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).

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)

aboombong in the news

The number of reviews to asynchronic has reached a point that I thought it was worth a post to acknowledge the positive support the album has received so far. I have been updating these on the original post, but thought I could highlight them here.

The first review of asynchronic was posted over at My Little Bubble. Check it out and then have a look around one of my favorite blogs.

This was quickly followed by a nice comment and link over at YoungMossTongue - the man behind DUSTdevils ... check out his latest, "DUSTdevil & Crow". It is great stuff (this also has led to a collaboration, now in the works).

Dogs Can Read Your Mind posted links to both aboombong albums including them alongside a load of other DIY artists you should check out.

Fellow DIY musician deadwhitehorse posted a very nice review on his blog geometria innamorata...check out his music while you are there (or at his new blog).

This was followed by very enthusiastic review at post-rock mecca TheSirenSound, posting on Make Noise!, Dayvan Zombear, and positive and raucous review over at Hate R'n'B.

Jason from the Free Music Archive then added asynchronic to the FMA and has included it on his radio show. This was followed by another nice review over at the brand spanking new blog Hype Light.

Leading up to today for the first local coverage in Seattle on The Stranger's music blog, Line-Out.

If you haven't had a chance yet, check out asynchronic on bandcamp, where it is available in Flac, MP3, and just about any other digital format you might prefer (set your own price).

Truly much more of a response than I expected.

Update: now also reviewed at the mighty Snap Crackle & Pop...alongside some of the best music on the web. Also featured at Hot On The Heels of Love. Ran across a very nice review of asynchronic over at Shot By Both Sides , looks like a good place to find new music.

aboombong - asynchronic

Artist: aboombong
Album: asynchronic
Release date: January 2010

Style(s): afro-ambient noise, musique concrète, minimalism, experimental
Toys: field recording, split bamboo marimba, Turkish darbuka, Punjabi ektara, Vietnamese jack fruit danmo, camel bells, elephant bells, goat bells, bone cymbal mallets, Trinidadian tenor steelpan, homemade surdo, piano, 5-string prepared electric guitar, Kawai K3, sequencer, effects, tape-manipulation, drum kit.
Tracklist:
1) never been to Konono
2) ritualistique
3) jericho
4) daymare
5) forsaken
6) drag along behind

Trumpet on jericho by Dave Chapman (from ¡para!helion) is an outtake from the valis recording sessions.

This one was a blast to make.
A DIM* soundtrack to the no-budget films in my head.
Not sure what that says about my head, but I hope you enjoy the ride.

*Do-it-myself

UPDATE (s): a very kind review of asynchronic is posted over at My Little Bubble. Check it out and then have a look around one of my favorite blogs. Also, posted with a nice comment over at YoungMossTongue - the man behind DUSTdevils ... check out his latest, it is great stuff. Also now featured over at Dogs Can Read Your Mind along with a load of other DIY artists you should check out. A very nice review from deadwhitehorse is now at geometria innamorata...check out his music while you are there (or at his new blog). Now available at Last.fm for those who use it. A very enthusiastic review now up at TheSirenSound...join the discussion. Also now posted at Make Noise! Go look around. Another nice review over at Hate R'n'B - along side a great mish-mash of underground culture. Jason just added asynchronic to the Free Music Archive. And aboombong has now officially hit the airwaves (and in the big apple nonetheless). Another nice review over at the brand spanking new blog Hype Light. Also now available on Altsounds drop by and vote for aboombong. A new review now out on Seattle's The Stranger's music blog. Now also reviewed at the mighty Snap Crackle & Pop...alongside some of the best music on the web. Also featured at Hot On The Heels of Love. Ran across a very nice review of asynchronic over at Shot By Both Sides , looks like a good place to find new music. And Babelfish tells me this review is positive and eloquent. Also at Kalachakra with some nice comments, and asynchronic has even crept into the political discourse at analytic analeptic, if you haven't heard it yet, you should check out this political pundits music. If for some reason you don't want to get it direct from me (set your own price), asynchronic is now available through Napster, Songorilla, iTunes, Amazon, and will be showing up in your favorite download store soon....

To start the year off I thought I would post a round-up of last year's major music posts

ABOOMBONG: asynchronic
ABOOMBONG: aboombong
¡para!helion: Midaq Alley
¡para!helion: 3 Miles From Mecca
¡para!helion: >3
¡para!helion: Fourth: When Technology Fails
Waltz Bop Shop: All My Idears are Flawed in Sum Way + Quartet
Waltz Bop Shop: Name Dropping at Angela's and Melting
Waltz Bop Shop: All my idears are played live today
Waltz Bop Shop: A whisper in the airwaves
Choke: Choke (e.p.)
Choke: Hard to Swallow
Choke: Gauze/Total Reverence
The Jonny Cats: Last- Ode to Sergio
Swayback: Outer Space Tonight
AOS: Rip It up! + live tracks
AOS: live and Raw in the Pit also (some cleaned-up live tracks)
[redacted]: left blank
Super Naam: two rough cuts of two tracks
DJJ: Throw it out there, not away
Icastico: The Build-your-own-ambient-Sundae bar
Psychic Enemies Network: Valis (with bonus tracks)
Psychic Enemies Network: P.E.N. (with bonus tracks)

Most of these links will allow you to download in FLAC, MP3 and Ogg Vorbis. Let me know if you have a request for a FLAC/WAV version of any of the other MP3 only files.

