The new unconventional periodical publication Cosmic Wonder Free Press was produced to lay out the three projects with visuals. It is the first in a series of special collaborations between Cosmic Wonder and Nieves. Cosmic Wonder Free Press will be published with free pace and free format as its title suggests.
Daddy IV, $15
Launched by Javier Peres in February 2007, published quarterly by Peres Projects Holdings Ltd, Andorra in limited editions of only 2000 copies made just for YOU! Guest edited by Franz West, softcover, 186 pages.
Bend the Void, Geoff McFetridge, $14
From poetry to animation, from graphics to 3D work, from textile and wallpaper to paintings, graphic artist Geoff McFetridge has complete control over these widely divergent disciplines. In the past ten years, Los Angeles-based McFetridge has created in his free work and in his commissions a unique imagery, which is detailed and abstract at the same time.
Textfield V, $15
Fifth issue of Jonathan Maghen's L.A.-based conceptual design and arts magazine. Contributors include Stuart Bailey, Nakako Hayashi, Eduardo Sarabia, Amy Yao, Manuel Raeder, Emily Mast, Oumi, Slobodan Milosevic, and more.
Softcover, black & white, 6.5" x 9.5", 128 pages, 2006.
Rabbit and Turtle, Yukari Miyagi, $20
Tokyo based Yukari Miyagi (1965) is a prolific and talented freelance illustrator, with a very elegant and distinctive, almost child-like style. In the last few years Miyagi's dreamy illustrations became a constant presence in Japanese magazines, books as well as international publications.
Illnesstrations, Mike Taylor, $5.50
Screen-printed zine about celebrity dietary restrictions, slow film, skateboarding, feminisms, hip hop, police love, pregnancy, and punk as social control, relatives (and how to treat them), fantastic desserts, Philip K. Dick, the Internet, wars over water, gardening, class issues, casual poetry, finance, pretending to be poor, and pretending to be nice. Printed January 2008 in Providence, RI.
Night Mewves, Beau LaBute, $8
The work of Beau LaBute (Welland, Canada. 1977) is about repetition, layering, obscuring, recombining. This becomes increasingly more evident in the pages of Night Mewves, through which pages the artist takes us for a ride into some of his newer, darker and looser drawings.
Keegan McHargue Zine, $8
Emerging San Francisco based artist Keegan McHargue (Portland, 1982) has been depicted as “a magnificent maker of intense, busily illustrated drawings and paintings that warp perspective and combine imagery more as if in a dream than in reality.
Architecture, Ari Marcopolous, $8
Zine made to accompany the exhibition of the same name at the New Orleans Museum of Art.
Foolproof Guide to Cooking a Steak, Mamiko Otsubo, $17
This exhibition catalog is two books mashed into each other. Which makes this book very affordable. The first book is a 60 page visual catalog and essay by Jennifer Gross. The other is a descriptive artist's statement on how to cook a steak in a foolproof manner, which edges in at regular intervals.
Orcas Zine, Lori D, $10
Illustrated 108 page story by Lori D(amiano) telling the humorous and action-packed tale of her epic motorcycle adventure from Vancouver B.C. to Orcas Island.
Speak Your Own Language, Glaciers of Nice , $10
Book and 7". It's a total freakfest that this book AND 7" is sold at $10! Deal City population you! Edition of 500.
Mystic Mayhem, collected and produced by Robin Newman, $4
Brand new London-based art magazine that emphasizes visual content by printing all explanatory text and credits in a separate "text" section at the end of the magazine. The result is that drawings, paintings, collages, and photographs are allowed to flow from one idea to another and from one artist to another without the distraction of an editorial voice. Contributing artists include Nina Jan Beier, Marie Jan Lund, Susan Cianciolo, Yamataka EYE, Harrell Fletcher, Brendan Fowler, Chikara Iwai, Chris Johanson, Miranda July, Jirí Kovanda, Nicola Pecoraro, Tal R, and Ben Sansbury. Contributing photographers include Hisham Akira Bharoocha, Mark Borthwick, Benjamin Deberdt, Ooki Jingu, Tuukka Kaila, Masayuki Shinoda, and Chikashi Suzuki. With writings by Shinji Chiba, Francesca Gavin, Kaoko Higashi, Kris Latocha, Paul Pieroni, Kei Sato, Simon Rigsbi-Taffelau, and Oliver Watson.
