mallet. I will email you a unique, one-time use download code with instructions for retrieving your bonus track in gratitude for your support.

A note on changes at bandcamp. Bandcamp now limits the number of free downloads that an artist can offer and has begun a profit sharing plan (whereby they take a share of the artist's profit). These are both good for bandcamp, a service I strongly support, but it means that when you decide to support aboombong, some of your money will go to bandcamp and some of it will have to go to support continued "name your price with no minimum" for works by aboombong, azwarm, and psychic enemies network ($20 will support 1000 additional free downloads). If you want all of your money to go directly to me (minus a small paypal fee), use the donate button below. I'll still send you the download code for the bonus track for any donation of $5 or more.

amnemonic, dustdevil & crow: what I did for summer vacation

This summer has been a particularly enjoyable and productive one. While completing the azwarm album and the boom dispenser remixs project (as I have mentioned previously), I was honored to be asked to collaborate on the newest Dustdevil & Crow album, while speaking softly you can hear the insects sing. It was completed recently and is now available on the Free Music Archive. I have also added amnemonic over at the FMA (HERE). The FMA is a great resource, chock full of amazing music with easy access to high-quality MP3's. It also allows you to create custom mixes with an easy to use interface. I have created a mix with both while speaking softly you can hear the insects sing and amnemonic that will allow you to listen to or download both albums in one click. You can also easily embed this player or send it to your friends to help us get the word out (always much appreciated).


For those audiophiles out there who are looking for lossless versions of either of these albums, well, of course, they are available. Bendle has put both Dustdevil & Crow albums up at his bandcamp page for free (along with lots of other goodies), and, of course, all the aboombong releases are available in lossless formats on bandcamp (name your price) as well. Don't forget that I will email a special access code to anyone naming a price of $5 or more that is good for limited edition bonus material from amnemonic. You can also get access to this bonus material by donating directly using the "donate" buttons here at Pen & Mallet, or the "tip the artist" button at the Free Music Archive.

UPDATE2.1: Thanks to Dying For Bad Music and The Couch Sessions for helping to spread the word. And check out this short film featuring the opening minutes of Cromsby Grovernor's Jujujaiponmolam. Also a NSFW friend of the show note: Swellco & Swellco are getting some notice for exposing the underbelly (and more, much more) of the city that loves you back.

aboombong - amnemonic (the new album)

The new one is here. Start spreading the word.

Artist: aboombong
Album: amnemonic
Release date: September 11, 2010


Style(s): afro-asian noise, post-rock shoegaze, musique concrète, minimalism, noise, drone, post-punk.
Toys: amplified tongue drum, Turkish darbuka, New Mexican wooden-headed goblet drum, Igbo Ekwe (two tone log slit drum), Ibo Ekpiri shaker, Vietnamese jack fruit danmo, camel bells, elephant bells, goat bells, 16-tine Thai temple bell, Mimi's souvenir travel bells collection, Trinidadian tenor steelpan, 5-string table-top electric guitar, Kawai K3, one-man-army chants, Stylophone S1 orchestra, harmonica, drum kit.

Tracklist:
1) Cheshiahud Loop
2) From Cracked and Bloodied Fingers
3) Cromsby Grovernor Worthington's Jujujaiponmolam
4) Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan, & Wang Hongwen in Dahomey
5) Noon

"Restrained" would not be a good word to use to describe this one.

As with all the aboombong releases, this one is available for download from bandcamp in a variety of formats (including lossless formats) and you can name your own price. Please note that there is a special limited edition bonus track available for the first 200 folks who name a price of $5 or more over at bandcamp, or donate (from the button below) $5 or more to Pen & Mallet. I will email you a unique, one-time use download code with instructions for retrieving your bonus track in gratitude for your support (which goes directly to pay for things like drum sticks, guitar strings, cables, distribution, and an occasional bowl of Phở).

UPDATE: in a totally uncoordinated coincidence, the new dustdevil & crow, while speaking softly you can hear the insects sing is also out. It was a real honor to be invited to work on this one. Check it out and spread the word.
UPDATE2.7: The first review of amnemonic is in and it made me blush. Now featured over at Disquiet with some very positive words. Also thanks to Nadia for a nice review over at the couch sessions and to Estonia's Recent Music Heroes for a very positive(?) review (google translate had a hard time with the Estonian, but I see a rating of 10.0 and lots of nice phrases scattered throughout) ; and thanks to Disruptive Platypus, Dying For Bad Music, Living Exposed, The Sound of Eye, The Sirens Sound, geometria innamorata, & Exile on Moan Street for helping to spread the word. The latest review of "asynchronic" over at rym deserves mention as well (by Ily, August 14th).