A.O.S. - Live and Raw in The Pit

This one was recorded in the summer of 1988 at New Mexico State University's Corbett Center "Pit" Amphitheater. It was also one of the first performances to include an AOS stage show. Dubbed something like "At home with A.O.S.," we brought all the furniture from the living room of our house, set it up on stage, and spent the day watching T.V. & hanging out. Seemed like a good idea at the time, at least until the Las Cruces sun decided to start cooking the concrete on all sides of us. By show time the temperature on stage was over 110. As we played I was sweating so profusely that puddles of perspiration were forming on my drums, sending up a dramatic splash each time I hit them. Sponsored by KRUX, the NMSU student radio station, there is a video of this performance floating around. If David ever decides to digitize his copy and upload it, I'll be sure to post it here.

Available today are two versions of a recording that my old roommate Marc provided to me recently (thanks tons Marc). First up are the raw .wav files of original AOS songs from his cassette-rip of the concert. These are followed by a selection of tracks that my brother ran through pro-tools for some noise reduction and equalization. They are posted as separate albums on the internet archive. Take your pick. Enjoy.

Album: A.O.S. - Raw in the Pit: (wav, FLAC, mp3, Ogg Vorbis)
Recorded: Summer of 1988
Players:
Raul Dorn - vox (see some of his paintings here)
David Lamb - Bass
Matt Thorne - Guitar
Me - trap set

Raw tracks:

1) 667
2) Rhyme of the Reason
3) That's My Heart
4) Southern Romance Song
5) Laughing
6) Bad Brick
7) Mary Mary in the Lavender Pumps
8) Confession Time
9) Robert
10) I can hear the monsters
11) The Graveyard Song
12) Rip It Up
13) Core Canto

Cleaned up selections (mp3, ogg vorbis):

1) 667
2) That's My Heart
3) Southern Romance Song
4) Laughing
5) Bad Brick
6) Mary Mary in the Lavender Pumps
7) Confession Time
8) Robert
9) Rip It Up
10)Core Canto

[redacted] - left blank

[redacted] recorded this 3 songer earlier this year with Scott Colburn (of Jabon and Sun City Girls fame). It is available (name your price) in a variety of formats over at bandcamp.com
Album: Left Blank
Players:
Will - Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards, Trumpet
Kaley - bass
Jason - guitar (also check out Red Stars Theory)
me -trap set, toy dumbek

Friends of the show: Dirt Communion

Well, I still haven't worked out the cassette deck situation, so I will take this as a sign and post some friends of the show. Dirt Communion is one of the projects my old roommate Mark (aka. Mister Vague) is currently involved with. If there is any justice in the world, they will be hosting headbangers ball before the year is out. Act now and get a piece of the next big thing.



More from Mark to follow. And a special treat for AOS fans is in the works.

Etude for Six Mirrored Hands

Music: Étude for Six Mirrored Hands
Recorded 2000
Players:
Yoko Ortega, Piano
Me, tape-manipulations


My collaborator on today's post, Yoko Ortega has, perhaps, the most cinematic life-story of anyone I've known. A Hiroshima survivor, Yoko grew up to be a radio and television celebrity in Japan with one of the country's first unscripted talk shows, and a million selling children's album (Yoko described it as "The Japanese Snow White" with Yoko singing the part of "Snow White" - I had hoped to post some excerpts, but, alas, I seem to have misplaced my copy and can't find a sign of it on the web). From what she showed me in her clip-book, Yoko's image was apparently a common sight in magazine and TV advertisements, and she told me she received a good bit of criticism in her day for her flamboyant fashion sense and the "too-outspoken" attitudes she displayed in her talk show. In the midst of her fame and fortune, Yoko met and married an American soldier from New Mexico and moved from the flash and glitter of her Tokoyo life to a small town in northern New Mexico, where her limited English didn't do much to help her communicate with her Spanish speaking neighbors. When I met her, she was teaching children with disabilities in an elementary school in Albuquerque and, despite being old enough to retire, was, instead, completing her Master's Degree. Much beloved by her students, Yoko used music (and her insider access to real Japanese Pokemon cards) to motivate her students to find their own talents and show them to the world.