Sucking in the 70's, Jeremy Blake, $30
Jeremy Blake’s 'script' (series of scripted drawings) Sucking In the Seventies was exhibited at Recent Works, May 14th to July 1st 1999, Copenhagen. Sucking In the Seventies consists of 21 drawings.
Dedicated to the memory of Jeremy Blake and Theresa L. Duncan
What is Authority?, Henrik Olesen, $50
The writing of history, politics and culture have in the past concentrated on the male heterosexual subject. That is who we learn about in schools, history books and what we experience in the art museums and on TV. That is who has been chosen to represent our shared history. But what about all the others – where are they in the cultural landscape?
My projects have ranged over an area between art and politics, and have examined the representation of minorities within the democratic societal structure: how does legislation characterize certain social groupings and what are the consequences of these heterosexual, normalizing power structures? I have focused on identity as a mechanism of exclusion in modern histories of culture and art and for example I have analysed the representation of minorities in the archiving of art in the museums of art, and investigated the presentation of minorities in the media. These art projects have been an attempt to question the art-historical structures within the institution of culture." Henrik Olesen, January 2002.
Content and texts by:
Sabeth Buchmann: How to do Art with Information?
Bill Arning: Chris Burden’s Seedy Allure, (or how I learned to love conceptual art)Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset in conversation with Henrik Olesen: Somehow I feel that strengthening homosexual culture is more urgent than using my energy to persuade some homophobic psychopaths to be nicer, more understanding guys.Lars Erik Frank: Marginal note - The exclusion of gays and lesbians in gay-marital Denmark
Zygmunt Bauman: After the Nation-state - What?
Florian Waldvogel: Zollverein Coking Plant
Dot Dot Dot 15, Dexter Sinister, $15
Resurrection, edited by Jon Santos, $25
Resurrection is a publication that compiles images and texts created by over 50 contributers. The call for submissions asked that people "bring something back from the dead". Contributors include:
Ash Burns, Andrew Kuo, Andrew Paynter, Anton Esteban, Antonia kojuharova, Asha Schechter, Aurellio Valle, Babak Radboy, Bob Linder, Carol Taveras, Cendrine Colin, Christopher Ruess, Christian Jankowski, Dain Blodorn, Dana Kline, Daniel Jackson, David Merten, Dennis West, Emi Takahara, Eugenie Huang, Fatima Al Qadiri, Francine Spiegel, Glynnis Mcdaris, Gordon Hull, Hisham Bharoocha, Isabelle Lumpkin, Jackson Von Pfosti, Jane Virga, Jen Yazon, Jennifer Juniper Stratford, Jeremy Campbell, Jill Bradshaw, Joe Malagrio, Jon-Paul Villegas, Josh Kline, Kazumi Asamura, Ken Miller, Kim West, Kon Trubkovich, KT Auleta, Mariah Robertson, Masayo Kishi, Nathaniel Hamon / Slang International, Peter Simensky, Peter Sutherland, S.E. Nash, Shu Hung, Sue Costabile, Susannah Sayler, The Blowup, Tim Koh, Timothy Hull, Trevor Shimizu, Wes Lang, Wowch, Wyeth Hansen.
200 pp; LIMITED EDITION OF 1000
16 Months Worth of Drawing Exercises in Microsoft Excel, Danielle Aubert, $50.
Danielle Aubert creates beautiful drawings using the limitations of Microsoft Excel. Hardcover, white cloth with gold foil in an edition of 350.
A Social Event Archive # 3, Curated By David Robbins, Project by Paul Druecke, $15.
In this volume, artist/critic David Robbins curates a selection of Paul Druecke's archive of over 700 family/event photos. Edition of 500.
Appendix Appendix, Ryan Gander and Stuart Bailey, $50
A proposal for a TV series by Ryan Gander and Stuart Bailey. A Christoph Keller edition, published by JRP Ringier.
Blue Kitten Photos # 3, Deanna Templeton, $20
Deanna Templeton's third small, self-published book of photographs gleaned from her travels around the world with inside views of the skateboarding and gallery scenes, as well as the whole panoply of the human condition. Hyper limited-edition.
