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.

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).