In the years since this was recorded, I have lost contact with Yoko, so she has never heard the completed piece. The song was designed to be played 3 times independently: once on piano, once with a string quartet, and once with a brass quartet. Each performance was to be played without hearing the other performances and then all three were to be superimposed onto each other. This would allow slight differences in tempo (particularly during the long rests sprinkled throughout) to interleave the melody and make it more and more chaotic as the piece progressed. These 3 takes were then to be superimposed again over a quieter mirrored recording of themselves. I have never managed to organize the recordings of the chamber groups, so this is a rough sketch of the piece based on Yoko's piano performances. Listening to it, I think I may revisit the piece and see if I can complete it as intended. The sound quality suffers a bit from the quick and dirty tape manipulations, but adds a certain atmosphere that I like. I picture this as the soundtrack to a grainy silent film, perhaps Nosferatu.

Enjoy. Up next, more experimental pieces from the New Mexico State University Experimental Music Laboratory.

¡para!helion-Fourth: when technology fails

This is the final ¡para!helion release here at Pen & Mallet. Due to human errors and technology failures, these tracks needed some significant work to remove unwanted clipping, digital feedback, and other nastiness. There are still some minor cracks, pops, skips, and screeches on the record. I think the music holds up, however, despite the rawer audio quality. These tracks come from the same sessions as greater than 3, so they include the trio plus some additional players here and there. Available wav, flac, ogg vorbis, mp3. Enjoy.

Album: Fourth: when technology fails
Style: late night dream states
Recorded summer 1999, improvised live to two track.
Players:
Dave C- Trumpet, effects, percussion
Jeff K- Electric Balilaika, effects
me- Clay Djemba, acoustic bass
Chris & co. - Djemba, additional percussion


Tracklisting:
1) Destroy!
2) From 11 to 6 to 3
3) Ring Modulator (echoplex)
4) String Drum

UPDATE: I have updated a previous post to make it easier to find all of the "lossless" posts now available on Pen & Mallet. You can, of course, search by genre, date, band name, or click on the "FLAC" tag as well.
UPDATE: This record is featured over at undomondo. They've got a lot going on over there. Worth checking out. Drop by and vote for ¡para!helion.

Wil Gira: Math Rock from WBS guitarist Keif Henley

Wil Gira was a band Keif put together in the final years of Waltz Bop Shop. This is a recording of a show that I recorded for them at a house party they played with WBS (see last post for a WBS song from that party).

Artist: Wil Gira
Album: Live on Arno
Players:
Jeff G - Bass
Mike D - Drums
Joey F - Trombone
Keif H - Guitar


Tracklist:
1)Fellini Circus
2)Herpetology
3)In the Dancing Cage
4)Next

Jeff G is also featured below in DJJ. He tells me that this is the only recorded version of In the Dancing Cage. Available in WAV, FLAC,Ogg Vorbis, MP3. Enjoy.

Waltz Bop Shop: Name Dropping at Angela's and Melting

Today we have the final two tracks that will be posted from Waltz Bop Shop (although there is a concert on video tape that I might take the time to digitize at some point). The first song, And Melting was recorded at a house party in my living room (stay tuned for more from Wil Gira, who also played). The other is an A Capella version of Name Dropping At Angela's that Jenette recorded at my house in the mountains after Waltz Bop Shop had broken up. The spoken word piece overdubbed onto And Melting was recorded on the same day and is a reading of an excerpt from a short story I published in the mid 90's.

Release: Two Tracks, one recorded live at a house party (199?).
The Players:
Keif Henley on Guitar
Rodney Cupp on Bass
Me -Drum kit
Jenette Isaacson on vocals/spoken word.
Spoken word on "And Melting" overdubbed later...


Track List:
1) And Melting
2) Name Dropping At Angela's (A Capella Mix)

Enjoy.

Choke: Hard to Swallow- 4-track demos

I have been in a lot of loud bands. Although it is not readily apparent from the recordings the band put out, Choke was easily the loudest. In the last post on the band, I noted that there were some tracks missing from the Gauze/Total Reverence cassettes due to my copies being destroyed. Well, I have tracked down a DAT that includes some demos we sent to my brother prior to the recording session for the eponymous e.p. It contained rough mixes of the missing tracks. These all ended up on the e.p., but these 4-track versions give a better sense of what Choke was like as a live band. I have also added a straight to ghetto-blaster track that I like - a catchy little punk-ish diddy [update: Grant tells me it is called "Pine-Sol"]. To me, Choke wears its influences on its sleeve with these cuts- equal parts Stone Roses, Cocteau Twins, Big Black and Ritual Tension. But I am hardly an objective listener. Anyway, here they are (flac, ogg vorbis, MP3). Enjoy.

The players:
David Liso- guitar, vocals
Grant Garner - bass
Matt Sneddon - guitar
me - drum kit, hammond organ, headphone feedback.