Death Disco, Paul Harper and Andrea Heller, $14
For Death Disco a clairvoyant was employed to contact 10 dead rock stars to find out each of their current top ten songs or pieces of music. The information received from the clairvoyant forms the content of this book.
Detroit, IE Infastructure, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, $6
Excerpt from the editor's introduction:
"Proliferation is precisely what was on the table last spring, when a group of Detroit-based artists, writers, and architects, decided to assemble and publish a cultural arts journal, reflecting things in Detroit and around the world that interested us."
Dot Dot Dot 13, Dexter Sinister, $15
Bi-annual independent art/design publication which began life as a graphic design magazine, but whose content has gradually widened to cover art, music, language, film and literature. Issue 13 includes contributions from Sven Augustijnen, Gerard Byrne, G.K. Chesteron, Heman Chong, Chris Evans, Benjamin Franklin, George Maciunas, and Emily Pethick among others.
Dot Dot Dot 14, Dexter Sinister, $16.95
Bi-annual independent art/design publication which began life as a graphic design magazine, but whose content has gradually widened to cover art, music, language, film and literature. Issue 14 includes contributions from David Reinfurt, Dmitri Siegel, Robin Kinross, Stuart Bailey, Graham Meyer, and Ryan Gander among others.
Jacking Operations, Just Let Me Find Out, This Difficult Stage and Can it Be/Act Like You Know by Ethan Swan $1 each.
If music makes you lose control THESE ZINES ARE FOR YOU!!
A literary infomerical about the frustration caused by household electronics.
High Horse # 9, Edited by Emma Jackson and Isabel Waidner, $4
The High Horse is an independent quarterly newspaper journal.
I Want to Know the Habits of Other Girls, Dewayne Slightweight, $10
Cd + oversized comic. Beautifully dense drawings and operatic electronic music.
TEMPORARILY SOLD OUT
In the Westlands, Dan Gleason, $3
A wistful tale of the wanderings within Mr.Gleason's mental meta-desert.
Betty Smocker Memorial Cookbook, The Lauren Anderson Society, $15
This book was independently pulished by The Lauren Anderson Society in memoriam Betty Smocker.
Mexican Love Story, Holly Stevenson, $14
Monograph from New York based Artist Holly Stevenson. Pulished by Nieves in conjunction with her July 2006 Show at the Riviera Gallery entitled Haunted Hallway.
Modus, concept Marina Leuenberger, $15
Published
on the occasion of the exhibition at Neue Kust Halle St. Gallen curated by globe trotting hottie, Gianni Jetzer.
The New Administration of Aesthetics, edited by Tone Hansen and Trude Iversen. $35
This publication is a continuation of the different contributions presented at the conference The New Administration of Aesthetics held in Olso in April 2006, it is an anthology that poses questions about the recent changes in the art institution.
Nobody Living Can Ever Make Me Turn Back, Ed Templeton, $20
Ed Templeton's new book. Ed and some of the guys from Emerica went on a motorcycle tour from Denver to Chicago. Pretty excellent yeah.
Partially Built Woodshed - On Robert Smithson,$5
A Scandanavian homage to Smithson, published by Torpedo on the occasion of the exhibition of the same name.
SOLD OUT
FOERSTER zine, Ryan Foerster, $3
"Juan is Columbian-Canadian. We were having a nude jumping jack contest. He did over 300 and then he moved to P.E.I."
The Colonial Issue 1, $8
Punk rock journal featuring contributions from Rick Potts, Richard Prince, Terence Koh and others.
A Little Treasury of American Birds, Sarah Anderson, $5
A beautifully assembled little field guide to our local birds...
Your Logo Here, Deanna Templeton, $20
The photographs in the book explore the phenomenon of young boys and girls getting company logos sprayed on their skin. It is from her ongoing series, "Body Logos".
Kingsboro Press Fall 2007, Co-Edited by cohorts Megan Plunkett and Daniel Wagner, $3
The second issue of The Kingsboro Press includes contributions from Alex Gartenfeld, Milano Chow, and others with a insert poster (yeah!) and new work from Scott Barry.
Scum Crew member Ren Schofield plays true to his posses title with this sludge noise opus. Pure overdriven electricity oscillates steadfastly while fighting the battle for sonic purity. SK-1 tones chug toward the cliff of oblivion demanding submission from strangled guitar strums trying to reach the surface(a cause inevitably resulting in failure). Spattering waves of crossed frequencies construct an unscalable wall of crushing distorted drones; beauty lies beneath if you can dig that deep.