Drag Along Behind and Urban Photography

Another quickee
The tune Drag Along Behind from asynchronic is featured in a nice video over at Living Exposed.

Check it out:

Two Minutes: Neil Johnson and Urban Photography - Living Exposed from Living Exposed on Vimeo.

UPDATE: Just found a review that google translate tells me is quite positive over at ondarock. "Non fate l’errore di perdervi questo primo, grande dispaccio."

Roots: Eric Hisaw

When I was a kid I spent many a summer on my grandfather's cattle ranch in Oklahoma. One summer when I was about 12 or 13 I remember going to a farm auction and there being a western swing trio tucked in the corner of the large metal barn beside a large combine while neighbors and strangers stoically examined the detritus of a family's crumbling business, looking for a deal. The strange combination of melancholy and perseverance that permeated the scene and the music stuck with me and changed my perspective on western music, which I had not really had much use for up to that point. As an adult I have been in several bands that played some variant of western-tinged music, the most successful being cowpunkers The Jonny Cats. Today's featured Friend of the Show artist, Eric Hisaw, is the man from the circle of Jonny Cat friends who, to my mind, most influenced The Jonny Cats' particular take on American roots music. He's the real deal...a true American troubadour with a deep sense of the musical tradition that permeates the Southwestern United States. He's now active on the very vital music scene in his adopted home of Austin Texas. You can check out a selection of his songs over at reverbnation.








You can, of course, hear/download The Jonny Cats at the internet archive.


In aboombong news: The new album is sequenced, and with some artwork and a few final touches should be available soon. Stay tuned. Also, shout out to The Light That Failed who has featured songs from asynchronic and aboombong along side a host of other cool underground music.

egyptian hip hop's daymare

A quick one. Just ran across this mix over at mixcloud featuring daymare from asynchronic.
Check it out here.

Egyptian Hip Hop - Eyoe Radio - Live At Field Day by Eatyourownears on Mixcloud

Although trying to stick to the theme of music only having Field and Day in the title EHH are another young band displaying a vast knowledge of good taste of music past and present, here is an hour of tunes selected by Egyptian Hip Hop recorded live for Eat Your own Ears Radio live at Field Day festival 2010

Tracklist / Chapters
Hard Boiled Babe-Lucy Mercier Descloux
Aboombong-Daymare
Unknown Artist- Blue Basket
Brian Eno-Deep Blue Day
Earth-Miami Morning
William Onyeabor-When The Going Is Smooth & Good
Black Moth Super Rainbow-Falling Through A Field
Kelp-Quick Broken Harp
Madlib-Indian Hump
Uknown-Unknown
Lucy Dragons-I Keep Waiting For Earthquakes
Fondation-Effervescence
6-05- Fantomas

Madrotter: Indonesian Beats

I am sure that a good number of Pen & Mallet readers are regulars over at the amazing Madrotter blog where the mad Dutchman and friend of the show shares his vast collection of Indonesia vinyl with the world. If you always wondered what the difference between Jaipong, Gambus, and Dangdut was, there is no better place to explore and find out for yourself. And don't forget to check out the Indonesian twee pop, funk, disco, rock & roll, prog-rock, metal, hip-hop, electronica and other madness regularly posted.

Well, Madrotter is himself an excellent musician and recently shared a treasure chest of his own music (here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here), so I thought I would help spread the word. He was kind enough to let me post a mix of my favorites. Check it out below.



You can get this mix here: http://www.archive.org/details/MadrotterPenMalletMix.

In aboombong news, the new album is nearly sequenced and should be ready for a late August release and Michael is working on post-production to get the new dustdevil & crow out the door soon.

The Oil Man - Slow Mohicans (for BP)

This one from Slow Mohicans came up on the iPod while I was reading the headlines.
It sums up my feelings about BP (Bastard Petrol) pretty well.

The Oil Man - Slow Mohicans (click to listen)

Teach it to the crowd at your next march.

Odds & Ends

Just some quick updates and heads-ups to hold ya'll over 'til the next round of new releases.