Choke: Hard to Swallow-4-track Demos

Track list:
1) Browse (scraping nails mix)
2) Barcelona (jet set)
3) Alexander Orchid (Hammond Mix)
4) Pine-Sol

¡para!helion: >3 (never released material)

Album: >3
Style: high altitude meditations
Improvised and recorded live to two track summer of 1999
Players:
Dave- Trumpet, effects, percussion
Jeff - Electric Balilaika, effects
me- African Kettle Drums, Dumbek, Clay Djemba, 1940's wooden field snare, clanks, mic stand gooseneck, booms, crashes, & scrapes.
Chris & co. - Djemba, additional percussion

Of all the music I have posted here at Pen & Mallet, the two ¡para!helion releases are the ones that I personally listen to the most often. I have always chalked that up to the fact that ¡para!helion's music was all improvised. None of the overlearning under a critical ear that goes into creating and perfecting composed songs goes into the creation of improvised music, so, for me, it feels easier to listen to the songs as music, rather than as a product of my ego. In other words, it's easier to let go and hear the songs as songs without being critical of my own performance or wishing I had one more take to move the song closer to the ideal version that I carry around in my head.

Of course, ¡para!helion has been duking it out with Waltz Bop Shop for the most downloaded music at Pen & Mallet, so maybe I like them 'cuz they're good records. Hard to tell.

Anyway, today we have 6 never released songs taken from the Midaq Alley and 3 Miles from Mecca sessions. At the time we put those two releases together, these didn't make the cut primarily due to non-musical issues like less-than-ideal microphone placement, or minor equipment failures. After 10 years not hearing these, I don't find that those issues hurt these tracks much at all, so I thought I would share them.

Several of these tracks include additional players beyond the trio including ¡para!helion's original drummer, Chris (iirc) and a gang of percussionist he brought over for one or two of our night recording sessions. Track's one and two come from the very last ¡para!helion session, with Ghazna being the last song we ever recorded.

All files are available in lossless Flac, Ogg Vorbis as well as Mp3 from the internet archive.



Tracklist (player plays all six tracks):
1) Chabolo
2) Ghazna
3) Bactra
4) Haraiva
5) Lampaka
6) Nagarahara

vast active living intelligent system

Cdbaby is a great company. They have done a lot to make it easier for artists to release their own material. As is apparent from their name, however, they are really about selling CD's. Their support for on-line, digital releases is pretty bare bones. Ever since we ran out of hard-copies of valis, it has bothered me that the only format available was mp3. I have decided to rectify that situation. As of today, valis is now available in a variety of lossless formats over at bandcamp.com...To entice you further, I have included some bonus material.

Ambient soundtracks for your portable cortical theatre. Enjoy.

Artist: psychic enemies network
Album: valis
Style: ambient
Release: 2000
Players: my brother & me - guitar, electronics, tapes, loops, percussion
Available in a variety of formats from http://psychicenemiesnetwork.bandcamp.com/ (set your own price)




This album is still, of course, available at CDbaby, on itunes, and through various other on-line sources.

aboombong: ambientrance dub-dozen

Artist: aboombong
Album: aboombong
Style: ambientrance dub soundscapes
Release: June, 2009
Players: all me* - electronics, tapes, percussion
Available in a variety of formats from http://aboombong.bandcamp.com/ (set your own price)



Tracklist:
1. a
2. ab
3. abo
4. aboo
5. aboom
6. aboomb
7. aboombo
8. aboombon
9. aboombong
10. 3 Days 'til Sunrise (aboombong mix)
11. gnobmooba
12. birds

*aboom contains samples from Waltz Bop Shop and gnobmooba contains samples from ¡para!helion. Narrative in 3 Days 'til Sunrise recorded off of public radio in the late 1990's.

Update: Now on imeem & Last.fm
Update: Wow! aboombong is featured in this week's independent music discoveries (issue-13) over at A Future in Noise. Thanks Marilyn (^_^)
Update: Now also available at the great Dogs Can Read Your Mind blog along with lots of other ambient/drone/experimental music. Check it out.

Serving up FLAC all day

As promised, lossless FLAC versions of recordings posted here at Pen & Mallet.

ABOOMBONG: aboombong
Waltz Bop Shop: All My Idears are Flawed in Sum Way + Quartet
Waltz Bop Shop: Name Dropping at Angela's and Melting
Choke: Choke (e.p.)
Choke: Hard to Swallow
Choke: (video) Live AIDS benefit Show
The Jonny Cats: Last- Ode to Sergio
Swayback: Outer Space Tonight
AOS: Rip It up! + live tracks
Psychic Enemies Network: Valis (with bonus tracks)

These links will, of course, also allow you to download in MP3 and Ogg Vorbis. Let me know if you have a request for a FLAC version of any of the other files already posted.