Tussle, TsoWC, LP, $10
White Columns has launched a record label entitled "The Sound of White Columns" or "TSoWC" for short. The first release from The Sound of White Columns" is by the San Francisco-based band TUSSLE. One-sided, white vinyl 12" single, numbered edition of 500 copies.
Fricara Paccu, Midnight Pyre, CD, $15
Twelve instrumental blasts recorded with a 4-tracker. Compared to earlier Pacchu releases this one has more complex song structures and detailed soundscapes. Imagine Nine Inch Nails making music for a video game about vikings and you might get the idea. Yes we know, the Quake soundtrack already exists, but Midnight Pyre is more sentimental.
Howlin' Magic, The Dreaming, CD, $15
Fascinating psychedelic noisy blues by Jesse Rakusin from Santa Cruz, USA. This is what you have been waiting for if you have been waiting for the sound of shit being beaten out of a drumkit. Also in the mix: delicate keyboard studies about freedom, warped guitar melodies, solar-powered chord slamming and fuzzed out blues solo-madness. Comparable to Blue Cheer. Includes the hit 'Mac and Bloo'.
Maniac, Turku Hold'em, CD, $15
A 66 minute excerpt from a 2 hour session from 2005. Recorded in the middle of the night after christmas - the result being the most detailed mess this trio has ever made. Bella is banging the drums naked, releasing lots of skin power. Fricara is giving the bass some feedback and Hesedelic is playing guitar very, very fast.
Semimuumio, Vamos, CD, $15
Solo debut record by Jaakko Tolvi (Pymathon, Rauhanorkesteri, Lauhkeat lampaat, Kemiallset!) Mostly sample-based partybeats for children and adults, probably not for teenagers. Call it emotional, adult-oriented beat (EMO-AOB).
Sarah's Charity, Final Ocular Distortion, Cassette, $6
Mysterious mechanized mayhem; fried meditation out of Denmark. Electricity is erupted sonically, sound-based entities converted; persistently psychedelic. Naturally synthetic technology is used paradoxically as a method of coming into chimerical contact with natural forms. Dangling metallic tones drip from the mountains, gear-heavy ruminative drones amass on top of ocean, we are closer to what is real--surreal reality.
John Thill, The Sluts, Cassette, $6
The man; the legend; the dude; John Thill. With ever-expanding infinite influence, JT brings pure pop gems to the table with purely anti-pop subtexts, and this paradox is probably one of the most radicle things on earth. Raw yet filtered, "The Sluts" is a retrospective look at an incredibly maturated man; transformations captured lyrically, but on the micro- and the macro- scale. Folk that challenges the mind, the body, and the spirit; crisping lo-fi aesthetic captive in the a stream of flowing cerebrospinal in the mind of the man that should've redefined last generation. "Where did all the good men go?" Well, they are John Thill.
Southern California wave-less greats Child Pornography again bombard us with two blown up bubble-gum casio toy-punk classics that are sure to get you out of yr seat (where ever that seat may be). Flip the tape over and you'll hear the recently blown up Silver Daggers tunes with a twist, remixed by Silver Daggers front man: WKSM. The remix dynamic totally works for SD, again, you'll be busting a move one minute into this side. Really just the type of monster tape that is "A Taste of Los Angeles." Although the dudes in LA totally think this is the type of shit that ruined it. Yet, no-one can deny it's epic in proportion. After seeing this brosephine pop up on best of list's as this year came to a close, I knew it was time to re-release it in a more proper setting. In a bandanna'd full color collage that flows seamlessly throughout: you bros ready to have some fun?
Jazzfinger, King Murnam, Cassette, $6
Perpetually progressing; eventually exploring (everything), imaginative runes leave the listener lost in lull. Delicate melodica melodies paradoxically coexist with destroyed clusters of sound to create a unique, individualized entity; improvisation and composition exist together as one. Hypnotically unconstricting, "King Murnam" ceaselessly crashes on the mind; limbs begin to be controlled externally, and the clock stops. Drenching the English with drones long before it was easy to, this tape is an important document in a (legendary) decade-spanning Jazzfinger.