1) The Siren's Sound recently featured Choke's eponymous E.P. along with some kind words after previously giving props to the Boom Dispenser remixs and to azwarm's first. UPDATE: also, Boom Dispenser is currently featured at geometria innamorata while Daymare is featured over at Anti-Gravity Bunny and a nice review of asynchronic has shown up over at Beyond the Valley of Ultrahits and A Chronic Groove Feeder is being featured over at All, Everyone, United. For the DIY musician, word of mouth from our kind supporters is invaluable and this help with promotion of our work is much appreciated.

2) 3 Bells Gone from azwarm now included in a nice mix over at Subversion. Take a listen to some other excellent ambient music mixes while you're there.

3) The next dustdevil & crow is coming along nicely with aboombong contributing drums/percussion, drones, keys & guitar alongside a host of other talented guests. You can wet your appetite on the first release over at the FMA, or listen to bendle's solo work on bandcamp.

4) New azwarm and new aboombong are both in the works with summer release dates very likely.

In the meantime: here's a little video from Fez Dispenser's grandpa Mr. Griddles - this one's called "Grand Central." (Buy Mr. Griddles here).

Free Music Archive Updates

I just did a large update to the aboombong artist page over at the Free Music Archive. Along with asynchronic, the FMA now hosts Boom Dispenser remixs: A Chronic Groove Feeder, as well as all of the ¡para!helion albums. Of course, FMA downloads are MP3 only. If you are interested in lossless versions of these albums, go to aboombong's Bandcamp page, or the ¡para!helion pages over at the Internet Archive (here, here, here, & here). As a preview of the FMA updates, here's a quick FMA mix of tracks off of each of the newly uploaded albums.


I have also added a"Tip The Artist" link to the FMA page for those of you who feel inclined to support the work here at Pen & Mallet monetarily. Or you can just use the "Donate" buttons here at Pen & Mallet (like the one below). Of course, word of mouth is as powerful a support for a DIY artist as cash, so if you like any of the music you find here, please spread the word. Your friends and followers all know you have great taste. (^_~)

A final note: The FMA feature of Drag Along Behind in Ten Tracks to Sync Volume 2 has led to several people incorporating it into their own creations. Updates with links to video & audio are available on the previous Pen & Mallet post related to TTSV. Check 'em out and leave the creators a comment.

Boom Dispenser remixs: A Chronic Groove Feeder

Artist: Boom Dispenser
Album:Boom Dispenser remixs: A Chronic Groove Feeder
Style: acid jazz, trip bop, minimalism, noise, drone, dark ambient
Release: May 15th, 2010
Players: Fez Dispenser remixs aboombong; aboombong remixs Fez Dispenser
Available in a variety of formats from http://aboombong.bandcamp.com (set your own price)



A sonic sibling rivalry. Enjoy. Start spreading the word (^_^) !!!

Original Tracks from the albums "asynchronic" by aboombong and "high bottom groove feeder" by Fez Dispenser - available at: http://aboombong.bandcamp.com/album/asynchronic & http://fezdispenser.com/

azwarm: a morning's work

A couple of long ambient improvisations made with bells and pans.
Artist: azwarm
Album: a morning's work
Style: ambient, drone, musique concrète, minimalism, noise
Release: April 24th 2010
Players: me - ringing metal objects, manipulation.
Available in a variety of formats from http://azwarm.bandcamp.com (set your own price)


UPDATE: 3 Bells Gone now included in a nice mix over at Subversion.

Psychic Enemies Network: a fez bong boom dispenser

It seems that about every 10 years, my brother and I get involved in a musical collaboration of some type. In the late 80's it was AOS. In the late 90's it was Psychic Enemies Network. Now, ten years later, we're just putting finishing touches on a new release (Fez Dispenser remixs aboombong; aboombong remixs Fez Dispenser) . As a teaser while we master the new album , we've decided to update the first Psychic Enemies Network release by offering it up for lossless download over at bandcamp with a couple of bonus cuts.

Psychic Enemies Network was, in many ways, the gate-way project for both aboombong and Fez Dispenser. Fez Dispenser grew out of the track "Bowl Cut" from Psychic Enemies' second release Valis, while the seeds of aboombong were planted, methinks, on a couple of tracks from the first album: "of so many" and "in its streets." For this re-release I've revisited "in its streets" by having aboombong do an extended remix of the track. Of course, you can still buy a physical CD of the original release if you want to party like it's 1999. Stayed tuned for the remix album and other goodies coming soon.

Artist: psychic enemies network
Album: P.E.N.
Style: ambient
Release: 1998
Players: my brother & me - guitar, electronics, tapes, loops, percussion
Available in a variety of formats from http://psychicenemiesnetwork.bandcamp.com/ (set your own price)