Social Junk, Cassette, $6
Hyper-Hypnotic; electronics that'll take you on the journey of yr life-time. An almost topographical sonic documentation of Kentucky purity: meadows of peaks and pitches drift from pillar to post. Deep in the forest, animals jam these jams at frequencies only the can perceive. Secretive strings chill in the trees, while electronics escape in the wind outside. Synchronized naturalness, has time stopped??? No, just an epic sixty-minute extroverted look inward--social gold.
Diamond Lemonade, Cassette, $6
Whether it be getting out tons of great jams vis-à-vis his Tape Tek imprint or creating tons of great jams vis-à-vis Shivers + Aosuke, Ulf Schütte has defined himself as a positive youth demigod across the way in Deutschland. With Diamond Lemonade, the bro seems to be exploring tape manipulated sonic diversity. Weaving in and out with pendulum preciseness, the jams are overwhelming; lower yr inhibitions, and you'll be instantly chilled. Melodic mystery terrorizes the left-side of yr brain, the right-side of brain relaxes in euphoria. Gear-light jams never made more sense, in individually water-colored aesthetically inebriating, HEAVY line drawn j-cards.
Gay Beast, Disrobics, LP, $10
Music for Gay Bosses who use their gayness to get more out of their gay employees. 12" vinyl record on DNT, hand-screened LP jacket w/ insert.
Gay Beast/Twin, Split, 7", $6
Gay Beast split with Olympia-based band TWIN.
Nimby, S/T, $8
Nimby is Brenden O'Keefe, Iowa City long time resident, local train hopping ripper, and general super enthusiastic supporter of the local weirdo scene. Nimby as a project is focused around a home made Tupperware trash bin synth drum kit with some pedals to back it up. This is Nimby's fist release, and features big damaged beats, blasted vocals, and a whole slew of destroyed loops and distortion, totally killer. silkscreened artwork by SDReed.
Emeralds/Quintana Roo LP, $15
"Blessed waves of beautiful sounds build and decay into perfect pieces of music. From opposing locations and opposing approaches to drone, Ohio’s Emeralds and LA’s Quintana Roo juxtapose themselves with skillful perfection. In a numbered edition of 450 emerald green LPs with printed labels and proprinted cardboard jackets with an insert all from the psyched psyche of Devon Varmega."
Oakeater, Instrusion, $6
Debut release from this Chicago trio! Comprised of Seth Sher (COUGHS), Jeremy Fisher (PANICSVILLE), and Alex Barnett (BRENT GAND IS DEAD), Oakeater builds tension of malignant proportions. Dark listening environments for late night forest foraging. Early comparisons yielded BOY DIRT CAR... their first show is included with this release (which incidentally was what bore said comparison). Limited edition of 100 copies with silk screened covers.
Eric Copeland, Hermaphrodite, LP, $13
Eric Copeland is a prominent member of New York’s Black Dice and Terrestrial Tones. For the past two years, he has amassed and twisted a variety of music and sounds, resulting in Hermaphrodite, his first proper solo album. Hopscotching a free range of structures, sources, and styles, this album is unlike any other, crossing the wires of foreign radio, space transmissions, artificial vocal ensembles, electronic street conversations and lost pop music. But these compositions don’t highlight the sound dynamics as much as they let each song shake and unfold into a very open world, continually broadening. Like a good mix tape, Hermaphrodite flips the listener with each new song, engaging them to keep up, make the connections, and, ultimately, enjoy.
David Scott Stone, David Scott Stone Plays the Modular Synth, CD, $12
A messenger of powerful noise and experimentation for the kids. David Scott Stone (aka SirDss) is a noise composer and a staple in the LA underground community. Releasing records with some of today's most amazing perfomers and collaborating live with just as many (The Locust, Melvins, Thrones, Joe Lally and many more).
PUKERS, Wretched Men and Women Angus Scrim, $6
Wretched Men And Women Were Born In Leipzig, Germany, In the summer of 1992 to a stagnant music scene that was not ready for the onslaught. Proudly self-identifying as Political Hardcore, their interpretations of both fields left many crowds stunned and completely fucked/ready to die. This tape will alter the way your brain receives information.
PUKERS, ARE YOU WEIRD?, $6
Screeching schreeeech style with powerful punches. Don't listen to this on a parabolic dome speaker, it will enter your soul and you will not like the results. Post-Post Apocalypse death jams.
SOLD OUT
PUKERS, Jagger Tour Cdr, $7
Thrash/Improv/Fucked Out Pukers Invade The U.S. trolling the slimelines. Andy Spore Of Raccoo-Oo-Oon + Gal Pal, Olga killing it for The Crucial Benefit of our Arcane Spazz Fantasies. The back of this CDR says "THIS WILL KILL YOU IF YOU LISTEN TO IT IN ONE SITTING".
Youth of the Beast, Lantern, $7
Youth of the Beast is pure primitive electronics, suffocating saxophone scrawl and epic percussion. Acting as the solo output for Raccoo-oo-oon’s Andy Spore, this record is YOTB’s first vinyl offering following up a few tapes on Night People and Fuck It Tapes. Blistering vocal screeches and mixer feedback blasts meld with stray tones as brass wails and drums are pounded. Spore is a master of channeling the spirits right into the basement where he crafts his jams, creating a captivating mass of noise and psychedelic signals crossing for a painfully beautiful 10 minutes. Breathless sax solos and massive tribal percussion interspersed throughout. The sum of all these parts is something intense, unknown; an ever evolving sonic creature as bleak as it is restless. In an edition of 315 records with EPIC xeroxed double sided/double foldover (you’ll understand it when you see it) sleeves and printed labels by Spore.
NO AGE, Every Artist Needs a Tragedy EP, $5
"The soothing opening of "Every Artist Needs a Tragedy" bleeds into a gritty garage wail, get ready". Some powerful shit coming out of Los Angeles these days.
Warmth, S/T, LP, $14
Even though Warmth main man Steev Thompson still appears to be incommunicado totally epic recordings continue to surface. Before Roxanne Jean Police was officially over and Steev still lived in Chicago, he joined up with another then Chicago resident Branden Diven of Quilts/American Grizzly Records. The jams that were created filled a couple of cdrs and the Warmth side of the split with Quintana Roo on Not Not Fun. This LP consists of a remixed and edited version of the original cdr running at just under 45 minutes. Forgotten smog floats through a Northside basement. Sounds emanate but their source is totally unrecognizable. Quiet growing tonal blobs erupt into washes of aural color. A complete union of samplers, synths, vocals, guitar, organs, percussion, and electronics merge to create the sounds contained within; a loss of individual existence. Completely serene. In an edition of 300 LPs on creamy yellow vinyl with hand stamped labels in pro-printed and screened fold over sleeves with art by Roy Tatum and an insert by Steev.
Mika Miko, 666, CD, $12
CD Version includes first 7" and bonus tracks. 13 SONGS.
Mika Miko, 666, 12" One Sided EP, $12
12" single sided EP, 6 songs, printed covers.
Subterranean League, $8
This one is total damage, psychic vampires spinning around on their heads slathering a bunch of gross cut up pedal wreckage out of maxed out PA's. SL comes straight out of Iowa City's most moist basement corners, anonymous, cult vibe, Asian twins, ready for wreckage. Dynamic, fast, psychedelic harshness, for underground lurking and poisonous raptures of the heart. Re-release of ultra limited Eager Mother cass. Silkscreened artwork by SDReed.
SOLD OUT
Changeling, Beyond the Edge of Dreams, $8
Changeling is Roy Tatum, LA based multi-instrumentalist and Buried Valley Cass. Label head, who has spent time in such groups as Black Monk and Quintana Roo, while periodically providing drum duties for other LA bands. Changeling is focused around lush ambient guitar drones that provide a lot of layered feeling in their presence. "Beyond the Edge of Dreams" has a lot of duality and contrasts in its sounds. Moving from beautiful cascades that evoke ecstatic ponderance and a life spent looking to distant peaks or shores breaks way into persistent smothering washes of synth like uneasiness leaving this listener feeling quite isolated. Either way, this is a rich listen, cinematic and airy, like early Popul Vuh at its most sorrowful. Silkscreened artwork by SDReed.
SOLD OUT
Cooper Jones/Cars, Split, $8
This split cassette captures just a little slice of the Manchester/Nottingham/Sheffield area young improv scene. Total duo action going on with this release, Sophie and Kelly kick out some epic intricate folky guitar action as Cooper Jones, and on the flip side Patrick and Pascal break on some sprawling percussion and drum storms as Cars. Lots of movement here, this is a long document, capturing the flow of what these two groups do. Silkscreened artwork by Ryan Garbage
David Jourdan and Yuji Oshima, 1%, $30
This double-CD includes all music contributions (114 sound pieces / 01:50:22) to David Jourdan and Yuji Oshima's installation for the elevators of the French ministry of Culture and Communication.
According to the French government’s 1% guidelines, one per cent of the total amount spent in the construction of any public building is to be allocated for the realization of site-specific artworks. In this context, David Jourdan and Yuji Oshima were commissioned to create a permanent installation for the new building of the ministry, 182 rue Saint-Honoré, Paris, completed in February 2005.
Every user of the elevator who presses a button participates in a game in which there is a limited number of possible actions, but a real 1% chance of winning. In short, a mere lottery. When one wins, the reward is an illuminated animation on the cabin ceiling accompanied by a brief audio composition. For that purpose, Jourdan and Oshima invited 17 artists / groups to create 15 to 90 seconds of sound compositions of previously unreleased audio material. Assuming that on average the cabin carries another passenger going to a different floor, a user who takes the elevator 10 times a day, 5 days a week, has one chance per week of winning. With the exception of this brief event, nothing else out of the ordinary occurs.
Lucky Dragons, Nortenas, $7
It feels like being in jeep in Nicaraqua in 1979 on a dusty road with a fuzzy transistor radio scanning and coming upon unheard treasure after treasure. Or maybe it's Portugal in 1993 in an empty tavern and their cd player is skipping. It is the combination of coming upon something that you haven't heard before and having that feeling like you want to tell everyone you know about it and also thinking "Wait. Is this how it's supposed to sound?" You turn to your friend and before ordering another Margarita and say "Paul, this sounds good!"
Lucky Dragons, 47 Songs, $10
On this incredible new Lucky Dragons release, A Sewing Circle, Lucky Dragons have all of their limited vinyl and cdr releases to date released on cd in one package. 47 SONGS!!!! From their first 7", F_uxus 2.0, released on their own label English Muffin back in the year 2000 to their 2004 edition of 100 CDR tour album Faults and 2005's mega limited edition of 20 from the 20 Bees series.
This also comes with a great doubly sided poster. One side is the breakdown of all the releases and songs, and the other side is a rad painting by the Sumi Ink Club. AMAZING RELASE + SUPERDEAL.
High Places, Picture Disc, $10
Second 7" picture disc in the series featuring the work of the now NY "based DAVID HORVITZ this time alongside that of Brooklynite rising tropical pop stars HIGH PLACES and including two exclusive new tracks SHARED ISLANDS/UNIVERSE.
Edition of 550.
Abe Vigoda, Kid City EP, $6
GOLDEN AGE HAS IT! Sold out everywhere else!!! 1st Pressing of 500. 2 Songs.
BARR, Song is the Single 7" Single, $5
BARR 7" 1st Pressing of 500. Clear Vinyl. 2 Songs; "The Song is the Single" and "The B Side is Silent". NO ARTWORK ON PURPOSE.
Avarus, Kirppujen Saari, $15
"Long touted as the forefathers of Finnish freeform psychedlic music, Avarus, a collective bearing members from The Anaksimadros, Kemialliset Ystävät, Maniacs Dream, and more, document their first tour of the United States on "Kirppujen Saari". The sounds contained show a departure and growth from typical Avarus recordings. The A side long track begins with a psychrock romper complete with full "band" instrumentation, slowly it deconstructs itself into the abstract electric/acoustic stylings and sonic spattering familiar to their previous work. Slowness builds into full on clatter filled walls of vocals, toy keyboards, horns, strums, and other acoustic junk, creating a unique and massive drone. The opposing side is pure acoustic drones composed of vocals, horns, and tribal beats. Room filling ambiance, corner clatter, and morphing silence also find a way to unobtrusively build themselves into the piece." In an edition of 350 LPs on coke bottle clear vinyl with printed labels by Bart of Sloow Tapes and proprinted full color foldover art by the band.
Aufgehoben, Axilogue/Thermidor One Five, $5
Aufgehoben are known for utilizing the full-length format to scratch and scrape at the inside of our brains, but on this tight little record the approach is equally moving and relentless. "Axiologue" fires off some rotten synapses before tossing a few tons of coal into a flaming swimming pool. "Thermidor One Five" splatters percussion like a burping baby and crumbles into the same cavern "Axiologue" initially buried us. Aufgehoben create music for the modern world, as volatile and astringent as the environment we're all soaking in. There are no leaves on these trees. There are 524 copies pressed, each copy is a picture disc inside a black jacket with an Aufgehoben sticker on the front.
Give it a listen
Binges are a hometown favorite here in Chicago. Up until this point their music has existed to the public in one form: the live set. For the benefit of those outside of Chicago, the duo, comprised of drummer Chris Robert and guitar/bass/drum/mic/tape dude Anthony Decanini, recently teamed up with Midwestern Raccoo-oo-oon to cover the west coast with their syncopated improvisations. It is only fitting that their first release be made up of live material(recorded to DAT tape and mastered with the utmost care). Decanini creates a vast number of growing and receding loops from his guitar, bass, contact mic, tapes, and other sources which act as the perfect foil to Robert’s percussion(a serious thing to behold). It isn’t so much one person acting as the leader as much as the two creating an absolute sonic union of sounds blurring the line between free jazz and noise. In an edition of 200 screened CDRs in screened sleeves.
Double Dagger, Ragged Rubble, $12
Utilizing only a drum kit, bass guitar, and vocal cords, Double Dagger manage to create a colossal wall of sound that touches on classic elements of hardcore and the boundless vision of early Punk while crafting a distilled, singular racket. Modern design is knocked on its ass and revived through a filter of tamed feedback as the Baltimore trio forge their frantic, post-punk anthems. Championing "luxury condos for the poor" and critiquing the emptiness of spent language, Double Dagger have distilled crisp snare attack, fuzzed-out bass lines, and Nolen Strals' clever, biting lyrics into an aural expectorant for our modern world.
Family Underground, Riven, $14
I can't believe you haven't bought this yet. Not Not fun bringing the best best stuff internationally. Family Underground = legendary drone and these dudes are from Copenhagen, so it's safe to assume they smoke a lot of weed. We've been calling it "free-drone."
Kevin Shields, Cavity Fever, $6
Kevin Shields(aka Eva Aguila), resident Deathbomb Arc go-to-girl and craft fair fabric wizard with her own label Hate State, is undoubtedly the harsh noise queen of the West Coast. Whether it be her collaborations with Brian Miller, her jamming in Gang Wizard, or her solo work, she is always painting from her own sonic spectrum of harsh tones and brutal waves of distortion. “Cavity Fever” is heavy on keyboard/organ sounds, a new direction for KS, which are seamlessly crocheted with tape manipulations, microphone feedback, and expert tone work. Brutally beautiful sunshine-electric jams. In a numbered edition of 100 sprayed tapes with mind melt art by George Myers.
Lal Lal Lal Festival Compilation, $11
Kind of gothic compilation of all the bands that performed on Lal Lal Lal Festival May 2007. Songs by Kukkiva poliisi, Reijo Pami, The Ray Pacino Ensemble, Mary Fist, Nuslux, Snake of Life, Master Qsh, The Skaters, Kemialliset ystävät, Maniacs Dream, Keijo, Kheta Hotem and Arttu Partinen & His Parts.
Lucky Dragons, Very 7", $10
Sounds by Lucky Dragons, images by David Horvitz. One side is Lucky Dragons rotating on the floor, the other side is the rotating everyday sky. Limited to 300 copies only ever!
Lucky Dragons, Mini Dream Island, $10
Full length cd of live recordings and remixes by Joe Grimm. Glitch-y but human electronic music, comes with poster. Lucky Dragons are in the 2008 Whitney Biennial. YEAH!!!!!
Mudboy, Hungry Ghosts, $16
"Hungry Ghosts" is at times hypnotic, dabbling in psychedelia, but is also disorientating like a house of mirrors. The circuit bent organ and arsenal of pedals does Mudboy well and will keep you guessing for as long as you're willing to give it a go. This album is a grower, but after a few listens you'll find yourself completely hooked.
New England Roses, Face Time with Son, $8
Supergroup Brendan Fowler, JD Sampson, and Sarah Shapiro make lo-fi anthems for singing along to.
